Ever wondered how to start an eCommerce business? Well, starting an eCommerce business today is easier than ever, but running one profitably is another story. Many new online store owners underestimate how much time it takes to handle tasks such as product uploads, order management, marketing, and customer support. According to Shopify, 90% of eCommerce businesses fail within the first four months, often because owners try to do everything themselves. That is where virtual assistants come in.
By hiring the right virtual assistants, entrepreneurs can save time, cut costs, and focus on growing their stores instead of being trapped in endless admin work. But not all VAs are the same. Some specialize in product management, while others excel in customer service or social media marketing. The real question is: which type of VA will actually make your eCommerce business profitable?
The Rise of eCommerce Virtual Assistants
ECommerce virtual assistants are remote professionals who handle the day-to-day tasks of running an online store. They can upload products, write descriptions, manage pricing, handle inventory, and even process returns. In fact, a report from Payoneer shows that 70% of online sellers already outsource parts of their operations to remote workers, with product listing being the most common task.
For example, imagine you own a small Shopify store selling eco-friendly skincare. You could easily spend hours uploading 50 new products, adjusting tags, and fixing broken links. An eCommerce virtual assistant could complete this in half the time, freeing you to focus on negotiating supplier deals or brainstorming new product ideas.
But eCommerce VAs aren’t just about saving time; they’re about making money. A well-trained remote-based assistant can optimize product descriptions with the right keywords, increasing your store’s visibility on Google and Amazon. They also keep track of inventory, so you never miss a sale because an item went out of stock unnoticed. Although an e-commerce virtual assistant is helpful, you can’t ignore the power of social media, and this is where a social media virtual assistant can be beneficial.
Why Social Media Virtual Assistants Are Game-Changers
Social media is no longer optional for online businesses. With 4.95 billion people actively using social media in 2024, according to Statista, ignoring these platforms means ignoring your customers. Yet, managing multiple accounts, creating fresh content, and keeping up with ever-changing algorithms is overwhelming for most eCommerce owners. This is where a social media VA becomes essential.
A social media remote assistant can plan your content calendar, schedule posts, respond to comments, and track analytics. More importantly, they understand the psychology of influence. As marketing expert Seth Godin once said, “People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic.” Social media provides that magic; it creates a space where brands connect emotionally with customers.
Consider this: while likes and followers don’t always equal immediate sales, they do create trust. According to Edelman’s Trust Barometer, 81% of consumers say trust is a deciding factor in their buying decisions. By building that trust through consistent, engaging social media activity, your remote assistant can indirectly boost sales over the long term.
The Real Value of Social Media
Here’s where many eCommerce owners get confused. They expect instant sales after building a large following. But the truth is, social media is not a direct sales channel; it’s a relationship builder. Just because you have 10,000 followers doesn’t mean you’ll sell 10,000 products.
The real value of social media lies in its ability to influence. For example, when a fashion influencer shares a new clothing brand, sales often spike, not because the product is the best on the market, but because trust and attention have been transferred from the influencer to the brand.
A VA who specializes in social media can replicate this effect for your business. By curating the right posts, engaging with micro-influencers, and running targeted ad campaigns, they create the “knock-on effect” of exposure. Over time, this builds credibility, which leads to repeat customers.
Brand Loyalty: The Silent Profit Maker
Some business owners hesitate to invest in social media because the ROI isn’t always clear. But loyalty pays off in ways that are often overlooked. Research shows that increasing customer retention by just 5% can increase profits by 25% to 95%, according to the Harvard Business Review.
Let’s put that into perspective: if you own a small online coffee brand, and 100 loyal customers reorder monthly, you don’t need 10,000 one-time buyers; loyalty compounds. A virtual assistant who manages social media can help strengthen that loyalty by creating conversations with customers, celebrating user-generated content, and running campaigns that make customers feel part of a community.
As Jeff Bezos famously said, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Social media keeps you in the room, and a virtual assistant ensures your brand voice is consistent and engaging.
How to Promote Your Store with a Social Media VA
The first step in growing your online presence is visibility. A common mistake new store owners make is creating amazing posts but failing to promote their accounts. A social media remote-based assistant knows how to fix this. They will link your Instagram or Facebook pages to your website, include them in email campaigns, and run ads that draw attention to your store.
It’s better to start small and focus on two strong channels, often Facebook and Instagram, before expanding. Posting without a plan is like shouting into the void. A virtual assistant ensures that every post follows your brand guidelines, is scheduled for peak engagement times, and contributes to your bigger marketing strategy.
For example, your remote assistant may discover through analytics that your audience is most active on Instagram at 7 p.m. on weekdays. Posting then ensures maximum visibility with minimum effort. Small strategic moves like this can make a huge difference in how quickly you grow.
Growing Followers and Building Reach
Every store dreams of hitting thousands of followers. But the first few thousand are the hardest. A social media assistant helps by setting realistic follower goals and implementing strategies to reach them. People respond more to faces and stories than to brands, which is why virtual assistants often suggest featuring customer testimonials, behind-the-scenes videos, or founder stories.
Take Gymshark, for example. This UK-based billion-dollar fitness brand grew primarily through social media by featuring athletes and real people rather than just pushing products. A skilled virtual assistant can apply similar techniques to your store, scaling your followers and expanding your market reach.
And once your follower count grows, your influence multiplies. The larger your audience, the easier it becomes to market new products, launch flash sales, or test new ideas.
Paid Advertising: The Shortcut to Growth
While organic growth is robust, paid advertising accelerates results. Social media ads allow you to reach people outside your immediate audience and target them based on demographics, interests, and behavior. A social media VA trained in advertising can run campaigns that maximize your ad spend.
For instance, imagine running a Facebook ad targeting 25- to 35-year-old women interested in eco-friendly products. A virtual assistant can design an ad that not only attracts clicks but also retargets users who visited your store without purchasing. This ensures that you don’t lose potential customers.
Paid advertising, when done right, can turn cold leads into loyal buyers. And because your virtual assistant monitors the campaigns, they can adjust budgets and strategies in real-time to get you the best return.
Why You Need a Social Media VA Now
At this point, the debate is less about whether you should use social media for your eCommerce business and more about how you can manage it without burning out. The truth is, you can’t. Social media requires constant attention, creativity, and analysis. Doing it yourself as a store owner means sacrificing time that could be spent improving products or scaling operations.
A dedicated virtual assistant gives you back that time. They act as your behind-the-scenes marketing engine, ensuring that your store is always visible, your customers are always engaged, and your brand is constantly growing. In other words, they help turn attention into sales and followers into loyal customers.
How to Start an E-Commerce Business
How to start an e-commerce business? Starting an e-commerce business can seem like a huge undertaking. For entrepreneurs exploring how to start e-business ventures, it’s essential to understand the foundational steps that lead to a successful online enterprise. Understanding the critical aspects of launching an e-commerce business involves defining your brand identity and selecting the appropriate business structure. This can help you establish a robust online presence and navigate the digital marketplace effectively. Moreover, the sales, the orders, the shipping, and the inventory. However, this does not have to be the case. You can start your online shop in less than a day! Here are some tips for getting started:
How to Start an E-Commerce Business: Define your brand.
Before starting your website, defining your brand and considering your business model is essential. You can think of a brand as the personality that sets your company apart from other businesses (especially ecommerce) in the marketplace. Your brand gives people an idea of what you stand for and how they should relate to you.
When defining your brand, ask yourself: What is my brand? Is it something I’d like to share with branders? If so, why?
- What is my brand’s personality or brand identity? How would I describe it in one word or phrase?
- What is the tone of my brand? Does my company have a serious or light-hearted vibe?
- What is the message of my brand? How do I want customers to feel when interacting with us online (eagerness to buy, enthusiasm about our products/services, and more)?
- What is the mission of my business (or website)? Why was this business created in the first place—what makes us stand out from other companies in our field (and why should anyone care)?
How to Start an E-Commerce Business: Choose a Business Structure
To choose a business structure, consider the following:
Formalize your company.
If you’re starting a new business, especially an ecommerce business, you can use one of the many available structures. The most common options are sole proprietorship and partnership; if multiple owners are involved in your new enterprise, you might consider incorporating or forming an LLC (limited liability corporation).
Consider taxes and accounting.
A ‘C’ corporation offers more tax benefits than any other entity except for nonprofits and S corporations. However, filing corporate taxes every year requires more maintenance. S corporations have fewer restrictions on who can be an owner. However, they need all shareholders to receive compensation from their companies via salary or dividends—you cannot take profits out as capital gains distributions as you can with a C corp or LLC taxed as a partnership or sole proprietorship.
These entities do not pay federal income tax on earnings distributed to shareholders who do not work for them directly (however, they still owe self-employment taxes).
Choose your E-commerce Platform
Before selling your products online, you must choose an e-commerce platform to help get your store up and running. There are several platforms to choose from, each with pros and cons.
Some popular platforms include Shopify, BigCommerce, Volusion, WooCommerce, and Magento. These marketplaces will structure your ecommerce store for the different aspects of your business, such as shipping, marketing, credit card processing, and orders, which also means sales.
Think Shopify for your ecommerce store
Shopify is one of the most accessible platforms to learn to use because it has many intuitive features for beginners. Its drag-and-drop is easy for designing pages; there are prebuilt templates you can customize, and its search engine optimization tools are super simple. BigCommerce has similar functionality. However, getting used to this platform may take longer if you’re new to designing websites or managing e-commerce stores.
On top of being easy to use, Shopify also allows users access to over 200 themes (free), which gives them access to customization options without having any coding skill set (or hiring developers).
Volusion is another excellent option for those who want something simpler than Shopify but still want flexibility with their design options (e.g., yours).
How to Start an E-Commerce Business: Open Your Store
Now that you’ve created your e-commerce business plan, it’s time to open your online store to drive those sales. You must register a domain and purchase a web host to do so. You can also choose which shopping cart software and e-commerce platform fits your needs.
You should also decide whether you want an SSL certificate (an HTTPS certificate). However, remember that not all payment gateways support this feature yet.
With these tips, you can start your e-commerce business and make it a success! – Now that you know the basics of starting an e-commerce busineslet’s what it takes to get started, let’s talk about some actionable steps.
Set goals for your store. What are your end goals? How much money do you want to make? When will this happen? Defining these things up front is incredibly helpful in keeping focused on what matters most: growing your business.
Learn more about digital marketing tactics and Shopify’s services by reading blogs like Shopify’s blog and Humblebee Social (formerly Growth Nation) and becoming part of communities such as Shopify’s Merchants Community on Facebook or Reddit’s e-commerce subreddit.
Final Thoughts: Building Profitability with VAs
Starting an eCommerce business isn’t just about setting up a website. It’s about building systems that allow your store to grow profitably, hiring virtual assistants, whether for product management, customer service, or social media, and systems.
Social media’s true power is influence, not instant sales. But influence leads to loyalty, and loyalty leads to long-term profit. By being in the right VAs, you’re not just buying time, you’re buying growth.
So, if you’re serious about starting an e-commerce business that lasts, don’t do it alone. Hire skilled virtual assistants to handle the heavy lifting, and you’ll be free to focus on the bigger vision: turning your online store into a thriving, profitable brand.