- On
- 22 Aug 2022
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- 6 minutes
Starting an eCommerce business can be a great way to make money online. Creating your own online store is simpler than building a brick-and-mortar one, as there are unlimited learning resources, including Hostinger’s tutorial about creating an online store.
Before launching your online business, deciding what to sell in the store is essential. To help you decide, we will go through ten small eCommerce business ideas to try.
1. Beauty Products
The beauty industry is predicted to reach 131 billion dollars of global revenue in 2026, making beauty products an excellent commodity for online businesses.
Combined with robust marketing strategies and brand values, selling only primary beauty products in small batches can also be profitable.
Here are several examples of beauty business brand values to make your eCommerce store stand out:
- Inclusivity – provide products that accommodate any skin tone and type. Also, think about the climate and weather conditions of where your target customers reside.
- Innovation – alongside the product formulation, a beauty eCommerce can offer a unique selling point on the customer journey using innovative technologies. For instance, you can provide a shopping assistant powered by artificial intelligence (AI) on the eCommerce website.
- Personalization – concerning the previous point, you can use innovative technology to help potential customers choose the most suitable products for their needs. For example, an AI virtually tests a makeup color shade on the customer’s face.
- Eco-friendly – climate change concerns many people, including the beauty industry.
2. Fashion Products
Fashion products include a lot of commodity variations from clothes to accessories like hats or sneakers. However, it’s better to sell a narrow product category as a starting eCommerce business idea.
Developing a robust business plan on what fashion niche you want to occupy is essential. That way, you can create a strong branding strategy to make the fashion store more memorable.
For instance, fashion brands can have streetwear, daily wear, or formal wear as their brand concept. If you are a fan of popular fictional stories, selling inspired fashion and accessories items can also be a profitable business idea.
3. Online Learning Platform
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of schools and universities have turned to online learning. As a result, online courses have also been mushrooming. Therefore, an online learning platform is still a relevant business model.
Start by conducting market research on which online course is in high demand. Then, execute the idea by offering a unique selling point. For example, your platform can provide a lower price with a simpler learning plan.
It’s possible to start small when creating an online learning platform. The important part is providing essential elements like virtual classes, networking media, and a marketing platform. You can start by using social media as the main platform, then create your own website once the community grows bigger.
4. Homemade Goods
Homemade goods usually target an identifiable niche audience, depending on which product you want to sell. It can be any product you’re passionate about, including foods, beverages, crafts, or even skin care products.
As homemade products are usually created for a specific target audience, we recommend building a community while selling products. That way, your homemade products business can have loyal customers and grow bigger.
You can benefit from digital marketing when growing the eCommerce business, for instance, by utilizing social media platforms and applying a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy to the website.
5. Online Grocery
Online grocery shopping has also shown an increase in revenue. Following the wide range of product variations and a huge niche market, the grocery eCommerce business is also a profitable option.
Start by finding a sustainable commodity and delivery vendor. Local sourcing is one of the most notable business trends since it benefits your business and local stakeholders.
However, most grocery products are fresh and must be packed in a chilled condition. You might also need to come out with an advanced delivery system.
6. Smart Home Products and Accessories
Since the working-from-home culture emerged in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people decided to stay at home longer. As a result, selling online smart home products might be one of the best online business ideas.
With a predicted market size of over $537 billion by 2030, now is an excellent time to start building your smart home items eCommerce business. Moreover, the price of smart gadgets is decreasing following the mass demand and emergence of new product suppliers.
Many companies are also predicted to invest more in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) products in the coming years. For this reason, it might be a profitable idea to add more products, such as gaming gadgets, smart speakers, lamps, or CCTVs, to your eCommerce store.
7. Dropshipping
The dropshipping business model is arguably the simplest to start among other online business ideas. It only requires a low start-up cost as you won’t have to pay for shipping or storage.
This option can be perfect for beginner eCommerce entrepreneurs who want to focus on building their own brand, providing excellent customer service, and creating robust marketing strategies.
You can have a business online operating with any product and niche. However, the tricky part of this business model is finding the right and trustworthy supplier. Low-quality products or delayed shipments can backfire on your business as your eCommerce site is at the forefront of the customers.
8. Pet Products
Pet ownership is increasing after 2020, indicating that pet products can still be one of the most relevant online business ideas in 2022.
There are various kinds of products to sell, from pet food to accessories and supplements. It’s also possible to work on this business idea from home on a small scale when beginning to sell online.
Note that you don’t need to focus on cats and dogs since the business competition might be stiff. Therefore, we recommend paying attention to fish or rodent owners as well.
9. Secondhand Items
As the zero-waste living campaign is getting more popular, selling secondhand items online might be a great low-cost small eCommerce business idea.
You can start by decluttering unused items and selling them on your website. Always remember to put good product pictures so it can be easier for the customers to shop. Also, give details about the product condition and price, so you don’t have to waste time answering such questions.
In addition, even though you sell used items, packaging also plays an important role in customer satisfaction. Ensure that you use signature packaging that marks the specialty of your online store. However, remember to use ecological materials.
10. Coaching or Mentoring
Selling training programs is also one of the profitable eCommerce business ideas for people who prefer to stay at home. It can be based on your hobby or any skills that you master.
For example, you can create an online fitness, marketing, writing, or business coaching program to sell. The main challenge of making this eCommerce is convincing the audience that you are competent enough to be a coach.
Robust marketing strategies might be the most important element in gaining new customers. Also, creative coaching plans should be developed to help attract subscribers – for example, a gamification method to unlock a more advanced course than the previous one.
We recommend you benefit from social media marketing to interact directly with your target audience and listen to their concerns. That way, you can learn what to include in the learning materials while spreading the word about your new business.
Conclusion
Generally, starting an online store requires simpler steps than building a brick-and-mortar one. However, the essential part of creating a profitable business is developing an idea for the community.
In this article, we’ve discussed the ten best business ideas for 2022:
- Beauty products
- Fashion products
- Online learning platform
- Homemade goods
- Online grocery
- Smart home products and accessories
- Dropshipping
- Pet products
- Secondhand items
- Coaching and mentoring
We hope this article helps you find the best lucrative eCommerce product idea. Good luck on your online business journey!
