Just off the coast of Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea sits the little island republic of Aruba. Over 2 million people go to Aruba each year, making it a well-liked tourist destination. This offers both chances for local businesses to sell goods and services to visitors online and a sizable potential market for e-commerce companies that cater to tourists. The usage of e-commerce in the nation has grown over the last few years as more companies switch to using digital platforms to acquire and sell goods and services. Overall, Aruba is a desirable site for e-commerce firms due to its stable political and economic climate, robust tourist sector, expanding digital infrastructure, and business-friendly atmosphere.
Establishing an online store in Aruba
Right now, there are two major ways to launch an online store: either create your website or join an already existing one.
Building an exclusive online store
One of the most challenging ways to launch an online store is by developing a custom website. A web development team, an online marketing team, and a payment gateway are needed to launch a proprietary e-commerce firm. Starting a bespoke e-commerce website is a long-term project that demands a significant financial and time commitment to become a profitable enterprise.
Joining a well-established marketplace
A simple approach to starting an e-commerce company or selling goods and services online is to join a reputable marketplace. A bank account and business registration are sometimes the only requirements for becoming a seller on an online marketplace, making the procedure quick and straightforward. Additionally, the marketplace platform handles tasks like technological development, marketing, payment gateway, shipping, etc. on an e-commerce platform, lessening the seller’s labor. It is also the simplest approach to start an online or e-commerce company since sellers may often sign up for many marketplaces and sell their goods there. Marketplaces for online shopping include Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal, Shopclues, PayTM, and others.
Legal requirements to launch an online store
The following are necessary to launch an e-commerce company, a custom e-commerce website, or register as a marketplace vendor:
Decide on a corporate structure
You will need to choose your company’s legal framework. Options include establishing a partnership, limited liability corporation (LLC), or sole proprietorship. Every structure has pros and cons, so it’s crucial to take your unique business needs and objectives into account.
Register your company
You must register your company with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Aruba after selecting a business structure (KvK). An application must be submitted, and there is a charge.
Open a business checking account
You must open a company bank account since it is crucial to keep your personal and corporate funds separate. To accomplish this, go to a nearby bank and provide the required paperwork, including your company registration and identity.
Payment gateway
A proprietary e-commerce website would need a payment gateway to handle consumer payments. The payment gateway services enable the website to take payments by net banking, internet banking, credit card, debit card, and other methods from various banks and credit card providers. Therefore, accepting a variety of online payment methods just requires one payment gateway. When a consumer makes a payment, the offered payment gateway sends the money in one or two business days to the company’s bank account. If you sell anything on an online marketplace, the marketplace will collect your payment via their payment gateway and then instantly credit your bank account. Therefore, simply a bank account is required instead of a payment gateway.
Legal records
When doing online sales, it’s crucial to employ terms and conditions documents and privacy policies correctly to safeguard the company and its promoters. A firm would need to create the terms and conditions, disclaimer, and privacy policy for a proprietary e-commerce website depending on the nature of its online operations and goods. If a company sells products via an online marketplace, the marketplace will supply the legal contract or seller’s agreement, and the seller is required to adhere to it. Any company should thoroughly examine the agreement before approving it.
