If you're looking to start an eCommerce business in Australia, the process will likely become a lot more complicated than you expect. There are a lot of moving parts that need to be established and managed, and some of them are only obvious once you run into an issue. The good news is that as long as you've got a good launch roadmap, things should run much more smoothly. With that in mind, we've put together this list of five common challenges new eCommerce business owners face:

Getting Your Goods Out There

One of the most challenging aspects of starting an eCommerce business is finding a way to get your goods out there. When you're still small and only servicing local customers, it’s feasible to use AusPost as a standard customer. However, if you want to serve a broader demographic or expand your business quickly, teaming up with a fulfillment centre will significantly reduce your workload and stress. It should also save you a significant chunk of change.

Building a Website That Converts

Another factor you'll need to consider is getting customers to convert. Even if your product is highly innovative, you won’t get conversions if your website doesn’t inspire trust and confidence. It must also showcase the benefits of what you're selling.

The good news is that you can overcome this challenge by engaging the services of a creative design studio. Doing so will connect you to a team of web design experts who work well for eCommerce companies in all niches. It’s an investment that should drastically improve your sales.

Finding Ethical Sourcing Channels

You'll also need to consider where you source your goods and materials. Not only is ethical sourcing becoming more important to consumers, but it's also simply the right thing to do. So you'll want to ensure that your supply chain is all above board.

One of the best ways to do this is by practising social procurement, as operating in this manner allows you to make a positive impact automatically.

Managing Your Taxes

Just because you own the business doesn't mean you no longer have to worry about paying taxes. In fact, business ownership can complicate the process as you'll no longer have an employer handling PAYG contributions on your behalf.

To help navigate this new way of managing money, we suggest engaging the services of an online tax accountant. That way, you can rest easily at night, knowing you're compliant and not at risk of an ATO audit or other repercussions.

Protecting Your Privacy

When you launch a business, it can be tempting to just work out of your spare room or garage. While this may work for some, you will not fare well with the approach if you’re uncomfortable having your personal details readily available to the public. That discomfort will only deepen when you reach a point where you need to start hiring employees.

A cost-effective way to deal with this is to look into serviced office space. This type of solution is significantly cheaper than traditional methods of getting a business location. It also means you don't have to have people parading through your home. You may even be able to set things up so that customer returns are sent to your serviced office space, meaning you never have to hand out your home address to unhappy customers.

Now you know what issues you're likely to run into (and how to solve them), it's time to get back to building your empire.