E-commerce Ideas: 10 Profitable Options for Selling Online
Good e-commerce ideas don’t come overnight. As much as many people have the desire to undertake, taking the big step is always difficult and brings fears and insecurities. So knowing where to invest your money is important. As much as e-commerce is a stabilized market, the choice of segment and niche are fundamental to the success of the business.
Having mastery of the area is an important requirement, but it is also necessary to think from a commercial point of view. It’s no use investing in what you like if it’s not an idea that brings financial return. Therefore, we will help you to make your decision as correct as possible. Next, understand better about e-commerces, their different segments, and how to make the most appropriate choice.
What is e-commerce?
E-commerce is the term that can classify an online store. That is any website that sells online, directly between the company and its consumer. We also call e-commerce the online store market, but in general, we can classify it as virtual stores of the most different types, with the exception of marketplaces.
E-commerce is the extension of many brands already established in the physical context, with establishments and a face-to-face relationship with the public. However, there are those brands that are native to e-commerce, that is, they are 100% online. They emerged as a common idea but only
came to life on the web. If you want to open e-commerce then you want to start your online store. E-commerce opens up opportunities for brands from the most diverse markets, always allowing them to connect with their audiences. The good part about this relationship is that, as rare and unique as this audience is, it is possible to sell to them online.
What is needed to open e-commerce?
Putting creativity into action and coming up with e-commerce ideas is one of the most important steps to start selling online. But she is not the only one. The process of creating an online store that has good growth potential involves many decisions about the market, the product, and the target audience. Many people who decide to work with e-commerce believe that the logic of online sales is similar to physical sales. However, establishing a sales site without direct contact with the consumer means that e-commerce needs to apply different strategies from those that occur in high street stores.
So, if you want to create a virtual store and are looking for good e-commerce ideas, dedicate yourself to understanding the e-commerce sales flow. Understanding how the relationship with virtual customers occurs can help you think of touchpoints that strengthen the bond with your target audience.
Conduct market and competition research Regardless of what e-commerce ideas you have, knowing the market and competition is critical. This goes for both those who are starting to sell and for those who have a street store and want to migrate to digital. Conducting a study of this type ensures that the e-commerce manager makes the best decisions for the business.
By studying the market and the competition of your online store
You have the possibility to prepare your e-commerce to compete with those companies that are already in the market and that offer a service or a product similar to what you want to offer. In this way, you will be able to think of points to stand out in the market. Many entrepreneurs are in a hurry to start selling online and prefer not to study the market, competition, and target audience while looking for e-commerce ideas. However, this practice is not recommended at all, as this type of study avoids the occurrence of any errors.
Prepare a good infrastructure
The infrastructure of an online store is very different from the infrastructure of a street store. This is because traditional businesses basically need a good point of sale, with the possibility of many people entering. In an online store, this can be compared to the website structure, which should be intuitive
and provide a good experience for users.
In addition, the infrastructure of an online store also involves the storage of stock. Often, entrepreneurs who decide to enter this field do so for the low financial investment necessary. Since, in general, e-commerce does not need a sales team and a commercial room. For this reason, when you analyze e-commerce ideas, remember that you should carefully consider the structure needed to keep your business going. Think about the type of storage that your product will need and, thus, see if it is feasible to contemplate this need.
Having a differential and offering innovation
Having a differential in the face of competition is essential to ensure survival in the market. If you are investing in a business, you must make sure that it will differ from traders who already operate in the same market segment. Otherwise, there is no point in starting the business. But how do you know what differences you can offer in your company? This should be considered during your search for e-commerce ideas. At this stage, you should dedicate yourself to getting to know the companies that are already in the market and to understanding exactly what type of products or services they offer.
In this way, you will be able to list some market needs that are not being met and think of strategies to incorporate them into your business. Another important action for this step is listening to your target audience. From this, it will be possible to think of e-commerce ideas with a high level of innovation.
Set up proper logistics
The creation of adequate logistics enables the maximum use of the workforce involved in the business at a low cost. That is, from an appropriate flow between all sectors of the company, it is possible to offer a service of excellence, saving time and money. For this reason, logistics must be very well thought out when evaluating e-commerce ideas. This involves contacting suppliers to send the order through the Post Office or carriers. All these
decisions have an impact on the results obtained by e-commerce.
Remember that the main objective of e-commerce is to satisfy its customers by selling quality products, with good service and satisfactory shipping. For this reason, all stages of the business have to be in sync. So that they offer the best possible experience to the public.
Adopt a sales strategy
The sales strategy is one of the essential points for the success of the business since the dynamics of a virtual store are very different from what occurs at a physical point of sale. This is because e-commerce necessarily needs to invest in ads to bring users to the site. Otherwise, e-commerce will not
be known and sales will be null.
The definition of the sales strategy depends a lot on the type of product and the segment in which you will operate. Each consumer profile requires a different strategy, with the adoption of its own language. Therefore, when looking for e-commerce ideas, dedicate yourself to knowing the profile of the audience you want to serve. Also, think about measures to retain these consumers and make them buy products in your e-commerce again. Keep in mind that the investment to attract new customers to your e-commerce is always greater than the investment to keep active customers.
Make an e-commerce business plan
Making a business plan is essential for any type of company, whether physical or virtual. From this study, it is possible to adapt the strategies according to the segment of activity. Therefore, the business is conducted in a much safer way, reducing risks and increasing the chances of success. The business plan covers all areas of the company. And also encompasses the market analysis, the marketing plan, and the financial plan. With this knowledge, the entrepreneur can understand his area in-depth and, in this way, make decisions based on facts and not on hypotheses.
The business plan should be done after deciding on the e-commerce ideas. Once the product has been defined, it will be possible to study the specifics of the product, the segment, and the target audience. With the plan in hand, it will be possible to start activities based on appropriate strategies and, in this
way, to consolidate in a competitive market.
What are the legal formalizations that e-commerce needs?
Now that you already know everything that is necessary to create e-commerce, let’s talk about the legal issue that this job involves! In this way, you will ensure sufficient knowledge to create a company based on the best choices. And also in this way, you will have peace of mind to define the stages of the
business in the most appropriate way.
Remember that it is the manager’s role to think of e-commerce ideas and, more than that, to create strategies to execute them. The greater the basis for making decisions, considering the market and the target audience, the better the possibilities for sales and growth. Check out some important points for
e-commerce here.
Own domain or free domain
The decision regarding the domain has a great impact on the creation of the virtual store. The manager has the possibility to choose his own domain or a free domain. In order to do this in the best possible way, he must understand the difference between the two possibilities. The difference between
them goes beyond the price, as it involves the website address.
E-commerce with its own domain usually creates the sales site with the name of the store. And with extensions such as “.com”, “.br” or “.com.br”. The free domain, on the other hand, is usually linked to less common extensions. This in general, do not convey a very trustworthy image. Knowing this, when looking for e-commerce ideas, think about the type of domain you will use to create your online store sales channel. Take into account that the own domain has more added value, as it gives more professionalism and seriousness to consumers.
Platform for e-commerce
The decision of the platform for e-commerce must be made from a lot of research. And also a comparison between the possible alternatives. For this, consider much more than price. Analyze the features offered by each service provider and think about the cost-benefit in question. This must be done because, at the beginning of online sales. Some features offered by the platforms are not important to you. Such as for example, the integration with marketplaces like Mercado Livre.
However, as your business grows, this can become important for business growth. If you choose a platform based solely on price, you may have to switch when sales volume increases. However, by opting for a complete platform, you can only expand your services. So you don’t have to perform a site migration. So, think about these points when evaluating e-commerce ideas.
