Many work-from-home opportunities are available today. The internet offers enormous potential for almost any kind of home-based business. While some opportunities are more lucrative than others, there are still some that are not.
Opening your own online store is one of the most cost-effective ways to start a home-based business. We recommend becoming a wholesale reseller for wholesale products such as caps, sunglasses, and beanies if you’re looking for additional income from your home-based business.
These are the steps you need to get started in your snapback hats wholesale business.
Step 1: Create a Website
A website is essential for your online business to be successful. There are many e-commerce and free hosting solutions, but a website is essential for your online business.
While it may take longer to set up your website and be more costly, you will have the ability to expand your online business. Some e-commerce solutions restrict the products that you can add.
What you will need:
- Domain name registration – You can get one for $10 per year.
- You can get hosting from a web host for around $72 per annum.
- You can get a dedicated IP address for as low as $2 per month.
- Private SSL Certificate – This will cost about $50 per year.
After you have these in place, it is time to create a website. Although there are many software programs that can help you set up your site quickly and easily, if you’re a complete beginner it might be a good idea to hire a professional to do the job. Although costs can vary, a simple website should not cost more than a small investment.
Here’s a list of Top Ten e-commerce software options that TopTenREVIEWS rated the best.
1. Volusion2. Shopify Professional
3. BigCommerce
4. 3DCart Starter
5. goEmerchant Internet Store
6. CoreCommerce Standard
7. Fortune3 Silver
8. Yahoo Merchant Starter
9. ProStores Business
10. Network Solutions Standard
Other considerations for your online shopfront:
A shopping cart script is also required, which can be downloaded for free. Zen Cart and osCommerce are two of the most widely used shopping cart scripts. Popular web hosts already offer osCommerce with a simple-to-install shopping cart solution.
You should also consider the payment gateway you choose. The fees charged can vary depending upon which gateway you select. Depending on the volume of your monthly sales, the fees can be anywhere from 2.2% to 2.9% for each transaction.
Step #2: Get Some Inventory
Once your website is ready to go, you’ll need inventory.
CTS Wholesale Sunglasses offers a wide variety of quality wholesale products including wholesale sunglasses, wholesale caps, wholesale lighters and many more.
Wholesale purchases, whether from us or any other wholesalers, should be made in sufficient quantities to cover shipping costs. Wholesalers like us offer volume discounts. Do your research before you make a decision on a company.
Step 3: Take Some Online Promotions
After your website is up and running, the next step is to promote it online. Online promotion will make it easier for potential customers to find your website through major search engines like Google.
These are some simple online promotions:
- Submitting your website to free online directories.
- Original content creation and submission to article directories.
- Create a blog, and do some social bookmarking.
- Sending press releases online
- Setting up a Facebook Page
- Also, opening a Twitter account.
Step 4: Take Some Offline Promotions
Your business will be primarily online but don’t underestimate the power of offline promotion. Your local community can be a larger sales market than what you might expect online when you first start your business. Your website is brand new and will face competition from many other websites. Locally, you might be the only one offering your product.
There are some offline promotions like:
- Distributing business cards to direct people towards your website.
- Advertise in the local and regional newspapers.
- Set up a booth at local fairs and tradeshows.
Patience is the key to building an online business that succeeds. Although it may take some time before your website rises in the rankings, if you keep the following four steps in mind, you’ll be making a profit within no time.
