Many entrepreneurs start their own businesses as a side hustle before the business grows and demands more attention and energy. Or if the side hustle has been able to generate income that is equal or more than the main job.
Especially in the digital era, working on a side hustle to make money online is easier than ever. If you are thinking of becoming an online seller as a side hustle, here are 5 ways to start it effectively and confidently.
Identify Your Niche Market
This means you are digging deeper to find your specific market from a larger target consumer group.
For example, you want to target men aged 20 to 30. An example of your niche market would be men aged 20 to 30 in [location] who enjoy mountain trekking and camping.
Another example, your larger target consumers may be women aged 30 to 40 in the USA, and your niche market can be women aged 30 to 40 in the USA who are stay-at-home moms who enjoy books and movies from the comfort of their own home.
The easiest way to decide what niche you want to hit is to identify a market that you already know inside and out. This is yourself and your ‘tribe’, which are people who have common interests with you, or people with whom you can relate in one or more specific ways.
Decide What You Want to Sell
So you have identified your niche market. Who are they? What do they need? What do they want? What makes them feel happy, content, fulfilled? What are their problems and what product would help solve them? Come up with some more questions that will help you get a clear picture of what you want your store to offer.
The next question is, where will you get those items? You may need a little more time to research and compare the pros and cons of suppliers taking into consideration your time and schedule. If you don’t have flexible working hours at your main job, look for suppliers who will accommodate your limited time and offer the most favorable deal.
Research Your Competitors and Identify Your Uniqueness
Look for other sellers with the same or similar products, or sellers who are targeting the same niche market. How will you be different? How will you improve the shopping experience of this particular group of consumers?
Putting yourself in the consumer’s place, what would motivate you to purchase a particular product? How do you decide which one to buy from? Keep asking yourself questions to help you develop a solid concept of your unique selling point. Remember, consumers’ journeys are not always about the lowest or cheapest price, and delivery is the end goal.
Just Do It
It is imperative to note that there are many more tips and hacks on how to get started. However, once you have covered the above, you are basically ready to begin your journey. One of the most effective options to start making money from online selling as a side hustle is to open free stores on marketplaces.
Get Started with ECCS from e-Agency
To ensure that your inventory and sales are recorded well, use affordable automation such as ECCS from e-Agency. Enterprise Commerce Cloud Service (ECCS) is an agile and established omnichannel system that ensures cost-effectiveness and cost-efficiency of both fixed and variable costs such as human resources, physical store as well as inventory and delivery management and execution.
Adopting cloud server technology, ECCS is centralised and accessible by authorized multiple users and automatically collects product sales trend reports for each channel and each region. Additionally, an inventory control system could track online & offline channels and distribute inventory according to sales in real-time.
Tiara Nurhalida
A former marketing professional based in Indonesia. Currently an enthusiast business, sales and marketing trend observer, and writer.