For a while the media landscape spoke about ecommerce as the next big thing; the new wave empowering consumers to shop from the comfort of the homes. But nowadays ecommerce isn’t the new thing, it’s the ‘now’ thing. And it’s empowering not just consumers, but also fledging entrepreneurs.
If you are excited by the idea of selling your own goods online, then you have got to check out the tips below. Here are five easy ways to break into ecommerce and start earning money right away.
Sell Your Artwork on Merchandise
There are two types of people in the world, the kind who like to dive in head first and those that prefer to dip a toe into the water before making a commitment. If the latter description sounds more like you, then you might want to experiment with selling your artwork online before moving full into ecommerce.
What does this mean? Well, certain websites like Society6 and Big Cartel allow users to post designs they have created onto various pieces of merchandise. Examples include coffee mugs, T-shirts, cell phone case, pillows and even framed prints. For each successful sale, the site takes a portion of your earnings in exchange for hosting your artwork.
Build Your Own Ecommerce Website
If you are looking to create a more concrete brand for yourself, you should take things to the next level by building your own ecommerce website. Now, there are dozens of tutorials online describing how to build a website from scratch. But that is a ton of work. It is much easier to work with a cloud-based ecommerce platform which includes payment processing, site infrastructure and customizable features from the get-go. Otherwise you will spend too much time on building a site rather than selling good from your site. And that’s the whole point, right?
Develop Your Own Products
Looking to bring your product idea to life but know next to nothing about manufacturing? No problem. The Chinese ecommerce conglomerate known as Alibaba provides vendors the opportunity to connect with suppliers around the world, negotiate terms and produce virtually any product you can imagine.
Want to sell pants that look like a piano keyboard? Submit your request on Alibaba and watch as suppliers bid for your business.
Host Your Merchandise Elsewhere
Another idea is to host your own products on a pre-existing ecommerce site. This is known as affiliate marketing. Essentially you are trying to piggyback your goods on a more popular website to reach new customers. This is a great option for newbie entrepreneurs because it offers a very high return on investment (ROI).
There are two ways of finding affiliate marketing partners. Either you can reach out to vendors on your own, or you can leverage an affiliate network like AffiliatePrograms.com or ShareASale. Whichever you choose, be sure the vendor caters to your target market, otherwise this will all be for naught.
Auction Vintage Goods
Then again, not everyone is interested in selling their own products. Some folks prefer to sell vintage goods. And while it used to be true that flea markets and thrift stores were the best way to peddle classic merchandise, the world wide web has proven itself far superior in recent years.
For instance, social media influencers can build a strong following through Instagram, Reddit or Facebook and then sell select items over these platforms. Ideas include posting photographs of rare furniture or retro video game systems over Instagram and encouraging followers to contact you for more information. It’s slow, and it takes a lot of attention and dedication, but it’s a model that works for some.
In the end, your ecommerce adventure is all up to you. How will you start this exciting chapter of your life?
