The EcommerceViews Guide to Running an Online Store
EcommerceViews helps small and mid-sized online stores make better decisions about platforms, payments, shipping and growth. Every review follows our published review process, and our affiliate links are listed in our affiliate disclosure. Start with the section that matches the decision in front of you.
Getting started
New to selling online? Learn how ecommerce works, then plan your business and your store.
Start here: What is ecommerce?
- How to set up an ecommerce business
- Build an ecommerce store, step by step
- Is ecommerce worth it in 2026?
- Ecommerce website examples
Choosing a platform
Compare Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and the rest on cost, features and fit.
Start here: Ecommerce platforms: guides and comparisons
- 10 best ecommerce platforms for 2026
- Best ecommerce platform for small business
- Shopify vs WooCommerce
- All platform, payment and courier reviews
Architecture and hosting
Hosted, headless or self-hosted: what each setup costs and when it pays off.
Start here: Headless commerce vs traditional platforms
- SaaS vs PaaS vs IaaS for online stores
- Total cost of ownership of open-source ecommerce
- Replatforming without losing rankings
Payments and checkout
Choose a payment gateway, understand the fees and remove friction at checkout.
Start here: Best payment gateways for ecommerce stores
Shipping and delivery
Compare couriers on price, reliability and fit for your parcels.
Start here: Best shipping companies for ecommerce stores
Inventory, orders and returns
Keep stock accurate across channels and run orders and returns without errors.
Start here: Stock control management systems
- Order processing and management
- Managing inventory across several stores
- Why free returns are a bad default
- Why product data breaks between ERP, PIM and your store
Marketing and SEO
Get found on Google and in AI search, and turn traffic into repeat customers.
Start here: How to get your ecommerce store found on Google
- Ecommerce SEO audit checklist
- Keyword research for online stores
- Email and SMS marketing
- SEO vs paid ads
Conversion and customer experience
Turn more visitors into buyers and give customers reasons to come back.
Start here: Conversion rate optimisation for small businesses
- A/B testing made simple
- Abandoned cart emails
- Collecting and showing customer reviews
- Optimising your store for mobile
AI in ecommerce
Where AI already helps online stores, and how to show up in AI shopping answers.
Start here: AI in ecommerce: the merchant guide
- AI in ecommerce: 2027 merchant playbook
- How to get your store into AI search results
- AI personalisation in practice
Marketplaces
Sell on Amazon, eBay and other marketplaces without losing control of your brand.
Start here: Marketplace management
Research and data
Our analysis of official ecommerce statistics from the US, UK and Europe.