E-commerce in 2024: opportunities and challenges
The e-commerce market in Russia grows by 20–30% a year. Online sales aren’t the future but the present. But competition is high, and success requires the right approach from the very start.
Stages of launching an online store
1. Analysis and planning
Before development, answer these questions:
- Which product/niche to choose?
- Who is the target audience?
- Who are the competitors and how to stand out?
- What’s the budget for launch and promotion?
2. Choosing a platform
| Platform | Pros | Cons | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom development | Full control, uniqueness | More expensive, longer | Mid and large business |
| 1C-Bitrix | 1C integration, popularity | Complexity, cost | B2B, large catalogs |
| Shopify | Fast start, simplicity | Commissions, limits | Small business, start |
| WooCommerce | Free, flexible | Requires setup | Small and mid business |
3. Catalog structure
A proper catalog structure is critical for UX and SEO:
- Categories — a logical hierarchy, no more than 3 levels
- Filters — by price, brand, attributes
- Search — with suggestions and typo correction
- Sorting — by popularity, price, newness
4. Product card
The product card is the main page for conversion:
- Quality photos (at least 3–5, with zoom)
- Product video review
- Detailed description and specs
- Price and availability
- “Buy” and “Add to cart” buttons
- Customer reviews
- Related products and accessories
5. Cart and checkout
70% of carts are abandoned. Minimize friction:
- Minimum steps (ideally one page)
- Guest checkout without registration
- Cart saving
- Transparent shipping cost
- Several payment methods
6. Payment
Connect popular payment methods:
- Bank cards (Visa, MasterCard, MIR)
- SBP (Faster Payments System)
- E-wallets (YooMoney, QIWI)
- Cash on delivery
- Installments/credit for expensive items
7. Delivery
Integrate delivery services:
- CDEK, Boxberry — pickup points
- Russian Post — for the regions
- Courier delivery — for urgent orders
- Self-pickup — if you have an offline point
8. Customer account
- Order history
- Delivery tracking
- Favorites and wishlists
- Subscription management
- Bonus program
Integrations for automation
- CRM — managing customers and orders
- 1C — syncing stock and prices
- Email marketing — abandoned carts, newsletters
- Analytics — conversion tracking
- Chatbots — customer support
Promoting an online store
- SEO — optimizing categories and product cards
- Contextual advertising — Yandex.Direct, Google Ads
- Marketplaces — Ozon, Wildberries, Yandex.Market
- Social media — targeted advertising
- Email marketing — working with the customer base
Success metrics
| Metric | A good value |
|---|---|
| Conversion | 2–5% |
| Average order value | Depends on the niche |
| CAC (acquisition cost) | Under 30% of margin |
| LTV (lifetime value) | 3+ times higher than CAC |
| Customer return rate | 30%+ |
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Conclusion
Launching an online store is a marathon, not a sprint. Start with an MVP, test hypotheses, scale what works. We’ll help at every stage — from design to launch and promotion.
Ready to launch your online store? Tell us about your idea and we’ll propose the optimal solution.
