If anyone knows that most students struggle with financial difficulties, it's probably you. Even if you're not affected, there are probably a lot of fellow students who are barely making ends meet on their budget. Part-time jobs are therefore extremely popular, but offers are limited. Your own online shop could be the solution - getting into e-commerce has never been as easy as it is today.
Advantages of an online shop
Anyone who runs an online shop enjoys many advantages:
- Getting started with e-commerce requires hardly any investment
- the running costs are significantly lower than with an offline business
- Maximum flexibility is given as you are not tied to any opening times
- Individuality is possible: what you sell and how you present it is entirely up to you
- The extent of the work is entirely up to you
Making work easier through dropshipping
Shipping logistics pose a major challenge for online shop operators. On the one hand, there must be sufficient storage space for the goods and packaging material. On the other hand, it takes a lot of time to send the products, which must be carefully packed beforehand. And the dropshipper takes on exactly this amount of work. The process is as follows: A customer orders from your online shop. From there, the order is automatically forwarded to the dropshipping provider. This prepares the order and sends it directly to the consumer.
Especially if you sell easily breakable, large or particularly high-value items, safer packaging is irreplaceable. It is the be-all and end-all for the success of your online shop. If the products are damaged on the way or even arrive in unusable condition, financial losses are guaranteed. If you hire a reliable dropshipper, you can be sure that the provider will do professional work. He has a lot of experience and of course also all kinds of packaging material. Reputable logistics companies also contribute to the highest possible safety of the goods during transport.
In general, shocks, vibrations, etc. cannot be ruled out 100 percent. This is why innovative aids such as mountable vibration dampers are used. These enable the transport of sensitive goods and products and can be individually adjusted to the different sensitivities of the goods. Experience has shown that using them avoids complaints and returns - the positive results are an increase in customer satisfaction and a reduction in costs.
Plan the opening of an online shop carefully
The success of your online shop depends on the right product selection. Ideally, you choose goods that you have a certain affinity for. It is also advisable to carry out a market analysis. The focus should be on the targeted customer base, the prevailing prices and the competition. This will give you an insight into what your personal range should look like. Effective marketing strategies must also be developed in advance so that the online shop gets going as quickly as possible.
As with any startup company, the question of financing must of course be clarified. The advantage of an online shop over a physical store is the lower initial costs. A high-quality computer or laptop and suitable software are irreplaceable. You should also have a reliable and as fast internet connection as possible. There are some funding options for startup founders; you can get information about this from the employment office, a financial advisor or the KfW, among others.
Anyone who relies on financial support to open an online shop definitely needs a carefully developed business plan. Every donor must be convinced of the good idea, the execution of the project, the know-how and, as a result, the good chances of success.
There are some financial institutions that also grant loans to students, especially if the amounts are small. The low interest rate phase has led to extremely favorable conditions. There are 0 percent loans as well as alternatives with negative interest rates. As a rule, they are only available for relatively low sums, so they can be particularly interesting for you as an online shop founder.
