E-commerce business plan template
Online brands are paid-acquisition businesses with a warehouse attached. This outline puts contribution margin after advertising, shipping and returns at the centre, because that is the number that decides whether growth is profitable.
The drivers this model runs on
Fill these in before you write prose. Every statement in the plan is derived from them.
- Sessions, conversion rate and average order value
- Blended customer acquisition cost and return on ad spend
- Pick, pack, freight and returns cost per order
- Repeat purchase rate and customer lifetime value
- Inventory cover and supplier lead times
E-commerce brand plan outline
1. Executive summary
The product, the customer, the channel mix and the capital required.
- Product range and price points
- Primary acquisition channel
- Capital required for stock and launch spend
2. Product and supply chain
Where product is made, at what landed cost, and how long replenishment takes.
- Landed cost per unit including freight and duty
- Supplier terms and minimum order quantities
- Lead time and safety stock
3. Acquisition plan
Model each channel with its own cost per click, conversion rate and contribution.
- Paid social and search budgets
- Organic, email and affiliate contribution
- Target blended CAC and payback
4. Fulfilment and returns
Third-party or in-house, with a per-order cost and a returns allowance.
- Fulfilment cost per order
- Freight subsidy and free-shipping threshold
- Returns rate and processing cost
5. Retention
Repeat rate is the difference between a brand and an ad campaign.
- Repeat purchase rate by cohort
- Email and SMS programme
- Subscription or replenishment offer
6. Financial projections
Five-year statements with contribution margin after all variable costs, plus the working capital tied up in stock.
- Contribution margin per order
- Inventory on the balance sheet
- Cash cycle from purchase order to customer payment
7. Funding and risk
Stock-heavy models need explicit working-capital funding.
- Working capital facility or loan
- Investor capital and equity offered
- Downside case on rising acquisition cost
Worked example figures
These are the assumptions inside the “Northbay Supply Co.” demo plan shipped with Auziplan (United States · USD). They are illustrative starting points for a business of this shape, not market averages — replace them with your own figures.
- Headcount
- 5
- Average salary
- $78,000
- Monthly revenue
- $140,000
- Annualised revenue
- $1,680,000
- Monthly operating expenses
- $72,000
- Target net profit (year 1)
- $250,000
- Net margin
- 9.5%
- Founder cash
- $200,000
- Bank loan
- $150,000
- Investor capital
- $235,000
- Investor equity
- 20%
Questions
What margin should an e-commerce plan target?
State gross margin after landed cost, then contribution margin after advertising, fulfilment and returns. Plans that stop at gross margin overstate profitability.
How do I forecast advertising spend?
Work backwards from orders: target orders multiplied by target cost per acquisition gives the monthly budget, which Auziplan carries straight into the cash forecast.
Turn the outline into a real financial model
Auziplan takes your drivers and produces a five-year profit & loss, balance sheet and cash movement statement with the tax rules for Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada applied automatically — plus KPIs, an exit valuation and a printable investor dossier.
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