4 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
4 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Does anyone here run an online store?

by fin
3 replies
I keep reading things about how online stores are much better ways to make money than blogs. I'm going to be building up my blog pretty slowly, by that I mean I don't expect anything huge to happen for a number of years. Mostly because it's going to take me a while to bring a brand new technique to market.

So anyway, I've thought I can try and build an online store since I think I have a pretty nice domain name I'd like to build out. I should have about an hour per day to spend on it. Again, I'm quite happy if it takes a year or two to build up.

I just wanted to know a few things:

Is it best to do one purely with Amazon or CJ products?

Is Shopify the best way to do it?

How do you get traffic? (Maybe attach a blog or buy banners)


The niche is lightweight backpack equipment.

Cheers
#online #run #store
  • Profile picture of the author aivzdog
    Ive always wanted to open a dog store online with actual products...just never got to it and dont know where to start. So that one is still a dream...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6680780].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author TollFreeService
      I run a few and am in the process of starting a new pet store. (Also selling my Bachelorette party store - if anyone is interested PM me)

      I assume by running a store you mean having products, accepting payments, and shipping the product to the customer (or using a dropshipper). In which case, I'm not really sure how Amazon or CJ fit into this?

      Any paid solution is not the best way to do it. There are free carts out there like Zen Cart and PrestaShop where all you need is a shared hosting plan and an SSL certificate. Magento is also very popular and they have a free version but this really needs to be on a VPS or Dedicated server. When you're running a store site response speed is a very important aspect. BigCommerce, Volusion, Shopify, and other hosted solutions just aren't worth the money unless you are doing a lot in sales. I also don't like being stuck with a self-hosted platform and enjoy the freedom of having an open source solution that I can edit as I wish. Plus, I'm not sure if these options allow you to run a blog in a subdirectory so it may make SEO more difficult too.

      Not to mention you say you may take a few years to build the store. Your monthly payments to Shopify will accrue quite a bit. I just looked at the pricing for Shopify and realized that they take a percentage of all your orders too - another reason not to go with them.


      The best way to get traffic is SEO. Write unique product descriptions and make sure the META Titles for you products are good.

      The other thing you need to do is submit your store to free shopping comparison sites like TheFind, ShopWiki, and Google Base (Base is turning into PPC soon).
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6681005].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author BlackVoid
    Start off with some keyword work. You will constantly refer back to those basics for everything you do...loosely but constantly.

    You describe (both of you) good niches although one is obviously more open than the other. If you slowly build around just a few good items that interest you as a sales site you can create the review and related content complimentary one to the primary site. Some methods of promotion will be more oriented towards one site or the other and that way you can benefit in multiple ways from both as you learn.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6681038].message }}

Trending Topics