Starting an Online Store in Mid-Michigan: Is It Time to Expand Online?

What local businesses need to know before making the leap into e-commerce.

If you run a small or mid-sized business in Mid-Michigan, chances are you’ve asked yourself: Should I start selling online? Maybe you’ve seen customer habits shift. Foot traffic isn’t what it used to be. Or you’ve struggled to find reliable help. Maybe business is steady, but you’re wondering if you’re leaving opportunity on the table.

These are questions business owners from Copper Harbor to Detroit should be asking.

Each year, more and more people make online retailers their first stop for shopping instead of heading out to the store. And while Amazon continues to dominate the online landscape, small businesses are seeing growth in online revenue, too.

That’s great news for local Michigan brands. Many people prefer to buy local — but if your online presence is missing or messy, they’ll still turn to “the big guys” to find what they need.

This guide walks through what business owners should consider before jumping into e-commerce, including options for all kinds of businesses, whether you sell hand-crafted toys, baked goods, or home services. We'll also talk about why building an e-commerce presence is more doable than it used to be, especially when approached strategically.

Is Now the Right Time to Go Online?

There’s no universal answer, but for many local businesses, the timing has never been better.

Modern customers expect flexibility. They want to browse at 10 p.m., book appointments or order online, pick up products in-store, or track shipping with a click. With the tools available today, even small businesses can meet those expectations more simply than ever.

Including e-commerce in your business isn’t about abandoning what works, it’s about adding a new lane to your business. One that runs while you sleep.

Is Your Brick-and-Mortar Still Pulling Its Weight?

This isn’t a call to shut down your storefront. There’s still value in the physical experience — browsing shelves, discovering new things, holding them in your hands, and taking them home the same day. There’s power in a physical space: a place to connect, build trust, and showcase what you do best.

But if rent’s rising, foot traffic is down, or staffing is tight, it’s worth asking: is your storefront carrying the business? Or is it holding you back?



Take, for example, a brother and sister I know. After five successful years running a catering business, they decided to open a restaurant. The idea was that people would line up for their food hot and fresh. But people never came. After just one year, they re-evaluated and closed the restaurant, returning to the catering model that made them successful.

Their story doesn’t end with e-commerce — though you can now order and pay for their catering online using automation tools. The point is about evaluating what works and being willing to pivot.

E-commerce offers small- to mid-sized businesses a gateway to display their products to a wider audience, find those customers where they are (on their computers and phones), and make sales at any hour.

It also gives you breathing room. Your physical space can shift from being your entire business model to a more focused part of your strategy — a showroom, a pickup hub, a community anchor.

The Ups and Downs of Opening an Online Store.

Every opportunity has its tradeoffs. Selling online is no different.

What you gain:

• Sales around the clock
• Access to new customers — across town, across the state, or well beyond
• Insights from data: what’s working, what’s not, what needs restocking, whether your are prices right, or which products are viewed a lot but rarely bought?

What you take on:

• More competition
• New logistics: inventory, shipping, returns
• A learning curve (but it doesn’t have to be steep)

When done right, the rewards far outweigh the growing pains. This can be especially true when your site is built with automation and future growth in mind.

Essential Tools for Getting Started.

There are plenty of smart automation tools available to help get you online and even handle some of the more frustrating parts of running an e-commerce site, such as managing product displays, storing sensitive billing info, and sending receipts.

You don’t need to build a site from the ground up anymore. Many sites offer comfortable, customizable interfaces that your future online customers may already feel familiar with.

If you’re ready to dip your toes in, here are a few tools to know:

• E-commerce platforms: Shopify, WooCommerce, and Square Online each offer different strengths. The best fit depends on your goals and budget.
• Payments: Stripe, Square, and PayPal make it easy and secure to get paid.
• Inventory and fulfillment: Look for tools that sync stock in real time, estimate shipping, and print labels automatically.
• Customer support: A simple chatbot or contact form can keep things moving, even when you’re offline.

You don’t need everything at once. Start with what supports your business and evaluate tools again once you feel comfortable with the changes.

How to Save Time Without More Staff.

If you caught our posts about Application Programing Interfaces (APIs) or specifically the one on Stripe Checkout, you might already have an idea how certain tools let different systems talk to each other. When implemented correctly, they can make your life a lot easier.

Imagine this, a customer places an order, then instantly:

• They get an email receipt
• Your inventory updates
• A shipping label gets queued
• You get a heads-up if stock runs low

All of that happens behind the scenes without a single manual step. That’s the power of automation. It saves you time. It reduces mistakes. And it gives your customers a smoother experience.

Checkout tools like Stripe allow you to customize your site’s checkout, so your customer enjoys a smooth and familiar interface that looks like it’s totally yours. You don’t have to code it yourself to get the look or use the features you want either. You just need a developer who knows how to plug the right things together.

Not Sure Where to Begin? Start Here.

You don’t have to flip your business upside down to start selling online. In fact, the smartest moves often start small — with a clear goal, a clean setup, and a system that grows with you.

At Queue Development, we help Mid-Michigan businesses do exactly that. Whether you're exploring your first online sale or ready to launch a full storefront, we’ll help you take the next right step — and skip the guesswork.

Let’s talk about what an online store could look like for your business.

Email us at [email protected] to get started.