E-Commerce Life: Starting from 0, 1, 2, and 3
- This article draws primarily from Taiwan's e-commerce market experience. The perspectives and assessments may shift over time (last updated June 2026) and may not apply to every country's market context — entry strategies for other markets warrant separate discussion.
Starting an e-commerce business sounds simple enough. There's a famous line from an industry veteran — now largely off the radar — that goes something like: "There will be no e-commerce in the future, because everyone will be doing e-commerce." It's true in spirit, but it's also just a slogan. Plenty of people have already discovered that throwing products online doesn't guarantee sales.
This article uses four numbers to break the starting journey into four distinct stages — getting the first step right matters most, but before that, a few basic assessments need to be clear in your head. Clarity first, then momentum.
0: Where You Are Now
0 is where you haven't started yet.
Before opening a shop, honestly answer three questions:
- What do you have to sell? (Physical goods, digital products, services, or someone else's brand)
- Who are you selling to? (Local Taiwan, Southeast Asia, global?)
- How much time and budget can you actually commit?
There are no right answers — but if you skip these questions and jump straight to opening a store, you'll likely close it within three months. Not because e-commerce is hard, but because you were selling something to nobody in particular. That said, actually launching a bare-bones store has never been easier — platforms like Shopee or Ruten (though that's a story for another day) can be set up in minutes. The challenge comes right after: facing those three questions head-on.
Basic idea: You don't need to figure everything out before starting — but clarify at least two of the three. E-commerce is, at its core, about selling goods. But building an online store isn't always purely about direct sales — it might serve as a pricing anchor point to establish a reference position for comparison, a content hub that supplements information unavailable on other platforms, or a visibility layer for international reach. Knowing your actual goal shapes what your next step looks like.
1: Pick a Starting Point
1 is your first choice.
There are many ways into e-commerce, but for beginners, one platform is enough:
| Option | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shopee | Quick launch, Southeast Asia focus | High traffic, high competition, low to moderate commission |
| Ruten | Taiwan local (eBay-connected for international reach) | Similar ease to Shopee but lower traffic; eBay joint venture background |
| Etsy | Handmade or design products | Niche audience, creator-friendly — but listing fees apply |
| Lazada / Tokopedia | Southeast Asian markets | Strong local platform support |
| 7-ELEVEN MyShip (賣貨便) | Taiwan local, convenience store logistics | Free to join, zero commission, limited to 7-11 store-to-store, low shipping fee |
| FamilyMart FamiStore+ (好賣+) | Taiwan local, convenience store logistics | Free to join, zero commission, limited to FamilyMart store-to-store, new seller shipping subsidies |
FUN FACT: Those two convenience store platforms are a clever play — for 7-ELEVEN and FamilyMart, they're essentially a way to extract more value from existing logistics infrastructure with minimal additional operating cost.
Recommendation 1: Don't open multiple platforms at once. Pick one, learn its rules, do it well — then expand (unless you're running a deliberate pricing anchor strategy, in which case different rules apply). Recommendation 2: As unsatisfying as it sounds, if you're thinking long-term and multi-market, Shopee is a starting point worth maintaining.
2: Bring Your Shop to Life
2 is the things that make your store feel real.
First: Your Product Pages
Good product pages don't need design talent — they need clarity:
- Clean main image: White or neutral background so the product stands out (though there are the occasional exceptions that break the rule intentionally)
- Honest descriptions: Specs, materials, dimensions — write what buyers need to verify, and reduce the chance of disputes later
- Reasonable pricing: Study your competition, but don't compete only on price — unless price is part of a deliberate strategy
- Motion or video: In the age of AI, producing short animations or video has become much more affordable. And with consumers shaped by short-form video culture, it genuinely works
Second: Your First Order
The first order feels far away — but you can actively bring it closer:
- Share with friends and ask them to spread the word
- Post on social media with a direct purchase link
- Offer a small early-bird discount or coupon (just make sure you've checked the margin)
- A common tip: try to complete the first few orders yourself — triggering real transactions activates the platform's data and recommendation systems
The first order isn't just revenue — it's a test of your entire flow: checkout, payment, shipping, customer service — all working end to end.
Third: Real Orders
Shopee reportedly has around 20 million sellers globally (to be verified); Taiwan-specific figures aren't publicly available — and many listed stores aren't even Taiwan-based or are operated under third-party setups. In that ocean of competition, getting real orders requires effort on two fronts:
- External effort (marketing & reach): Social media marketing, Google advertising, PR and media coverage, etc.
- Internal effort (on-platform): Keyword optimization, sponsored listings, promotional participation, subsidies, live-stream events (with their own traffic algorithms) — all of these cost money too
None of the above can be covered in a few lines. Product category makes a huge difference — you need broad-reach Meta campaigns and niche community targeting in different combinations, and Shopee's own fee structures deserve their own breakdown. On the bright side (and the not-so-bright side — there are always two sides), Taiwan's smaller market size means audience concentration is relatively higher, which makes broad planning slightly more manageable. The downside, of course, is that the same small scale creates intense competition and a cannibalization effect.
FUN FACT: In 2026, the global median Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) for Meta (FB/IG) ads reached US$29.99. Electronics tops the list at US$49.48 — the most expensive e-commerce category — while Beauty & Fashion sits around US$30–38. CPM rose roughly 20% year-over-year. For new sellers trying to cold-start purely on paid ads, the financial pressure is substantial — which is exactly why organic platform traffic matters so much at the beginning.
| Category | Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) |
|---|---|
| Electronics / 3C | US$49.48 (most expensive) |
| Beauty & Fashion | ~US$30–38 |
| Lifestyle & Boutique | US$29.99 |
| Baby Products | US$30.04 |
| All E-Commerce Median | US$29.99 |
The figures above are global averages. In Taiwan's smaller market, actual CPA will vary based on creative quality, audience targeting, and account history — treat these as order-of-magnitude reference points for budget planning.
Sources: Meta Ads Benchmarks for eCommerce 2026, Meta Ads CPA Benchmarks by Industry 2026. Data covers 2025–2026.
The full scope of marketing and promotion is vast — from Meta ads, Google campaigns, and KOC word-of-mouth strategies, to Shopee's internal sponsored listings, subsidy programs, and live-stream traffic mechanics. Each deserves its own dedicated discussion and cannot be adequately covered within this article's framework. This is where we draw the line for now — these topics will be addressed separately.
3: Keep It Going
Without any marketing activity, the habits below lose their foundation — no marketing means no data, and stores relying purely on organic traffic tend to become the zombie shops mentioned in the opening within three months.
3 is the three habits that separate stores that survive from those that don't.
Track Your Numbers
Check three metrics every week: page views, add-to-cart count, and conversions. Knowing where you're losing people tells you what to fix.
Handle Customer Service
One bad review can influence a hundred future buyers. Fast, genuine responses are the cheapest marketing you'll ever do.
Restock and Iterate
Many shops die here — out-of-stock listings never refilled, wrong descriptions never corrected. Schedule one hour a week to maintain your store. That's enough.
Closing: 0 to 3 Is Not the Finish Line
These four numbers aren't all of e-commerce — they're a framework that lets you actually start.
No one succeeds overnight in e-commerce, but many people quit after three months simply because they never got clear on what they were doing.
Walk through 0 to 3, and you'll already be ahead of most.
But after 0 through 3, there are still 4, 5, and 6.
Further Reading
- What Is Cross-Border E-Commerce
- Major Sales Platforms Compared
- Southeast Asian E-Commerce Overview (2025)
This article is written in Traditional Chinese. This English version is AI-assisted. For the original, see 從 0、1、2、3 開始的電商生活.