Top 5 Commonly Used Incoterms You Should Know 2023

Incoterms Guide to use in 2023

It is important to know which Incoterms are applicable in 2023 as they determine the responsibilities of buyers and sellers. Additionally, incorrect Incoterms can result in costly errors or delays in international trade.

Incoterms were first published in 1936 and are continually updated over time to reflect the changing global business environment to be continually used in 2022 and beyond.

The International Chamber of Commerce ICC published the latest version of Incoterms 2020.  These changes came into effect on the 1st of January 2020 and will be used in 2023 and beyond, until the next changes are published sometime in future.  The ICC originally published Incoterms in 1936 and have continually made updates to reflect the changes to the global trade environment.  It’s important that all parties involved in trade clearly understand the changes and how they apply to global supply chains.

Incoterms play such a vital role in the world of global trade. In 2023, it’s imperative that buyers and sellers clearly understand Incoterms 2010 or Incoterms 2020 and clearly understand each party’s obligations along the supply chain.

Note: The content of this article and chart is only for general information purposes and shall not in any circumstances be considered bespoke legal advice or professional advice.

This article explains the top 5 most commonly used Incoterms that international buyers should know. 

What are Incoterms? 

Put simply, Incoterms are the selling terms that the buyer and seller of goods both agree to during international transactions.  These rules are accepted by governments and legal authorities around the world. Understanding Incoterms is a vital part of International Trade because they clearly state which tasks, costs and risks are associated with the buyer and the seller.

The Incoterm states when the seller’s costs and risks are transferred onto the buyer.  It’s also important to understand that not all rules apply in all cases.  Some encompass any mode or modes of transport.  Transport by all modes of transport (road, rail, air and sea) covers FCA, CPT, CIP, DAP, DPU (replaces DAT) and DDP.  Sea/Inland waterway transport (Sea) covers FAS, FOB, CFR and CIF.

Why are Incoterms vital in International Trade?

Incoterms are referred to as International Commercial Terms.  They are a set of rules published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), which relate to International Commercial Law.  According to the ICC, Incoterms rules provide internationally accepted definitions and rules of interpretation for most common commercial terms used in contracts for the sale of goods’.

All International purchases will be processed on an agreed Incoterm to define which party legally incurs costs and risks.  Incoterms will be clearly stated on relevant shipping documents.

5 commonly used incoterms

CIF – Cost, Insurance and Freight

Cost Insurance Freight (CIF) is a prevalent option in global trade. That’s mainly because it is beneficial to both the exporter and the buyer. It’s primarily used to transport non-containerized goods like vehicles, machinery, and commodities.

Under CIF rules, the seller is responsible for transporting the goods to a named place or destination country. But unlike some other trade terms, the seller doesn’t carry the risk of loss or damage to the goods. Instead, that risk passes to the buyer from the point of origin. 

Conversely, the buyer doesn’t have to arrange or pay for transportation costs. But to offset some buyer risk during the voyage, CIF requires the seller to insure the goods for a minimum amount. Therefore, CIF balances risk and responsibility almost equally between the parties. 

DDP – Delivered Duty Paid

Any buyer that has bought goods from an online marketplace like Alibaba.com is likely acquainted with this Incoterm. 

Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) has become very common due to the rise of e-commerce. The term requires the seller to handle everything including shipping, customs, import duties, taxes, etc. Delivery is only complete when the goods reach the buyer’s door, and risk only passes at that point. As a result, this makes it a very convenient option for buyers. 

However, most sellers will include the costs of delivery in the price of their goods. Therefore, buyers will probably bear the ultimate costs of receiving the goods. 

FOB – Free On Board

Free on Board (FOB) requires the seller to transport the products from their warehouse or factory to the ship. Additionally, they’re obligated to load the cargo onto the ship, and risk only passes to the buyer at that point. 

FOB is not meant for containerized cargo, though; it mostly applies to ocean freight or transport by inland waterways. The Incoterm typically applies to shipments of easily movable goods like grain, iron ore, etc. 

FCA – Free Carrier

Free Carrier (FCA) is another term that could be highly favorable for sellers. 

Just like Ex Works (EXW), FCA puts the responsibility and risk of shipment on the buyer. All the seller has to do is deliver the goods to the “place of delivery.” This could be a seaport, airport, train station, or even the seller’s warehouse. 

However, EXW is slightly different in that the seller may still have to handle export reporting and clearance. Meanwhile, with FCA, all of the seller’s obligations end at the place of delivery.

FCA is common among sellers who don’t want additional responsibilities or risks and buyers who don’t mind the extra effort. 

FAS – Free Alongside Ship

Free Alongside Ship (FAS) applies mainly to so-called out of gauge (OOG) cargo. These are goods that don’t fit into a container, such as large machinery. FAS is the most common shipping option for goods of this nature. 

Under these terms, the seller is only obligated to deliver the goods alongside the vessel. Risk also passes at that point, and everything that happens afterward is the buyer’s responsibility. 

What Incoterms are best for you? 

Many factors determine what Incoterms to pick. Here are some factors to remember as you negotiate the sales contract: 

  • The type of shipping. Some Incoterms are suited to sea shipping alone, while others fit sea and non-sea shipping. For instance, CIF, FOB, and FAS are meant for sea shipping, while DDP and FCA are excellent for all shipping types. 
  • The extent of obligations. Does the buyer have the resources and connections to process customs clearance or pay duties and taxes? For example, DDP is extremely convenient since it takes all of the responsibility for shipping and customs off buyers. Comparably, FCA and EXW will require much more buyer involvement. 
  • Shipping destination. Shipments to a far destination can be expensive, so buyers need to consider if they’re willing to take on that cost. Additionally, certain Incoterms, like EXW, are not suited for international shipping because they present many cross-border difficulties. 
  • The nature of the goods. Hard-to-ship goods like heavy machinery can be problematic. If the seller has special expertise in shipping these goods, it might be best to leave most of the process to them. Likewise, FAS works best for OOG cargo, so that’s something to consider when negotiating with the seller. 

Incoterms can save buyers money and prevent disputes when properly understood and applied. Hopefully, this article can help buyers build a better knowledge of these trade terms and their uses.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses!

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

Article reference: https://baba-blog.com/commonly-used-incoterms/#H2 ; https://incodocs.com/blog/incoterms-2020-explained-the-complete-guide/

4 Best Pet Tech Products to stock in 2023

Currently, 70 percent of U.S. households own a pet, up from 67 percent in 2019. With more and more people willing to own a pet, a wave of high-tech pet products is revolutionizing the market. Every entrepreneur and wholesaler in this domain should pick the pace and stock up the smart pet products to capitalize as much as possible.

The lucrative pet products industry

Every owner shares a unique bond with their furry friend. Besides this, the growing animal healthcare awareness has increased the demand for animal supplies. The recent introduction of smart pet products has taken pet care to a new level. They provide added safety, convenience, and peace of mind to pet owners.

According to Global Market Insights, the pet tech market size surpassed USD 5 billion in 2021. It is now set to grow at a CAGR of about 20 percent from 2022 to 2028. Also, the global industry shipments will exceed 130 million units by 2028. The markets are stocked with several smart pet tech products such as collars, feeders, harnesses, and cameras. This article highlights the most profitable smart pet products that pet companies should stock.

Four pets products that attract most pet owners

Automatic feeder and food dispenser

A busy person with a bored dog by his side

All pets live busy lives. From chasing their tails to going for cat naps, there is one thing they never forget – asking for food!

Likewise, some pet owners have a hyperactive social and work life that disables them from catering to their pets well. This is where an automatic pet feeder and food dispenser come in handy. They serve consistent food portions at regular intervals and give pet parents the liberty to go away for a night or a weekend without worrying about their fur friend starving alone at home.

An attached mic and speaker in some food dispensers enable pet owners to interact with their fur kids and comfort them remotely. In addition to keeping the pets well-fed, some feeders offer options like a laser dot chasing game and food bowls to keep the dog and cat stuff.

A product that lets pet owners get rid of the guilt and gives them the liberty to stay outdoors stress-free is an ideal pet product to invest in. Always prefer the ones with enhanced features and easy functionality.

Smart cat litter box

A stinky cat litter box

Scooping litter has always been a gruesome task for pet owners. To their ease, a variety of smart cat litter boxes are now available in the market.  

An ideal pet product in this domain will dispose of the litter and work with a self-cleaning mechanism. The efficiency of scooping relies on the quality of the smart litter box. Keeping a range of options is a good business decision as people might be looking for various price options.

A clean litter box lets little felines feel safe and comfortable. Perhaps this is why the best pet product brands have focused on cleanliness more than anything. Some pets and owners are finicky regarding pet products like dirty litter boxes or even pet leashes. Products with an odor-controlling feature are an excellent option for users who wish to minimize their trips to the trash cans. Some litter boxes are designed to be used with washable granules that rarely need replacement. Also, a few cat waste boxes have an odor-neutralizing and simple clean-up system that can go as long as a month without changing.

Stainless steel pet water dispenser

A cat drinking from water fountain

A well-hydrated pet tends to stay happy and healthy. The water dispensers are an incredible option for all pet owners who wish to keep an eye on their little munchkin’s water intake. A stainless steel water dispenser often contains features that improve water quality and clean up the ions. Some dispensers will automatically turn the power-off protection when the water is short in the tank. Also, most of these fountains contain a filter to provide clean water to the felines.

Many customers prefer food-grade quality when searching for such pet products, but not everyone has the luxury of visiting the Nashville Pet Products Center frequently. Offering these pet products online will be a sound move by wholesalers and pet product retailers. Ideally, these water dispensers should be easy to clean and assemble. Ensure that the dispensers enable users to control the speed and volume of water.

Intelligent LED pointer toy

A cute cat playing indoors

Cats need mental stimulation to thrive. Without it, they will likely become bored, anxious, and lazy. Eventually, these emotional imbalances compel cats to find other ways to occupy themselves. This translates into destructive behaviors like inappropriate digging, chewing, or urination.

An indoor LED pointer toy could be a sound purchase for cat owners. An exciting light beam moves randomly on the floor, targeting the cats’ natural hunting instinct. This provides cats with a wonderful activity indoors and keeps them proactive. Some toys have a silent motor for changing the light direction. This prevents discomfort for the fur babies and keeps them occupied in the game.

At the same time, some pet products let the pets exercise at a fast pace. For instance, there is a faster light movement that the pets try to catch. This lets them blow off some steam and reignite their strength. On the contrary, snoozer pet products provide a cozy sitting for the pets to rest and restore their energies after an intense game. Many pet owners prefer buying toys and snoozer products simultaneously to ensure their fur kids have all it takes for good growth and simulation.

What is next in pet tech products?

The smart pet products industry is steadily moving towards maturity. This means that entrepreneurs and wholesalers should keep an eye on what is coming in the future. Some highly anticipated trends are:

  • Facial recognition controls for electronic feeders and pet doors
  • Audio-based devices
  • Advanced solution for dog and cat litter
  • Smart wearables to monitor pets’ health
  • Personalized diets and foods
  • Ancestral database of pets

Considering the pace at which smart pet products are growing, there will be many innovations to make lives easier for pet owners. It is integral for suppliers to stock the recent products to ensure their sustainable presence in the market. Staying in the learning loop is necessary to ensure a viable market reputation and fulfill prospects’ needs.

Pet owners are always looking for ways to enhance the comfort of their little buddies. When they find smart pet products to secure their munchkins, they cannot resist the temptation to buy. Pet product suppliers need to maintain an updated product list. When buyers and sellers are on the right page, it is a win-win for all. Over time, they can also conduct surveys and market evaluations to understand what helps them maintain their market relevance.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences.

We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements.

Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses!

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact us:  blog.shopshipshake.com

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

Article reference: https://baba-blog.com/4-best-pet-tech-products-2022/#H2

12 Hobbies That Make Money

We’ve all got our hobbies—pastimes we dedicate some of our spare time to because we find them fun or fulfilling.

While we don’t typically get into hobbies to make money online, some of them can become a side hustle or thriving business that generates a stream of income. Depending on how you direct your talents and interests, you can get anything from free stuff, to extra spending money, to a full income from your online business—all by doing something you might’ve done anyway.Click here to start selling online now with Shopify

We’ve compiled a list of 12 common lucrative hobbies that make money, whether it’s freelancing, becoming an affiliate, building an audience, or starting a business.

12 profitable hobbies that make money

1. Writing

Writing and publishing online has the potential to offer you a lot of practical value outside of being a mere hobby. You can use it to further your career and establish yourself as an expert on a topic. You can build a platform for sharing your ideas. Or you can rent out your skills.

One of the most obvious ways to make money writing is to sell it as a service—freelance writing on sites like Upwork or Fiverr or reaching out directly to blogs for paid gigs. Great bloggers with niche expertise are usually in demand, and even a few clients can turn your writing hobby into a full-time business.

Even better, if you have the discipline and know how to write a good blog post, you can create your own business as a blogger by picking a niche and building an audience over time.

Whether you care about tech or travel or cooking, our guide to starting a blog that you can turn into a business will walk you through what you need to know.

For more inspiration, check out how:

  • Best Self Co. used blogging to sell its productivity tools.
  • Wait But Why built a business around Tim Urban’s humorous and insightful content.

2. Illustration and design

Like writing, illustration and graphic design are creative money-making hobbies you can do at home on a freelance contract basis. Fiverr, in particular, features many newer artists with a variety of illustration styles. Clients post projects for which they need to hire these skills, whether it’s marketing projects or custom portraits or anything in between.

If you want more control, you can put your art on products—from t-shirts to posters to canvases—and sell those instead. It’s important to understand that to turn your art or graphic design into a product, you’ll need to cater to a specific market or build a unique brand. The former is usually easier.

Hatecopy is an excellent example of a business that was started by an artist putting their work onto things people can buy.

And you don’t need to front the money for inventory either. Print-on-demand services offer a low-risk way to take advantage of your graphic design hobby. You’ll just need to create mockups of your products to list online.

Once you make sales and know what designs have the most demand, you can consider investing in your own inventory.

3. Music

Next up for profitable hobbies that make money? Sell music. You can turn this hobby into a business in a few different ways.

For starters, there’s the traditional approach to making and selling music—recording your own songs or albums and selling them on your own website or hosting them on a platform like SoundCloud.

You can also create different types of sounds that aren’t full-fledged songs or albums, things like beats or samples. Beats are short hooks composed from different sounds and meant to be a background for a musician, while samples are a portion of a sound recording to reuse elsewhere.

You can list beats on third-party sites that work similarly to stock photo sites. Essentially, people purchase your music to use in their own content. These are typically shorter in length and rely more on instrumentals and less on lyrics. There are a variety of sites where you can list your beats, like Airbit and BeatStars. Airbit paid out $32 million in 2019 to its artists, while BeatStars sellers made an estimated $40 million—double what they earned in 2018.

Samples by Vanity is an online business that sells samples for artists to remix and splice together to create their own music.

samples by vanity

You can make your audio exclusive or non-exclusive. There’s more money to be made when you sell exclusive rights, but you need to produce high-quality work, like SoundOracle. His excellent work has earned him quite the reputation—and his sounds have been featured in more than 20 Grammy Award–winning songs. He sells his beats with both exclusive and non-exclusive rights.

4. Cooking

Food has become an art form worthy of taking elaborate pictures and spending the time to perfect the craft. It’s not only amateur chefs who are involved, but people with adventurous palettes looking to explore new tastes.

Cooking is one of the money-making hobbies that you can share with the world in a variety of ways, from starting a blog, YouTube channel, or Instagram account , to diving head first into a business with your own food or cooking products. Some even take their favorite hobby on the road with a food truck business.

According to Google, 59% of 25-to-34-year-olds take their mobile devices into the kitchen, using resources on the internet to find and practice new recipes. If you’re willing to teach online, there’s definitely a market of DIY chefs looking for content (as well as products) you can create to serve them.

5. Gardening

Gardening has seen a spike in popularity as people spend more time at home. It’s a hobby that can make you happier, healthier, and perhaps even richer. Millennials spent $13 billion on plants in 2020 alone.

As with many of the other hobbies that make money on this list, there are multiple ways to make your gardening hobby profitable. If you’re an avid indoor gardener, you can earn money selling mature indoor plants from your own home. Leaf & Clay sells succulents, either for a one-time purchase or on a subscription basis.

leaf clay

Alternatively, you can also sell products and accessories to help your customers connect with their own gardening hobbies. Technology seller ēdn introduced an indoor garden to their product line, enabling customers to grow herbs and other plants in a compact space with artificial light.

edn

Finally, you can make good money as a gardening influencer or teacher by setting up your own channel on social media, with tips and resources for the tens of thousands of users searching for good gardening content.

6. Photography

If you own a high-quality camera and know how to use it, you’ve got a few ways to turn photography into one of your hobbies that make money on the side.

While you can certainly turn your fun hobby into a career or side job as a freelance photographer, this can restrict you to shooting local events and gigs.

For a more scalable side hustle, sell your shots as stock photos or prints. You can also use your photography skills to grow a massive Instagram following and monetize it. You need to pick a niche to serve or a “lifestyle” you want to capture in your photos.

Fun fact: Professional photography accounts are the second-most lucrative on Instagram in terms of how much brands are willing to pay for a sponsored post. And you don’t need hundreds of thousands of followers either.

7. DIY crafts

Crafting is another on our list of profitable hobbies that make money. If you enjoy working with your hands, there are plenty of things to make and sellcandlesbath bombsjewelrysoap, and more. This is a $40-billion industry waiting for your next idea.

“Handmade” communicates a certain quality, care, and uniqueness that department store alternatives often don’t offer. You can test the market for your products by selling them on a smaller scale to friends and family, at flea markets, or on Etsy, and think about scaling into a full-fledged business as you rack up customers.

If the idea of crafting the goods yourself isn’t striking a chord, you can also make money selling kits that allow customers to flex their own maker muscles at home. Create DIY kits for fun projects, like FlowerMoxie‘s DIY bridal bouquets. Or, tap into the home improvement industry—between 2018 and 2019, home improvement spending increased 17%.

FlowerMoxie

8. Comedy

Are you good at making people laugh? Do you know what the hottest memes are right now? Why not take that sense of humor and use it to build an audience on the internet? Comedy is one of the more creative ways to make money on this list.

You can probably think of several Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter accounts that amassed large audiences simply by curating memes and viral videos or tapping into a niche of humor that no one else was serving. Who knew all those hours of scrolling and social media management would be one of the hobbies that make money?

Once you have an audience, you can partner with brands to do sponsored posts or turn your best running jokes into t-shirts and other products.

9. Coffee

Selling coffee online is a great way to turn a common hobby into a business idea that generates extra money.

Globally, people drink more than 400 billion cups of coffee every year, fueling an industry worth $60 billion annually. And as coffee drinkers have become accustomed to brewing their caffeine fix at home, it’s a prime time to capitalize on this opportunity. If coffee is one of your own passions, it could be next on your list of lucrative hobbies.

Whether you enjoy the hunt for the perfect bean, creating a perfectly frothed cappuccino, or just sitting down to your morning cup with a book, coffee drinkers can take this business idea in a number of directions.

Globe-trotting creatives Jeff Campagna and Tania LaCaria found that coffee mixed well with one of their other passions: motorcycle travel. They opened up their own bike garage, Steeltown Garage Co., complete with coffee shop and merch for sale, and they’re cultivating a whole community through their hobby-based business.

10. Pets

Many of us love taking care of our pets, watching funny videos of animals online, and giving back by fostering or donating to animal-related charitable causes. But your love of pets can also be a profitable hobby that enables you to earn money in your spare time.

Transforming your pet hobby into a pet business can take a variety of forms. With Supakit, for instance, owners Leili Farzaneh and Kevin White turned a personal pet story into their own shop selling cat accessories.

Supakit, a pet hobby turned pet business

If you have a unique pet story or extensive experience taking care of animals, you can turn your expertise into extra cash by starting a YouTube channel or social media presence devoted to pet-related content, including an online course or funny videos.

Alternatively, you can concentrate your money-making hobby closer to home by starting a pet-sitting or dog-walking business. Depending on where you live, even a local pet-sitting business can generate a surprising amount of extra money.

The possibilities are quite literally endless here—you just need a hobby and some imagination to get the ideas rolling for your own membership-based business.

11. Brewing beer

Homebrewing, or making your own beer at home, is next on our list of hobbies that make money. More than a million Americans have brewed beer at home, and it’s trending upward. In 2018 alone, the global homebrew market was worth an estimated $12 million.

While brewing beer at home is legal across all fifty states, homebrewers can’t sell beer directly to consumers without registering as a business entity and obtaining the proper licenses and approvals from federal, state, and local authorities. However, if you love sampling or making craft brews, there are a variety of ways you can turn your love of beer into a money making hobby. 

Brooklyn Brew Shop, for instance, sells homebrew kits and accessories so its customers can enjoy the hobby themselves.

Brooklyn Brew Shop

If you have experience making unique or award-winning beers, you can set up your own online store selling supplies and recipes to adventurous homebrewers, create an online course, or create your own YouTube channel discussing the finer points of the craft.

Finally, homebrewing is a technical hobby with lots of equipment requiring careful setup and maintenance. You can make extra money from your hobby by building and selling brewing and kegging setups, or tutoring budding brewers directly (in person or virtually).

12. Gaming

You might be skeptical about the notion of gaming being one of the hobbies you can make money with from home. But if there’s a pattern in this list, it’s that if you can get people to pay attention to you, you can potentially turn it into a profit.

In this case, it’s the rise of the “Let’s Play” video format that has enabled us to make money online playing video games, in particular live-streaming on Twitch. Just like learning how to make money on YouTube, you can monetize gaming by sharing ad revenue.

Additionally, there’s also the potential to get one-time and subscription donations from a large community of viewers. This means the amount you earn through live streaming will vary greatly, but that it’s relatively easy to start at least making extra income.

While the amount of commitment you need to make a significant income might turn gaming into work for you, you can still have fun with it if you choose to stream a game you love, are good at it, and bring your personality to the table.

Gaming is a fast-growing industry with a lot of passion behind it. If you’re an avid gamer who understands the needs of the market, you already have an advantage as an entrepreneur in this space.

You can consider building a business of your own to cater to the needs and interests of gamers, like how:

  • PC Gaming Race speaks to the superiority of PC gamers.
  • Corey Ferreira sold gaming glasses inspired by his own gaming needs.

How to make money from a hobby

To start a business based off your hobby, you’ll need to take the following steps:

  1. Validate your business idea: Do some market research to make sure there’s demand for your offering.
  2. Find a business name: Give your business a unique identity.
  3. Make a plan: A business plan will keep you on track to meet your goals.
  4. Understand business finances: Set up business accounts, funding sources, and other money matters.
  5. Develop your product or service: This is where you turn your hobby-inspired offering into something customers are willing to pay for, whether it’s a physical or digital product, a consulting service, an online course, or a membership.
  6. Pick a business structure: Legitimize your business and protect your personal assets.
  7. Research licenses and regulations: Ensure you’re conducting business lawfully.
  8. Select your software systems: Build your website, set up accounting software, and get the rest of your tech stack up and running.
  9. Find a business location: Determine where you can operate your business, whether it be from home or somewhere else.
  10. Plan workload and team size: Bootstrap or hire help, depending on your plans.
  11. Launch your business: Let the world know!

When will I make money from a hobby?

Turning your favorite hobby into a side hustle or full time job has its perks: you’ll be your own boss, on your own schedule, and set your own prices, all while doing work that you love. Nevertheless, it’s important to have realistic expectations about the time and work that will entail—most of which is less fun than the hobby itself.

To start, you’ll need to build a marketing strategy to let the world know about your side hustle turned online business. That strategy may begin on social media, a freelance marketplace, or a full-fledged Shopify store.

When you start making sales, you’ll need to keep track of the cash coming in and the money going out. This makes tax time easier, simplifies the process in case of an audit, and protects your personal assets. Additionally, tracking your revenue and expenses helps you ensure your money-making hobby turns profitable. It’s a good idea to get set up with an accounting software to manage your books.

Even with all of these preparations and more, achieving financial independence or a full-time income from your favorite hobby will likely take months or even years.

Make money from your hobbies today

I enjoy writing, so I started a side hustle as a freelance writer to earn extra cash in school. I also like to dabble in dance, so I started an online store dropshipping LED shoes for dancers.

In many cases, when it comes to discovering a profitable hobby, it’s the things we do for free and for fun that hint at the kinds of businesses we can pursue using our own passion and interest as fuel.

So if you have the urge to start something but don’t know where to start, ask yourself what you’re good at or already know about.

What do you already do in your spare time that could turn into something more?

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences.

We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 South African clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses!

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  blog.shopshipshake.com

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

Article reference: https://www.shopify.com/blog/make-money-from-your-hobbies

How To Start a Bath Bomb Business From Home: A Step-by-Step Guide

I love baths. I love the feeling of being totally submerged in warm water; sinking into the tub’s embrace, limb by limb. During the pandemic, my love for baths turned into something of a pastime. And in my newfound fascination with all things tub-related, I discovered the bath bomb.

Before I lose you, this isn’t an ode to bathing. But my long hours spent soaking in hot, psychedelic waters got me wondering about these trending products. And as an avid DIYer, I wanted to know if I could make them myself. Turns out, they’re very easy to make and I had all of the ingredients lying around my house already. What’s more, I realized that this was a creative DIY project that people could cash in on.

A quick search told me that the US bath bomb market is expected to grow into a $350 million USD industry by 2025. Bath bombs are so popular in fact, that there are millions of Instagram photos dedicated to documenting how these colorful balls explode as they hit the water, filling bathtubs around the world with swirls of color. 

So, if you’re an upstart entrepreneur looking for a new business idea or a DIYer with a knack for crafts but don’t know how to turn your hobbies into a viable business, I have a solution for you: learn how to make bath bombs to sell.

Here, I’ll guide you through the process of making bath bombs and sourcing ingredients, all the way to building, marketing, and scaling a profitable business. 

Why start a bath bomb business?

Starting a bath bomb business has a few major benefits—namely, that you can make them in your kitchen with inexpensive ingredients and no machinery.

They’re also hugely popular. Bath bombs have become a worldwide trend in the last few years and a mainstay in people’s self-care routines. And they’re showing no sign of slowing down: based on Google Trends, queries for “bath bomb” and related terms have steadily increased over the last five years.

In addition to being a lucrative market with surging consumer demand, here are a few other reasons why you should consider making bath bombs and cashing in on this trend:

  • Low start-up costs. Since you probably have most of the ingredients you need at home, starting a bath bomb business is extremely inexpensive. You can make a few dozen bath bombs for as little as $30.
  • Don’t need a lot of space. Because bath bombs are small and compact, you can easily store additional inventory in your house without paying for extra storage.
  • Easy to customize. We’ll introduce you to a simple bath bomb recipe below that serves as a guideline for creating your own, but you can switch out interesting or unusual ingredients to differentiate your products.

Types of bath bombs (and licensing requirements)

Now that you know this self-care trend has traction, let’s examine the common types of bath bombs that you can consider making, and the target markets you can sell to.

From a product standpoint, bath bombs fall under two broad categories: cosmetics and drugs. Navigating what your product falls under can be tricky, but it basically comes down to what claims you’re making about your bath bomb. If you make any claims about mental or physical benefits, then it’s considered a drug. Otherwise, it’s considered a cosmetic.

Most of the bath bombs we list below are considered cosmetics and are treated like soaps or lotions by governing bodies. If you plan on marketing your bath bombs for their medicinal benefits, your products must be FDA approved for effectiveness as well as safety. FDA approval can be a costly and time-consuming process, but there are third-parties that will take care of the approval process for you for a fee.

Requirements vary from country to country, so consult your local government for more information on how to register your cosmetic bath bombs:

Classic ball bath bombs

Most people—even if you aren’t a “self-care junkie” like I am—are familiar with the classic bath bomb. These products are traditionally spherical in shape and come in a variety of colors, scents, and soothing oils. Some may not have fragrances or colors and are only used for the purpose of cleansing and moisturizing the body, while others have glitter and a range of colors for a more visual effect. These are considered mass-market products, and have a broad demographic of customers.

Jewel bath bombs

Bath and jewelry? Sign me up. As if the soothing oils and intergalactic waters weren’t luxurious enough, some brands like to spoil their customers even more by adding jewelry to their bath bombs. Popular brands like Charmed Aroma and Fragrant Jewels are well-known for these products, and are a great gift for loved ones. These bath bomb brands typically target women and girls aged 16 to 35.

Crystal bath bombs

For the folks who love baths that are as sparkly as they are relaxing, crystal bath bombs are the answer. The addition of crystals into these products has caught the eye of consumers—especially the growing market of consumers who believe that crystals have healing powers. Once reserved for fringey New Age circles, crystal healing has become a billion-dollar mainstream business. Still, most of these products are sold to spiritual, urban-dwelling women between the ages of 20 and 35, who have higher-than-average incomes.

Shaped/themed bath bombs

Other brands have chosen to think outside the box (or ball) by designing products in a variety of shapes and sizes. Whether they’re intended as favors for a bridal or baby shower, a gift for a pastry lover, or fun bathtime for kiddos, there’s likely a themed product out there to meet any shopper’s niche demands. And from hearts to donuts to chill pills to Pokeballs, the only limit on the shape of your bath bomb is your imagination.

How to make bath bombs

Once you’ve settled on what type of bath bomb you want to make, it’s time to start making them.

Bath bombs are surprisingly easy to make and only require a few essential items. While you can switch out some of these ingredients to customize your bath bombs, the basic recipe for one batch of bath bombs calls for:

  • 1 cup baking soda
  • ½ cup citric acid
  • ½ cup Epsom salt
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • ¾ tsp water
  • 2 tsp essential oil (lavender, eucalyptus, rose, orange, and lemongrass are popular for the bath)
  • 2 tsp carrier oil (jojoba, sweet almond, coconut, olive, or even baby oil)
  • 2 tsp of shea butter for an extra moisturizing “butter” bath bomb
  • A few drops of food coloring (make sure it doesn’t stain)
  • Molds
  • Optional: dried flowers, sugar cake decorations, sparkles, crystals etc.

💡TIP: Purchase silicone molds that are used for baking or for freezing ice into specific shapes. These hold up well during the creation process, are easily cleaned, and can help you create multiple products in one batch.

1. Mix dry ingredients

With the exception of the citric acid, mix the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

blend dry ingredients into large bowl

2. Mix wet ingredients

In another mixing bowl, pour in all of the liquid ingredients and blend.

blend liquid ingredients into mixing bowl

3. Mix wet and dry together

Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients, and whisk to meld together. Slowly add in the citric acid and continue blending. You’ll probably notice a slight fizzing reaction because of the citric acid. No need to panic—this is normal.

mix dry and liquid ingredients

4. Mold and freeze

Pack the mixture into your chosen molds very tightly. You can overfill the molds slightly and use a spoon or glass to press the mixture in as tightly as possible.

pack mixture into a mold

5. Unmold and store

After freezing remove the bath bombs from the molds and ta da! If you don’t plan to sell them right away, store them in airtight containers like plastic or glass Tupperware. Fresher bombs fizz and bubble more when dropped in a bath, so proper storage is integral to keep your inventory at its highest level of quality. 

pack the bath bombs in an air tight containerIf you chose to let them air-dry instead of freezing them, give the bath bombs a day or two to completely dry before using them or wrapping them up. 

Note: Because bath bombs are crumbly in texture, molds with intricate designs and small pieces could break off. Testing and experimentation will help you figure out the best molds to use to achieve your desired results.

Sourcing ingredients 101

Now that you’ve perfected making bath bombs, it’s time to figure out your bath bomb formulations. Luckily for you, most of the ingredients you need can be bought at your local grocery store or in bulk online, but since customers are soaking in your products for long periods of time, you’ll want to pay close attention to what ingredients you use and how they’re sourced.

Questions to ask yourself when choosing ingredients and formulations

Whether you’re re-creating popular bath bomb recipes or coming up with your own unique blends, you want to be sure you’re making truthful claims on your packaging, and that the ingredients you’re using are safe. Here’s what to consider when sourcing ingredients:

  • Are the ingredients skincare-grade and/or approved for use in skincare in your country? For example, coconut oil may be sold in both food-grade or skincare-grade versions.
  • Is the food coloring or soap dye you’re using FDA-approved? Is it water-soluble, stain-free, and bleed-free? 
  • Are you looking for all-natural ingredients? How will you ensure that the suppliers’ claims are legitimate?
  • Is your brand going to be eco-conscious? Are the ingredients you’re using biodegradable? 
  • Will your products make organic claims? Be sure that the supplier possesses the appropriate certifications. These will differ from country to country.
  • What are the labelling laws in your country and the countries where you ship? How much information do you have to give about “fragrances”? 
  • Are any of the ingredients (especially essential oils) known as common allergens? For example, some people develop hives or blisters when exposed to bergamot oil.

These are just a few questions to help you get started. If you’re coming up with your own formulations, the learning curve will be steeper as you navigate how certain ingredients or additives behave together—especially if you’re using essential oils for aromatherapy bombs. In this case, I highly recommend that you hire a third-party to help you with the research and development process.

Choosing the right supplier of essential oils

“essential

All your ingredients should be sourced with care, but it’s essential oils that you should be most discerning about. With a potency of 50 to 100 times that of their original leaves or seeds, essential oils should be used with caution. 

What’s more, not all oils are created with purity in mind and they’re not regulated by the FDA, so you need to be your own advocate when it comes to sourcing the good stuff. Oils from disreputable sources may be cut with fillers, processed with chemicals, or just filled with “fragrance oils” that don’t have any plant benefits.

Here are a few things to look for when buying essential oils:

  • Dark bottles. Since light and heat can damage oil, a quality supplier will sell their essential oils in a tightly sealed dark (usually amber) glass bottle. Never buy essential oil sold in a plastic bottle.
  • Plant name. It should clearly state the common and the Latin name of the plant used to make the oil as well as what plant parts were used, how it was extracted (distillation or expression), and how it was grown (aka organic, wild-crafted, traditional).
  • Source. If the label doesn’t outright mention country of origin, you might see a “lot#”, which you can then look up.

If you plan on buying essential oils in bulk from wholesale suppliers, you have to be thorough with your research. Here are a few tips to help you assess an essential oil supplier:

  • Check for certification and references. If you go the organic route, check for certification. For US suppliers, look for a “USDA certified” label on their website and if it’s in Canada, it’ll be accredited by the CFIA with a “Canada Organic” label.
  • Don’t fall for low prices. It’s natural to want to choose the most inexpensive product when you’re buying wholesale, but if the price is much lower than competitors, this is a sign you’re probably paying for fragrance oils with no medicinal benefits. But be wary of the opposite, too: pricy bottles means you’re paying for branding rather than the product itself.
  • Talk to aromatherapy practitioners. As the professionals who are most experienced in using therapeutic-grade essential oils, they’re an incredibly helpful resource for any entrepreneur who’s interested in incorporating essential oils into their product. Not only can they suggest oils and suppliers, they can even help you come up with the most effective formulation for your bath bombs.

How to start a bath bomb business

Once you’ve mastered your bath bomb formulations, it’s time to start selling. First, you’ll have to think through how you’re going to handle production and customer service. Are you able to accommodate single, multiple, or wholesale orders or will you need to hire help? Where do you want to sell and ship to? How will you manage inventory and fulfillment? You want to nail down all of the logistics before you launch your business.

Build an online store

Once that’s all sorted out, your next step is to set up your online store.

“screengrab

Finally, you want to make sure your product photos really pop. Bath bombs are extremely photogenic, so you’ll want to show off their colors, textures, and shapes with high quality photography. And since the real magic of bath bombs is in their activation, you may want to consider including videos of your products in action on your product pages.

Labeling, packaging, and shipping bath bombs

Bath bombs are delicate and have a tendency to crumble if they’re not in the right conditions, so when you’re ready to package and ship your products, make sure you have the following:

  • Shrink wrap
  • Product labels and/or stickers
  • Tissue paper or recyclable paper crinkle filler
  • Boxes for shipping

Now, there are three things to keep in mind when labeling, packaging, and shipping your bath bombs:

  • Avoid moisture. Any amount of moisture will make a bath bomb do what it does best—activate. Obviously, you don’t want this to happen while in-transit, so as soon as you’re ready to package the product, take your bath bomb out of its airtight container and shrink wrap it immediately. Tightly wrapping the bath bomb will lock the moisture out.
  • Be transparent in your labeling. No matter where you are, labeling requirements ask that you list out all of the ingredients in your bath bombs. While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t require cosmetic companies to break down exactly what they use to add “fragrance” to their products (so as to not give away their proprietary formulation), full transparency will go a long way with your customers.
  • Pack your products tightly. Finally, you’ll want to make sure that your bath bombs can’t roll around in the box and bang up against each other. If they do, they’re more likely to break and crumble once your customer unwraps them. Simply stuff the box with tissue paper or paper crinkle filler to separate the bath bombs from each other and keep them snug. As a safety check, close the package and shake it—if you hear a rattle, add more stuffing or tissue to it.

Marketing your bath bombs 

Competing for attention in the bath bomb industry is challenging for emerging brands, so it’s critical that you think through what you want your brand to represent and who your target customer is. Are you creating bath bombs that are intended to spark joy and make bath time fun, or are they more therapeutic in their purpose? The type of brand you choose will impact your upfront costs as well as your prices, your target audience, and your marketing strategy.

Still, there are some general tips and advice for getting more eyeballs on your bath products.

For one thing, bath bombs were made for social selling, so channels like Instagram and Facebook Shops and TikTok are going to be key for you. You can also use a variety of digital marketing tactics to drive traffic to your online store and specific product pages.

Try some of the methods and tips below:

  • Co-market with a complementary brand. Look to partner with wellness or self-care companies, skincare brands, or beauty brands that align with your values. Consider creating a bundle of products to sell as a package via social media, thereby leveraging each other’s customer base and following.
  • Influencer marketing. Thousands of independent creators boast millions of views and many make their living promoting other brands or launching their own. If you choose to partner with an influencer, opt for local, lesser-known creators with smaller but engaged audiences who will be affordable to work with.
  • Giveaways and contests. Everyone likes free stuff. But giveaways aren’t just great for the winner—they’re an opportunity for you to grow your business. With a little bit of product as a prize and some marketing effort, an online giveaway can help your business acquire new customers.
  • User-generated content. Bath bombs were made for user-generated content. And while your customers are almost definitely going to document their colorful baths, encourage them to also tag them with your brand or a branded hashtag. This way their followers can easily find you and become your customers, too.
  • Push holiday sales and promotions. Bath bombs make excellent gifts for loved ones, and purchases always surge around the holidays—Christmas and Valentine’s Day, in particular. Get creative with colors and scents, and play up seasonal motifs.

Selling bath bombs IRL(In Real Life)

You don’t need to limit yourself to selling online — many makers also successfully sell IRL(In Real Life), too. Selling in person allows you to access a new audience and receive live feedback of your products.

In particular, market booths and pop-up shops give you the opportunity to have a temporary retail location without committing to high storefront rents and long leases. And selling alongside other talented crafters and DIY masters can serve up some serious inspiration for future products as well.

Reasons to consider selling your products offline include:

  • Get a live product testing ground. You’ll hear direct feedback and questions from your customers. Addressing their concerns live gives merchants invaluable insights on how to improve products or answer customer pain points.
  • Introduce yourself to potential wholesale clients. Other retailers attend markets and fairs on the prowl for new products for their stores. This is an ideal opportunity for smaller beauty merchants to connect for wholesale deals.
  • Build an email subscriber list and/or social following from connections you meet at the fair, market, or festival.
  • Connect with fellow entrepreneurs, makers, and business owners. It’s never a bad idea to build your network.

Scaling your brand

Finally, the greatest thing about the bath bomb business is how easy it is to expand your product line after your initial success with bath products. For budding beauty entrepreneurs, you can repurpose the ingredients you use in your bath bombs for skincare, tinctures, soaps, and so many other lucrative products. And it’s an easy transition—the scents are already developed, you just need to create the new product. You can upsell your existing customers based on the scents they buy often, create treatment-centric care packages, and grow your business to new heights.

Ready to start your own bath bomb business?

Now that you have a viable bath bomb business idea and guidance on how to execute on it, you can work toward building a long-term, sustainable income.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences.

We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 South African clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses!

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  blog.shopshipshake.com

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

Article reference: https://www.shopify.com/blog/bath-bomb-business

14 Powerful Persuasion Techniques to Boost Sales

When running an ecommerce store, it’s easy to forget that visitor #3456 is a real, live person. A person subject to cognitive biases, new points of view, psychological theories, and more.

Having a basic understanding of the principles of influence can put you ahead of the competition. You’ll have more insight into why visitors abandon their carts, why they buy, and what makes them spend money.

More importantly, you’ll have insight into how you can turn theory into practice, and science into cold, hard cash.

These 14 persuasion techniques work to give you an unfair advantage in the most important battlefield of all: the human brain.

14 powerful persuasion techniques

1. Reciprocity

Reciprocity is a social norm that states that if I give you something, you’ll feel obligated to return the favor. Essentially, this allows me to ask for something in return rather than wait for a voluntary act from you.

Here’s where it gets really interesting. The two values don’t necessarily need to be equal. For example, if you hold the door for me, I’m more likely to say yes to buying you a coffee.

Ways to apply this persuasion tactic to your store:

  • Offer a tripwire—an irresistible and low price product designed not to make money, but to change the relationship from casual visitor to actual buyer.
  • Offer a free gift or discount, including free shipping, a welcome discount for first-time buyers, product samples, an unexpected free gift to go along with an ordered product, etc.
  • Send appreciation cards and notes to existing customers.

2. Consistency

Consistency states that once you commit to something, especially in writing, you are more likely to follow through or maintain the stance. People like when their thoughts and actions are aligned.

Once you get someone to make a commitment, they begin to engage in self-persuasion. That is, they begin to justify related actions to themselves and others.

Chubbies plays on consistency in an interesting way:

persuasion techniques by Chubbies

By listing its beliefs, it’s actively calling for people who share similar beliefs. If these beliefs resonate with a visitor, they’re more likely to buy because that would align what they think and what they do.

Other ways to apply it to your store:

  • Push visitors to opt-in to your email list or download a relevant free resource. Once subscribers make the small commitment, they’re more likely to make a bigger commitment.
  • Encourage social sharing at every stage. The more public the commitment, the better.

3. Social proof

Humans are naturally social (yes, even before social media came along). As a result, we’re heavily influenced by those around us, especially if we hold them in high regard. Social proof states that you base your actions and beliefs on those around you.

You’re most likely to follow the lead of someone who is similar to you or in situations where you’re very uncertain. Often, there’s comfort in just doing what everyone else is doing.

Ratings, reviews, share counts, testimonials … social proof is all around you.

Here’s an example from Partake Foods:

partake foods persuasion techniques example

Other ways to apply it to your store:

  • Have an influencer or expert endorse or provide a testimonial for your product.
  • Show the number of people who have purchased recently or how many people are currently viewing the product.
  • Add trust icons, like media logos and mentions.

4. Likeness

Likeness simply states that you tend to say yes to people you like. That comes down to two factors:

  1. Physical attraction: Case studies have shown time and time again that people who are physically attractive are more persuasive.
  2. Similarity: You are more likely to be persuaded by someone you deem similar to yourself.

This translates quite easily to store design and voice of customer copywriting. For example, which of these sites would you rather buy from?

messy website example
colourpop

I’m willing to bet it’s the bottom one, with the cleaner, more attractive design.

Other ways to apply it to your store:

  • Come across as a friend, not a big corporation. The more human and similar your brand seems, the better.
  • Support the same causes as your customers. Some stores do this by donating a portion of profit to a relevant charity.

5. Authority

Authority states that you have a tendency to believe that if any expert or person of authority says something, it must be true.

There is a very famous study, the Milgram experiment, attached to this persuasive technique. It was conducted in 1961. Basically, two participants (a teacher and a learner) were placed in two different rooms. The learner was hooked up to an electric shock machine, which the teacher controlled.

A supervisor, wearing a lab coat, was also present. He told the teacher to ask the learner questions and shock him when he answered incorrectly. After every incorrect answer, the voltage increased (up to 450 volts).

The catch? The learner was an actor, making fake pain noises after each shock. The study explored how much pain the participants were willing to inflict on a completely innocent person if instructed by a person of authority.

How to apply it to your store:

  • Build authority by highlighting qualifications (job title, product awards, etc.).
  • Avoid cliché, vague awards and claims (e.g. “World’s best doughnuts!”).
  • When in doubt, borrow authority from someone else via an endorsement, a product review, etc.

6. Scarcity

Scarcity states that when something has limited availability, you assign more value to it.

During an opening monologue of The Tonight Show in 1973, host Johnny Carson made a joke about an upcoming toilet paper shortage. People rushed out to buy it, helping to create an actual nationwide consumer toilet paper shortage.

Scarcity, too, is all around us in ecommerce. Anyone who has shopped on Amazon will recognize this:

scarcity tactic

The closer that number gets to 0, the more persuasive.

When people believe something is in short supply, they perceive it to be more valuable and are more likely to purchase it. People want to avoid the regret of not being able to obtain the item in the future.

According to Robert Cialdini, an American psychologist, limited availability persuasion works by creating a sense of urgency that makes people value the item more and feel the need to purchase it before it runs out. This technique is most effective when the item is something that people truly desire and when there is a limited supply.

Other ways to use scarcity in your store:

  • Promote limited-time offers. A countdown to when the discount or deal ends can spur purchases.
  • In the cart, show how much the visitor saved with a call to action to check out before the savings expire.
  • Offer free express shipping or something similar to those who purchase before a certain time of day.

7. Price anchoring

Price anchoring states that the first price presented plays a big role in the decision-making process.

For example, the price is regularly $129.99, which is noted first. But it’s currently on sale for just $59.99. That first price, $129.99, serves as an anchor, making the discounted price seem like a total steal.

Here’s how Greats does it:

email persuasion technique

The first, higher price sets the stage and becomes the anchor that makes the second price so much more appealing.

Let’s say Greats didn’t use price anchoring. $89.10 might seem like too much to spend. But the $99 original price clearly indicates that it isn’t. You might actually find price anchoring limits comparison shopping as well.

8. Familiarity

Familiarity states that you prefer the things and people you are familiar with. Yes, seriously. Studies have even found you’re more likely to fall in love with someone the more often you see them. Your happiness is actually correlated with how many things you’re familiar with.

This fondness for familiarity is why you’ll often find the cart in the top right-hand corner of a store. Or why you’re so attached to the neighborhood you live in. Or why you tend to order the same one or two meals at your favorite restaurant.

Familiarity comes down to three factors:

  • Cognitive Fluency: How easy is it to think about something?
  • Prototypicality: How similar is it to others in the same category or industry?
  • Habit: How well does it match previous, similar experiences?

This is why knowing your audience is so important. Being familiar with the experiences and language they’re expecting can be incredibly useful for increasing conversions.

Ways to apply familiarity to your store:

  • Use a simple design that’s low complexity and low on clutter. Don’t rage too hard against the machine. Stick with a prototypical design that works as expected for the ecommerce industry.
  • Use words and phrases your visitors will find familiar and scannable. Speak as they would speak, if you will.
  • Take a cue from the types of calls to action your direct and indirect competitors are using. How do they match up? You don’t want to copy them, but you want to make sure you’re meeting expectations.

9. Attentional bias

Attentional bias states that you pay more attention to emotionally stimulating factors and downplay other factors. The more intense and touching something is, the more attention you pay to it. Makes sense, right? That’s why fear and sex tend to be so persuasive.

So, when WWF is trying to raise money to save and support animals, they tug on the heartstrings a bit with emotion-evoking visuals:

WWF

A happy, thriving baby polar bear who could keep cool all thanks to you? That’s a pretty positive emotion. It’s no surprise this type of messaging is conveyed over and over again through copy and images.

Some ways to apply it to your store:

  • Conduct some qualitative research to determine what emotional state people arrive in. Do they come to you stressed, desperately seeking a solution? This will help you determine whether you should take advantage of the natural emotional state or try to change it.
  • Font, color, and images all have emotional values. Be purposeful when choosing them.
  • Writing copy that tells a story can help you make an emotional appeal.

10. Loss aversion

Loss aversion states that you strongly prefer to avoid losses than to acquire gains. According to Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist, we typically fear loss twice as much as we enjoy success.

So, to put that into perspective, your visitors fear not liking your product twice as much as they think they’ll enjoy the benefits of having your product.

Perhaps that’s why some stores so prominently display their money-back guarantee. Like Muse:

loss aversion example

It’s worth noting that there are some exceptions. Kahneman has found that people decide differently, depending on whether the decision is framed as a loss or a gain. So:

  • If you want someone to make a risk-averse choice, focus on what they will gain by making the choice you want them to.
  • If you want someone to make a risk-seeking choice, focus on what they will lose by not making the choice you want them to.

Other ways to apply it to your store:

  • Use your images and other visuals to show the loss scenario instead of the gain scenario.
  • Choose the wording of your offers carefully. “Don’t miss out on our summer sale: 10% off all t-shirts.” might work better than “Take 10% off t-shirts.”

11. IKEA effect

The IKEA effect states that the more effort we invest into something, the more we value it. Anyone who has spent three hours putting together an IKEA dresser knows how this feels.

Product customization is a great way to trigger this effect. The more effort your visitors put into customization, the more they value the product. You might find this reduces cart abandonment and increases conversions.

12. Paradox of choice

If you’re offered one option, the choice is clear: do or do not buy. When you’re offered two options, your brain focuses on choosing between the two. Suddenly, the idea of not buying anything at all is muted.

In that case, offering more than one option can help make a sale.

However, if you offer too many options, analysis paralysis comes into play. With so many options, you can’t decide and end up choosing nothing at all.

This is known as the paradox of choice. The key, of course, is finding the right balance of options.

It’s why IKEA puts two calls to action on its landing pages: Add to Bag and a heart emoji to add the product to your wish list.

IKEA

13. Foot in the door

The foot-n-the-door persuasion method is a form of door-in-the-face technique. It involves making a small request to the target individual, and if they comply, following up with a larger request. The idea is that the person will be more likely to comply with the larger request if they have already agreed to the smaller request.

14. Go big, then go small

This is a favorite persuasion technique for salespeople. It begins by making a large request, which the other person is likely to say no to. 

However, they are more likely to say yes to a smaller request that comes after the initial large request. This is because the person feels guilty for saying no to the first request and wants to make up for it by saying yes to the second request.

Create your persuasion strategy today

The truth is that social psychology and persuasive techniques don’t always translate well to the online marketplace. You can’t read someone’s body language or make eye contact with them over the internet. 

However, the many emotional persuasion techniques above have certainly proven that they have a place in ecommerce. At the very least, they’re worth experimenting with if you’re a small business owner or digital marketer.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences.

We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 South African clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses!

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  blog.shopshipshake.com

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

Article reference: https://www.shopify.com/blog/13-persuasion-techniques

HOW TO THANK YOUR CUSTOMERS——44 “Thank You For Your Order” Message Templates

Showing sincere appreciation is one of the easiest ways to build a closer relationship with your customers as they move through your customer journey map. It’s simple, but remarkably few companies ever take the time to genuinely show customer appreciation.

When it comes to standing out against entrenched competitors, it’s critical for ecommerce businesses to find their moments of opportunity. It’s rarely practical to compete on price or efficiency. However, new and growing stores do have a set of differentiators worth investing in: product, brand, and customer service.

Companies that focus on creating meaningful customer experiences can choose to compete on loyalty and word of mouth, beat the behemoths, and carve out their own place in the market.

In this pursuit, thanking customers for their purchase goes a long way. In fact, 68% of businesses have lost a customer because they feel a company is indifferent to them, and nearly half of US consumers say customer appreciation is an indispensable part of providing excellent care.

Being purposeful and personal when thanking your customers can help showcase the human aspect of your brand, create connections, increase customer lifetime value, and increase customer retention.

This guide will explain why you need to show customer appreciation, provide you with 44 “thank you for your message” templates, and give you more general advice on thanking your customers.

44 “thank you for your order” message templates

Now that you have an idea of what a good business thank you looks like, let’s check out some templates you can use to say “Thank you for your order.”

You can copy and paste these customizable templates into an email or purchase note and send them to customers after they’ve made a purchase.

  1. Thank you so much for your order! We really appreciate it. Enjoy 10% off your next purchase with this coupon code: THANKYOU10.
  2. Thank you for shopping with us. If you want 15% off your next order, leave a review on our website.
  3. Thank you, [first name]. We’ve received your order, and it’s really lovely. We’ll send you an email when it ships.
  4. Thanks for your support! We think you’re pretty awesome. As a token of our gratitude, below is a reward you can use during your next visit. Enjoy!
  5. Happy [day of week]! This is not a marketing email, just a quick thank you note for your purchase. 
  6. Hi, [customer name]. Thank you for your recent purchase. We are honored to gain you as a customer and hope to serve you for a long time.
  7. Hey, [customer name], just want to drop a quick note to express our genuine gratitude. Your purchase allows us at [company name] to continue to do what we love and provide you with quality products. 
  8. Welcome to the family, [first name]. We at [company name] love big families, so here’s a small thank you for your purchase. 
  9. Hi, [customer name]. Thanks for your recent purchase. We hope you’re loving your new [product name]. If you haven’t started using it yet, check out the following tips below.
  10. Hi, [first name]. We got your order! We’ll let you know when it ships and is headed your way.
  11. Thank you for your purchase and for joining our mailing list. We look forward to having you be one of the first to find out about the exclusive deals, new arrivals, and big events coming up. 
  12. Thanks so much for your recent purchase. We appreciate you and hope you enjoy your new items. Here’s a 10% discount on your next purchase, our way of saying thanks!
  13. Thank you, [customer name]! We got your order and it’s quite gorgeous. We’ll send you an email when it ships!
  14. We’re honored that when it comes to style, you think of us. There are a lot of choices out there, but you singled us out, and that means a lot. We just want to express how much we appreciate your business.
  15. Your business means a lot, so here’s a gift to show you how much we appreciate you. Get $20 off your next purchase with code 20THANKYOU.
  16. A great big thank you for shopping with [company name]. We love our customers dearly, and hearing your feedback is so helpful to us. If you have a few minutes to answer a quick survey, we’d be very grateful.
  17. Thank you for shopping with us during this busy [special occasion] season. You have a lot of choices, and we appreciate that you chose us. 
  18. Thank you for your order and for supporting our small business! If you want to track your delivery, use the tracking number provided.
  19. Thank you for supporting my online store! Purchases both big and small help us keep our dream of providing the best quality products to our customers.
  20. Dear [customer name]. You made our day, thank you for choosing us for your [product type] needs. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us.
  21. Hi, [customer name]. Thank you for your recent purchase. We are so happy to serve customers like you.
  22. Hi, [customer name]. Thank you for shopping with us. Want early access to our best deals? Sign up for our newsletter (if you haven’t already!)
  23. It’s important for us to make sure our customers feel appreciated and valued. We want to make sure you’re happy. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any concerns.
  24. Thank you for your support. We appreciate you!
  25. Thank you for your purchase. We love having customers like you, and your support means everything to us.  
  26. Thank you for your order. We hope to see you again soon! Please follow this link to choose two free gifts—on us!
  27. Thanks for choosing us again! We appreciate your repeat purchases. Here’s a little extra gift for you. 
  28. Thanks, [customer]! We just received your order and we’ll get started right away. 
  29. Thanks for your order! We’re working hard to get it shipped to you. We hope to see you again in the future. 
  30. Thank you for choosing us! We’re dedicated to giving you the best products possible. If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch.
  31. Thank you for shopping with us. We’ve successfully processed your payment. You can access your order information through the link below. 
  32. Thanks a million for your purchase! 
  33. Hi, it’s [your name and title]! Thank you for purchasing [product]. It really means a lot to us at [company name].
  34. [Customer name], we’ve received your order and all systems are go. When your order ships, we’ll send you another email with your tracking info.
  35. Thank you for your purchase! To get access to all our amazing deals and discounts, subscribe to our completely free customer loyalty program here.
  36. Thanks for your order. Enjoy this free gift!
  37. Thank you for joining the [company name] family! We value our customers and want to ensure that your experience is amazing. If you could fill out this survey, we can make sure you get only the best.
  38. You made our day, [customer name], now we’re making yours. We’ve added 50 bonus points to your account.
  39. [Customer name], thank you for your continuous support. Please enjoy this gift as a token of our appreciation. 
  40. You’re our hero! Thank you for choosing [company name]. We hope you enjoy your [product name].
  41. Your purchase has just helped a small business. Thank you for your support. We can’t wait for you to try your [product] and tell us what you think.
  42. We can’t say thanks enough for your support, but we’d like to try. Here’s a 15%-off coupon for your next purchase. 
  43. Thank you for your purchase. We have the feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! So that we can get to know each other a little better, we’re offering you $10 off an order of $50 or more!
  44. Dang, you’re smart. Not only did you get a [product], but you got it from [company name]. We’ll package and ship it to you shortly!

Don’t just copy these message templates—customize them to your liking and brand voice and you’ll be amazed at how far they can go in helping create a loyal customer for life.

Types of thank you messages

While creative planning and smart decision-making set the stage for delight, at the end of the day, you still need a few simple ideas to act on. A great thank you message not only shows you care about your customers, but can also encourage customers to share their experience with family and friends.

If you’re in need of a little inspiration, here are six ways you can show your thanks and move one step closer to a loyal and satisfied customer.

We’ll also share a few examples of businesses that go the extra mile for their customers and the keys to write a thank you note.

We’ll also share a few examples of businesses that go the extra mile for their customers and the keys to write a thank you note.

1. Handwritten thank you notes

This is a tried-and-true way to thank your customers. Writing a personalized thank you note shows that there’s a human involved behind the scenes and behind the screen.

Thank you notes are effective because they’re a bit of a lost art. Think about the last time you actually sent a handwritten letter instead of quickly firing off an email or a Facebook message. Those mediums allow for incredible efficiency, but a handwritten card goes beyond the ephemeral nature of our digital inboxes and creates something tangible and meaningful.

Remember these five steps when writing the perfect thank you note:

A brand that describes itself as “a business built on love,” John’s Crazy Socks knows a thing or two about making a connection. Customers almost always receive a personalized, handwritten note inside their sock order.

While sending a handwritten note in every order might not be scalable, you can always set a monthly goal for yourself or for your team. Brandon Eley, founder of 2BigFeet, explains how he ensures he contacts as many customers as possible: “It’s my goal to send 1,000 cards every year, which works out to just four cards every weekday.”

Involving your entire team helps create a culture of gratitude for your customers.

You might also send out thank you cards after replying to a customer, a special order, or a holiday. It doesn’t just have to be a card inside the order.

If you’d like to streamline this process a bit, you can use a service like Postable to send out thank you notes on your behalf.

For one-off notes, or if you’d like to invest a bit further in this idea, there are a number of online options for sourcing quality cards that will brighten up your customers’ mailboxes, including Lovepop, Galison, E. Frances, Burro, and Paper Luxe.

2. Package inserts

Adding something small to an order that’s heading out the door is a great way to say thank you and it only takes a few minutes. You’ve already paid for the shipping and the box, so this is one of the most cost-effective ways to give customers a little extra delight.

Packaging inserts are all about exceeding customer expectations. Unboxing is an experience in itself, and customers look forward to the moment they get to hold their new product in their hands. They are primed to be “delighted” with just a little extra effort. It’s also an opportunity to add value to the order through beautiful how-to manuals, and a chance for upsells.

Below are a few standout examples from stores that understand the value of delivering a small surprise.

The Frank Body brand is bold, to the point, and all about beautiful bodies. It includes a package insert with its body scrub orders that reinforces the brand, offers a simple how to, and encourages customers to stay in touch through social media.

Package inserts can be as targeted or as catch all as you like. Just make sure you keep a stack next to your order packers and toss one in each box. Need to stock up on package inserts? Check out these providers for high-quality stickers, business cards, and flyers:

3. Provide free gifts or samples

Is there anything customers like more than a free sample? Tossing in a small sample or gift with their order is a great way to say, ”Thank you for purchasing.”

Free samples aren’t just an amazing way to surprise and delight your customers, they also showcase something the customer hasn’t tried yet. If they like it, you might even see them purchase it in their next order. Just be sure to try and match the sample to your customer’s profile as much as possible to make sure it’s something they can use.

4. Create personal connections with video

If you want to take things a step further, try recording a personalized thank you video for your customers. The great part of videos is that it’s impossible to fake being personal. The customer knows how much time you’ve really put in.

Whatever the medium, the key to thanking customers is to be personal, thoughtful, and genuine.

Personalized videos come across as very thoughtful because they are time-consuming manual work. Send videos in a post-purchase follow-up or as a separate interaction entirely. Videos are particularly great for special occasions and holidays where you can be creative with the theme.

Videos are a great experiment to run if only to see how customers react. There are many different ways to use videos in thanking customers, which means you can really get creative. Here are a few tools to check out to create quick, personalized videos:

  • Bonjoro
  • Soapbox
  • Vidyard

Rewarding loyal customers with discounts and coupons is a great way to keep them coming back while thanking them for their patronage. Although you have to be careful with discounts, as they can train customers to wait for deals, sending a discount to a new customer is usually a cost-effective way to get them to return and make another purchase.

5. Offer post-purchase discounts

Julep runs a makeup box subscription and always adds a little bonus for customers who need to stock up.

Writing copy for your coupons can be a bit tricky, because you don’t want to come off as trying to make a sale or as overly pushy. Use words to promote the exclusivity of the coupon like:

  • Just for you
  • As a thank you …
  • A customer perk for you!
  • For our loyal customers

Discounts can either be sent separately, as a package insert, or in a thank you email. If you’re creating discounts, make sure you use a unique coupon code so you can track how effective it is.

6. Spotlight your customers

Showcasing your customers is a great way to publicly share how much you appreciate them.

Build strong customer relationships to elevate your brand above the competition.

User-generated content (UGC) is especially great in the creative industries, because your customers rely on exposure to grow their own audience. For example, hairdressers love to be featured on Instagram. Small businesses love a shout-out on Twitter or on a blog. It can help give them credibility and gain clients. Plus, it creates a bond between you and them.

Showing off its product is just one advantage of Luxy Hair’s user-generated content. It also helps its clients build their brand through sharing beautiful images.

To find great content to share, create a hashtag that customers can use on their own posts. Before sharing content, make sure you ask the owner for permission.

How to write a “thank you for your purchase” note

Sending the perfect thank you doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, most consumers don’t have a high bar when it comes to appreciation. Show customers that there’s a real human behind the scenes and behind the screen.

Thank customers without an overt expectation of anything in return. For example, don’t ask them to “share on social media,” and don’t pester them to buy in the same breath. Simply express gratitude, personally and directly, for being a customer and placing trust in you to deliver. That’s enough to create a connection.

1. Who are you thanking?

It might feel overwhelming, or even disingenuous, to personally thank every customer for every order—and as your business grows, it will be impossible to manage doing so all by yourself. For that reason, it can be helpful to segment customers into the groups that you’d like to prioritize.

For example, handing out a swanky gift package with every order is a surefire way to blow your budget. But segmenting high-value customers and sending them a handwritten note with a branded gift can cement an already positive relationship. Here are a few ways you can group your customers into different tiers of thank yous:

  • Every customer
  • Every repeat customer
  • Anyone who’s written in to support
  • Customers on their birthday
  • High-value customers
  • Customer loyalty program members

2. Set an appropriate budget

The budget for your thank you program will be linked with the number of customers you want to reach out to. But even if you’re hoping to show gratitude to all of your customers, you don’t need to spend a ton of money to create moments of delight.

In The Thank You Economy, Gary Vaynerchuk writes: “It’s not the money that makes these efforts shocking and awesome, it’s the care and creativity involved.” Frugal wows are often just as effective at creating that connection.

We’ve got lots of examples of simple cost-effective ways to thank your customers below.

3. Build a repeatable process

Depending on whether you’re including a thank you in every box or just occasionally sending out swag, decide on a repeatable process to get those thank yous in the hands of your customers. It doesn’t have to be automated, but structuring the process will make sure it happens.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to create genuine moments of delight.

If you’ve got a team working for you, provide an easy way for them to nominate customers for thanks. It might be a Google form or a Friday afternoon session hand-writting cards.

Pulling the entire team into these moments of delight creates a culture of gratitude for your customers.

A thank you goes a long way

There are so many different ways to thank your customers and create moments of delight post-purchase. Remember, the key is to be personal, thoughtful, and genuine. Customers—and people in general—love a sincere thank you but dislike insincerity.

When you have an attitude of gratitude, creating connections and building brand advocates is natural. Building these customer relationships gives you the opportunity to elevate your brand above the competition.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences.

We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 South African clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses!

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  blog.shopshipshake.com

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

Article reference:  https://www.shopify.com/blog/thank-your-customers#6

12 Million Dollar Business Ideas to Start in 2023

You’ve spent weeks trying to think of a smart way to make money online. The harsh reality: not every online business idea has the potential to surpass the million-dollar mark.

It’s hard to distinguish the difference between a $1 million ecommerce business idea and a lifestyle business that generates passive income.

This guide walks through what makes a $1 million business idea, with examples of entrepreneurs who’ve surpassed the million dollar mark.

1. Make an existing product better

If you’re looking for a million-dollar business idea, know some of the world’s biggest businesses didn’t invent the wheel—they simply made existing products better, cheaper, or more functional.

Examples include:

  • Geno Gym, a multifunctional workout bench that founder Will Torrez created after the COVID-19 pandemic influenced many people to buy home gym equipment.
  • Skims, created when founder Kim Kardashian failed to find inclusive shapewear for different skin colors.
  • PerfectDD, created after founder Alice Kim struggled to find clothing for women with a fuller bust.

In the case of PerfectDD, Alice Kim says, “Learning that the average bra size in the US is a 34DD and millions of women struggle with the same problem, I was inspired to create a solution and to be the voice for these underserved women. FYI, over 80 million women wear size D-cup and up in the US, making this easily a multimillion-dollar brand.”

2. Link sustainability

In the past year, nearly half of customers chose to buy from brands with a clear commitment to sustainability. Build a million-dollar business by finding a traditionally unsustainable business and making it better.

Take food delivery services, for example, which contribute $240 billion worth of waste in the US each year. Entrepreneur Nick Spina created Ethey as a solution. It has the same delivery functionality as mega brands like Hello Fresh and Gousto. The difference? All food scraps from the facility are sent to a worm farm, rather than landfill.

Nick says, “For the first five and a half years, we had successfully bootstrapped completely—no investors or outside capital. We kept reinvesting the cash flow of the business back in the business to be able to grow it.”

Now, Ethey has the capacity to generate more than $65 million in revenue. That’s set to reach $110 million with the introduction of its warehouse automation technology.

3. Start a wedding business

The wedding industry is valued at $160.5 billion globally. Capitalize on consumer spend by opening an ecommerce website that sells wedding products. Capturing just a small fraction of the market can help you build a million-dollar business.

Examples of trending wedding products to turn into a million-dollar idea include:

  • Wedding stationery
  • Flowers
  • Local gourmet gifts
  • Photography backdrops
  • Wedding decorations

4. Dropship trending products

Dropshipping is a business model you can use to turn a tiny investment into a million-dollar business. Instead of paying for inventory upfront, your supplier charges you for the product once it sells. It’s the supplier’s responsibility to pick, pack, and ship the item to your customer.

Find trending products through tools like:

  • Google Trends
  • TikTok search
  • Social listening tools

Once you’ve found a supplier for your dropshipping business, create an online store and promote your products on TikTok. The social media platform helped Tyler Macke, founder of SendAFriend, an ecommerce business that sells stuffed animals as gifts.

Tyler, an avid TikTok user himself, says, “I natively know what the trends are, what kind of videos are working well, or what kind of videos are going viral on TikTok. For me, it was fairly easy to say, like, “Oh, I was scrolling through TikTok last night and I saw all this concept and we can apply it to SendAFriend.”

5. Start a home-service business

The home-service industry is valued at $500 billion. Homeowners and renters splash thousands each year on home services. If you have handy skills, become a contractor and offer the following services to the local community:

  • Cleaning
  • Gardening
  • Decorating
  • Remodeling
  • Interior design

Turn this into a million-dollar business by delivering on your promises—contractors are known for being unreliable—and scaling a team. The more hands you have on deck, the more projects (and money) you’ll get.

6. Create handmade products

If you’re a crafty and creative person, build an online store to sell your products. It’s a great business idea you can start from home with minimal startup costs.

Popular handmade items to sell online include:

  • Candles
  • Bath bombs
  • Jewelry
  • Woodworking projects
  • Pottery and ceramics

Turn this into a million-dollar business by using finer quality materials. You could also hire people to help, freeing up space to take on more projects and reach the million-dollar mark.

Leslie Herrmann is the manager of My Way Stone, a jewelry brand that turns stones into custom jewelry. She says, “The idea came about during my wedding in 2017, when I went to the wedding location with my family and we picked up several stones that my mom made into custom jewelry for the bridal party.

“It has the potential to make more than $1 million, because of the innovative automation and family spirit behind the business. We had to do a fair amount of development to create a website that allowed our customers to really design their own jewelry. We have more products in the pipeline and are excited to continue to grow from necklaces to earrings, cufflinks, rings, bracelets, more shapes, etc.”

Grey landing page with white text titled “Don’t settle for mass-produced jewelry.”
My Way Stone’s homepage describes how each of its jewelry products are handmade to order.

7. Private label supplements

Private labeling allows you to attach your own brand to another manufacturer’s products. It’s a million-dollar business idea because there’s no need to invest time and money into product development. Lean on an existing product to build your own company.

Because private labeling is easy to get into, a strong brand will be your main differentiator. Promix is an example of how to stand out in the crowded supplements market. Founder ​​Albert Matheny used his food science background to build a personal brand around the supplements business.

“I have a gym in New York. I’ve trained people for 10 plus years,” Albert says. “I studied all this stuff for many years, and I’m an athlete as well. I really do try to live and breathe it and stay up on everything that’s happening.

“For me, that’s a point of differentiation for Promix. I can bring that to the table while interacting with customers. I still answer customer emails. I still help people with their nutrition. I know that other brands out there are not getting that level of customer service or personal attention.”

Image of a man in a gym beside a short biography that describes founder Albert Matheny as a track and field athlete, registered dietitian, and human performance expert.
Promix’s online store heavily references the nutrition background its founder Albert Matheny has.

8. Package your skills into an online service

Help people who don’t have the skills you have (nor the time to pick them up) by offering services. It has the potential to become a million-dollar business that allows you to work from anywhere.

“You don’t need a million-dollar brilliant idea that reinvents the wheel,” says Alex Micol, founder of Scalers, who reportedly made $30 million last year. “If you understand the deepest depths of the social and digital ecosystems, you can bring in millions.”

Alex puts this into practice with affiliate marketing—a business model in which you get paid commission for products you sell on behalf of another retailer.

Alex says, “Choose a vertical that is a good fit for you, whether it’s because of your professional background or a personal passion, and dive into becoming an expert on that vertical while only pursuing opportunities within it.”

Other ways to sell skills online include:

  • Graphic design
  • Freelance writing
  • Personal training
  • Mobile app development
  • Video editing

Offer consulting services or virtual tutoring sessions. People often pay higher rates for personalized, one-to-one sessions.

The secret to making millions with a service business is to scale. Build a team and create a mini agency. These employees allow you to take on more clients, and ultimately, make more money online.

9. Create an online course

Online courses are the natural segue for many service-based businesses, since you sell digital products rather than your time. Spend time turning your knowledge into online educational resources and sell them for years to come.

Take Jack Butcher, the owner of Tiny, a small portfolio of companies that collectively generate $100 million in revenue each year. Jack created Visualize Value, an online course to showcase his graphic design skills and turn business practices into simple illustrations. The course alone is a powerhouse of a brand, raking in more than a million dollars each year.

10. Start a YouTube channel

Viewers watch 694,000 hours of YouTube content each minute. If you’ve got a fun personality or intense knowledge on a given topic, start a YouTube channel and post regular videos.

Ways to monetize your YouTube channel include:

  • Affiliate marketing
  • Brand sponsorships
  • Branded merchandise
  • Fan tipping
  • Pre-roll advertising

Take Ryan Trahan, a track and cross country athlete who started a YouTube channel. He posted videos about running, and dropped out of college with 30,000 subscribers with the determination to make YouTube a full-time career. His philosophy is: “I think all of us, as creators, have something unique about ourselves. You’re the only person that’s you. I’m the only person that’s me. And it actually matters. I think that matters a lot.”

It’s a bold move that paid off. Ryan now has more than 11 million subscribers and brand deals (including Shopify) that help him build a lucrative business on YouTube.

11. Sell corporate gifting boxes

Large corporate clients often spend thousands each year on gifts to clients or employees.

Capture this revenue by sourcing high-quality products in bulk at wholesale prices through online marketplaces like Handshake. Package a selection of items into a gift box and run marketing campaigns that convince large businesses to ship your gift boxes to their clients.

Go the extra mile with gift wrapping and customer service to make this an extremely profitable business idea. Just a $19.99 supplement for luxurious gift wrapping could bring you into million-dollar territory.

12. Start a subscription business

The subscription ecommerce market is tipped to hit $473 billion by 2025. It’s a great opportunity to build a million-dollar business, since there’s less pressure to find new customers. Those you’ve already got are billed automatically each month.

Package popular products, such as food, cosmetics, or pet toys into a subscription box. Use a Shopify subscription app like SubBox, Recharge, or BOLD to automatically bill customers each month in exchange for their box.

Mallory Yawnghwe is one entrepreneur who put this million-dollar idea into practice. She founded Indigenous Box, a quarterly subscription box that sources products made by Indigenous entrepreneurs.

“I meet with every single entrepreneur we buy from,” Mallory says. “And every single one has business with a purpose. Their intention behind their products is to raise awareness, acknowledgement, change for their communities, and representation. It’s just so powerful to work with them.”

Row of blue boxes containing leaflets and handmade goods with “Indigenous Box” written on the side.
Mallory Yawnghwe founded Indigenous Box, a subscription service that curates products made by Indigenous creators.

What makes a million-dollar business idea?

A million-dollar business idea is less about the idea, and more about the entrepreneur behind it.

Granted, some businesses produce more millionaires than others. But an entrepreneurial mindset helps turn standard businesses into million-dollar companies.

“Growing a profitable business is not an accident,” says Troy D’Ambrosio, executive director of the University of Utah’s Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. “Founders must work hard to build their product, sales, and marketing. The idea is important, but it’s what a founder does with it that matters most.”

Business owners with an entrepreneurial mindset have the following skills:

  • Resilience
  • Curiosity
  • Accountability
  • Confidence to step out of your comfort zone

The best part? These entrepreneurial skills can lead to investment that will propel your business into million-dollar territory. Take it from Jimmy Daly, founder of Superpath, who says, “The biggest thing is probably the stamina to turn a good idea into a million-dollar business.

“One of my old coworkers at Animalz recently left to start his own agency and asked if I’d be interested in investing in it. Starting an agency isn’t a unique idea, but there are plenty of million-dollar agencies. Having worked with him for a few years at Animalz, I knew he was persistent and I was happy to invest. I feel pretty confident that it’ll make $1 million per year within a few years.”

How to execute on your million-dollar business idea

Have you combed through this list of million-dollar business ideas and found one you’d like to execute? Here’s how to start your own business.

  • Write a solid business plan. A business plan details every aspect of your business, from your target audience and market research to the strategies you’ll use to attract customers. Use this free business plan template to create yours.
  • Create an online store. An online store allows you to sell products online and reach a global audience.
  • Develop a brand. A strong brand sets your business apart from the competition. Create a logo and tagline, and develop a brand story to help your products stand out.
  • Market your business. The more people who know about your business, the higher your chance of turning it into a million-dollar company. Promote your small business through social media, search engine optimization, and entering awards.

Turn one of these million-dollar business ideas into a thriving company

It is possible to turn a small investment into a million-dollar business. And, the good news: You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Solving a problem you’re experiencing, or making an existing product better, requires time and creativity—but has the potential to become a million-dollar business idea that brings massive success.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  blog.shopshipshake.com

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

Article reference: https://www.shopify.com/blog/9721608-how-to-build-a-multi-million-dollar-ecommerce-business-with-0-marketing-budget

Personal Growth and Development: A Guide for Entrepreneurs in 2023

A houseplant’s growth is dependent on the right mix of light, water, and fertilizer. It adapts to its surroundings to increase its chances for survival. Humans are no different. By harnessing personal growth and development we can adapt to our own environments, rise above challenges, and become stronger. 

This growth can happen naturally, but it is most often an active practice to keep you sharp and prepared to overcome adversity. What new skills do you need to be ready for what’s next? Are your habits and lifestyle working with you or against you? What’s your vision for your best self? 

While age brings wisdom, we’re only human after all, susceptible to mistakes and still ripe for learning. That’s doubly true for entrepreneurs. This article highlights the benefits of proactive personal growth and development, and offers tips and tools to build your own plan for future business success. 

What is personal growth and development?

Personal growth and development is the lifelong process of striving for a better self, either socially, spiritually, physically, mentally, or emotionally. What “better” means in this case will be unique to each person’s circumstances—and it’s something you can only define for yourself. 

Personal growth is generally intentional and self-directed. It refers to steps taken or techniques used to improve oneself, whether that’s through building healthy habits, learning important skills, or gaining self-awareness. It is a school of one from which you never graduate.

For entrepreneurs, personal and professional growth can be linked. For example, a personal development journey can contribute to increased confidence to start a business or take an existing one to the next level. 

5 areas of personal growth and development

While a plant’s growth is entirely physical and based on a biological urge to survive, humans are more complex. Our overall wellness is contingent on the health of our body, mind, and soul. As you prepare your personal growth and development plan, consider how you can grow in each of these areas. 

1. Physical

Physical health has trickle-down effects, impacting other areas. Studies have shown that exercise can have a positive effect on mental health. But fitness can be linked to social wellness, too—group exercise is a great way to tackle personal growth from both a physical and social perspective.

Personal growth in the physical realm also includes changes to lifestyle or routine to improve areas like sleep, digestion, energy levels, endurance, or hydration.

2. Emotional

Emotional personal growth and development refers to steps you can take to get in touch with and manage your feelings. Understanding your emotions can help you make decisions that put your wellbeing first. Developing your emotional intelligence can also improve your relationships with those around you. 

3. Spiritual

Spiritual growth isn’t limited to a religious belief. Personal development in this area can refer to actions you take to connect with yourself, your values, and your environment. The practice of meditation, for example, can increase self-awareness on a path to spiritual growth.

4. Social

Personal growth and development can happen through relationships with others. Social isolation has been found to shorten life span, and loneliness can impact both mental and physical health. Social personal development can refer to steps you take to build and grow positive relationships with family and friends, or through career networking.

5. Mental

Mental development is like exercise for your brain. You can grow your skills and knowledge through courses, self-directed learning, coaching, or even activities that work out a new part of your brain. For those working at a computer all day, hands-on activities like crafts or puzzles can develop creative thinking that you can use in other areas of your life. 

Personal growth and development examples

Personal growth is entirely, well, personal. There are countless ways to improve yourself, so don’t let this list limit you! Just remember that personal growth should focus on you and the things you have the power to change and improve within yourself or your environment.

Examples of personal growth and development include:

  • Building healthy habits—or kicking unhealthy ones
  • Learning new skills (life skills, social skills, tactile skills)
  • Increasing energy or improving physical health through fitness, water consumption, and improved sleep habits
  • Improving self-esteem
  • Reducing clutter—both physical and emotional clutter
  • Finding joy in new hobbies, friends, or surroundings—and cutting out those that do not bring joy (think Marie Kondo for your social life!)
  • Learning to find happiness or validation from within
  • Getting in touch with your mental health

The benefits of personal growth for business owners

Continually improving yourself can have benefits beyond your mood or physical fitness levels. Development of positive life skills and a focus on learning can help entrepreneurs be better leaders and decision makers through the following:

  • Increased problem-solving skills. A path of personal growth will often have resistance. Working through those challenges is like strengthening a muscle. Future obstacles become an easier lift.
  • Improved resilience. Taking steps to understand feelings and how to manage them can contribute to a positive mindset, improving mental fortitude to bounce back and start over after failure. 
  • A supportive network. Personal growth in your social life means increasing or improving relationships. This strengthened network becomes a support system for entrepreneurs who often start businesses solo.
  • More confidence. Improving physical wellbeing has fringe benefits, often having a positive impact on emotional wellbeing. The improvement to mood can be a confidence booster as entrepreneurs navigate new paths. 
  • An expanded skill set. Mental personal development may include learning new skills. These can come in handy for new founders who may be wearing many hats in the early days of the business.

Embark on your personal growth journey

Being successful in life and business often comes with hard work. A focus on personal growth can keep you motivated toward achieving goals, no matter how many challenges you face. 

Whether you’re working on spiritual growth, improving self care, or arming yourself with essential skills, your personal growth and development journey will be unique. Set goals and identify the tools and tactics that are most effective for you. It’s time to conquer the world!

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  blog.shopshipshake.com

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

Article reference: https://www.shopify.com/blog/personal-growth

Top 5 eCommerce Analytics Tools to Boost Your Online Store [2023]

Meet Steve.

He’s a busy fashion eCommerce store owner and is looking for the best ways to grow his business. Unfortunately, he has no idea which marketing channels deliver the best results for him, or how to get the right data on what’s working and what isn’t. He’s overwhelmed and frustrated.

Does that sound familiar?

Owning a business means you have to wear many hats. Not only do you have to oversee inventory, sales, and customer service, you also have to make important decisions on how to scale your business.

What’s the simplest way to obtain all the data you need to start growing your business? The answer is by using eCommerce analytics tools. These tools will help display all the data for you in one place and will make it easier to make the right decisions for your business.

In this article, we break down the benefits of doing eCommerce analytics and some of the best tools to use to analyze your data.

Let’s dive in.

What is eCommerce Analytics?

eCommerce analytics is the process of gathering data for your online store to make data-driven decisions and increase online sales. By using this data, businesses can understand changes in customer behaviors to price and market products more effectively.

Analytical tools for eCommerce companies provide data for all parts of the consumer journey. They can help discover information on customer acquisition, user experience, cart abandonment, and much more.

What to do with your analytics data

There are several ways you can use your analytics data to grow your business.

Boost your conversion rate

Most importantly, data helps you improve your conversion rate. By analyzing your metrics, you’ll gain data-driven insights into how visitors interact with your website. Additionally, you’ll acquire deep insights into where sales come from and their average order value.

Through tools like Google Analytics, you’re able to use data for conversion rate optimization (CRO). By studying your customer behavior, you can track important statistics, such as marketing funnel performance.

You can also discover how many users abandon their shopping carts and the number of visitors who view products without taking any action. With analytics data, you may easily test different copy, images, and your checkout pages to improve your conversions.

Better segment your audience

Next, you can begin to segment your audience better and send them more personalized offers. You can create segments based on personal attributes, browsing habits or interests, and their activity on your site.

One study showed that campaigns delivered to defined customer segments generated a conversion increase of 200%. This strategy is effective on any marketing channel, including email and paid advertising.

To enhance user experience

Last but not least, there’s the user experience. 50% of consumers state that they’re willing to pay more for a better online shopping experience. And the better that experience the more your users are likely to purchase a second time and refer their friends (read: customer lifetime value).

Using analytics data can provide the information required to build an improved customer experience for your website users. For example, you can use data to display different site content for each user.

Your website could show product recommendations that are based on each user’s activity to create a more personalized shopping experience. You can also improve customer experience by knowing when to interact with visitors.

Now that you know the benefits of using data analytics let’s explore some of the top tools to use for your eCommerce business.

The Top 5 Analytics Tools for eCommerce

Here are some of the best eCommerce analytics tools to help you grow your brand.

1. Google Analytics

Google Analytics banner image

Google Analytics is a free tool that provides detailed information about the traffic and behavior of visitors to your website. By using this information, you can improve the performance of your online store and make better business decisions. Some ways you can use Google Analytics to improve your online store include:

  1. Identifying your most popular pages and products: By looking at the top performing pages and products on your website, you can identify what is working well and focus your efforts on promoting those items.
  2. Understanding your customer behavior: Google Analytics provides detailed information about how customers interact with your website, including how long they stay on each page, which pages they visit, and what actions they take (such as making a purchase or signing up for your email list). This information can help you understand what is driving customer behavior and make changes to your website to improve the user experience.
  3. Optimizing your website for conversions: By setting up goals in Google Analytics, you can track important actions that you want customers to take on your website (such as making a purchase or filling out a contact form). This information can help you identify areas of your website that may need improvement in order to encourage more customers to take these actions.
  4. Identifying your top referral sources: Google Analytics can help you understand where your website traffic is coming from, including search engines, social media, and other websites. This information can help you determine which marketing channels are most effective and allocate your resources accordingly.

Price: Free

2. Kissmetrics

Kissmetrics advanced customer analytics

Kissmetrics is more sophisticated than Google Analytics and it’s perfect for eCommerce marketers who require a wide variety of metrics. Discover the average revenue per person, the visitor-to-purchase conversion rate, and the cart-to-purchase conversion rate.

You can understand the behavior of individual customers while establishing which marketing channels are performing best.

Using the data from Kissmetrics, you have the means to optimize your email campaigns, A/B test your marketing strategies, and improve your website bounce rate by creating pop-up boxes and notifications.

As this eCommerce analytical tool reveals valuable insights into each step of the customer journey, you can easily improve your eCommerce strategies.

Drawbacks: This tool may not be affordable for all teams. If you have the budget, then this tool can prove instrumental in helping to grow your business. There is no free trial so you won’t know if it’s the right tool for you without doing a demo first.

Price: $299/mo, billed annually.

3. Optimizely

Optimizely logo banner

Want to create a more personalized experience for shopping success? Optimizely’s features are a good starting point. This eCommerce analytics software focuses on A/B testing and optimization to create a more authentic shopping experience.

Optimizely’s Web Experimentation tool offers a no-code editor that helps you set up A/B tests to improve your site content. Optimizely’s Full Stack tool enables you to roll out new features faster. Collect customer data to know which variations are performing best. Additionally, experiment with chatbots and checkout flows to reduce your cart abandonment rate.

You can purchase Web Experimentation and Full Stack separately depending on your needs, or subscribe to both. The one downside of Optimizely is that it can be time-consuming to use. Some users have also noted a high price point.

Price$2,000-$3,000/mo

4. Hotjar

hotjar heatmap tool

Hotjar is a visual tool that helps you see how your users interact with your site using heatmaps. It helps you see the “hot” and “cold” spots on your website and collect feedback from your visitors. You can also create real-time recordings of users to help improve your conversion rates and conversion tracking.

Use Hotjar to:

  • Evaluate which copy and CTAs convert the highest
  • See which areas of your site need improvement
  • Identify weak aspects of your site and funnel to improve your eCommerce KPIs.

Drawbacks: Hotjar doesn’t integrate with Google Analytics so if you’re searching for an all-in-one solution, this probably won’t be the tool for you.

Price: free + starts at $39/mo

5. Crazy Egg

Crazy Egg Confetti feature

Crazy Egg started as a heat maps tool but quickly grew to a really popular Shopify app that has everything you need to improve the conversion rate on your site.

  • Crazy Egg Discover where customer engagement is happening on your website and what’s being overlooked (heat maps)
  • See visitor website clicks in varying colors to determine their traffic referral source (Crazy Egg Confetti). This gives you a deeper look at key customer behavior with your website.
  • Determine if your CTA buttons are in the right places (scroll maps)

If you want to know if your CTA buttons are in the correct place, use the scroll map tool to find out.

Crazy Egg is a powerful tool for understanding how online customers interact with your website. Using this data, you can make improvements and A/B tests to boost your eCommerce conversion rate.

Drawbacks: Unfortunately, there are no integrations available with A/B testing tools so that may require some extra time on your part.

Price: starts at $24/mo.

In conclusion, eCommerce analytics tools can help you solve questions across your entire business, from your customer experience to ongoing marketing campaigns.

If you’re in a similar position to fashion eCommerce store owner, Steve, who we mentioned at the beginning of this article, you’ll now know which tools provide the data you’re searching for.

You’ll also know which tools can give you information to boost your conversion rate, improve user experience, or segment your audience.

Use the data from the eCommerce analytics tools mentioned to create a growth plan for your business. Create goals based on the data you collect and continually assess your metrics to determine if you meet these business growth goals.

And most importantly – test, test, and test. The sooner you set up an experimentation culture on your marketing team the more successful you’ll be.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  www.shopshipshake.co.za

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

Article partially refer to: https://www.mayple.com/blog/ecommerce-analytics-tools

How to sell wholesale children’s clothes online: an ultimate guide

In this article, we will provide an ultimate guide on how to start a wholesale children’s clothes business online. We will highlight some basic information about the market, giving you a clearer understanding of the industry, including its revenue and prospect.

We will discuss the reasons why you should start this business, including some key benefits for you as a seller.

Selling wholesale children’s clothes: the basics

Children’s wear refers to the apparel designed for kids belonging to the age group of 0 months to 12 years. It consists of innerwear, outerwear, nightwear, socks, and tights, which are manufactured using materials, such as hosiery, cotton, polyester, silk, and satin-based fabrics. In comparison to clothing for adults, they are usually more casual, comfortable, and flexible, have higher fabric quality, and are fit for play and rest. Individual clothing lines are widely available in the market for both boys and girls, along with gender-neutral clothing offering apparel in a wide variety of styles, colors, and cloth materials, depending upon the requirements of the wearer.

Revenue in the Children’s Apparel segment amounts to US$263,323m in 2022.1 The market is expected to grow annually by 2.93% (CAGR 2022-2026).1 In global comparison, most revenue is generated in the United States (US$52,055m in 2022).1

One of the key factors driving the market’s expansion is the world’s constantly growing population, including rising urbanization. Furthermore, aggressive promotional efforts by manufacturers, and the growth of the online retailing industry, which provides a hassle-free shopping experience while providing customers with a broad choice of alternatives, are expected to propel the market forward.

The industry is benefiting from increased consumer demand for luxury and branded clothes. Parents want to acquire high-quality premium clothing to assure their child’s maximum comfort and safety, owing to rising spending capabilities and changing lifestyles. Additionally, the growing popularity of matching ensembles such as mommy and me and mini-me t-shirts and outfits, as well as the development of clothing lines influenced by increased celebrity exposure, are boosting product sales. With 71% of social media marketers reporting that they have an influencer marketing budget, it is clear to see that marketers are finding value in influencers.2

Why start a wholesale children’s clothes business online?

One of the main reasons to start a wholesale children’s clothes business online is because there’s a constant high demand for clothing. Clothing will always be one of the number one baby gifts, so tapping into this huge market can reap great financial rewards.

wholesale children clothes online

Here are six further benefits of why you should start this business:

1. It’s a simple business

A key benefit of a wholesale children’s online clothes business is that it’s a straightforward business strategy. Showing and promoting items increases traffic and income. The start-up procedure is simpler than for other businesses, and you can scale up from a small business to a large one.

2. Selling opportunities in different countries

Despite severe competition in the wholesale online sector, wholesale children’s apparel companies concentrate on branding and bringing money to their sites. In addition to serving a city, state, district, or neighborhood, markets that serve multiple countries provide additional economic activity in wholesale children’s clothes. Old inventory can easily be disposed of by selling online.

3. Established brands

Your online business should be aware of the wholesale apparel you’re offering as well as the influence your curiosity has on the industry. You are not required to establish your own brand since you can market the businesses that have done this for you. People will approach you only when they have heard positive things about a particular brand.

4. Fast returns

The business model of a wholesale children’s clothes business online is one that provides you with a swift movement. Whenever a person buys your wholesale clothes then you will be able to get the returns quickly if necessary. For whatever reason, if you are not successful in booking your order, the cancellation will not cause any inconvenience to you.

5. Convenience

Consumers can take advantage of the convenience of shopping from the comfort of their own homes while staying safe. Especially during a pandemic, they don’t have to worry about carrying a face mask or cleaning their hands all the time. There will be no long lines to pay for purchases either. The payment system is also more convenient and quicker.

Furthermore, there will be no opening and closing times – so you can benefit from maximum sales and profit at all times of the day.

6. Variety of products

An online wholesale children’s clothing business, as we all know, has a wide variety of product features. Another big benefit of purchasing wholesale children’s apparel is the ability to acquire an unlimited number of products. Many parents believe that their newborn infant should be dressed in new clothes, therefore they will plan ahead for their children’s clothing for the following several months. They will replace the clothing at least four to five times in the first year after the baby is born. There are many styles, colors, designs, and patterns to pick from.

How to sell wholesale children’s clothes online?

You should first understand the market of wholesale clothing to start your own children’s clothing line, this will help you define a niche. Creating a business plan, finding reliable suppliers, and dealing with vendors that can provide clothing are all steps in the clothing sourcing process.

You will also need to create an online store and advertise it or use influencer advertising to reach customers. To expand your business, focus on your strengths.

Let’s break this down in a step to step guide:

1. Define a niche

Starting a clothing line is a personal journey. You’re most likely a creative individual with something unique to contribute to in a fast-paced industry. It’s possible that you’ve identified a market gap or have a one-of-a-kind design in mind for a certain target segment. Whatever your motivation for beginning a business, it’s critical to establish a niche right away.

Perhaps it’s a clothing line that’s born out of a particular need or ethos, from cruelty-free clothing to premature baby accessories.

Know your niche, and bear it in mind. Even if you branch out and introduce lots of other designs as time goes by, your original idea gives you heritage, a guiding principle, and a reason to be remembered.

2. Create a business plan

The key to success with any business is putting a plan in place not just for setting up but for growing as well. Your strategy looks at things such as whether you are operating alone or with others, operations, how you are going to brand yourself, what sort of products you are going to sell, and what type of customers you want to attract.

You might just be starting out on a small scale, but if your ideas take off, you’ll want to scale quickly, so it’s important to have a plan in place.

The online clothing industry is difficult to predict, with constantly new trends flooding the market; it’s, therefore, important to have a flexible plan that can be modified as your business grows.

The most important part of your plan is the legal formalities. You’ll need to register it as a legal entity with the local and federal governments. The laws may vary based on where you live, so do your research beforehand. While you are at it, give some thought to how you will answer their questions. Think about the type of business you want to run (corporation, LLC, etc.) and your business name.

If you plan to make revenue from your baby clothing store, you will need to keep track of it. Otherwise, your legal entity might run into serious legal trouble. Set up a bank account, then learn how to balance the books and handle your business’s taxes.

3. Find the right supplier

You’ll need to look around for a supplier you can trust and which has the kind of products you think your customers are going to be happy to buy.

Your supplier doesn’t have to be in your home country either, they can be based anywhere in the world. What you want to find is a company that delivers quality, has sustainable practices and delivers the exciting clothing products you are looking for.

4. Build your online store

Now that you’ve decided how you’ll manage your company, it’s time to provide customers with a means of reaching you online. There are many website builders online but make sure to use one that is properly developed for wholesale e-commerce. Even at cheaper pricing levels, the software should ideally come with a large number of features.

Creating a great shopping experience means paying attention to and optimizing many different facets before launch. So ensure that navigating your website and finding products is as easy as possible.

5. Attract Customers

It will be challenging but beneficial to attract customers to your online store. You must find out how to attract people to look at your products in the most effective method possible. However, you can use influencer marketing, social media marketing, and sponsored promotions to help the business benefit.

6. Choose the right platform

The internet is a large place, and selling online allows you to market your items through a variety of methods. Do you want to start an online store, sell on social media, or use B2B e-commerce platforms like Alibaba.com? The platform you select may be determined by your company objectives and preferences.

6 useful tips for wholesaling children’s clothes

Now that you know the steps to start an online wholesale clothing business, let’s look at some valuable tips to help you grow your business and scale it faster.

1. Keep integrity in mind

When trying to build your wholesale baby clothing business, it’s important to keep product integrity in mind. Good quality can lead to repeat business, which is always beneficial to your company!

Always inspect the stitching on wholesale baby clothing to ensure that they are securely fastened; furthermore, bear in mind that dangling buttons and threads might pose a choking hazard.

2. Check clothing regulations

The government regulates the quality of wholesale baby clothing; keep this in mind while selling your products.

Always double-check that your items fulfill the required government criteria. Check your items against regulatory regulations for infant apparel to ensure that flammability and other requirements are satisfied.

3. Check the materials

When it comes to wholesale cheap boutique baby outfits, the quality of the material is crucial. These garments should be constructed of a soft, long-lasting material that will be comfortable for the infant.

Adult clothing fabrics, such as rayon, should always be avoided since they might irritate a baby’s sensitive skin.

When trying to offer wholesale baby boutique apparel online, search for fabrics like cotton, fleece, and wool.

  • Cotton: Cotton is one of the most common fabrics used in infant clothing. Cotton makes the garments breathable, allowing babies to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
  • Fleece: Fleece is another great natural fabric option, especially in the winter months.This material is soft enough that long-term wear will not irritate the infant, yet warm enough that the baby will not become cold in cooler temperatures.
  • Wool: Wool is a more natural alternative for newborns throughout the cold months, particularly for those with sensitive skin. The lanolin in the wool prevents knotting, makes it easier to wash and dry in the machine, and is gentle on the baby’s skin. Wool is a preferable choice if you’re running a wholesale baby clothing company in a colder climate, as it can get too hot in other climates.

4. Choose a reputable supplier

You could be tempted to acquire your materials from an up-and-coming wholesale baby clothes supplier. While this is fantastic, be sure your source is trustworthy.

Shady wholesale baby clothes providers may offer you more drastic reductions, but they will also produce substandard work, which will damage your reputation.

5. Be aware of return policies

When looking for wholesale baby clothing suppliers, be sure that their return policy, as well as prices and other crucial information, will provide you with the flexibility that you require.

Many websites will provide you with a thirty-day return policy, as well as higher discounts for larger orders and even coupons to use on your first purchase.

6. Get the best deals

When establishing a wholesale baby business, you may be wondering what are the best ways to acquire the greatest deal and quickly improve your profit margin.

Many successful business wholesalers advocate a variety of strategies for raising profit margin, including purchasing directly from the manufacturer; however, while this appears to be a fantastic secret, it does need a significant amount of effort, devotion, and time.

Because the labor prices are often lower in international countries, you can receive better discounts from them.

Getting your wholesale baby clothing from an overseas distributor may boost your profit margins dramatically, but more importantly, it can provide you with a competitive advantage in the long run. You’ll be able to develop your own items once you’ve established a relationship with your wholesale provider, giving you an advantage over your competitors.

Wrapping up

We at ShopShipShake have been working with businesses like yours with fulfilling experiences. We offer one-stop services, including an efficient supply chain, over 10 thousand of China’s suppliers, over 1,000,000 SKU and more. With a successful track record of over 100,000 clients, we are sure to deliver your orders requirements. Let’s get in touch to build, sustain, and grow your businesses.

If you would like to know more details about us, please contact with us:  www.shopshipshake.co.za

If you are interested in cooperating with us. Please register on: https://shop.shopshipshake.com/shop/register/business

Article reference: https://seller.alibaba.com/businessblogs/px001uf7d-how-to-sell-wholesale-childrens-clothes-online-an-ultimate-guide