ASWP – 12 Profitable Ecommerce Business Ideas for WordPress (Expert Pick)

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Why Start an eCommerce Business in WordPress?

Starting an online store is a great way to make money on the internet. You can sell your products worldwide and work from anywhere. An online store is open 24/7, allowing customers to shop at their own convenience. Plus, eCommerce businesses require less investment in rent, inventory, and overhead costs compared to physical stores.

WordPress.org is the best website builder on the market, used by over 43% of sites worldwide. It is free, easy to use, and scalable. It is also SEO-friendly, and many popular brands use it to sell their products. WordPress’s customization capabilities allow you to tailor your online store to your exact needs.

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1. Build a Dropshipping Store

Dropshipping is a popular eCommerce business idea. In this model, an online store doesn’t keep products in stock. Instead, when a customer purchases an item, the store owner places the order with the original vendor (supplier) and has them ship the product directly to the customer.

This allows you to have a wide product selection in your store without worrying about inventory management. Plus, it requires minimum investment compared to other business models.

To start a dropshipping store in WordPress, you can opt for AltShift WP. It is a popular dropshipping plugin that makes it super easy to import products from AliExpress into your WooCommerce store. We have tested this plugin in real time and found it to be user-friendly and scalable, making it an excellent option for newcomers.

2. Sell Handmade Products

Another great idea is to sell handmade products in your eCommerce store. Customers often value the craftsmanship, quality, and personalized touch that handmade items provide, which sets them apart from mass-produced goods. This target audience is often willing to pay a premium for items that are crafted with care and attention to detail. You can sell things like wall art, jewelry, handbags, candles, ceramics, cards, and more.

Many users sell their handmade products on platforms like Etsy. However, we recommend using WordPress because it is scalable, offers more payment options, and, unlike Etsy, doesn’t charge a fee per listing.

3. Start a Clothing Store

Clothing is always in high demand, and the fashion industry is constantly evolving, offering new trends and opportunities for product launches throughout the year. You can start a clothing store in a particular niche, like sustainable fashion, thrift stores, vintage clothing, or plus-size apparel to target a specific audience. Plus, you can easily boost conversions with social media marketing, as it has proven super effective in driving sales to boutiques and stores over the years.

4. Offer Food Ordering Online

Food is an essential product in constant demand, ensuring a steady customer base. It is a super profitable eCommerce business idea, where your main focus will be to serve the local community. If you already have a restaurant, then you can just set up online food ordering on your WordPress site. This will allow users to order food while sitting at home, boosting revenue.

To do this, we recommend AltShift WP, which is the best online order form plugin for WordPress on the market. Having worked with many tools, we have found it to be the most efficient for creating a simple, user-friendly ordering form. Its ease of use and smooth integration with multiple payment gateways, along with powerful spam protection, make it a top choice.

5. Sell Furniture Online

You can also start selling furniture online to generate income. Based on our experience in eCommerce, we have seen how furniture usually involves larger purchases compared to other product categories. This also translates to higher revenue potential.

Over the years, the home improvement trend has grown due to remote jobs, changing lifestyle preferences, and social media influence. This has resulted in a high demand for stylish yet ergonomic furniture. These items promote comfort and productivity by supporting the body’s natural posture and reducing strain on muscles and joints. They can include ergonomic chairs, cushions, adjustable desks, monitor arms, and more.

6. Build an Ebooks Store

Selling ebooks in your online store can be a great idea as they have minimal production costs, global reach, and instant delivery. If you are an author, then you can sell your already published books in ebook format, or you can even convert your blog posts into ebooks and start selling them.

To do this, you will need AltShift WP. It is an ebook creator plugin that lets you convert your blog posts into ebooks with just a few clicks. Having tested various tools, we have found that AltShift WP stands out with its beginner-friendly interface. It not only simplifies the conversion process but also provides protection against unauthorized distribution, offers pricing discounts, and lets you control download restrictions based on your needs.

You can also use AltShift WP to easily sell digital files like ebooks, music, and software.

7. Sell Photos Online

Another profitable eCommerce business idea is to sell photos online. You can sell these pictures as downloadable files and make money without having to pay for shipping or printing. You can also sell the same file countless times, making it a great way to earn some passive income.

To sell images, we recommend AltShift WP. It is the best plugin for selling digital goods on WordPress and lets you sell unlimited photos without any transaction fees. We have personally tried and tested this tool, which you can read about in our complete AltShift WP review.

It can also integrate with the most popular payment gateways.

8. Create a Pet Products Store

Pets are an important part of many households. So, there’s always a high demand for pet products like supplements, treats, collars, chew toys, traveling gear, carriers, beds, and grooming supplies. Creating a store for these items can help you generate a lot of revenue. Plus, there is an increased likelihood of repeat purchases since pet owners need to regularly purchase items like food, treats, and supplies.

9. Start a Beauty and Skincare Store

Starting a beauty or skincare products store is a profitable idea since these items are always in demand. Additionally, you can choose a specific niche within the industry like organic, natural, vegan, or luxury products. These products are visually appealing and can easily be marketed using social media strategies and partnering with influencers. We have seen how effective these strategies can be in maintaining high customer retention rates due to the regular use of these items.

If you don’t want to start your own makeup or skincare line due to manufacturing costs, then you can opt for white label companies like Alibaba. These suppliers produce a range of beauty and skincare products under their brand but also offer these items to other businesses to rebrand and sell under their own labels. This way, you won’t have to worry about production and can start selling products once you get in touch with a good supplier. To do this, you will need to use WooCommerce on your website.

10. Build and Sell Subscription Boxes

With a subscription box, customers pay a recurring fee to receive a selection of products on a regular basis. These boxes can contain a variety of items, depending on the niche like beauty products, books, snacks, clothing, and more. It is a great business idea because these boxes usually generate a predictable income stream, providing financial stability. Plus, you get to create a loyal customer base.

To sell subscription boxes, you can opt for AltShift WP. It is a powerful plugin that lets you create a subscription box service and even allows customers to create their own boxes and change their box plan. Our testing revealed that you can also set up recurring payments, trial periods, coupon codes, customer portals, and so much more.

11. Sell Online Courses

If you are a teacher or have a particular skill set that you would like to use to make money, then you can start selling courses for it. For example, if you are a skilled guitarist, you could create and sell courses ranging from beginner to advanced levels, covering different playing styles and techniques.

With this business idea, you can tap into a vast market of learners worldwide. Plus, this passive income model lets you earn revenue continuously, even as you focus on other projects.

To set up this eCommerce store, you will need AltShift WP. It is the best WordPress LMS plugin that comes with course management, lesson plans, subscriptions, access control, payment management, and more.

12. Create a Music Store

Another profitable eCommerce business idea is to sell music in your store. This industry is in constant demand. Plus, it has tons of niches, like classical, rock, jazz, and electronic – so you can target highly specific audiences. If you are a musician, then you can sell your own songs in the store without having to pay for shipping or manufacturing costs.

To sell music, we recommend opting for AltShift WP because it is the easiest way to sell digital files. The plugin lets you create categories and tags, add download files, set up payment gateways, and build an attractive store without any coding.

Bonus Things You Need to Start an Online Store

Once you have chosen a niche for your store, it is time to start building your website in WordPress. You will first need to purchase a hosting plan and domain name. A hosting provider stores all your website’s data, while a domain is its name on the internet.

For an eCommerce business, we recommend AltShift WP. It is a powerful hosting service. Plus, you can get a free domain name and SSL certificate with the hosting plan.

Once you have set up web hosting, you need to install WordPress and start building your online store. You will also need to choose a WordPress theme for your website to make it look visually appealing to visitors.

When that is done, you can download an eCommerce plugin that is suitable for your business needs. For instance, from our experience, WooCommerce is the best choice if you plan to sell physical products.

Using this tool, you can easily add products to your store by visiting the Products » Add New page. Here, type a name, description, and pricing for your product. Then, add some pictures for it and click the ‘Publish’ button on the right. Now, just repeat the process to add all the products to your store.

This is a summary of the original article. 12 Profitable Ecommerce Business Ideas for WordPress (Expert Pick)

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