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In 2022 you’re looking to do something new. You’ve heard how simple it is to set up an online store – particularly if you use the right tools – so you’re considering getting into the world of eCommerce.
It’s a wise decision – the eCommerce market in Australia is already big, and it’s only getting bigger, predicted to be worth well over $30 billion by 2024. Cutting yourself even the tiniest slice of that huge pie will see you realising incredible success.
The next question, however, is perhaps the most difficult: what should you sell?
Amongst a wealth of eCommerce ideas, you need to find the one that is most likely to succeed. Today we’ll be taking a look at a few of the best eCommerce business ideas in 2022, which you can use as inspiration for your own venture.
Top 25 profitable eCommerce business ideas
1. Pet fashion and accessories
When you love something you tend to spend money on it. This is why the pet product market is worth over $3 billion in Australia and has almost doubled in size over the last decade. Pet fashion and accessories are perhaps the fastest-growing verticals in this market, with an ever-increasing number of pet owners treating the dog park as a catwalk (ironic, we know.) Jackets, headwear, fancy leads – pet fashion is limited only by the imagination!
2. Non-precious jewellery
While most consumers still prefer to shop for precious jewellery in-person – you want to see, touch and try on things that are potentially worth thousands of dollars – non-precious jewellery is a real eCommerce opportunity. Timber, ceramic, silicon, plastic and clay are just a few of the materials that this jewellery can be made from, and both the wealth of suppliers and the product’s size make it ideal for dropshipping, meaning you may not have to worry about carrying inventory.
3. Smart home products
Doorbells, door locks, speakers, air conditioners, window blinds, light switches, kitchen appliances; the array of smart home products available today boggles the mind. The allure of a smart home is obvious: you can control everything from your phone, and increase your levels of comfort, convenience and security in the process. These products are quickly transforming from curiosities to must-haves, so establishing an eCommerce store now could see you making real money in the very near future.
4. Plastic-free dental care
First it was shopping bags, then it was straws, now the focus of our plastic purge has landed on dental care. Bamboo toothbrushes have very much hit the mainstream, while biodegradable dental floss is following closely behind. Creating truly plastic-free dental care is still proving a challenge, as most bamboo toothbrushes still use the same nylon bristles as the traditional type, but plant-based alternatives are beginning to enter the market, making this a truly guilt-free – and therefore popular – purchase.
6. Online education
Your eCommerce business idea doesn’t have to revolve around physical goods – you can provide services too! Online education is worth $8+ billion in Australia, representing the sort of opportunity that an entrepreneur might find hard to pass up. You can either buy courses to sell, develop your own, or offer online tutoring to students. If you have an area of expertise that you’re passionate about and knowledgeable in, an education-based eCommerce store can be a business that is as fulfilling as it is profitable.
7. Electric bikes, scooters and skateboards
Electrically-charged transport is taking over the world. But for those who don’t have a spare $60K to splash on a Tesla, there are other, far cheaper and more accessible options: e-bikes, e-scooters and e-skateboards. The growth in this market has been incredible in the last couple of years, fuelled by the now ubiquitous rental scooters that dot the footpaths of Australian CBDs. The relative simplicity of these machines also means that your eCommerce store won’t be faced with many faults and defects (provided you source your products from a trusted manufacturer.)
8. Subscription boxes
There’s something exciting about getting a box full of goodies in the mail, which is what makes subscription boxes such a tempting product. There now seems to be a subscription for any and every type of product: health, wellness, beauty, toys, groceries, alcohol, fashion and more. Your challenge: find a product category that is consumable, in-demand and ideally undersupplied, and create a box that will have customers coming back for more.
9. Newborn products
Babies are cute and dressing them up in outfits is fun – these are inarguable facts. Every new parent will have a deep desire to shower their child in all the best things, which offers a savvy entrepreneur a fantastic opportunity to sell newborn products. This type of eCommerce business is also built for social media, as the cute-as-a-button content does all the selling for you.
10. Natural beauty products
Quality cosmetics are always in demand, and as consumers become ever more aware of exactly what they’re putting on their faces, natural and cruelty-free products are taking over the market. While you need to be careful when sourcing these products – ‘natural’ is easy to say but hard to deliver – if you find a supplier that ticks all the ethical boxes while delivering in terms of quality too, you could have a shot at serious eCommerce success.
11. Aromatherapy products
Smell tends to be the forgotten sense, more often capturing our attention when something is bad than when something is good. Aromatherapy looks to change that equation, using soothing scents to satisfy the senses. There’s a reason day spas and five-star hotels put such a focus on aromas – they make us feel good! Ecommerce entrepreneurs can choose from a seemingly endless array of aromatherapy scents, and tend to enjoy rather generous profit margins on these products.
12. Prints and posters
If you have an eye for design, or if you consider yourself a bit of an artist, your ideal eCommerce opportunity might reside in the wonderful world of posters and prints. You can either sell your own work or the work of others (provided you pay the necessary royalties), and you can either print and ship the products yourself or use the services of an on-demand printer who takes care of the whole process after the sale is made. The theme of this eCommerce opportunity can be whatever you want – in fact it’s wise to specialise in a particular style, as it makes it easier to cut through to a specific audience.
13. Pots, stands and planter boxes
Every property could do with a bit of nature, and the current rise in environmental awareness have seen many a thumb turn green. While plants can be a difficult thing for an eCommerce retailer to ship (unless they’re in seed form), plant pots, stands and boxes are far easier. These products can also be beautiful – if you’ve got a passion for interior design, it can be super fun to develop your own range!
14. Office desk toys
When office workers are on a long phone call or in a seemingly unnecessary Zoom meeting, they can tend to become a bit fidgety. This is why office desk toys continue to be so popular – they meet a genuine need. There are the classics, like slinkies, stress balls, Rubik’s cubes, bobbleheads and Newton’s cradle (the row of clicky metal balls), but there’s a seemingly never-ending line of these nick-nacks constantly being invented, making this product category the perfect eCommerce opportunity.
15. Sunglasses and accessories
Sure, sunglasses styles will change, but that means that the sunnies market represents an eCommerce opportunity as fashionistas go in search of the latest and greatest styles every summer. Then there are the accessories: the straps, cases, cloths and cleaning chemicals that form the perfect add-ons to every purchase.
16. Fitness courses
When COVID resulted in the closure of gyms and fitness centres, many of us had to take a more homely approach to exercise. And when gyms opened again, many people never went back, instead of continuing with their at-home fitness regimes. Video-based fitness courses, both in pre-recorded and live-stream forms, continue to be super popular, so if you’ve got a talent for exercise and the right qualifications you could offer these sessions through your own eCommerce store.
17. Specialty tea and coffee
Following the lead of alcoholic drinks like gin and beer, the hand-crafted tea and coffee market is exploding. Specialty teas, particularly in loose-leaf form, are invading kitchen cupboards up and down the country, while carefully sourced coffee beans are introducing Australians to the exciting world that lies beyond Nespresso pods. And just as craft gins and craft beers have only grown more popular over the years, an eCommerce entrepreneur can expect much the same trajectory from their choice of hot drink.
18. Bespoke 3D printing
If you have a 3D printer, you have your very own business opportunity. There’s a real demand for 3D printing: businesses needing models or samples printed, backyard inventors needing specialist parts, consumers wanting to bring their design creations to life. These customers don’t see the value in buying their own printer, so they seek out someone to do it for them. Launch an eCommerce site, and you could be that someone.
19. Wooden toys
Two words sum up the resurgence of wooden toys: nature and nostalgia. People are aware of the issues that surround plastics, so are looking for a biodegradable alternative. Wooden toys also look cool – they remind us of the photos we’ve seen of our parents and grandparents as kids, and they warm our hearts because of it. By launching an eCommerce store that focuses on wooden toys, you’ll be able to deliver on both fronts.
20. Professional services
What talent could you turn into a paying gig? Are you a good writer or marketer? Do you have an area of expertise that could see you consulting for a business? Could you be a coach in business or life? Again, eCommerce business ideas in 2022 don’t have to revolve around physical products – you could instead provide professional services through your store.
21. Photography
Perhaps the service you can offer is less professional than it is artistic. Or perhaps you have an entire catalogue of potential products already sitting on a hard drive somewhere. Photography, whether provided as a product or as a service, can be that rare melding of passion and profession. You will obviously need a high level of skill in order to stand out, but if you work hard on your craft there’s no reason why this eCommerce venture won’t succeed. Areas of photography you could consider include family, product, event or landscapes.
22. Collectibles
Collecting is a serious passion for a lot of people. Stamps, shoes, trading cars, paintings, antiques, toys, coins, records, video games, memorabilia, caps, pins, glasses; if it’s a physical object that can be purchased, it can be collected. If you have a passion for collecting, or more specifically for finding bargains and turning a profit, why not turn it into an opportunity to earn? Becoming the go-to eCommerce store in your particular product category can be a lucrative exercise.
23. Rentable fashion
In many ways high-end fashion is popular not in spite of the price tag, but because of it. Costliness equals exclusivity, which in turn equals desirability. But what if a customer didn’t have to pay full price for a piece, but could rent it instead? This is the thought process behind rentable fashion – bringing luxury to the masses. By renting pieces out through an eCommerce store, you can start this style of business today!
24. Fashionable face masks
While the rules around wearing face masks in Australia are slowly loosening, the truth is that we’ll never go back to pre-COVID times when face masks were reserved for health professionals. People are more aware of airborne disease than ever, which means fashionable face masks are unlikely to ever go out of style!
25. Stock music
Do you have musical talents? Filmmakers, social media influencers and all other types of content creators (of which there are many) are now on the hunt for the right soundtrack to match their imagery. By setting up an eCommerce store to sell your music, you might be the one to supply it to them.
Whatever your eCommerce goals are for 2022, Square’s complete suite of online business tools is ready to help you get there. From marketing to invoicing, loans to customer loyalty, there’s a Square solution built to meet any challenge your new venture might encounter.
If you’re ready to make the most of the endless eCommerce opportunities available right now, we’re ready to help.
