Shopify Inc. is a global, e-commerce company based in Ottawa, Canada. It is also the name of their patented e-commerce site for online shops and retail point-of-sale systems. Shopify offers online retailers a suite of services. Shopify's services include "payments, promotions, delivery, and customer engagement tools to simplify the process of running a small merchant online store." There are many people, worldwide, who have been able to earn money by using Shopify.
Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand, and Scott Lake founded Shopify in 2004. This is after attempting to open Snowdevil which is an online snowboarding equipment shop. Lütke used the Ruby on Rails open source web application framework to build Snowdevil's online store. After two months of development, he launched it. In June 2006 the designers of Snowdevil launched the website as Shopify.
Shopify launched a free mobile app to the Apple App Store in April 2010. The app lets store owners view and monitor their stores from mobile iOS devices through Shopify. Shopify launched its Build-A-Business competition in 2010, in which participants created a business using their platform for commerce. The competition's winners got cash prizes and mentorship from entrepreneurs, including Richard Branson, Eric Ries, and others. In 2010 the Ottawa Business Journal named Shopify Ottawa's Fastest Growing Company.
The company reported that, as of June 2019, it had more than 1,000,000 companies in approximately 175 countries using its platform, with total gross product volume approaching $41.1 billion for the year.
How To Get Started
You need three things to be successful in e-commerce: in-demand products to sell, the skills to market them, and the drive to succeed. You already have the mindset of the winner— you are continually learning, researching and getting ready for success. But it can be a challenge to find the products to sell. That is why every year we refresh this list to help you uncover new ideas for trendy goods.
One of the biggest challenges facing aspiring entrepreneurs is discovering viable, high-demand products to sell. Whether it's a single item or a full line of products that fill a niche in a market, you will need to find something. The difficulty of selling a product that people want can leave even the most motivated people trapped in intellectual paralysis. It often seems as if everything you might possibly sell is already being sold. Not to mention the fact that the most popular product categories will have plenty of competition.
Do Your Research
You have heard this undoubtedly before, but it can not be forgotten. It's invaluable to run a check on your company to gauge interest. It will not, of course, give you the exact results you can expect later on. However, you will at least be able to see if there is any interest in what you want to sell.
Gain feedback from potential clients. Ask them what they need, what they want, and further questions such as how much they would be willing to pay for a product like yours. The more you can find out what their needs are, the better off you will be.
It may take some time, but it can be beneficial to do research about your company, competition, and industry. It helps to see the market trends and what others have done, so you can use that information to help you plot your own story of success.
Having a positive and persevering attitude goes a long way towards deciding the popularity of your product or service. After all, why are others expected to if you don't believe it and aren't serious about it? So get into the right mindset and then live there.
Also read: Apply for a Shopify Internship to Learn More About E-Commerce
Great Items You Can Sell On Shopify
Shapewear
Shapewear shapes up to be one of the best evergreen niches in which to start a business. This product category has made top-selling lists for the second year in a row. Through 2022, the demand for shapewear is expected to surge to sales of about $5.6 billion. What started out as an undergarment has become a part of everyday wear.
Fashion retailers stock their stores with bodysuits that help create a slimming silhouette. Shapewear is still fashionable within the lingerie industry where it first emerged. The shapewear niche offers women a variety of different styles that can either be worn under clothing with different cuts or as a top.
What makes this product worth considering is that it offers a lot of flexibility to retailers. Whether you are selling lingerie, women's fashion items or trying to add this segment to an established general apparel store, you will be able to find shapewear in different colors, designs, and sizes to meet the needs of your diverse client base.
Pet Grooming Products
We've recently discovered the pet grooming industry is booming. Google Trends indicates a propensity for the niche to ascend. In July 2019, sales for a nail care drug earned hundreds of orders. This product can be used to clean your dog's nails. And since the pet grooming industry is predicted to be worth $3.58 billion by 2025, it is a growing market that you are going to want to jump into right now.
Simple Jewelry
Some people rejoice in the more beautiful things in life. Luckily, minimalist jewelry has seen steady growth in the jewelry space for online retailers. Even Google Trends shows that consumer searches for this type of silver have been more frequent and in a larger-volume. Despite an expected annual growth rate of 2% until 2021, the number of jewelry enterprises available has actually declined overall.
Dish Racks
A great dish rack has seen sales from around the world. This past year, Google Trends has shown two upticks in the search volume for "dish rack. The first in March and the second in July. This keyword generates an estimated 49,500 searches per month, which proves its popularity. This product has a tendency to sell well in South America, although it is also popular in other regions.
Posture Corrector
Research led by Columbia University found that, on average, people spent around 77% of their waking life in a sitting our stationary position. On the same note, most people who work at their desks use laptops, resulting in them looking down rather than directly in front of them. Spinal surgeon Kenneth Hansraj has been researching the changes in the spinal cord caused by looking down at your devices. And our postures only seem to be getting worse.
Conclusion
To the best of your ability, it's essential you know your target market on Shopify. However, you may have people who buy that you never anticipated and others who don't buy on that you counted on. But if you can narrow your target market, you'll be more effective in identifying, marketing, and selling to them.
For more tips in selling via Shopify, click here.