This article will show you how to get started with eCommerce as a shop owner. After it's set up and established with an audience, an eCommerce shop can provide a steady source of passive income. And like many of the side hustle ideas we’ll cover, you don’t need technical certifications or a degree to get started.
An article published in February, 2021 by PRN Newswire, states that one in four small businesses (28%) don't have a website at all. That means no blog, static website or online shop. Out of that group, 44% stated that they plan to create a website in 2021.
It remains to be seen if that number improved in 2021. In many circles, there is still a belief, that it takes coding skills and a huge budget to build a website. However we'll show you a few affordable tools you can use to quickly and easily set up shop.
Which Category Describes You?
We will talk about two basic categories of business owners who have no web presence. One is the small business owner who has a physical shop, but no web presence at all. They are currently running a brick and mortar store, café, shop, salon or spa where people come to their establishment to receive services.
Physical Shop Owner. These business owners want to expand their capabilities to sell products in an online store. They have specific products they use and carry in their physical location that they want to sell to an online audience.
They may also want to sell products that compliment what they sell in their physical location that they can promote to expand their earning potential. Some businesses like salons, cafes and spas may want to book appointments and reservations online and offer coupons, packages and discounts to expand their service.
Cafes and salon related businesses can also sell SWAG, like t-shirts and mugs in their shop to promote their business.
The second kind of business owner doesn't have people who come to a physical location to receive services. These business owners may work out of their homes, doing the majority of their work with other businesses by phone or (believe it or not) fax. They may travel to a customer's home or another location to perform their work. Someone like an electrician or plumber, appliance or auto repair person would fit into this category.
No Physical Shop. These business owners may want to open an online shop to sell things like the equipment and tools they use to perform their jobs. They may want to benefit from becoming an affiliate and receiving a commission for recommending the items they use each day.
Some business owners in this category may want to book appointments online and offer discounts and package deals.
These Scenarios May Also Describe Your Business
There is also a third kind of business owner who has an online presence that leaves a lot to be desired. Technically, they have an outdated website that is not responsive to work with mobile technology. And they either don't have a shop platform at all or they have one that doesn't showcase their products in the best light.
And the final group is of course new business owners who could have a physical shop or not, who want to start a business selling products online. They need a blog or website with shop functionality to start their thriving online journey.
All of these business owners want an online presence, opening a shop that enables them to earn passive income while they deal with other aspects of their businesses.
More importantly, these business owners are lacking a marketing system that works.
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Industry
According to the 2020 U.S. eCommerce Market Report, eCommerce grew in 2020—faster than it had in at least two decades. The impact of the coronavirus has caused a seismic shift in retail. And businesses cannot afford to wait until next year to learn how the pandemic has shaped, and transformed, eCommerce forever.
There are many companies that provide eCommerce and shopping platforms. There are also companies that will supply products that you can use to promote in various ways.
Historically, online sales increased as shown in the graphic each year as consumers became more comfortable shopping online and retailers fine-tune eCommerce operations to deliver orders more quickly and efficiently. But COVID-19 magnified trend lines in a big way in 2020.
Brick and mortar businesses that were hesitant to sell online have been forced to create an online presence to stay afloat. In addition to adapting to eCommerce, companies who want to stay in business have had to quickly shift their workforce to remote and online operations.
The pandemic created an immense opportunity for entrepreneurs who were ready to sell products in the online marketplace. Companies like Walmart and Amazon quickly shifted gears to accommodate the changing environment. To be competitive, small mom and pop businesses are continuing this trend into 2021 and beyond.
How to Get Started
We’ll cover a few easy to use, affordable platforms for small businesses that want to get into eCommerce. Learning how these platforms work and whether they would be a good fit for your business is the first step.
These include Amazon, Walmart, WooCommerce, Facebook, Shopify, Etsy, and a host of other marketplace providers that will enable you to sell and showcase your products without exorbitant fees. You can promote products that are handmade (Etsy),or products that are made by others.
There are a variety of ways that you can promote and cross promote these products using a blend of social media, affiliate marketing, online marketplaces and a blog or website. This includes written, audio and video reviews on products you personally use on YouTube, or on a podcast.
Qualifications
You don’t need a degree or special certifications to thrive as a shop owner, however the more you know about the platform you choose to sell from, and marketing online, the better.
Becoming a successful shop owner requires knowledge of the platform you choose (the features and benefits, and how they can help your business). You need knowledge of your niche, a basic knowledge of the products you choose to promote, how those products help your ideal customers and the ability to use the internet to promote products and provide excellent customer service.
To become a shop owner you need , your ideal customers and the shopping platform you choose.
For example, if you choose Etsy, have a good understanding of their policies, what you can and cannot do from a marketing perspective. Check out my Etsy shop, that I started in June.
Learn about the types of products you can sell on Etsy and what they require in terms of fees before you get started. Take a moment to do your research and decide if the Etsy platform will work best for your business.
A great way to start an eCommerce store is to identify a niche that is a great fit for your business, and start promoting products that people in that niche will want to buy.
Believe it or not, if you start promoting products, without a strategy or niche, and you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll end up appealing to no one. It's very important to niche down.
Why It's Important to Find Your Niche
Ease of Entry
It’s relatively easy to become a shop owner. There are many affordable platforms that allow you to open a shop.
For example, if you have an existing website or blog, that has an established audience, you can add an eCommerce store with a free tool like WooCommerce.
If you’re new to the world of eCommerce and you want to focus primarily on selling your own products, and not blogging or creating lots of content, Shopify or Etsy might be a great way to begin.
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At the same time, it can be overwhelming if you don’t enter eCommerce without a plan. Researching your niche, the kinds of people who are in your niche, their challenges and the solutions you can provide with your shop will start you on the path to a successful online business.
To start, your plan should include what you’re going to sell, who you’re going to sell to (your ideal customer), and the niche that your shop will serve. Finally, it’s important to do the math and determine whether your plan will help you reach your personal and financial goals.
You have two choices or you can use a blend of these methods. You can (1) create products that your ideal customers (from your niche) will want to use or (2) find products that you can promote as an affiliate to earn money from your shop.
The only real credentials you need is the plan mentioned above and a willingness to learn about sales and marketing online, the industry you serve as well as your customers. Providing great customer service to build positive relationships with your customers and more business for your shop.
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Equipment and Gear
The gear you’ll need includes a reliable internet connection, a computer, tablet or laptop that you can use to create and upload products to your online platform.
The platform you use to sell your products should be easy to use and affordable. With a store on Etsy for example, or Amazon FBA, your listings will reside on two popular platforms that already have established traffic.
You can use specific tools like eRank for Etsy to find popular keywords that will help you rank on their site using SEO.
When it comes to WooCommerce and Shopify, you will be responsible for driving traffic to your store.
WooCommerce
With WooCommerce, you'll need a WordPress site and a hosting provider (the hosting providers we recommend are Bluehost, WP Engine or Hostgator), and a traffic source.
If your WordPress blog or website is already set up and driving traffic, you can just add a store using WooCommerce and start selling. If you're using a free theme, it may be time to use paid WooCommerce themes and templates to make your shop more attractive to potential buyers. However with an established audience it will be easier to start getting sales in your shop.
WooCommerce also links with Mailchimp which makes starting an email marketing list really easy.
If you don't have an online presence and you don't feel comfortable setting up a WordPress site on your own, you can take our free Blogging Basics course. We'll walk you through setting up a self hosted WordPress site.
Shopify
If you're limited when it comes to the technical side or if you're starting from scratch, Shopify is an easy choice. Shopify also comes with integrated blogging capabilities which means you will still be able to create educational, informative, content for your customers.
If you are limited when it comes to the technical side, or if you are starting from scratch, no problem. Shopify comes with integrated blogging capabilities which means you will still be able to create educational, informative, content for your customers. Shopify also has themes and templates you can use to make your shop look amazing.
Shopify also direct links with Mailchimp, enabling you to start building an email list.
Shopify offers a free 14-day trial, and you don't have to give your credit card details until your store goes live. If you're thinking of setting up shop online, the free trial gives you a no risk way to give it a try.
If your business doesn't have an audience yet, now is the time to start building one. As stated in the previous sections, Shopify and WooCommerce both link with Mailchimp and other email marketing platforms, so another plus is that you can also start building a relationship with potential customers and existing ones using email.
Last but not least, you need products to stock your online store! Choosing products that will appeal to your audience and doing research to find out what people are searching for will help you sell more.
When you have an established audience, it’s important to stay within your niche when selecting products to offer in your store. For example, if your audience is pet lovers, don't offer them clothing in your store, unless it's focused on the pet lover niche. You can provide all kinds of gear with pets imprinted on them, clothing for pets, pet courses, etc.
You’ll also need social media accounts that can be used to promote your store, your products and any deals or tips you can provide to help customers get more out of your products.
If you have a blog or website, create a landing page for your shop that will help prospects learn about you and your shop, and allow them to sign up to get more information.
Create a mailing list that will enable you to build your audience and create relationships that will result in more sales and exposure for your shop.
For example, let your audience know when you're running a sale or when you add new products to your shop. Give them tips and insight that will help them get more out of using your products.
Provide a way for customers to get help, and know that you're on their team helping them reach their goals. Helping your ideal customers will help you create a thriving online business that will continue to grow over time.
Cricut Maker
Make creations to sell in your shop with the Cricut Maker. One of the tools of trade for many handmade shop owners.
