Remember when you were young, and you dreamed of opening up that store one day or starting that business? For many retirees, there is no time like the present. Many retired people still like to keep themselves active and busy, and what better way to do that than realizing a passion you’ve always had? For some people, this may seem like a daunting task, but the internet has made it much easier to open up shop from the comfort of your home. And the start-up costs are also much more affordable than doing it the brick-and-mortar way.
Still, opening a store online—whether you’d describe yourself as tech-savvy or not—can be challenging if you don’t know the correct steps to take. The good news is that today, we’re going to walk you through it all in this beginner’s guide to building an online presence and finally pursuing that post-retirement passion project (that could also earn you some bucks).
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1) Choose your passion project
Deciding what to sell is the first step in setting up an online store. Perhaps you’ve already known the answer to this for a long time, and that’s what inspired the store in the first place. But if you’re not quite sure, consider your expertise, interests, and what’s in demand in the market.
For retirees, it’s often beneficial to choose products or services that align with your passions or past experiences, as it’s not just something you’re interested in, but, by now, you’re likely already an expert in it, too. And, being an expert in your niche will help you establish yourself as a trusted authority in the industry, which is something that potential customers look for.
And, it’s not just products you can sell; you can also sell services like coaching or consulting or even create a blog that can be monetized. The options are endless, but it’s important to have some direction before you get started.
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2) Identify your target audience
Knowing what you want to sell is one thing, but knowing who to sell it to is another. Understanding who your potential customers are is essential for effective marketing and product development. Therefore, take some time to research and understand your target demographic. Consider factors such as age, gender, location, interests, and purchasing behavior. A good idea is to start off in your own community.
If you know anyone who would be interested, talk to them and see who they can connect you with. You can even create a research survey to get feedback on your audience and what they are looking for. In fact, some people do this step first if they are not sure what to sell but are certain they want to start an online store.
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3) Ideas for online stores and businesses you can create
When it comes to doing your passion project online, the options are endless. But, if you’re not sure there are various types of online stores you can establish to cater to diverse needs and preferences. Below are some examples:
E-commerce store: This is the most common type of online store, where you can sell physical products ranging from clothing and electronics to groceries and furniture.
Digital products store: If you specialize in creating digital goods such as e-books, software, music, or online courses, you can set up a digital products store to distribute your creations.
Subscription box service: Subscription-based businesses are gaining popularity, offering curated boxes of products delivered to customers’ doorsteps on a recurring basis. Examples include beauty boxes, snack boxes, and pet subscription services.
Marketplace platform: Instead of selling your own products, you can create a marketplace platform where multiple vendors can list and sell their items. Etsy and eBay are prime examples of successful marketplace platforms.
Service-based store: Beyond physical and digital products, you can offer various services through an online store, such as consulting, tutoring, freelance services, or event planning.
Dropshipping store: With dropshipping, you can sell products without holding inventory. When a customer makes a purchase, the order is fulfilled by a third-party supplier who ships the product directly to the customer.
Print-on-demand store: This model allows you to sell custom-designed merchandise, such as T-shirts, mugs, and phone cases, without the need for inventory. Products are created and shipped on demand.
Membership-based store: Create a store where customers pay a membership fee to access exclusive products, discounts, or content. This model fosters customer loyalty and recurring revenue.
Blog: Combine content creation with e-commerce by creating a blog where you share valuable information or insights related to your niche, such as health and exercise, and integrate it with an online store to sell related products or services.
4) Choose a website builder
Wix is an excellent choice for people of all ages looking to set up an online store due to its user-friendly interface and customizable templates. It requires no coding knowledge, making it accessible even to those who aren’t tech-savvy. With Wix, you can choose from a variety of professionally designed templates and easily customize them to create a unique and visually appealing website for your online store. Plus, Wix offers built-in e-commerce features, making it easy to manage inventory, process payments, and track orders all in one place.
Before you can start building your online store with Wix, you’ll need to select a plan that best suits your needs and budget. Wix offers a range of plans, from free options with basic features to premium plans with advanced e-commerce capabilities. Consider factors such as storage, bandwidth, and the number of products you plan to sell when choosing a plan. If you’re just starting out, you may want to start with a basic plan and upgrade as your business grows. With Wix’s flexible pricing options, you can easily scale up your plan as needed to accommodate your growing online store.
5) Pick a website name, domain name, and hosting provider
Choosing the right name and domain for your online store is crucial as it’s the first thing customers will see and remember about your brand. Your name should be catchy, memorable, and reflective of your brand identity. When selecting a domain, try to keep it simple and easy to spell to ensure that potential customers can easily find and remember your website.
You can use tools like Wix’s domain search to check the availability of your desired domain name and explore different options until you find the perfect match for your online store. And, although you can get a free domain with Wix, boosting up to a premium plan means you can connect your own domain and get rid of the “Wix” in the URL.
6) Design your website for success
Now, it’s time to start designing your website. Wix offers a wide range of professionally designed templates that you can customize to create a unique and visually appealing online store. Choose a template that best fits your brand identity and industry, then use Wix’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor to customize it to your liking. Add your logo, change colors and fonts, and rearrange elements to create a website that reflects your brand personality and effectively showcases your products or services. Some good advice is to start off simple; you can always add to your design as you go.
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7) Decide on what pages to include on your site
8) Familiarize yourself with SEO to stand out
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a buzzword that you may have heard going around. SEO is essential for driving organic traffic to your online store and improving your visibility in search engine results. With Wix, you can optimize your website for search engines by adding relevant keywords to your content, optimizing your meta tags and descriptions, and improving your site’s loading speed and mobile responsiveness. Wix also offers built-in SEO tools and guides to help you optimize your website for search engines and improve your chances of ranking higher in search results.
9) Consider email marketing
Email marketing is a powerful tool for engaging with your audience, promoting your products or services, and driving sales for your online store. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. If you already have email contacts, consider reaching out to them to tell them about your project. Most people want to support their friends and family with their pursuits, even if it’s just by spreading the word.
Otherwise, in order to collect more emails, consider offering a discount or incentive in exchange for signing up for your email list to encourage visitors to subscribe, like an ebook or a downloadable such as a brochure. Then, use Wix’s built-in email marketing tools to design and send professional-looking emails that direct them to products, services, or blog posts on your website.
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What else to consider
The above are some of the most common steps to opening an online store, but it will look different for everyone. There may be steps you skip and steps you add, and some good advice is to perhaps talk to other retirees you know who have already done it. Maybe they have some suggestions, especially if there’s anything they can share that they wish they had known before they started down that path.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Have you started an online store or blog? What was your experience? If you haven’t, is it something you would consider? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments below.
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