Yesterday we went to a craft fair or rather an artisan small business fair as there was everything from t-shirts to jewellery, ceramics and lots of scented candles.
What was noticeable was how business-like the stallholders were with superb branding, incentives to sign up for their mailing lists and beautifully crafted websites to match their wares.
It reminded me how the micro business has become a part of everyday life and that there are so many ways to have one, digital and otherwise.
So this week I am focusing on ecommerce in all its forms as I know many of you want to learn more about what is an incredibly broad arena for you to step into.
Let’s kick off with a look at what is still an excellent business to get into: t-shirts. We’ve moved way beyond the days of just Teespring and there is now a wealth of print on demand options.
One option is Amazon Merch – there’s a useful tutorial on that here:
https://www.nichepursuits.com/how-to-start-a-t-shirt-business/
With t-shirts you need designs and Shopify have provided a nice selection you can grab here for nada:
They also have loads of great information on their blog, including this on why your customers decide to buy:
https://www.shopify.com/blog/science-of-decision-making
While Neil Patel has a great step by step guide here:
There are so many options when it comes to building your ecom site – one is with WordPress which means you can do so on a shoestring.
Learn how here:
http://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-start-an-online-store/
Ideally, before you even build that store you will have decided on what you are going to sell from it.
And that’s where many people get stuck.
To help you find some great product ideas, follow this guide:
https://www.shopify.com/guides/what-to-sell
While there more of the best places entrepreneurs go to find products listed here:
Some people get confused when it comes to the term ‘ecommerce’ and think it only applies to physical goods. Far from it.
Here are some of the choices you have for selling digital goods, many of which have basic options where you can get started for zero investment:
https://ecommercebooth.com/sell-digital-goods-online/
Finally, it’s always good to stay on top of the trends and here are some for ecommerce in 2018 – take special note of the one for high quality videos displaying your products:
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/ecommerce-trends
And your TED talk this week is designed to set you up for a great one with this – the uplifting Happy Maps:
