E-commerce in Turkey posts record growth every year. In 2025, Turkey's e-commerce volume exceeded 2 trillion TL, and it is expected to rise even higher in 2026. You can do e-commerce with many models, from physical products to digital products, from dropshipping to selling SaaS. In this guide, we answer the question of how to start e-commerce using modern digital tools.
What Is E-Commerce?
E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the buying and selling of goods and services over the internet. It can take place through a website, a mobile app or social media.
E-Commerce Models
B2C (Business to Consumer)
The most common model. A brand sells directly to the end consumer. Examples: an online clothing store, cosmetics sales.
B2B (Business to Business)
Trade between businesses. Wholesale, raw material supply, SaaS software sales. Order values are usually higher.
C2C (Consumer to Consumer)
Sales between individuals, through platforms such as Trendyol, the Hepsiburada marketplace and Sahibinden.
Digital Product Sales
Digital products such as e-books, online courses, templates, software and music. There are no stock, shipping or returns problems. Profit margins are very high.
Dropshipping
You sell without holding stock. When an order comes in, the supplier ships the product directly to the customer. Low startup cost is the advantage.
Subscription
A recurring monthly/yearly payment model. Digital services, content platforms and SaaS products use this model.
Setting Up an E-Commerce Site: Step by Step
Step 1: Choosing a Product and Niche
Choosing the right product and niche is critical for successful e-commerce.
Niche selection criteria:
- Demand: Are people searching for this product? Check with Google Trends and Semrush
- Competition: Not overcrowded, but not completely empty either (an empty market can mean there is no demand)
- Profit margin: Is the gap between price and cost sufficient?
- Passion and knowledge: Do you have knowledge of and interest in this field?
Step 2: Choosing a Platform
There are many options for setting up your e-commerce site:
Ready-Made E-Commerce Platforms:
- Shopify — The most widely used e-commerce platform in the world. Easy to use, with a broad add-on ecosystem
- Trendyol / Hepsiburada — Marketplace selling for the Turkish market
- Etsy — A global marketplace for handmade and vintage products
No-Code Solutions:
- Webflow — Building professionally designed e-commerce sites
- Bubble — E-commerce apps that need custom functionality
Selling Digital Products:
- Lemon Squeezy — Selling e-books, courses and software (taxes and invoices are automatic)
- Gumroad — A simple platform for selling digital products
Coding Your Own Site:
- AI-assisted development with Cursor or Bolt
- Database and authentication with Supabase
- Hosting and deployment with Vercel
Step 3: Payment System
The payment system is one of the most critical components of e-commerce.
Global payments:
- Stripe — The world-standard online payment infrastructure. 135+ currencies, subscription management, advanced fraud protection
- Lemon Squeezy — Merchant of Record (MoR) model: handles VAT, invoicing and tax calculations automatically
Payments for Turkey:
- iyzico — Built for the Turkish market, with credit card and debit card support
- PayTR — Turkish lira payment infrastructure
- Param — A Turkey-based payment solution
Tip: If you sell digital products, Lemon Squeezy is the most practical solution. It manages taxes, invoices and refunds automatically.
Step 4: Product Images and Content
Product images directly affect the purchase decision.
For physical products:
- Professional photo shoots, or creating AI product images with Designkit
- Removing backgrounds with Remove.bg
- Improving low-resolution images with Upscayl
- Designing social media visuals and banners with Canva
For digital products:
- Product cover images with Canva
- Presentations and promotional materials with Gamma
- Product demo videos
Step 5: SEO and Content Marketing
SEO is essential for your e-commerce site to be found on Google.
Basic SEO steps:
- Keyword research: Use Semrush, Ahrefs or Ubersuggest
- Product page optimization: Title, description, alt tags
- Blog content: Guides and comparison posts related to your products
- Technical SEO: Page speed, mobile compatibility, sitemap
Tools for content creation:
- Jasper — Product descriptions and blog posts with AI
- Copy.ai — Ad copy and social media content
- Surfer SEO — Content SEO optimization
Step 6: Marketing and Customer Acquisition
Social media marketing:
- Content scheduling and analytics with Buffer
- Multi-platform management with Hootsuite
- Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest are highly effective for visually driven products
Email marketing:
- Mailchimp — Building an email list, automated campaigns
- Beehiiv — Building a community with a newsletter
Influencer marketing:
Working with micro-influencers (5,000-50,000 followers) can deliver high conversion on small budgets.
Google and social media ads:
Test with small budgets at first (50-100 TL per day). Scale up the campaigns that have a good conversion rate.
Step 7: Logistics and Shipping (Physical Products)
If you sell physical products, you need to plan shipping and logistics:
- Choosing a carrier: Yurtiçi Kargo, Aras Kargo, MNG Kargo, Sürat Kargo
- Packaging: Packaging that suits the product and is customized to your brand
- Warehouse management: As order volume grows, consider a professional warehousing service
- Return policy: Set up a clear, customer-friendly return process