You’ve heard that e-commerce is the future of business and would like to start a business in this niche as well. However, you know that the competition in this industry is HUGE, so you wonder where to find your place on the web. So the question arises: what to sell so that the online store has a good position in the virtual world? How to find an idea for an online store? Here are some ideas that might inspire you to find your own.
Idea for an online store
At the beginning, an important note: the e-commerce market is very large, so it is worth finding a business niche in which you feel a specialist or… in which you want to delve into. Getting to know the products you will be trading well is absolutely essential. However, you may be wondering what to choose.
Basically, apart from being an expert in what field you are, you can choose between two paths:
A. choose a niche that is not very popular, but has development potential for the coming years
It is a solution that can bring you success in the long term. However, you need to be aware that at the beginning you have to expect small reach and a small number of customers. However, with a properly conducted marketing strategy, you can expect a gradual increase in interest.
If the niche you choose is not popular at the moment, there is a chance that you will be one of the pioneers and that your store will become one of the most important in the industry in the future. However, you must be mindful of the risks – the market is not predictable and trends can suddenly reverse (as shown well by the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020). Therefore, you need to be prepared for this and have a “plan B”.
B. choose a popular e-commerce branch
So, start selling products that are willingly bought on the Internet. The idea for an online store does not have to be fancy. On the contrary – most often it is worth doing what … others do. In this case, with effective advertising, you can start earning good income faster. However, with high competition, it will be more difficult for you to break out – so at the very beginning you may have to invest more in promotion. You will also need to find elements that will make your offer competitive. Something that will make you stand out from dozens or hundreds of stores offering similar products.
What could it be? E.g:
– more competitive prices,
– offering goods of brands so far
unknown on the market,
– unusual branding,
– additional services, such as
product personalization.
Of course, everything depends on the specific specialization of the e-shop. One thing is certain: going this way, you have to find something that will make your brand stand out and make it more attractive in the eyes of the customer.
What is best selling on the internet?
What products are the most popular on the Internet? What do people buy online? The answer to this question is provided by research, e.g. the E-commerce report prepared by the Paraphrase-Online.com Team. It shows that the most popular product categories that were bought online are:
– clothing, accessories and accessories – the fashion industry is popular
with over 2/3 buyers,
– footwear – they are bought by
about 60% of people who make purchases over the Internet,
– books, films and CDs,
– cosmetics and perfumes,
– RTV and household appliances,
– cinema / theater tickets,
– Sportswear,
– pharmaceutical products, including
dietary supplements,
– GSM mobile devices and
accessories,
– children’s goods and toys,
– travel services.
It is therefore worth navigating in these areas of the e-commerce world if you want to find your place in the internet reality. But be careful! To break through in them, you have to look at them from a different, fresh perspective. Otherwise, you may have a problem “carving out a piece of cake” for yourself.
So how can you narrow down the scope of goods in the context of the above categories? There are many possibilities. For example, you can offer:
– plus size clothes of well-known European brands – there are more and more
customers
who are interested in larger sizes, and at the same time there are no stores
that would offer a wide selection,
– cosmetics of producers not
available in stationary sales – e.g. from the Far East (however, take into
account the fact that there are quite a lot of stores offering recently very
fashionable Korean products!
– ecological children’s toys –
although this niche is already quite full, the “eco” trend seems to
be becoming wider and wider, so there are quite a lot of people who would like
to buy this type of products,
– a specific category of electronic
devices – e.g. fashionable drones, electric scooters or VR equipment.
As you can see, specialization can be the real key to success. It is enough to search for an unusual area in a popular niche and offer your audience something completely new!
Is the best selling always the best choice?
What is the most popular is – as you already know – both an opportunity and a threat in the world of e-commerce. The most important thing is to find, on the one hand, an area where you can offer customers something new, and on the other – something that will respond to their needs. Remember: at the beginning you don’t have to aim very high, with huge ranges and large sales volume. You can also achieve good income by operating on a smaller scale. So your business may revolve around less popular goods, but those that have a specific audience. What could be a good idea?
Online handicraft store
Do you have a hobby in the field of handicrafts?
Maybe you, for example, crochet or are passionate about
decoupage or creating DIY decorations? What if you start
selling them online in your store. Setting up a small
e-shop, e.g. on a SaaS platform, does not require many formalities or high
costs. If you also invest in advertising on social
networks and prepare properly optimized content, you have a chance to stand out!
Online store with articles
for disinfection
… as well as other products that are useful in
the context of the current coronavirus pandemic. Although
this is a topic that is popular periodically, it still seems like a good time
to offer something new to customers. We are still eager
to buy designer masks (which have become part of styling), as well as
disinfectants that do not irritate the hands.
Online store with pet food
It is a market niche that is
currently developing very dynamically, mainly due to the growing interest in a
healthy diet of animals. Dog owners are looking for
ecological, well-balanced meals for dogs and cats, made of the highest quality
ingredients. If you have access to such products, you
have a chance to attract a large group of customers.
Store with ecological
accessories
Living in harmony with nature and making
ecological choices is a trend that is currently rising. It
can be expected to “float” for the next few, if not more years.
Therefore, it is worth considering setting up a store that will
offer accessories that leave a small carbon footprint. Example?
Metal or paper straws, disposable plates and cutlery made of
biodegradable materials, linen shopping bags, reusable nets for fruit and
vegetables … you can multiply this way indefinitely. You
can easily attract a large group of customers for this type of accessories.
Barber shop
The fashion for well-groomed male
stubble and visits to barbers began a few years ago. Today,
more and more men are looking for professional beard care products, so … it’s
worth offering them. A store that specializes in the
distribution of pomades and beard oils, as well as classic razors and other
vintage shaving accessories, may attract the attention of the market!
Educational toy store
Science in a modern version?
It is the one carried out by play that arouses curiosity about
the world. Do you subscribe to this statement? It is like many parents! They are looking for
interesting and inspiring toys that will allow their children to broaden their
horizons. Do you want to help them with this? If so, think about looking for interesting educational toys and
selling them. Such a store can have great potential!
Seasonal products – a good idea for an online store?
Some of the goods that are offered in online stores are willingly bought only at certain times of the year. Good example? Oh, even air conditioners and fans. The demand for them begins just before the hot summer comes and ends with the first cool evenings. So is it profitable to create an e-shop that would sell only such devices? Not completely. However, you can supplement the basic assortment of the store with such seasonal products and carry out positioning on related phrases. You can also choose several groups of seasonal products, popular in different months of the year, and change the main sales profile depending on the demand for individual goods. In such a business model, however, you need to use your own warehouse and, most often, be ready that some of the goods will remain there until the next high season.
Are you missing an idea of what to sell? Check out dropshipping!
If you are still not sure which direction your e-commerce business should take, look for inspiration … in wholesalers that specialize in dropshipping. It is a ready-made solution for those who are looking for quick solutions.
How exactly does dropshipping work? In this business model, your store acts a bit like a “sales representative” of a wholesaler. More precisely, your task is to sell products that are in the assortment of the selected contractor and then transfer the order for execution. Therefore, you only deal with the e-shop promotion process, customer acquisition and customer service. However, all logistics issues rest with your business partner. It is he who takes care of the continuous supply of goods to the warehouse, as well as its shipment to the end customer.
The dropshipping model is becoming more and more popular because those
running this type of e-shops:
– operate under their own brand,
which means that the wholesaler sends products to the end customer, stating the
company that took the order as the sender,
– can be opened with great ease –
you can even find ready-made packages that you just need to configure and start
working,
– they give great freedom of action
and investment without having to deal with all logistic challenges.
This, of course, does not mean that the income from such a business is effortless.
Regardless of the model in which you run your online store and with what assortment, the key to success is ensuring its high visibility and good reputation. Proposal? A good idea of what to sell online is only one side of the coin. The second is how you will run and promote your business. In this regard, it is worth using the help of experts. They will take care of about:
– SEO optimization of your e-store,
– planning a coherent and well-thought-out promotional campaign in appropriately selected channels (e.g. remarketing, advertising in social media, e-mail marketing, etc.),
– building a positive image of the website.
So if you already have an idea of what niche to operate in, it’s time to implement it, and then … promote and patiently wait for the results.
