E-commerce Website: The Guide to Selling Online in Quebec

Selling online has never been more accessible. But between choosing a platform, taking payments, charging taxes, shipping orders and protecting your customers’ data, there are quite a few decisions to make before you open your store. This guide covers the key elements of launching a profitable online store as a small business in Quebec.

First: be clear on what you sell and to whom

An online store isn’t a technical project first. It’s a business project. Before comparing platforms, answer a few simple questions:

• How many products will you sell at launch: 15, 150 or 1,500?
• Do your products come in variants (size, colour, format)?
• Do you sell only in Quebec, across Canada, or internationally?
• Does your store need to connect to an existing system: in-store point of sale, accounting software, inventory management?

For example, a microbrewery selling a dozen products for in-store pickup doesn’t have the same needs as a parts distributor with thousands of SKUs and different pricing for business customers. Your answers shape everything else.

Choosing the right platform

Shopify: start quickly and simply

Shopify is ideal for getting started fast. Hosting, security and updates are handled for you, and the interface is easy to learn. In return, you pay a monthly subscription, and some features require paid apps that add up over time.

WooCommerce: more flexibility

WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin. It offers more flexibility, and you keep ownership of your site and data. On the other hand, hosting, updates and security are your responsibility (or your agency’s). If you’re torn between the two approaches, our article WordPress vs custom website will help you decide.

Custom: for specific needs

For specific needs, such as complex pricing, a product configurator or a deep integration with your management software, a custom solution can be worth the investment. That’s the kind of project we take on in custom website design.

Costs to plan for

The store build itself is only part of the budget. Also plan for:

• Store creation (design, structure, product pages)
• Platform subscription and hosting
• Transaction fees taken on every payment
• Paid apps or plugins
• Product photography and product descriptions
• Marketing to attract visitors

At Actif Marketing, an online store goes beyond a standard site, so we estimate it at our hourly rate, with a written estimate before any work starts. All the details are on our pricing page.

Payment and security

Trust is essential to turn a visitor into a buyer. A few basics:

• Trusted payment methods: credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay, depending on what your platform supports.
• An established payment processor (such as Shopify Payments, Stripe or PayPal): card data is handled on their side, not on your server, which greatly reduces your responsibility.
• An SSL certificate: the small padlock in the address bar. It’s standard for any website today, and a must for a store.
• Clear policies: returns, refunds, delivery times. Shoppers who can’t find this information hesitate.

Taxes in Quebec: GST and QST

Taxes are often the part that worries people most. Here’s the general picture. For your specific situation, always check with your accountant.

The basic principle

In Quebec, most sales are subject to the GST (federal, 5%) and the QST (provincial, 9.975%). Once your business is registered, you collect these taxes on your sales and remit them to the governments.

Small supplier status

A business whose taxable sales stay under a certain threshold can qualify as a “small supplier” and isn’t required to register. Once you go over that threshold, registration becomes mandatory. Your accountant can tell you where you stand.

When you sell outside Quebec

The taxes you charge generally depend on the province the order is shipped to. A customer in Ontario or the Maritimes, for example, isn’t taxed the same way as a customer in Longueuil. The good news: Shopify and WooCommerce both let you set taxes by province. The work is mainly about configuring the store properly at the start, then checking a few test orders.

Shipping

Shipping directly affects the decision to buy. Think about:

• Your zones: Quebec only, Canada, international?
• Your rates: flat rate, weight-based, or free shipping above a certain amount.
• In-store pickup: for a local business, it’s often a much-appreciated option and simple to offer.
• Carriers: Canada Post and several private carriers integrate with the main platforms to calculate rates and print labels.

Show costs and delivery times as early as possible. A customer who discovers high shipping fees at the very last step may well abandon their cart.

Quebec’s Law 25 and your customers’ data

An online store inevitably collects personal information: names, addresses, emails, purchase history. In Quebec, Law 25 governs how you collect, use and protect it. In practice, this means, among other things:

• Designating a person responsible for the protection of personal information in your business.
• Publishing a privacy policy on your site, written in clear and simple terms.
• Getting valid consent, especially for tracking and advertising cookies.
• Collecting only the information you actually need to process the order.

We go into these obligations in our article 5 essential practices for complying with Law 25.

SEO for your product pages

Optimized product pages and a blog bring free traffic to your store, a huge advantage over time. A few good practices:

• Original descriptions: avoid copying the manufacturer’s text, which dozens of other stores already use.
• A precise title: the product name with its main features, in the words your customers actually use.
• Optimized photos: lightweight to keep the page fast, with descriptive alt text.
• Logical categories: a clear structure helps your visitors and Google alike.
• Structured data: it helps Google understand your products’ price, availability and reviews.

For example, a maple products store that writes “Amber maple syrup, 540 ml, harvested in Centre-du-Québec” is far more likely to be found than one that simply writes “Syrup 540 ml”. To go further, see our SEO for small businesses service.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to charge GST and QST from my very first sale?

Not necessarily. If your taxable sales stay under the small supplier threshold, registration isn’t mandatory. Once you exceed it, it is. Your accountant can confirm your situation.

Shopify or WooCommerce: which should I choose?

Shopify is a good fit if you want to start quickly without managing the technical side. WooCommerce makes sense if you want more control or already have a WordPress site. The right choice depends on your catalogue, your budget and who will run the store day to day.

Does Law 25 apply to a small store?

Yes. Law 25 applies to businesses that collect personal information in Quebec, whatever their size. An online store collects some with every order.

Can an online store rank well on Google?

Yes, as long as the product pages have original content, the site is fast and the structure is clear. SEO takes time, but the traffic it brings doesn’t cost you anything per click.

The bottom line

A profitable online store rests on a platform that fits your catalogue, reliable payments, properly configured taxes and shipping, Law 25 compliance and product pages built for Google. Taking the time to get these right from the start saves you a lot of headaches later.

Launching an online store? Actif Marketing supports you from A to Z, from planning to launch. Request a quote.