10 Steps to Launch an E-commerce Product

Launching your own e-commerce product sounds cool, right? But it can also feel like you’re jumping off a plan while building your own parachute. I do have good news though, because in this guide I’ll break down in 10 completely doable steps, the process that’ll take you from idea to that sweet cha-ching of your first sale. Needless to say every situation is unique and that be below list is a high-level only, but now that we got the disclaimer out of the way, let’s get into it.

1. Make Sure People Actually Want What You’re Selling

Before you order 500 units of something nobody asked for, test the waters. You’d be surprised with how many products people have thought of, that despite being pretty cool, nobody was willing to pay for. And trust me, I’m the guy who was stuck with 20 black hoodies that said “Equality” when I was 20… could’ve been worse, but it could also be a lot better 😅

Here are some of the ways in which you can validate your product before commiting to it:

• Chat with potential customers - people you know, folks on Reddit, Facebook groups, etc.
• Set up a simple page showing your product idea and see if anyone shows interest in buying.
• Go bold and offer a discounted pre-order. If they pay, they care.

💡 Pro Tip: Speaking to friends and family doesn’t count! They’ll be way too nice, which actually works against you in the long term.

Validate first — build later.

2. Spy on Your Market (in a Non-Creepy Way)

You need to know who else is out there and how you’re different. 9 out of 10 times, someone has done it before, it’s 2025 now, and I know you’re original, but adding a small feature to an existing product doesn’t make it revolutionary. So if you have an ego, put it to side for a second, and look out for who’s in the space you want to enter. I’d normally follow the below steps when doing market research:

• Search for the keywords of the product type you want to build on Google, TikTok and Instagram
• Make a list of 10 brands who are seemingly doing well in that space. Have a close look at the features they offer, their price point, the markets they sell in…
• Assess their websites. Do you identify patterns, do you identify gaps?
• Have a look at customer reviews. What are people saying? On their websites but most importnatly social media. What do they love and what annoys them about the product.
• Go to Facebook Ads Library and search for the brands you’ve identified. This will allow you to see the types of Ads they’re running and the features/CTAs they’re using to acquire customers.

Once you have all of this, figure out your edge: is it your vibe, what’s your story, why are you building it? Remember people buy from people, not faceless brands.

3. Build a Brand That Doesn’t Suck, respectfully

You don’t need a 100-page brand book. Keep it simple and clean. You’re building a brand, not writing a thesis, so it should take you a week, not months.

• Pick a name that’s easy to say, spell, and remember. Don’t overcomplicate with a backstory - people don’t care.
• Use Canva to whip up a decent logo.
• Write one clear sentence that says what your product is and who it’s for. If you can’t clearly comunicate what your product is and who is it for, you need to go back to step 1.

Keep everything looking consistent - your site, emails, social, even packaging. And ideally make it simple enough, you don’t need Apple’s branding when selling a $30 t-shirt.

4. Source That Product Like a Boss

Whether you’re making it yourself, dropshipping, or working with a factory, there are a few things to know when sourcing. This is a whole topic in itself, but to keep it short enough, you have to mock an initial product, order initial samples and maybe re-do this process a few times until you’re happy enough with the result. Also be prepared to be hit with the dreaded Minimum Order Quantities from yoiur factory/manufacturer. Lower units normally means a higher price, but the bottom-line hit might be worth taking.

5. Price It Right (No Guessing)

I’ve written a whole piece about how to price your product correctly when launching, and you can read it here.

I won’t repeat it too much, but to put it simply, start with your product cost, add the extra costs you will incur (such as shipping, storing, VAT and more), and try to predict how much it will cost you to acquire customers. Add it all up, add a margin for extra costs, and then your ideal margin to keep operating and growing.

I genuinely think this is where most people go wrong. So much so that I built a free calculator so you can see what your magin looks like before you even launch.

6. Build a Store That’s Easy to Shop

Use Shopify (easy and great) or WooCommerce (if you’re into WordPress stuff). I would 10/10 recommend shopify as it’s just smoother and has a great embedded checkoout experience. This may not sound important enough for now, but when you see potential customers abandoning their baskets, you’ll understand why I said this.

• Use clean product photos - not just plain shots, but real-life/lifestyle ones.
• Keep navigation simple. Don’t make people click 10 times to buy. From Homepage to Product page, there should be 1-click, and to checkout another click.
• Add trust: reviews, returns policy, shipping details. All this shabang is more important than people realize because it helps build instant trust between from the consumer (who’s probably never heard of you before).

Pretty is nice. Easy-to-use is better. Both together? 🚀

7. Figure Out How You’ll Ship Stuff

You choose your product, you order it, you have your online shop ready to go, now comes the logistical stuff. You need to find a place to store your items and ship them. In the beginning it shouldn’t be glorious at all. I’ve had 50% of my bedroom filled with boxes, and would ship the products myself in my daily post-office run. As you grow, it’s normal to rent warehouse space and start using third party providers (3PL). Here are some of the ways in which you can ship things:

• Ship it yourself: Great for small volume, low overhead cost.
• 3PL (third-party logistics): A warehouse handles it. Good if you’re growing.
• Dropshipping: They ship for you. Fast to start but much less control.

Test the full process before launch to avoid surprises later. But if you;ve made it this far, the exciting part id about to start!

8. Hype It Up Before You Drop

Don’t launch to crickets. Build buzz! Make “Build in Public” videos. Shout about it to friends and enemies. Get people talking about it. Show the behind-the-scenes, people love this sort of stuff more than you think. And before you even have the product ready, you should have collected emails from potential customers, teased your product on the socials and even offered pre-orders to early supporters.

Create FOMO and get people excited before Day 1. And if you’re struggling with this part, then you’re in the right place. I mean, ain’t this called “Selling with Nas”? 😜

If you need support with selling your products, get in touch!

9. Sell. Sell. Sell.

This is it. Go all in.

• Email your list.
• Post like crazy on socials.
• Try a launch-day giveaway or limited-time deal.
• Run some ads if you can (retarget your email list!).

Track everything: sales, traffic, what’s working and what’s flopping. In my personal opinion, data is everything. So install a good analytics tool (for free), and track how people engage with your website. What are they clicking on and what is making them drop off. This is where a lot of people give up, they don’t see the initial sales coming through, and that is demotivating. But guess what, 9/10 launches result in nothing but crickets. Don’t give up, because chances are, you have not tapped into 0.1% of your potential customers yet.

10. Ask Your First Customers for the Real Tea

Now that you’ve started selling and that people are using your product, hear them out. Aske them what they liked, what they didn’t. Was the packe damaged on arrival, did the product meet the expectations, was the colour perhaps slightly off? Everything they can tell you is, in essence, you new currency. Because the initial feedback you get should be directly implemented into your next iteration of the product.

And if they love it, ask for a testiominal and give them a discount code for their next purchase. This is where the real fun begins, because scaling can be stressful, but it’s a whole lot of fun too.

Nas’ Note: Don’t let your ego get in the way

Hitting $1 Million in sales on day 1 is not realistic, so don’t believe those internet gurus driving lamborghinis. Building a business takes time, takes effort, and takes money - that’s the simple hard truth. So focus on the basics, build a product that solves a real pain-point, validate people want it, and do your best to reach them.

The entrepreneurship game is very humbling, so don’t make the mistake to believe your professional success is a reflection of who you are - because it’s not. This applies for the good and for the bad. So remember, it takes a lot of heart to see keep moving ahead when sales hit rock bottom. But this is what you’re signing up for, so let’s go, you can do it!