30+ eCommerce Business Ideas 2024 (Beginners, Students)

The growth of the global ecommerce development services is extremely striking. Since 2014, worldwide eCommerce sales have increased by approximately 800%. According to Statista e-commerce retail sales worldwide will reach approximately 4.9 trillion$. That number is expected to increase 50 percent over the next four years to about $ 7.4 trillion by 2025.

Apparently, setting up online business ideas with low investment is a big hustle for students. There are various best eCommerce business ideas for students that can be followed up with studies and generate a decent income.

eCommerce Business Ideas for Beginners

1. Start Blogging

Blog writing is one of the most profitable ecommerce blog ideas for students. Many people have become successful through their blogging skills, earning a six-figure income from their business. When it comes to blogging, you have to focus on the right niche, quality of your content, size of traffic, and monetization options. It is suitable for a beginner to start writing about a specific theme instead of writing about all the topics and focusing on creating high-quality content that grabs the reader’s attention. The estimated income you can earn from blog writing is $100 – $10000 every month.

2. Resume and Cover Letter Consultation Service

A resume and cover letter consultant is the one who helps the people by creating their very own unique and appealing resume and cover letters. People are constantly applying for jobs, and most of them need guidance to stand out from the crowd. You can offer your services to these people from your mind, ability, and experience. The best thing is that this business is straightforward to start, and it doesn’t require any particular documents. Moreover, this service is now increasing in demand so that you can make good money from these best eCommerce blog ideas.

3. Software Developer

It is one of the top ecommerce business ideas for beginners because you can make a proper amount of money from this work. The need for software developers is increasing because of the increasing number of small businesses that divulge apps.

4. eBook Writing

If writing for the company blogs and posts is not your kind of style, then you should consider wiring and publishing your eBooks. Amazon and other websites allow self-publishers an easy way of publishing eBooks. You should start writing eBooks if you think you can write engaging and valuable content, which people will also find appealing. You should know that eBook writing is one of the beginners’ most lucrative online businesses.

5. Accounting

Although there is enormous competition in the accounting field, it is still one of the best ecommerce business ideas for beginners. There are many firms which offer people these services. Of course, it is an online business that requires training and certificates, but if you are an experienced accountant, you can work online and make a good amount of money from this business.

6. Stock or Forex Trading

Stock trading can also be an online way of earning money. If you are interested in putting your time and have the talent to do good research on the market trends, you should try your hands at stock or forex trading. There is no fixed time for trading which means you can trade whenever you want. However, it is a risky business, but you can become an efficient trader when you get more trading experience and make a good amount of revenue from it. But it would help if you devoted some time to learning the fundamental trends and strategies of trading the stocks.

7. Kid’s Toys and Games

The kids love to play with their toys. There is no doubt that the use of smartphones and tablets is increasing, which makes us think that kids don’t like or value traditional toys. But the reality is that the companies are still making toys and games because the kids are playing with them. There is a whole market of kids’ toys and games. You can start a small business by figuring out the popular toys among the kids and selling them. When the toys are popular, the products will be sold more quickly. After some time, you can grow the selection of the toys on your website.

8. Sell Second-hand Products

Nowadays, people are not minding to make use of the second-hand products if they are of high quality and are in excellent condition to using. The only thing you have to do to start this small business is to collect second-hand items like furniture, jewelry, and clothes, and then you have to start posting them on your eCommerce website. Moreover, you should also ensure that you sell those second-hand products at a reasonable price to attract a large audience. Before expanding your reach, you can test this idea in the local market to know the result.

9. Virtual Assistant

If you are a very organized person and prefer to work behind the scene, it is one of the perfect ecommerce business idea for beginners to start a virtual assistant business. The virtual assistant is the one that helps the business and executives in organizing their professional as well as personal life. You have to follow many duties, starting from appointing the schedules to everything in their lives. The best thing is that all this work is online, so you can only do it from your home. You need an internet connection to work with these clients, and then you can earn good money from this online business.

10. Generate Handmade Goods

If you are a crafty person, you should try selling handmade products on the internet. Since the internet has a large base of customers, you can get the required exposure for your business by selling the best and most unique handmade products. It doesn’t matter whether you are making jewelry, furniture, or frames; a unique and different online business ideas is enough to increase your online sales of handmade goods. While you choose to sell your handcrafted products on the other platform like Etsy, if you have your very own online site, you can get more control over it, and it’s easy to fulfill the orders of customers.

Best eCommerce Business Ideas for College Students

Every type of eCommerce business ideas is not suitable for college students since they have to manage their studies simultaneously. If you are a college student looking to start an ecommerce business, you should go through these incredibly online ecommerce blog ideas for college students in 2024. If you are a college student then must check out my most useful apps for student listing.

1. Craft and Decoration Business

If you are interested in crafting and making artistic things, your hobby can help you earn money through an online eCommerce buiness ideas. Selling decoration items and crafty things can be fun for people to make money just by sitting in their homes. You can use social media to promote your products and other apps for selling your items on the internet. Once you start getting the people’s attention and like your products, no one can stop you from earning from your business. It is the best way to make a living by doing what you love to do, and this business is straightforward to start by getting help from a platform like Etsy.

2. Freelancing

Freelancing is the quickest way of making money from the internet. There is no denying that It might take some time, in the beginning, to find the best opportunities in freelancing. But once you get through it, you will be able to make money instantly just by sitting at your home. There are many online websites like Fiverr where you can easily find freelancing jobs. The only thing you need to do is open a freelancing account on those websites. The start-up cost of becoming a freelancer is zero, making it a online eCommerce business ideas for university students.

3. Making Podcasts

The podcasts are increasing in fame, and there are still many opportunities for newcomers in this field. More and more people listen to podcasts daily, and their demand will increase even more in the future. It makes podcasting a best eCommerce business ideas for the students. Once you earn a good amount of listeners, you can start making money from this online business. If you have podcasting skills and know that you attract a good base of listeners to your work, you should start this business. The best thing is there is no start-up cost for this business.

4. Sell Things Online

People interested in selling their products on a vast platform will need an Magento eCommerce Platform. The online market is a site that can provide different kinds of products from different sellers. There are various well-known marketplaces where you can sell your products, such as amazon, google express, and eBay. Of course, the earnings will depend on your product type, market demand, and target customers. The fortunate thing is that there are plenty of websites available where a person with a product can start selling.

5. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is an profitable eCommerce business ideas in which a person earns a commission in return for marketing the products or services of another company. First, you have to search for products you enjoy using and then promote that products online. Then, you can get a good profit from every sale you make from marketing those products. Affiliate marketing is easy to start a business, but you have to start by picking up a best ecommerce website ideas and developing a large audience base. To start the affiliate business, you have to sign up for the affiliate programs and then write a blog focusing on the product you are marketing.

6. Social Media Management

Earlier, social media was a fun way of connecting with friends and relatives, but it has become a reasonable and vital marketing strategy for all businesses. However, many businesses cannot complete the task of managing their business social media accounts which is why they hire social media management experts. If you are a person who has an interest in tweeting, sharing, and restraining, then the social media management business is a good fit for you. The best part of this business is that it is a kind of work that many people can do without any difficulty, especially for the college students in the social media era.

7. SEO Services

SEO or search engine optimization is optimizing the web pages and their content so that the people on the internet can quickly discover them. There is no doubt that the concept of SEO services is straightforward, and today there are many businesses that need SEO experts. They are willing to pay a good amount of money to SEO professionals. SEO can bring many benefits to a business, including bringing organic traffic to the business website, increasing sales, a higher number of visitors, and better domain authority. SEO services are very high in demand in today’s market, and it is something that you can do from your home, so it is an excellent option for college students.

8. Online Advertising

People are always using the internet, even for their small tasks. If it is possible to do anything online, then people will prefer it, and your business is required to be there where the people are spending most of their time. Online marketing is among the best ecommerce business examples for anyone who knows about writing fantastic copy. Nowadays, building and posting ads online is a straightforward task, and anyone who has the internet can do it. If you choose to become an online marketer, you have to create the ads, including the copy of the ad and visuals, manage the ads for the business, and adjust the budget for the ads to recover the results.

9. Video Editing

Video editing is a best app ideas for college students. It is the procedure of editing the parts of motion video footage, sound recordings, and special effects. The video editors are the ones who are responsible for editing the raw material of a video into a final product that is ready for broadcasting. You should know that the raw material comprises all camera footage, graphics, special effects, sound effects, and dialogues. If you don’t have much time because of your studies, you can go for freelancing video editing. In this way, you can work in your comfort and convenience.

10. Web Designing

Web designing is something that everyone needs now. From local vendors to big businesses, every business needs good exposure on the internet to grow their customers. People nowadays are willing to pay a good amount of money to the web designers to create an excellent-looking website. If you are a person who knows web designing and have a website ideas then you have probably got a good skill for which you can get a lot of money from the businesses. Web designing is the perfect online business idea for beginners because it has high demand in the market and the income potential is also very high. Think about how you can make good money by sitting at your home and doing your favorite work.

11. Proofreading Services

There are plenty of unique options for you when becoming a proofreader. First, you should know that there are one billion active websites. All the content which have to be printed or published on the blogs needs to be proofread before publishing. When you become a proofreader, you have to ensure that the content is accurate, comprehensive, and trustworthy. Moreover, you have to ensure that it is well written without grammatical errors. The proofreaders need to take the initial copy of the content and then proofread it to make it ready to publish in the market. It is a perfect way of making money online for anyone who loves to read and knows about picking the errors.

12. Social Media Influencer

A social media influencer earns money from brand sponsorship. These people work with the brands and help them promote their products and services. The influencers have a large base audience on their page, and people usually see them as an idol in a particular forte. For instance, if your posts include fashion tips and have a good following on social media, you can become a social media influencer for fashion-related brands. In return, you will get paid for promoting the services of their brand. There are several platforms on which you can start influencing people, such as Instagram, tik tok, youtube, etc.

13. Drop Shipping Online Business

One of the best eCommerce business ideas for students is drop shipping business. It is the best way of making money online without having to capitalize or purchase the products. When you run a drop shipping business, you can sell products online by taking the order of the people and then finding out a third-party retailer who can fulfill your orders. You have to focus on selling the products at a higher rate than the third-party retailer to make a profit from the sale. It is an easy way of making money online, and the best thing is that the risks are also less. If you want to start an eCommerce business but don’t want to have the headache of shipping and manufacturing products, then the drop shipping business is the best option.

14. Buy and Sell Domains

The flipping of domains means purchasing and selling them to profit from them. Buying and selling domain names can be an excellent online business for students if they execute it properly. You will be glad to know that the domains with high demand in the market can sell for millions. For starting this best eCommerce business ideas, you have to look for affordable domains on the internet and consider buying different names at one time to increase the prospects of selling. After that, you have to develop a landing page for those domains you wish to sell to the customers. It would be best to keep in mind that a tenacious advertising strategy is necessary to discover the right buyer.

15. Start Earning from YouTube

Video content creation is increasing in popularity, and it is a compelling business idea for college students. YouTube is a famous platform for video content publishers, with more than 30 million active users. You can easily create video content by sitting at your home and earning from this platform. If you are interested in opening a YouTube channel, you should focus on gaining 1000 subscribers and over 4000 watch hours in the beginning months. When you surpass this phase, you will be eligible to apply to the YouTube partner program, which allows you to monetize your channel.

Best eCommerce Business Ideas for Small Business

1. Freelance Writing

If you have excellent writing skills, you can become a freelance writer. It is one of the profitable ecommerce business names for small business in which you only need an internet connection and a keyboard for writing blog posts. It will also help you if you start writing on a specific area of expertise so that the people can know you are qualified for commenting on that particular topic or content. However, the important thing is your writing ability. If you are writing high-quality content that is appealing to the readers, only you will be able to make a profit from this small business. The better you write then, the better you will get in terms of payment.

2. Online Tutoring

If you are looking for one of the small eCommerce website ideas for beginners in the field where you can call or video chat with the customers to help them with their issues, then starting online tutoring is the best business for you. The students who score well in exams generally can teach the best strategies to the other people to clear the exam and learn about the material they need to study. The better you will get reviews from the customers, the better your reputation in the market will be, which means that you can increase your tutoring charges. Since it will be an online business, you will have complete freedom of working from any place you want.

3. Online Fitness Training

Nowadays, the fitness industry is growing in popularity, and if you want to start a small online business in this field, you can start providing online fitness training. The people who have a passion for fitness can serve as online fitness trainers to help the clients achieve their body goals. However, you must know that training people on the online platform is much more complicated than training them personally by being there with them. So it is good for you to attain some experience in online fitness training before you start this business. There is always an opportunity of making good profits from online fitness training because you get exposure to a large base audience on the internet.

4. Data Entry

The data entry eCommerce business is an excellent way by which you can make money just by sitting at your home. Moreover, you can also have flexibility in your work because many freelancing sites allow you to work as per your schedule and convenience. The data entry job might not pay you the best money, but it is ideal for the people who want to do minimum work and their studies. Since the data entry work is easy, it will not require much time or effort from you. Still, you can make a good income from home without going outside and doing hard work. Therefore, a data entry business is a good place to start your side-earning business.

5. Transcription

If you are looking for an easy online and best eCommerce business ideas that doesn’t require any professional knowledge or experience, transcription is the best business. The only thing you need to have is the ability to type quickly. by offering online transcription services, you can make good money in a short period. There are various forms of transcription, including transcribing audio interviews for the newspapers and creating captions for shows and videos. Although this type of business might not earn you higher money for the beginner, it is an excellent place to start.

6. Telemarketing

Some people are natural at making good conversation with the others and like helping out the other people. For such people, online telemarketing is a good small and profitable eCommerce online ideas that they can pursue. Numerous companies outsource the customer service staff to help the clients solve their issues. If you are a person who is ok with working on your phone from your home or even when you are on the go, then you should try this option of online business to make money.

7. Marketing Consulting

Marketing is an art, and if you have the skill of marketing the products or experience in marketing campaigns, you should consider offering online marketing consulting services. When you choose to be an online marketing consultant, you have to give advice and guidance to your clients on many topics related to the business’s marketing. In addition, you can help the business execute its marketing campaigns and services. We all know that marketing is an essential part of every business, which is why a business requires marketing strategies for the successful marketing of its product.

8. Online Thrift Store

The online thrift shop is among most appealing ecommerce business examples for small business. Many thrift shop sites are earning a good amount of revenue from their online business. Most people always want to buy excellent, exciting, and unique objects, so you have to target those customers to profit from your small business. Exceptional skill in copywriting and a fantastic brand can help you go a long way because it will distinguish you from the whole crowd on the internet. If you are a person who is better at regulating things than creating, then this type of small online business idea is an excellent fit for you.

9. Travel Planners

Are you a person who loves to travel? If yes, you have a passion for traveling; you can consider starting an online travel planning company. The work of the travel planners is to help the clients plan their trip, starting from the flight tickets to booking hotels. The best thing about the online travel planning business is that you can do it from home. So, when you travel and experience a new location on your own, it will help you make new connections that you can use to grow your business.

10. Life Coaching

It is the best small eCommerce business idea for the people who can provide advice and guidance to improve their quality of life. The best thing is that you don’t need any extensive education in the medical field for this work. However, you will need a certificate to become a life coach. But the best part is that you will have more freedom in deciding your niche and how you will help people in their life situations. Moreover, with the increasing use of the internet, you can quickly provide help to other people from online life coaching businesses.

FAQ’s

1. Which are The Best Niche eCommerce Business Ideas?

Some of the best eCommerce business ideas are technology and home equipment, DIY and handmade goods, entertainment, drink, cooking, home gym, and the fitness and food sector. There are plenty of opportunities for people to establish a successful business in these sectors.

2. What are Some Excellent and best eCommerce Business Ideas?

Some excellent e-commerce ideas include women’s fashion, art supplies, jewelry, yoga products, home exercise equipment, electronics, gaming, furniture, creative home entertainment, meal boxes, and kitchen equipment.

3. What are Some Tips for Creating an e-commerce Niche?

When looking for an eCommerce niche, you should start by considering what you care about. You cannot sell a product until you believe in it, so create with a place with your passion and interest. After that, you should consider the demand for that product in the market, availability of the product, competition, and potential of making profits.

4. What are The Four Types of eCommerce Businesses?

There are mainly four types of online eCommerce website ideas and are B2C – business to consumer, B2B – Business to business, C2B – consumer to trade, and C2C – Consumer to consumer.

5. How Do I Start an eCommerce Business?

At first, you have to decide the type of product or service that you want to sell. Next, you need to research and choose a structure for the business. Now select a business name and get all licenses and permits. After which, you have to create your website and then market your business.