Small business ideas that’ll make you money

Reasons people start small businesses selling online

Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to build a business selling online. We’ve heard about stay-at-home mums who want to earn a bit extra and fit their work around their family. We’ve heard about people nearing retirement who want a way to earn money to supplement their pension. We’ve heard about city workers building their business on their commute so they won’t have to take the train anymore… You name it, we’ve heard it. Whatever your reason for wanting to start your business, welcome to the selling online party!

Best DropShipping business ideas

Fashion business ideas

Although fashion is a huge market to break into, demand is never-ending. Customers are looking for high-quality products at low prices, and the beauty of these ideas is that there are loads of ways for your business to grow and diversify. Start out with a niche product, and as brand awareness increases you can add more items to sell. The sky is the limit!

Shapewear

Shapewear is a good item to sell year-round as demand is consistently high. Typically there are peaks during summer (for weddings and events) and around Christmas for parties and so on.

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Men and women. Although shapewear has typically been marketed toward women, we discovered shapewear for men is a winning niche too.

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Though this is shapewear, we’d advise against using words such as ‘flab’, ‘fat’ and so on. Users of shapewear don’t want to be reminded why they’re buying it, or why they feel the should wear it! Use language such as ‘flatter your figure’, ‘smoothing effect’ and ‘flawless posture’ – it is much more positive.

Adding accessories that complement this type of product to your store can be simple with Avasam – even from different suppliers! That means you can profit from customers purchasing several products from you, rather than a different seller.

Strapless bras

Strapless bras can be a tricky thing to get right. Don’t limit your offering to just one style – different shaped breasts have different requirements from any type of bra! By listing several options, customers can find the style that suits them, without heading to a different retailer.

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This is typically going to be women of all ages and sizes. However, searching Amazon for ‘bras for men’ brought back some interesting items, so this could be a niche worth investigating!

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Athleisure

If you’re thinking what the heck is athleisure, where have you been? Athleisure is the trend for wearing workout gear, or athletic clothing when in other environments. This isn’t ratty old tracksuit bottoms though. It’s about sleek lines and trendy styles that can go from gym to office and back.

As Forbes says, everyone from Gap to Givenchy have launched mass-market athleisure lines. If that’s the case, is there still space in the market for selling athleisure? Well, Who What Wear are still putting together collections of stories about athleisure… and since we first published this post, we’ve had the global COVID-19 pandemic, so we think it’s it’s safe to say athleisure is here to stay.

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Sunglasses

Sales of sunglasses tend to peak in early July. As you might expect, when the sun comes out – searches go up – and then drop off through the winter. It’s possible to make sales year-round though – especially if you target people travelling to long-haul destinations in your marketing.

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Neon dresses

When Cosmopolitan magazine states it’s a trend, you just know it’s going to be a huge hit! This trend might not last long – but that’s the beauty of selling fashion – it never stands still and is rarely boring. You can add and remove listings within Avasam quickly and easily to capitalise on micro-trends.

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Beauty ideas

The Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2018 reported that the wellness industry grew 12.8% to $4.3 trillion in 2017. That’s almost twice the rate of global economic growth! The 2019 report isn’t out yet, but personal care and beauty accounted for over $1 billion in 2017. It’s safe to say that there’s plenty of business opportunities in the wellness industry. Here are just a few to get you started:

Laser hair removal

When people start to wear more revealing clothing in the summer, they start to consider long-term hair removal. It’s not just then though! Think about when people typically book holidays, they might start to consider it, and around Christmas parties.

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Many household electrical brands specifically target women in their information. However, the information tends to ignore men. That means there are opportunities to target men who prefer removing body hair, whether to enhance sports performance or simply because of personal preference.

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Clean beauty products

As customers become more aware of the impact of what they use has on the environment, their decisions are changing. More and more beauty influencers are jumping on board with this, and even Vogue is talking about clean and natural beauty products. You don’t have to be making the products – you can sell these products directly from suppliers.

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Ethically-minded customers – don’t restrict your offerings to just women though! More men than ever are searching for environmentally sound skincare.

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Beard oil

Beauty products aren’t just for women! With the trend for men taking better care of themselves than ever, so male grooming products are booming. This isn’t likely to be a trend that goes away either – like athleisure, sales continue to steadily increase.

Suggested target customer

This will be mainly men, but remember, many women buy products for their partners. Although beard oil may be for the man in a relationship, you may need to target women in your marketing.

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Blackhead removers and facial tools

None of us like to get spots, do we? And yet, there’s that weird trend on YouTube of people filming themselves popping their pimples that get thousands of views… While we simply can’t get behind that, we do understand why people want to get rid of their acne! It’s unsurprising that there is a huge market for blackhead removers and facial tools such as cleansing brushes. There’s also been a trend for face massagers and jade rollers to help combat puffiness and wrinkles!

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Health and fitness ideas

As we mentioned in the beauty ideas section, sales in the global wellness sector are incredible. The market size of the global health club industry worldwide currently at $87.23 billion USD! It’s clear that health and fitness is firmly on our agenda, especially at the start of the year. Here’s a few ways you could capitalise on the demand to improve health and fitness:

Portable blenders

As the weather turns to summer, people become health-conscious – but they want it in a convenient format. Take advantage of good weather to promote portable blenders, but any time people focus on becoming healthier is a good time! Think New Year’s resolutions, and as winter fades to spring as well as summer.

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Posture correctors

In the 21st century, we’re all attached to our devices – be it laptop, phone or tablet – 24/7. And since working from home is even more common post-coronavirus, there are more people than ever suffering with back and neck pain. (me being one of them!) Although there’s a lot of products currently listed on Amazon that fall in this category, there are still opportunities here. If you’re already an expert in this field, the possibility for creating valuable content and passive income is almost limitless too.

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Compression socks

Compression socks are designed primarily to prevent problems in the leg veins, such as thrombosis. They’re different from athletic socks as they’re made of much stronger elastic. As air travel is ever more common, people are taking long distance flights and remaining seated for long periods of time. Certain members of the population who may be at risk of thrombosis use them as a precaution when flying.

Not only that, athletes are using compression socks during sports to enhance their performance and prevent injury.

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Depending on the type of sock, you might be targeting:

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Back massagers

This category of products comes up for exactly the same reasons as posture correctors. You could look to capitalise on this niche by selling both! Back massagers encompasses a huge range of products, from hand-held massagers to kneading pillows with heat to chair sized items. That means there’s opportunities to cross-sell, while helping ease the pain your customers are experiencing.

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As there are so many items that fit this category, you’ll need to make sure you examine each product carefully! Think about:

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Bamboo toothbrushes

Sustainability isn’t just important for the planet – it sells right now. We all need to clean our teeth daily, and many of us prefer electric toothbrushes at home. When travelling, or as spares for visitors, we might buy manual toothbrushes. To reduce the use of plastic, bamboo toothbrushes that are biodegradable are increasing in popularity.

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Technology ideas

Although this is a highly competitive market, new businesses can succeed if they have the right tools and excellent suppliers. As new models launch, ensure your suppliers can provide updated productsas quickly as possible so your business stays relevant. With Avasam, you can switch your suppliers – and your products – as often as you need.

Mobile phone accessories

Mobile phone accessories are consistent sellers as new phones enter the market continuously. Think about cases, cord protectors, waterproof pouches, selfie sticks, phone camera lenses, handles or stands… The list really is endless. It’s a good idea to start with one product and increase your offerings, bit by bit. Maybe you’ll pick one product, like cases, and list as many cases as you can. Maybe you’ll specialise in a particular brand of phone? Start with your research, get great suppliers, and you can start to build your business.

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Wireless earphones

When Apple launched their AirPods in 2016, many people dismissed the idea. Now there are plenty of copycat options, as well as wireless earphones and headphones designed for different purposes. No matter the size of the budget, there are options available.

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This will depend on the design of the earphones!

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Power banks

It’s estimated that by 2022, the power bank industry will exceed $25 billion USD worldwide. That’s a lot of money for a battery you can plug your phone into! That said, we all depend on our devices, when travelling for long periods or to remote places, they’re great products. With over 80% of internet users owning mobile devices, it’s little wonder that power banks are popular.

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Smart devices

We’re talking about Google Home, Amazon Echo and Alexa devices and Apple HomePods. That’s not all though! There are so many devices that are compatible with them, such as plugs, lightbulbs, and many, many more.

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Although almost everyone could benefit from smart devices, you could target:

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Dash cams

Dash cams are video cameras that set up on dashboards of cars to continually record the view of the road ahead. Although elsewhere they’re not permitted, they are legal on UK roads. They’re becoming more popular to protect drivers legally, particularly as footage can be used in court.

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Outdoors ideas

Although products for the outdoors might be seasonal, remember! When it is winter in the UK, it’s summer in the southern hemisphere. If pursuing the outdoors market,consider adding channels such as Trade Me, selling in New Zealand to your business plans.

Picnic sets

Picnic sets are popular through spring and summer, so they make a great addition to your product listings.Like everything, ensure your product is good quality. If the items in the set break after a couple of uses, you can’t emphasise the environmental benefits.

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Camping chairs

With so many people doing outdoor activities through the summer months, there’s a great market for camping chairs. So many of us buy cheap chairs on special offer and then find they break, which isn’t sustainable or convenient! (speaking from experience here!) By choosing high quality products, there are opportunities to build businesses around camping chairs and equipment.

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Inflatable sofa beds

We think these are a great idea. They have endless uses, but there’s also the benefit to sellers that they will, eventually, break. When that happens, (hopefully after many uses and not because someone jumped on it!) customers will return to buy a replacement.

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Garden hose

Items for home and gardens such as garden hoses typically peak in spring and summer. Remember though, when it’s winter in the UK, it’s summer in the southern hemisphere – there’s always potential to make sales.

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Travel bags

The travel industry is enormous, so we recommend carrying out research to find the specific niche you want to fill. Perhaps you’ll only sell bags that are suitable for hand luggage? Maybe you’ll branch out to all things for travel. What about travel bags for children? Or elderly people? There’s thousands of ideas, so identify your specific niche and go from there. You never know, this could even lead to a side career as a travel blogger!

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Marketplaces you might not have considered yet

While you’re almost certain to have looked at Amazon and eBay as part of your strategy, don’t restrict your opportunities. It’s easy to sell across multiple marketplaces and even in multiple countries when you have the right tools in place! Here are a few platforms that you can connect with if you’re using Avasam:

How to manage your online business

There are plenty of tools out there that can help you manage your online business. We think we’ve developed the best, most comprehensive platform for managing an online sales business though! The industry agrees too, as we won UK eCommerce Software or Extension of the Year at the UK eCommerce Awards 2019 and 2020, and we’ve been shortlisted in other competitions alongside some incredible competitors.

With Avasam suppliers providing tens of thousands of products you can sell, it’s never been easier to manage – or get started with – your online business. It’s free to try, so you can start your business with absolutely no upfront cash. Give it a go – it takes just a few minutes to sign up, and if you have questions about your specific business set up, feel free to book a call.