11 things every online merchant must know before launching their store – essential reading for every dropshipping entrepreneur.

If you're considering building your own online store or already have one, here are some general rules and principles you should probably know.

1. The e-commerce platform doesn't matter. As long as you choose one of the most popular ones (Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, Prestashop, Squarespace), your store's success probably won't depend on the technical capabilities of the platform you choose. Of course, you should do some research to find the one you are most comfortable with. For example, Shopify is good for most people, while WooCommerce might be better for people with technical know-how. However, you shouldn't get stuck on this decision. Very rarely—really very rarely—is the reason your store isn't generating sales the platform you chose. But don't choose a less popular platform; you'll regret it soon (main reason: most plugins and apps are developed first and foremost for the biggest platforms). Hertwill is available for Shopify and WooCommerce.
2. Launch fast, learn fast! We often see people get caught in perfection paralysis, delaying their launch and missing valuable lessons by wasting time fixing small bugs. Almost none of the stores make sales right away after the launch, but the successful ones are those that move quickly. They launch their store, start bringing in traffic, and learn what works and what doesn’t, making changes accordingly. For example, they quickly assess whether their store's value proposition resonates with potential customers, whether they can attract traffic, if the pricing is right, or even if the niche is right. In short, many things you try won't work, so the goal is to find what does work as quickly as possible.
3. Don't launch sh*t! Yes, you should move quickly to start learning from real visitors how to improve your store, but that doesn't mean you should launch an incomplete online store. If you launch a half-baked store, the insights you gain from bringing in real people are not as valuable. For instance, if your store lacks proper content, the design looks dark and unattractive, some texts are still lorem ipsum, and the products are just sample items, the only thing you'll learn from traffic is that you need to fix these issues, which you already knew. The goal of launching fast is to learn things you don’t know beforehand. Your store should look trustworthy and legitimate overall, which you can assess by sharing it with friends, on Reddit or Facebook e-commerce groups, or even with us at Hertwill.
4. Winter rules in retail. For most online stores (except for those selling sunglasses, ice cream, etc.), the majority of sales occur from September to March, while summer is usually especially slow. Keep that in mind when running your business and assessing your store's sales potential. However, summer is a great time to prepare for the peak sales season.
5. It's a marathon, not a sprint. In most cases, it takes months before a store starts bringing in sales. In fact, some of the most successful stores partnering with Hertwill have been building, improving, and iterating their stores for more than a year before they started seeing sales.
6. Less is more. To be successful, you don't need to add hundreds of products to your store, especially when you're just starting. Focus on quality—quality products, great pictures, and compelling descriptions—over quantity. Check out my article on this topic here.
7. If you are in it for a quick buck, move on. As mentioned before, it takes time to build a successful business. In the early days, you will most certainly be spending more than you earn, and all the money you make from sales should be reinvested into growing your store.
8. Do it with a friend! Or with a family member. Yes, there’s a saying that you shouldn’t do business with a friend, but I don’t agree. I think it’s more fun, and you’ll be able to move quicker. Plus, you can hold each other accountable, making it harder for the project to stall. Just choose the right friend.
9. Focus on what matters. When building an online business, your to-do list will grow faster than you can handle. If you’re not making sales, don’t waste time tweaking order confirmation emails—focus on getting sales. No traffic? Don’t mess with your checkout; focus on bringing in traffic.
10. It's better to be loved by some than liked by everyone. Especially in the early days, try to target a small group of people who might love what you offer. Don’t be afraid to be different. Big players like Amazon and Zalando play it safe and boring, but they have all the sales. When you launch a new online store that no one has ever heard of, you have to convince some people to buy something from this unknown store. What you offer must resonate extremely well with them, even if it looks weird or chases others away. For example, when we launched our shoe store, we marketed the store and boots by saying that our boots are not for you. You should buy Dr. Martens or Vagabond shoes if you care about brand names. But if you care about no-nonsense, durable, reasonably priced boots made in Europe, we are here for you. Do something that makes at least some people think what you are doing is cool, funny, or at least different. Ideally, you want people who not only buy from you but also tell their friends about you and support you on social media. The worst thing that can happen isn't that people hate what you offer, but that they don't notice you and don’t care.
11. Focus on your store and customers, not your competition. Most small online stores should concentrate on bringing people to their store and encouraging them to buy, rather than worrying about competitors. It's common for store owners to obsess when they find someone selling the same products cheaper. But here's the truth: most customers don’t buy solely based on price—unless you make it about the price. For example, in our Estonian shoe store, we outsell a local design store (which has a physical presence, more resources, and cheaper prices) by 75 to 1.

Hope it helps! And good luck on your entrepreneurship journey.