Three Simple Steps To Transition From Small-Scale Online Sales To ECommerce Enterprise

For some sellers with small-scale side-hustle sales on platforms like Etsy or eBay, making a lot of money can seem frustratingly out of reach. However, if you want to take the plunge and dive into an eCommerce Enterprise as a viable venture, then it needn't be as difficult as you expect. 

Note: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase. Affiliate relationships include, but are not limited to Amazon Associates, Walmart.com, and Etsy.

Selling online can be a fun way to make extra money, and as the countless new eCommerce companies on the market are quickly proving, it can also provide an opportunity to build something bigger.

Whether you're new to small-scale sales or have been doing this for years, making the switch to an eCommerce Enterprise is as simple as implementing pointers like these three essentials.

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Reconsider your selling channels

Selling on Etsy, eBay, or even sites like Amazon is a great way to provide functional online sales on the side, but it can be incredibly difficult to build a brand reputation viable enough to go solo when operating on these outlets alone. As such, it’s almost always worth reconsidering your selling channels if you want to take things further. That’s not to say that you should altogether scrap those existing networks, but rather that you should also work to build a stand-alone website to which you can direct traffic, and also attract consumers off your own steam. From there, you’ll be far better able to start building a brand reputation that turns your sales into a more major undertaking. 

Expand your efforts

Small-scale sales tend to stay that way because sellers do little to expand those efforts. By instead thinking more broadly in terms of where you can grow, you could soon find yourself with a viable eCommerce company on your hands for relatively little effort. Specifically, taking sales more seriously with things like a social media presence and a generalized omnichannel approach is key. As things begin to grow, further efforts like the help of an SEO specialist to put in place things like traffic-creating content, keywords, etc. can help to significantly boost interest and sales authority overall. Dedicate enough time to these causes, and you should soon find that the vast majority of your sales are coming from your solo website, rather than small-scale platforms.

Use social media to gain more reach in your niche. Consider your target market, then do some research to see which social media platform is best geared to that demographic. For example, if your product is selling to a woman aged 25-34 and you have home products for sale, then Pinterest is your best bet. However, if you have a younger female demographic and you sell beauty products, then Instagram is best. Then, spend more of your time learning and growing your presence on that platform, you may even need to buy IG likes to speed up the process. Once your presence has grown on the best platform for your demo, you can look at growing the next social media platform, and so on.

Put a plan in place

Small-scale selling online typically revolves around in-the-moment opportunities. This approach is never going to work for a more informed eCommerce sales pitch, and is something that you need to overcome quickly when you start enjoying growth. A business plan that adds viability is the best way to do that, and is perhaps the main thing that differentiates fun side hustles from viable businesses. Your plan should especially center around things like desired profit margins, areas of growth, general business descriptions, and even competitor analysis. All of which can be used to effectively tailor, maintain, and improve larger-scale sales that take your efforts here from bottom to top.

More people than ever are seeking to make something more of side hustles right now. Join them by using these simple steps to make the transition from small-scale sales to eCommerce enterprise today. 

This is a contributed post.

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