Have you ever wanted to start your own online niche store?
If so, you are not alone.
The interest in ecommerce has been trending up for quite some time now, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Even though many people have the idea of starting their own online niche store, few of them actually follow through.
This is because starting a store can seem intimidating. But here is the thing; it doesn't have to be!
Online store owners are learning new ways to compete with big online shopping sites every day.
So, if you want to start an online niche store in 2024, this article will outline seven different tips that will make the process much easier.
How do you start an online niche store?
Starting a successful online store is not as simple as it seems.
There are many things to consider when putting together things like a business plan, order processing system, and marketing strategy.
If you are convinced of starting an online niche store, then I will guide you in the right direction on how to start here.
When starting an online niche store, one of the first things you will have to do is decide which niche you are going to choose.
If you are having difficulties with picking a niche, you will find 25 of the best niche ideas here. Also, if this will be your first online store, try to avoid these 10 niches.
After finding a niche you are interested in, this article will provide you with a step-by-step tutorial on how to build your own online store.
Tip: Have you already created your Shopify account? If not, sign up by clicking this link here to get a free 3-day trial + pay $1/month for the first 3 months!
The article I linked to above isn't specifically written for niche stores, but the process of creating an online store will be pretty similar, regardless of store type.
In short, it's all about finding a product and supplier, setting up your store, doing marketing, and optimizing the store to try and increase profitability.
While the overall process may be similar, there are a couple of tips I can give you specifically for starting an online niche store. By following them, you will increase your chances of building a successful brand!
7 Tips for starting an online niche store in 2024
The next seven tips will be for those who are thinking about starting an online niche store.
They will help you prevent some of the common mistakes that people make and make the overall process go more smoothly.
Let's begin with the first tip.
1. Choose a niche you are interested in
It will be much easier to build a successful online niche store if you have an interest or passion for the niche you are operating in.
By building a store around that niche, you will learn even more about it, and it will motivate you on hard days to always keep going until you succeed!
But that's not all.
It will also help you choose the best products, write more accurate product descriptions, and perform customer service tasks better.
So, if you hear any of the gurus say that a specific niche is the best for an online store, don't believe them!
You will be the one doing all the work to make this a success, so you need to choose a niche that interests you for the best chances of succeeding.
If you want to make sure that you are picking the right niche, take a look at our article covering seven ways of finding the best possible niche.
2. Try to find a niche supplier
When it comes to suppliers for your store, you will find two main types, similar to online stores.
On one side, you will find the general suppliers. These supply products that can fit into several niches, just like a general online store.
On the other side, there are niche suppliers. These suppliers are specialized in products that fit into a certain niche, just like an online niche store!
There are several benefits of using a niche supplier for your niche store. Niche suppliers often sell many unique products in your niche and have experience with those products.
So, if you would have any questions regarding your products or the niche, these suppliers will often give you helpful answers!
To find a niche supplier for your online store, just take a look at our list of 50+ niche suppliers!
3. Don't sell random products that belong to other niches
Let's continue with a mistake that some people make when running a niche store:
Selling products on their online store that don't fit inside of their niche.
It's better not to do this since it completely ruins the advantages of a niche store we talked about earlier.
It will confuse your visitors, the new product often won't fit your store, and you are essentially turning your niche store into a general store!
Therefore, here is my short and simple tip:
When running a niche store, don't try selling a different product that doesn't fit your niche!
4. Get inspiration from other niche stores
Before starting to create your new niche store, it's great to get some inspiration from other stores first.
By taking a look at how other stores are designed, the products other stores sell, and more, you will likely get some awesome ideas that you can use for your own store!
For example, you might see a unique product page layout that you really like. By saving that page, you will be able to recreate something similar on your own store later on.
So, for those who are interested in following this tip, here are some articles where you can find online niche store examples:
- 5 Hiking niche store examples
- 6 Fitness niche store examples
- 7 Pet niche store examples
- 23 Shopify Dropshipping Store Examples
These articles will not only include a link to the stores but also more information about what you can learn from them!
For example, here is an example of a niche store in the health/supplements niche, Vital Proteins:
When it comes to choosing a domain name for your niche store, it's a good practice to pick a name that is related to your niche.
For example, Delta Hiking is a great name for an online store in the hiking niche!
A name like this allows visitors to recognize that you are specialized in selling hiking products, increasing their trust in you.
And if coming up with a name for your new online store isn’t really your thing, then remember there are tools and methods out there that can help you to come up with an awesome name!
So, if you are looking for help with choosing the best possible name for your niche store, check out our 10 tips here!
6. Pick a store theme that fits your niche
After picking a niche, thinking of a domain name, and finding a supplier, you will eventually arrive at the point where you have to pick a store theme.
Some people might not know that different store themes are best suited for specific types of stores.
For example, general stores benefit the most from themes that are suited for large inventories. Meanwhile, niche stores can take advantage of themes designed specifically for their niche!
So, how do you find a store theme that fits your niche?
Well, if you are using Shopify, you can filter the themes in their theme store based on the industries (a.k.a niches) they are most suited for:
For example, if you are selling cat toys, you may consider picking a theme in the "Toys & Games" category.
However, don’t forget that there are more places to obtain themes besides the Shopify theme store.
If you are interested in other themes that may boost your sales, check out our list of the 10 best Shopify themes in 2024 here.
7. Show your store's expertise within your niche
Today's last tip will be to show your store's expertise in the niche you are operating in.
By doing this, you can convince your visitors that you know what you are talking about, your products' quality is good, and that if they have any problems, you will be able to provide them with an answer.
Then, there is one thing left. How do you show your store's expertise?
You can do this in several ways.
A popular way is one I already talked about, creating blogs. By writing articles, you may be able to help customers with their problems using your knowledge and eventually turn them into paying customers!
A detailed FAQs page added to your product page can also help to show your expertise.
For example, if you are selling a food bowl for cats, you can answer some common questions people might have like:
- How often do I have to feed my cats?
- What is the best food for my cats?
- At what time should my cats be fed?
By helping someone with such a question, they are more likely to purchase your product!
5 Advantages of starting an online niche store
When starting with ecommerce, you will have three choices when it comes to the type of store you are going to build:
- A one-product store
- A niche store
- A general store
In short, a one-product store sells just a single product. A niche store sells several products that fit in one niche. And lastly, a general store can sell anything and everything.
Tip: Are you interested in an article providing a detailed comparison between niche stores and general stores? If so, check it out here!
Each type of store comes with its own benefits when compared to the others. So, what are the advantages of starting an online niche store?
For a quick overview of the advantages - check out our infographic below:
1. Attract more loyal customers
First of all, a niche store allows you to attract more loyal customers.
Let me give you an example to explain why.
Let's say you are running a store in the fitness niche.
Through one of your social media ads, a customer found a product he was interested in and purchased it. Since he is passionate about fitness, you have a considerable chance that he will check your store later to see if you have any other interesting products.
If your store offers excellent customer service and good-quality products, this is even more likely to happen!
2. Build a store that is more unique
When running a general online store, it's pretty challenging to differentiate yourself from competitors and make your store unique.
Doing that is much easier with a niche store.
When running a niche store, you are segmenting the products you offer on a smaller, more specific market. By tailoring your products to a specific niche, you will lower your competition more and more.
For example, there may be thousands of companies selling beds for cats. But far fewer companies sell pet beds with your own cat's image printed on them.
In short, the more specific you can make your product, the more unique you will be, and the fewer businesses will compete with you.
Related article: Wondering how to find gaps in the ecommerce market? Check out this article for seven great tips!
An online niche store is a perfect opportunity to start your own theme page on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest.
By posting content on social media around your niche, people will have a reason to follow you because they see a lot of content they like.
You will be able to gather new followers, which you can later turn into buyers!
4. Improve your store's SEO with a blog
A great way to get free traffic to your niche store is by starting a blog.
Not only will this improve your store's SEO and, therefore, your search engine rankings, but it's also a great way to show your expertise in the niche you are operating in.
The only thing you will have to do is write an interesting article about some kind of topic in your niche!
If you are interested in some inspiration, here is a blog you could look at.
5. Upselling is easier
Let's continue with the last (but awesome) benefit of starting an online niche store.
When running a niche store, it will be much easier to upsell your customer compared to a general store!
Most people that visit your store will like many of the products you offer because it falls in their interest.
For example, if someone comes to your store with the intention of buying a dog toy, it is more likely they will also purchase a similar product like dog foot wash cups.
However, if you are selling a dog toy on a general online store, the chance of upselling that same person with something like a yoga mat is small.
Conclusion
I hope this article helped you to form a better understanding of how to start an online niche store.
Remember to try and implement the seven tips we have given to increase your chances of building a successful store.
However, if you are still debating about whether or not a general online store will be the right decision for you, our article comparing general stores with niche stores might help you.
After reading it, you will be able to answer the question: “Will I go for a general or a niche store?”
Hopefully, this article has covered most of the things you need to know. But if you are left with any questions, please write them in the comments below.
We will try our best to answer them!
Good luck with starting your online store!
