An E-Commerce store can be a great side hustle for many women/men who decide they want a little extra income outside of their main businesses or daily jobs. Starting an online store is very easy but succeeding is very hard. The main problem is figuring out if what you want to sell is actually something a consumer wants to buy. And also can you market your product successfully? These are the huge problems with starting a shop online. Personally, I’ve had many online stores that I have started and never succeeded in them because of these same problems. But one piece of advice I recommend is that you need to stick with it and be patient.

What to sell?

This question can seem very easy but it’s not. Most might think that they can practically sell anything and people are going to be clicking the buy button like nobody’s business. But that’s not the case. I have had stores that were selling jewelry, clothes, shoes etc. but what I didn’t consider was how many other online shops were selling the same things and also the price differences. I honestly feel like their is no need for another online hair store, clothing store, or jewelry store if they are going to be similar to its peers. People like new things, so how about sell something they have never seen before. Could you sell handmade  items? Could you sell custom made clothing? These are the questions that you need to ask yourself before starting.

Now, I would also like to talk about drop shipping from Chinese companies. This might seem like a great idea because you feel like you will not have to do much. You also might feel like you will be able to save money by cutting out shipping fees or whatever. Whatever the case may be, this will harm your business. These overseas drop shipping companies might be offering the deal of a century but customers who are expecting quality items will be very much disappointed and discontinue their services with your business when they receive anything that’s not up to par. It takes money to make money. So if you want to sell clothes the right way, contact legit wholesalers and test out the items before you list them. Because losing customers is never something you want to do.

What platform is best?

I honestly think Shopify is one of the best websites for an e-commerce business. They have any and everything you need to succeed as a business. They offer free and paid themes to make your shop stand out from the others alike. They have an app store where you can partake in plugins and services that will benefit your business. Are you going to sell your custom made t-shirts with your own design? There are apps available on Shopify that can customize your own shirt with your design for a small fee. These things help shops succeed and although they require a monthly fee, it can benefit your store completely. Shopify offers a free trial but after the trial I do recommend a monthly paid service to use Shopify. I also recommend buying your domain through Shopify as well. As an online store, your store needs to look the part even if it is not a physical store.

How to succeed?

Take it seriously. If you don’t take your business seriously than who will? Make the website professional and also the product images. Is the description for the product a convincing one? And most importantly, how are you advertising your store? Everyday or when you feel like it? Their are options to pay for advertisements, have you considered that? Are you willing to put your all into this to let this become a business that will never die out?