In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Kate McLean, a children’s clothing designer, said she had to research and understand postage, marketing and effectively running an ecommerce site from home before she experienced success. Her story illustrates some of the challenges common to small business owners getting into ecommerce, the paper stated.

The source reported that many retailers like McLean are turning to ecommerce sites to reduce overhead costs and increase sales. However, retailers must understand how to select an appropriate online shopping model, know how to market their businesses in the digital environment and update their technical skills needed to run the site.

Robert Gerrish, founder of the website Flying Solo, told the source ecommerce newcomers need to effectively market the site to attract new consumers. Ecommerce entrepreneurs need to find something unique about their business to capitalise on, as they battle millions of other advertisements and offerings being presented to consumers online.

Another tool valuable to ecommerce sites is the use of social media to market and engage customers. A recent poll from American Express found female Australian business owners use social media and online retail to further their reach more than their male counterparts. The research showed 43 percent of female business owners use at least one type of social media for their company, compared to 37 percent of men, and 48 percent of women offer products to be purchased online, compared to 40 percent of men.