Electronics Ecommerce: How to Sell Electronics Online in 2026

Finding success in electronics ecommerce

There was a time when brick-and-mortar, big box stores were the place to buy consumer electronics. While they still have their place, electronics ecommerce has been a long-time rising star in the consumer space.

• During Cyber Monday 2025, electronics sales generated $3.7B, making it the leading category of the three that comprised 57% of all Cyber Monday spending.

• Online is nearing dominance: In 2025, ~44% of consumer electronics revenue came from online, versus ~56% for offline.

But, for electronics businesses, it’s not as easy as simply selling gaming consoles, smart watches, and other tech online. Especially given Amazon’s hold on the market:

• As of 2025, Amazon dethroned Best Buy in select consumer electronics categories, with 31% of sales, versus 27% for Best Buy.

Fortunately, newcomers and established businesses alike can find their own niche and stay competitive in this Amazon-dominated space. Whether you’re an electronics brand, distributor, B2B, or B2C, this guide has you covered like flies on that apple you should have thrown out a week ago.

Read on to learn what electronics ecommerce entails, common challenges, and how you can find technological domination in seven steps. (World domination not included.)

What is electronics ecommerce?

Electronics ecommerce is the buying and selling of any consumer electronics, or related accessories or components, through any online channels. This can include marketplaces like Amazon or Walmart, branded online stores, and B2B portals for bulk purchases.

This isn’t to be confused with the secondhand electronics ecommerce market, in which consumers sell used devices on markets like eBay, Swappa, and others.

B2C, DTC, B2B and marketplace models.

For those in consumer electronics ecommerce, there’s no single path to selling. Instead, the most successful merchants typically combine two or more models, including any of the following:

• B2C electronics: Traditional ecommerce experience in which consumers buy various branded consumer electronics from a branded store, like Best Buy.

• DTC electronics: Manufacturer-owned ecommerce, in which brands sell directly to the customer. This includes brands like Anker, Oura, and many others typically found on marketplaces and their own branded site.

• B2B electronics: An ecommerce model in which retailers buy from manufacturers, often directly through a trade catalog or, more and more often, an ecommerce experience that includes a buyer portal and custom pricing.

• Marketplace: Selling consumer electronics in third-party marketplaces, like Amazon, Walmart, Newegg, TigerDirect, and more.

Many new businesses in the electronics ecommerce space will start with a single model, focusing first on brand identity, establishing technology partners, and building an audience.

But, remember: long-term success often means engaging in two or more of the above at some point in time.

The electronics ecommerce market in 2026

The global electronics ecommerce space isn’t new, but that doesn’t mean its growth isn’t slowing down either. Recent years have seen the space continuing to grow, while offline consumer electronics sales range from stagnant to declining.

More specifically:

• Worldwide consumer electronics ecommerce generated $688.4B in 2025, only $6B below the number one ecommerce category: apparel.

• Online consumer electronics sales grew an estimated 5-10% YoY worldwide in 2025.

• By 2030, the consumer electronics ecommerce space could break annual sales of one-trillion dollars worldwide.

• Offline has a larger market share of 56.71%, but online has a 9.31% CAGR, versus 4.05% CAGR for offline.

While offline still has the larger share of the market, online is growing at roughly 2.3X the rate of offline. As B2B ecommerce continues to improve and offer the same convenience as B2C ecommerce has for years, this number will almost surely grow.

(Just like that mold on the apple. Seriously, throw it away.)

Benefits of selling electronics online

Whether someone is a casual fan of tech or a diehard nerd, the consumer electronics space is one of spec-driven shoppers, countless accessories, and consumer reviews aplenty.

As a result, there are a number of benefits that come with selling consumer electronics online, rather than only in a brick-and-mortar.

Reach spec-driven shoppers where they research.

Save a few exceptions, like someone knowing they want the latest Nintendo Switch, many electronics consumers are very spec-driven. This means they’re on the hunt for product information and an easy way to compare a Lenovo laptop to a Samsung, a Vizio TV to a Sony, and so on.

Simply put: Electronics ecommerce allows you to have rich product information and descriptions that meets these research-driven, spec hunters right where they’re at. And then, sell to them.

Higher margins through DTC and accessory attachments.

Much like pasta tends to generate higher margins than fresh fish in the food and beverage industry, accessories, warranties, and DTC sales can deliver higher margins in electronics ecommerce.

For proof, look at the numbers these electronics brands and retailers pulled:

• Raspberry Pi saw a 28% YoY accessory gross profit increase, resulting in $10.9M in 2025.

• Best Buy drove $375M in profit-sharing revenue and commissions from extended warranties in FY2026.

While most ecommerce platforms will support accessory sales, as they’re just additional products, the above drives home the importance of having a platform that also supports selling warranties and other non-physical goods.

Rich product content that physical shelves can’t match.

Remember: When you’re shopping for electronic goods, you’re typically paying a lot of attention to technical specs. Brick-and-mortar stores can only do so much with the space they have, especially where comparisons are concerned.

As an electronics ecommerce business, you can benefit from rich product content, like comparison tables, compatibility checkers, video demos and reviews, and downloadable spec sheets that offer a deep dive.

Note: This is also a great spot to use chatbots, which can point prospects in the right direction and even serve up appropriate product-related content that increases their chances of conversion.

Expand into B2B and cross-border demand.

Expanding into cross-border sales and the B2B space as a brick-and-mortar is incredibly resource intensive and difficult. But, if you’re selling in the online space? The right ecommerce solution can make cross-border and B2B expansion far more achievable.

When you’re running an electronics ecommerce website and business, B2B and cross-border expansion largely involves using a platform that stays compliant, supports localization, and offers a proper B2B portal. From there, you can access numerous new audiences in ways brick-and-mortar can only dream of.

Challenges of selling electronics online (and how to solve them)

Selling electronics online isn’t all headphones, gadgets, and gizmos. There are numerous challenges that can crop up, making it difficult to both launch an online ecommerce business, and scale.

Complex catalogs, variants, and SKUs.

Catalog management in the consumer electronics space can grow complex and messy. And fast. From multiple SKU types across smart home devices, to numerous model types across desktops and laptops, there’s no shortage of similar, albeit different SKUs in electronics.

The right product information management (PIM) solution can make a big difference here, allowing you to have a single source of truth for product data. From there, you can even utilize a feed management solution, like Feedonomics, to maintain product data at scale across marketplaces.

Price competition and MAP pressure.

Unless you’re a DTC brand that’s competing largely on specs, you’ll inevitably run into fierce pricing competition and minimum advertised price (MAP) pressure in the electronics ecommerce space.

To combat this, manufacturers will set a MAP that retailers are supposed to adhere to. But, in the fierce world of electronics ecommerce, this isn’t always enough: 34% of consumer electronic listings in Q1 2026 were below manufacturer MAP limits.

You can counter this by building bundles nobody else offers, keeping prices as low as possible while staying within MAP guidelines. You can also emphasize the great service and warranties offered only by your store, and so on.

Returns, warranties and post-purchase support.

Post-purchase support is huge for consumer electronics, as electronics are prone to breaking (or getting flung around by a kid). And while consumer electronics don’t lead the pack in returns, a title held by clothing and apparel, electronics ecommerce returns sit at 11%.

Because returned consumer electronics can often result in having to sell them as “open box” with a reduced price, returns are something to avoid. Oftentimes returns stem from missing education.

Leverage the content that’s possible with the ecommerce model, offering rich tables and comparison charts that ensure customers know what it is they’re buying, before they buy it.

Fraud risk on high-value orders.

Many consumer electronics come with a high price tag and are easy to flip for a quick profit on eBay or other marketplaces. With the increase in AI-powered fraud and cyberthreats, this is an issue that will only grow.

To counter this, your electronics ecommerce business needs:

• Card verification value requirements: Always require the three-to-four digit code from a credit card.

• Address verification system: Only allow purchases if the billing zip code matches the zip records of the bank.

• Device fingerprinting: Real-time tracking of device IP address can help prevent those with spoofed connections from purchasing.

Worth noting that the above and more are part of overall ecommerce website security, which is a must regardless of your overall business plans.

Shipping fragile, high-value products.

It’s one thing to ship a bundle of t-shirts. Have you ever dropped a tablet or TV set? It’s ugly. (Although, kind of satisfying.) It should come as little surprise that shipping in electronics ecommerce is another hurdle to clear.

The last thing anyone wants is to unbox their high-dollar electronics purchase, only to find it smashed and broken. But, safe shipping alone isn’t enough, either:

• 42.6% of consumers are less likely to buy from manufacturers if Amazon offers faster shipping.

You can get over this hurdle by partnering with reputable shipping providers, using secure packaging, and streamlining your ordering and fulfillment processes behind the scenes. Depending on your resources, it can also make more sense to bring on an entire fulfillment service that handles the entire post-purchase process.

How to start selling electronics online in 7 steps

So, we’ve established that online consumer electronics sales are slowly consuming offline. Now, how do you get around to selling everything from wearables to wireless earbuds to those funny little robot dogs?

1. Choose your niche and business model.

Some big box retailers have a niche called “everything.” More realistically, you should find a niche and stick to it, whether you’re focusing on consumer electronic toys & games, certified refurbished electronics, or home theater.

You’ll also need to pick a business model, as mentioned earlier. You’ll most likely opt for B2C or B2B, potentially with a hybrid model that combines both.

2. Source products and lock down supplier terms.

Whether you’re going to sell B2B in bulk or taking the B2C route, a great customer experience and your brand’s integrity rests on sourcing products from the right suppliers.

Gray markets offer goods at lower prices, by selling through channels not authorized by the original manufacturer of the product. The risk can be fun and potentially worthwhile if you’re buying a knock-off Gameboy on Temu, but potentially brand-ending for those in the ecommerce space.

Electronics break. When this happens, customers need to know they can rely on the manufacturer warranty first and foremost, before coming to your store for further support. Unfortunately, many manufacturers won’t honor warranties if a product is purchased from a gray market.

Instead, find reputable technology partners to buy from. Ideally, you can buy straight from a manufacturer and secure bulk pricing.

3. Choose your ecommerce platform.

Next, you need an ecommerce platform on which to sell all this electronic stuff. There are numerous must-have ecommerce features, including:

• Core features like payment gateways, product catalogs, search functionality, and a cart and checkout system.

• Personalization that makes it possible to offer customized product recommendations and even personalized product page copy.

• Customer segmentation tools that make it easier to further personalize messaging and marketing, and reach those tech-savvy buyers at the right time.

You also want an ecommerce platform that’s capable of growing with your brand, both in capabilities and hosting/stability. For instance, BigCommerce can easily scale no matter your traffic, and make it easier to add further functionality via API-first architecture.

4. Build product pages that answer technical questions.

Consumer electronics product pages need to balance approachability and technical depth, with variations depending on the type of product.

Ideally, your product pages should feature:

• Comparison charts across similar products or models

• Compatibility lists that show whether an adapter works in X region, and so on

• In-depth spec tables that list out must-know technical elements of the product

• Professional images and videos that walk through the product and its capabilities

Keep in mind different products have different audiences, with some lending themselves to a more technical approach than others.

For example, if you run a high-end audio store, your product pages will get into nitty gritty detail on frequency response times, receiver compatibility, sensitivity in dB, and more.

Meanwhile, a smart watch product page will focus more on features and how they better someone’s life. Think about your audience and whether the product pages need to be technical or more feature-oriented, and include a spec sheet for good measure.

5. Set up payments, tax, and fraud protection.

You can’t run a very successful store if you can’t take payments. And all those sales mean nothing if you go the way of Capone, so tax setup is a must. Lastly, we can’t forget the aforementioned fraud.

A great ecommerce platform should come with built-in payment processing, but just in case, make sure you’re up-to-date on the latest in ecommerce payments. Finding one that’s PCI compliant is a must.

Next, read up on ecommerce taxes to make sure you’re getting started on the right, tax-compliant foot. Many platforms will make this as simple as possible. For example, BigCommerce offers more than 65 PCI-compliant payment gateways that also streamline taxes, along with the built-in BC Payments, by PayPal.

Finally, taking steps to prevent fraud is critical to protecting your business, and your customers. Again, if you’re using a gateway that’s PCI-compliant and secure, you’re taking the right early steps. From there, incorporate the checkout protections mentioned earlier and consider bringing in a security or IT specialist if possible.

6. Plan shipping, fulfillment, and returns.

Having solid post-purchase workflows in place is a must before your store goes live. Remember: People will turn to Amazon if shipping is too slow, and returns will happen. You need this all to be as smoothly functioning as possible.

• Shipping: Find a reputable shipping partner that can service any areas containing your customers. Fully explore your shipping options, as this can become a large expense if left unchecked.

• Fulfillment: Before anything can get shipped, it needs to be picked properly. Either streamline your own ordering workflows with the right order management software, or with a third-party fulfillment service.

• Returns: Ecommerce returns are unavoidable, so it’s important you have a process in place. Make sure your ecommerce platform supports returns, and then build a workflow that suits your business. You can also opt for a third-party logistics company to handle it for you, depending on your resources.

Shipping, fulfillment, and returns aren’t always the most exciting things in the world. But, with the right approach you can ensure you’re doing things in the most cost-effective and customer-friendly manner, driving repeat business for years to come.

7. Launch, measure, and expand to marketplaces.

Launch is both exciting and potentially overwhelming. Start small, focusing on an owned store you operate, along with one marketplace channel, like Amazon or the like.

Once you’re live, start measuring your store performance. What’s your cart abandonment rate like? Is your customer acquisition cost sustainable? Is the marketplace channel you chose showing any promising results, or are marketplace fees eating into profits too much?

Once you’re happy with the results, you can begin fully embracing multichannel retail and expanding into other marketplaces.

How to choose an ecommerce platform for electronics

There are too many ecommerce platforms to count. When evaluating which platform best fits the needs of your online consumer electronics business, there are several criteria to keep in mind that will help you narrow your search.

Variant and SKU management at scale.

SKU variants are a dime a dozen in consumer electronics. Think about a laptop for example. While the model numbers across several might be similar, if they have different RAM configurations they’ll wind up with different SKUs.

When vetting vendors, make sure they have support for large numbers of SKUs, and the ability to offer SKU variants.

For example, BigCommerce offers integrated SKU variant support, generating a different SKU for any size, color, etc. variations within a product. This makes it easier to keep your catalog organized, without running the risk of an inventory and ordering headache.

B2B functionality for distributors and resellers.

If there’s a chance you’ll ever want to be in the B2B space, then B2B functionality is a must. Otherwise, you run the risk of getting tied to a platform, only to go through the laborious replatforming process later on.

Ask prospective ecommerce platform vendors if their platform has:

• Custom buyer portals, pricing, and catalogs

• Self-service options for B2B buyers

• Tier-based account support

• User-based permissions

• Easy reordering and automatic invoicing

The right solution should make B2B order management feel like just another workflow, not something tacked on after the fact.

Marketplace, feed, and multichannel integrations.

When looking at ecommerce platforms, you want one that natively or easily supports additional marketplaces and a multichannel experience. As your product grows, feed management will also be increasingly important for managing product updates and improving Google Merchant coverage.

For example, BigCommerce has a host of integrations that allow you to plug into major marketplaces and embrace multichannel. Coupled with Feedonomics, a powerful feed management solution, and you can expand your business without worrying about minutiae like updating products across marketplaces one at a time. (Eww.)

ERP, PIM, and inventory integrations.

Whether your company is already established or this electronics journey is a new one, you’ll have multiple systems all needing to exchange information: inventory management, ordering systems, customer databases, and so on.

Check whether your potential ecommerce platform offers full ERP, PIM, and inventory integrations, as these will allow you to sync the back and frontend of your business. From there, you can benefit from real-time sales insights, a clearer picture of your stock levels, the ability to forecast sales more accurately, and beyond.

Total cost of ownership and scalability.

Total cost of ownership (TCO) in ecommerce can be tricky, as many platforms can appear free in the case of open-source, or have hidden fees. Along with this cost, comes the issue of scalability, as it’s not uncommon for a platform to become increasingly expensive as your needs scale.

Before signing with an ecommerce platform, consider:

• Initial costs: Are there startup costs associated with the platform? Installation fees or licensing fees?

• Developmental costs: Will you need developers to get the platform running, or is it going to function out-of-the-box? What about ongoing maintenance?

• Integrations and apps: If the platform lacks many of the features you need, how many integrations and apps are you going to need? Will they come with premium costs?

• Server costs: If you’re responsible for server costs, what will those look like as your business needs scale? If the platform offers hosting, how does that pricing and scaling work out?

It bears repeating: Think very carefully about your current and future business needs when approaching TCO. Ideally your business will grow, and you don’t want a platform that either limits that growth, or eats too significantly into your profits at the expense of scalability.

How to compete with Amazon and big-box retailers

Unless you’re Amazon or one of the big-boxes, you’re probably not competing 1:1 with Amazon or one of the big-boxes. Instead, staying competitive means taking a different route. After all, you don’t beat a bear by charging it head on. (Source: Have yet to beat a bear.)

(Have also not encountered a bear.)

Build trust signals big-box can’t match.

Big-box stores can claim they have the best support around and always put customers first. Some might even do that, but with scale comes less attention to detail. This is your chance.

Focus on building trust signals that big-box simply can’t compete with by:

• Offering personal, 1:1 support for customers

• Delivering a personalized shopping experience, including marketing materials and offers

• Providing rich, non-generic product pages that speak in a way that respects the customer and resonates with them

• Offer a great customer loyalty program that rewards those who come back again and again

You’re a digital entity, so leverage that. Offer personalization across the board, make the experience feel intimate, and keep lines of communication open with your customers in a way big-boxes can’t.

Own a niche with expert content.

Remember earlier when we talked about content being a big benefit of the ecommerce model? It’s time to write.

Determine which niche your brand rests in and become an expert in it. From there, regularly publish helpful content that speaks to topics your customers are likely thinking about.

Are you focusing on wearables? Cover the latest in cutting edge wearable tech, publish helpful pieces about getting more out of your fitness band or smartwatch, and share stories of customers who bettered their lives because of the products you sell.

Sell where your customers already shop.

Your potential consumer electronics customers are already out there, shopping from marketplaces and big-box stores for their tech. So, why not bring your products to them?

• Slowly spread from one marketplace to the next, like Amazon or Walmart, listing your products where people are already shopping.

• Seek out big-box retailers that support third-party merchants and get your products and brand out there. For instance, you can get certified and listed on the Best Buy Marketplace.

Again, you’ll never be able to top the audience and reach of Amazon. But, you can use their big platform to drive sales and get your store’s name out there, while also building your own site that you drive traffic to.

Over time, you can build a following for your own branded site, keep more of the profits, and ease up on the attention you give to marketplaces.

Turn warranty and support into a selling point.

Have you tried calling the 800-number for a major retailer recently? It’s like asking your vacuum for support with your TV.

As a smaller business, you can offer support major brands can’t hold a candle to. Similarly, you can provide a better warranty than those big-boxes.

Electronics brands winning online: 3 examples

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: An audiophile brand, a dashcam manufacturer, and an AV supplier all walk into a bar.

It’s one thing to hear about what it takes to run a successful electronics ecommerce brand in 2026. It’s another to see success in action.

These three brands couldn’t be more different in what they offer, yet each of them has successfully made their mark on the digital consumer electronics space.

Music Direct: 43% conversion lift for high-end audio.

Music Direct has sold top-tier sound equipment for more than 25 years, both in the B2B and B2C space. Yet, they’d run into a problem: their ecommerce platform was stuck in the past, and they were looking for hi-fi.

They wanted an ecommerce solution that was API-first, so Shopify was out. Eventually, they landed on BigCommerce. From there, they began creating a custom payment processing system that would integrate with their ERP, and designing the UX of their dreams.

With a host of integrations, including ShipperHQ for streamlined shipping, the team at Music Direct was able to realize:

• 43% increase in conversion rate

• 11.29% decrease in average page load time

• 73% decrease in average server response time

“BigCommerce is geared towards developers, but it also has that entry point where you can just jump in and start using it. You don’t need to rebuild or reinvent the wheel if you don’t want to, which was the big selling point for me.”

—Steve Shapiro, Director of Ecommerce and IT, Music Direct

Nextbase: DTC dashcam brand live in 19 countries.

Nextbase, a major manufacturer of dashcams in the UK, is no stranger to looking forward. (It’s what they help customers do, after all.)

Given their site was primarily built in a hurry to get products in the right hands during the pandemic, they knew their site’s days were numbered. They’d used Magento in the past and wanted something easier and less prone to maintenance. But, what?

Scalability had been a concern in the past, with major holidays stressing their servers to the brink. And then, they came across BigCommerce.

The team at Nextbase chose BigCommerce primarily for its ease of use, low-dependence on maintenance, and the scalability it offered. In no time, they’d integrated with their CDP vendor of choice, Klaviyo, and began dishing up personalized content and an equally personalized shopping experience.

With their site operating smoothly and localization in place, allowing them to expand into more markets, Nextbase achieved:

• 6.34% conversion rate

• 122% conversion rate increase

• 23% clickthrough rate increase

“Now I know a lot about a person, and I can deliver content made for them or segmented for them. If they went through a quiz and told us they usually drive at night or drive long journeys, I can tailor which feature I’m going to expose and say, ‘hey this camera here is more specific for people with the drivers that match this profile’.”

—Douglas de Santi, Global Head of Ecommerce, Nextbase

Videopro: one storefront for B2B and B2C AV sales.

Videopro dates back to 1980, when the company began what would become a long legacy as a consumer electronics retailer. With three brick-and-mortar stores and an ecommerce business, Videopro says the secret to their success is customer sensitivity.

The team at Videopro is often one to embrace change ahead of time, and planned on rebuilding their ecommerce experience. Not only did they want to start fresh but they also wanted to deliver both B2C and B2B.

The Videopro team was quickly enamored with the host of integrations and technology available with BigCommerce, including Klaviyo and Algolia.

With a headless setup, the Videopro team soon had a future-proof ecommerce setup that leaves them open to further optimizations and integrations. As Cameron Douglas, CEO at Videopro, puts it, “Everything has an evergreen design...”

With their future-proof setup, Videopro has benefitted with:

• 21.5% increase in customers

• 38% increase in revenue

• 12% increase in average order value (AOV)

“Our business was up 40% in July. So far in August, it’s up 48% and that’s across the whole group, and we’re a 42-year-old company.”

—Cameron Duuglas, CEO, Videopro

The final word

Electronics ecommerce is thriving, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. (Or ever, save the heat death of the universe.) But, just as exciting as this space is, it can feel intimidating. Especially with giants like Amazon and Best Buy wandering amidst its wire-filled forests.

Take a strategic approach and:

• Pick your niche and model

• Narrow your choice to two or three ecommerce platforms, then further scrutinize

• Map your first 90 days across your owned experience and a marketplace channel

• Revisit and regroup when those 90 days have passed

Don’t downplay the role of the right ecommerce platform, as every lasting business is built on a sturdy foundation.

To help you get started, take a look at the capabilities of BigCommerce, a platform that’s built for B2C, B2B, and you.

FAQs about electronics ecommerce