What Should I Sell Online?

In 2022, eCommerce sales slowed to around 9.4% year over year, but that’s just stats from the US.

There has been a global slowdown, and 2022 has been the slowest year since 2009; that’s saying something since today, there are more people with mobile devices and laptops than they were over thirteen years ago. However, sales via eCommerce channels have touched the $1 trillion mark for the first time ever.

Retail sales online and offline have slowed down, but according to experts, the slowdown isn’t going to be short-lived, so don’t expect it to return to where it was pre-pandemic.

This should serve as a cautious reminder to anyone who wants to enter the dropshipping or eCommerce niche because the slowdown can be especially devastating for any business that needs to hold inventory.

You will also need to decide what you sell online, as this will be the most important decision as one of the keys to successfully selling. Get it wrong, and you’ll end up with low demand, a seasonal product that makes it nearly impossible to sell.

Most of all, with the economic slowdown, you could be stuck with inventory that’s hard to liquidate.

So, the question is this: what should you sell online? What’s the most recession-proof, all-season product you can slap onto your website and sell without a care in the word?

Unfortunately, this isn’t an easy question to answer, but fortunately, there are multiple answers to this question, all of which you’ll find in this article.

What are Some of The Most Popular Products To Sell?

So, the challenge is finding a popular and profitable product. But how do you find one that’s already not saturated by the big boys in the market?

One approach would be to start digging into all the data you can find. You can do product research, dig through keyword data, search trends etc. Social media is also a good indicator of trends and products people like buying.

After short-listing perhaps two or three products, you need to figure out how to sell them. Manufacturing and holding inventory can be highly challenging.

The most popular mode of selling online is via what’s called Dropshipping. This often means you’re selling products to someone else, and your goal is to market them correctly. Position the product correctly in your vertical, and you profit from every sale, just the markup you add to the original price.

The challenge is the marketing and positioning of the product while still making a profit despite the markup. For a newbie, all of this can take time. By the time you’ve positioned the product(s), the product cycle has ended; thus, that product isn’t going to sell either.

The fact that products go in and out of fashion so fast is one of the leading reasons why so many newbies dropshipping entrepreneurs report not being able to cut even. Sure, the industry vets will always turn a profit; if you were one, you wouldn’t be reading this article!

Now, if you are starting with just a few hundred dollars as seed money, dropshipping isn’t the best way to get into selling online. Sure, it's cheaper than getting your products manufactured in China and holding inventory, but you’re still taking a significant risk with no financial padding.

Fortunately, we have a better suggestion. We’ll explain why selling a service is far better than a product, significantly, since the service industry online is expanding faster than eCommerce ever could.

Your Goal Should Be To Solve Problems

As an entrepreneur, your goal should always be to solve problems. Find the right problems to solve with the correct solution as your service, and there is no reason you can’t make money.

Solving problems has helped people turn mere pennies into millions of dollars. That’s where selling services may be right up your alley.

What Should I Sell Online? Product vs Service

One of the most significant drawbacks of selling products online is that you need to hold inventory. Not to mention that you need to invest in acquiring inventory. Whether you manufacture the goods or purchase them for resale, you will need a significant start-up budget before making a dime on them.

Depending on the product, you may need a warehouse to store inventory and be ready to sustain losses by theft or damage. Ongoing sales projections and tweaking them to order inventory ahead of time is also an art you must master moving forward.  

You will also need to face the fact that sometimes your audience may not need what you are selling. Not to mention that you may be up against stiff competition from major online giants like Amazon that offer the same products at a lower price.

Most people will find that selling a service is low risk and has a lower barrier to entry compared to selling products online. Plus, the learning curve is much less steep, so you stand a better chance of being successful sooner.

Why should beginners choose to sell a service versus selling products online?

Most times, when you’re selling a service like web design, it is something intangible. You don’t need to stock up on it, so there is no upward cost associated with it apart from setting up the website.

Your sales pitch and USPs aren’t limited to the product’s feature list because the features can be adjusted based on what your clients want. The features can also be tweaked to meet clients’ needs to address issues or problems like slow website speed or JavaScript errors.

You can also offer the service as part of a trial. So, if the customer does not choose to retain the service, you will not end up with an inventory of used goods to find a way of selling to recoup losses.

Selling a service correctly mainly requires that you position it correctly simliar to an online store. It needs to be geared towards the right audience, which will mean that you’ll attract people interested in doing business with you.

Services can also become more valuable as it continues to improve and receive reviews. Well-reviewed services can also be more expensive because people can trust them compared to ones that aren’t. This means that your income from selling services can increase over time, unlike selling a product.

The important thing when selling a service is to focus on providing a great customer experience which is the core of any online business. This will require having a customer service line set up to answer customer queries, payment issues and other potential problems.

Businesses Always Need A Service

We know from experience running Legiit that there are some services that are more seasonal than others. However, businesses will always need assistance, especially if you’re in the B2B industry. That said, some services can also be positioned as B2C services too.

Ideally, you will want to choose a service you can provide right off the bat or at least have some working knowledge of or learn within a couple of months. This means that you don’t need to start from the ground floor.

The other way to win at selling services, especially if you are starting, is to learn from the pros. Learn how what people who are killing it in the industry are doing and try replicating that to succeed. We will discuss how to win when selling services in the next section, which discusses service ideas. Suffice to say, it is different from setting up an eCommerce store.

Top 15 Services in Demand for Beginners

It is worth mentioning that selling a service is very different from running online stores. The approach is entirely different, so it is worth diving into this a little bit here.

To start with, you want to highlight what makes the service personal and how it is meant to meet the needs of your target audience. One of the keys to marketing and selling services is trust. Trust needs to be built, and that’s done with relationships. 

Services also need to be customizable. This means tailoring the service to the needs of the client but also broadly the target market. Often this will mean customizing the monthly or annual subscription while offering add-ons. The specifics of this will vary depending on the service.

The good news is that operating a service business is comparatively less expensive than selling products or a drop shipping business. Also, the service's physical location is often only relevant for some types of services you can sell online because there are no shipping costs involved.

But pricing of the service can vary drastically owing to various factors, including the industry, the experience of the people operating the industry, and the time it takes to complete the service.

However, it may be harder for some services to get ratings, mainly because it takes longer for the service to be completed, or some people may not want to leave a review. But the same can be said for products.

The only problem is that service-based businesses take a harder hit when it receives a bad review because it negatively reflects on the brand's image. A negative brand image often means it will turn away prospects. So you need to actively work on resolving issues that may arise.

Service-Based Business Ideas

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization is probably where many people with a technical background working with websites may want to start. Doing SEO requires an understanding of how the internet works and knowing how to build internal and external links, optimize content, and do technical SEO.

Fortunately, learning and practicing SEO isn’t hard. Numerous courses will help you get to grips with the basics. Most people will then want to practice ranking a website before offering it as a service.

Users can choose to offer local SEO or national SEO. The latter requires a slightly different approach. However, most people will find that local SEO will help them take off sooner than later, especially if they live in a major city.

2. Article Writing / Content Writing

Anyone with a flair for writing, or at least the will to learn, can start working as an article writer, aka content writer. Since the internet is mainly content-based, and content is king, there is always a demand for wordsmiths.

The drawback with article writing is that it can get boring, especially if there are topics you aren’t interested in. If you are just in it for the money, keeping yourself motivated to write a few thousand words daily to make a decent living can be challenging. 

Fortunately, experienced content writers with good reviews can carve out a niche for themselves, like focusing on writing web page content, SEO content or landing page content.

If you have prior experience writing selling commoditized and niche products, you can offer a product description writing service.

The focus of a content writer should be building a reputation, which can take time but proves to be worth it.

3. UGC Creator

A UGC is, simply put, content created by users or fans of a brand’s products. This content is often published on social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and others.

UGC creators will create various types of content, from videos to social media posts. The videos will be posted by users and are not ads. Often these are authentic reviews by people who have used the products.

The reviews and testimonials on Yelp is a good examples of UGC. Brands will mainly scout the positive reviews across multiple platforms and then feature these on their website.

The good news is that many brands and a growing number of them are willing to pay for these positive testimonials posted by users. Users can post them on social media or even mention them in their blog posts.

UGC creation, for the most part, is simple. Still, brands value it immensely, especially if those creating it has a significant social media following in their region.

4. Email Outreach Specialist

An email outreach specialist is someone who knows how to craft alluring emails. Usually, this is someone with copywriting and digital marketing experience.

The goal of an outreach specialist can be anything from reaching out to bloggers for guest posting opportunities to link exchanges. Outreach specialists use their expertise to send cold emails, introducing services and products.

To become a cold outreach specialist, it is essential to understand the ins and outs of sales writing. Outreach specialists will also need to be willing to experiment with new subject lines, sales pitches and other aspects of their campaigns.

Becoming an outreach specialist takes time and effort. That’s why it is probably best for someone who is a writer but wants to move up the ladder and become an outreach specialist. The latter can be more challenging but pays better.

5. Graphic Design

Most businesses today need a graphic designer and thus they are in high demand. In fact, we’ll go so far as to say that everyone needs one at some point. While tools like Canva have certainly put designing graphics within the skillset of many people, you still need to have the aesthetic sense to pull it off.

The internet today is unfortunately buried under a landslide of low-quality templated graphic design. Custom graphic design helps businesses and their content stand out from the crowd.

A professional graphic designer specializes in designing business cards, brochures, logos, websites, and flyers. However, becoming a graphics designer requires a bit of experience and practice.

To start with, graphic designers must learn Photoshop, understand design theory, and learn Adobe illustrator. That’s why it can take up to six months for a regular person to become a graphics designer with decent proficiency. However, it would be best if you still distinguished yourself from all the other graphic designers by churning out quality graphics.

6. Video Editing / Video Editor

Video editing, as the term implies, refers to editing video content. This can be wedding videos, social media videos like YouTube, and corporate presentation videos.

A video editor must be proficient in using Davinci Resolve if they use Windows or Apple’s FinalCut Pro on the Mac. However, there is also a version of Davinci Resolve for the Mac.

Learning either of these video editing software isn’t hard, but it isn’t easy either. It takes time to familiarize yourself with the interface, in addition to all the features it has to offer.

Video editors also need to know and understand various editing styles, which takes time and experience. By and large, becoming a video editor is higher on the difficulty scale, but it pays well.

Selling your service as a video editor isn’t hard either since the growing video content trend means a rising demand for editors. So, if you are considering jumping into a niche that isn’t highly saturated, you might want to consider video editing.

7. Instagram Marketing

Instagram Marketing has grown in popularity as of late. One reason for this is the enormous audience of over a billion active users and counting. The average user spends 53 minutes on Instagram daily, putting the platform in second place right after Facebook regarding social networks.

Instagram marketing is one of the best services an individual can offer, especially for someone with marketing experience. Instagram marketing is part of the digital marketing industry. Many digital marketing agencies will hire Instagram marketers to market products and services.

Brands also regularly hire Instagram marketers to promote products. It is estimated that 90% of users follow at least one brand. Plus, these people, aka products, enjoy maintaining their relationship with the brands they love.

Becoming an Instagram marketer requires having an account and understanding the fundamentals of what it entails. Prospects must demonstrate an understanding how it works and a portfolio of marketing on the platform for other brands.

8. LinkedIn Marketing strategy

LinkedIn Marketing has become immensely popular. This means there is a growing demand for people who specialize in delivering results using LinkedIn Marketing.

As most people know, LinkedIn is a platform that helps connect professionals and businesses. LinkedIn marketing aims to improve brand awareness, partnerships and foster business relationships.

LinkedIn marketing specialists are mainly involved in helping businesses build their reputations on LinkedIn. This entails posting content that attracts people and connecting with others who may be interested or associated with the brand.

LinkedIn is a highly effective platform for generating leads if the campaign is run by a professional. It is estimated that LinkedIn generates 227% more leads than Twitter and Facebook.

A LinkedIn marketer is a digital marketer at heart. However, they understand how the network works and how they can use the brand’s voice to reach out using a combo of helpful content and daily updates.

Marketers will talk about trending products, mainly based on trend data pulled from Google trends.

9. Web Designer

As the term indicates, a web designer is responsible for designing websites. However, unlike many other online services, becoming a web designer requires design experience, similar to becoming a graphic designer.

The difference between a graphic designer and a web designer is that the later has upgraded their skills to specialize in web design.

Web designers will specialize in designing websites, landing pages, sales pages, and squeeze pages that impact visitors the most. Often this will mean crafting a well-thought-off, easy-to-understand user interface that helps visitors quickly get to where they want to be with the least fuss.

Web designers are also responsible for adding aesthetic appeal to the website. Usually, web designers would be hired to spice up an existing website or redesign it.

To become a web designer, you’ll need to understand the fundamentals of graphic design (obviously). However, you will also need to master Adobe Dreamweaver and similar software.

Web designers often work with web developers or software developers on projects like developing a WordPress theme, WooCommerce store etc to sell things online.

10. Software Developer

A software developer is also referred to as a computer programmer. These are often highly paid individuals responsible for developing everything from apps for smartphones to working on large custom CMS systems.

A software developer usually has a formal degree, usually in computer science. But there are a growing number of self-taught developers who also make a pretty penny.

The good thing about selling yourselves as a software developer online is that you can choose whom to work with, how much to work, and nobody will ask for your credentials.

Generally, more experienced software developers with established credibility are often more expensive than newbie developers. So, it pays to build credibility by working on larger, more prominent projects.

Becoming a software developer can be a long road, which on average, takes two to three years, depending on how you approach it. However, you can learn at your own pace with online courses and books.

11. Voice Over Artist

A voice-over, aka voice-over professional, is someone that lends their voice to animated videos, presentations, audiobooks etc. 

Sure, everyone can speak, but voice-overs have years of experience speaking for a broad audience. This means they speak clearly and slowly enough for everyone to understand what’s being said.

Businesses will hire voiceovers for various jobs, from recording an automated PBX message to business presentations.

The good news is that if you can speak and have the will to learn how to speak correctly, you can become a voice-over. It takes a bit of practice for most people.

The pay for a voice-over is pretty good and usually high for high-profile, established professionals. So, there is much room to grow as your voice-over technique improves.

12. Animators

Animators, as the term suggests, are professionals that specialize in animated graphics. These animations can range from short introductory videos to more long-form content.

Animators are also often graphic designers who have upgraded their skills in animation. Animators usually have formal education and are experienced in producing all animated assets.

Animators can produce animation for websites, businesses, and social media. Interestingly animated videos receive the most interest on social media and thus are a great way of generating buzz around digital and physical products.

13. Video SEO

If you are a YouTuber or a business owner that wants their videos to be shown on YouTube and Daily Motion, then you need Video SEO.

Video SEO is optimizing a video so that it shows up when people search on YouTube and even when they Google using a keyword you want to target.

Many professionals in the SEO industry also offer video SEO because it is seen as an extension of their core service.

Learning how to do video SEO isn’t hard. There are many tutorials online, and with some experimentation, you have proof of your skills, making it easier to sell on platforms like Legiit.

Most people in the SEO industry may already know Video SEO, so it is only a matter of offering it as a service.

14. Press Releases

Press Release services, as the term, suggest a service that specializes in writing and distributing press releases.

Press releases, or PRs as they are called, are often a significant part of creating buzz around a service, product or brand. However, drafting and syndicating a PR to successfully create that buzz requires understanding digital marketing, SEO, writing and distribution.

Offering a press release service will require that you have a relationship with press release syndication agencies and writers. 

Most freelancers start by writing their press releases and then syndicating them via a paid service. They will then gradually move to an agency model, hiring people to handle the writing, optimisation and syndication.

15. Virtual Assistant

Just about every business will need a virtual assistant. The barrier to entry into this industry isn’t high.

Virtual assistants may charge an hourly wage and offer services like answering emails, producing invoices, live chat, etc.

What makes one virtual assistant stand out from the other is their experience and expertise. Some virtual assistants can handle social media tasks like posting and using Canva to design graphics.

Becoming a virtual assistant only requires signing up on Legiit and offering your services. It is always good to know how to use WordPress, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word.

Our 2 Cents!

Do research on whether to run a product business or sell services online. We like to think that everyone is different and that there can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach.

It is up to you to determine how you want to satisfy customers. Note what your competitors are up to and how they are doing what they do. Also, research to find what prospects are looking for and how best to target them.

Selling services is about addressing a need in the industry. When you manage that need effectively, that translates to success. 

Once you understand customer trends and start collecting feedback, adjust your strategies to beat the competition.

How To Scale a Service Business?

One of the most significant drawbacks of a service-based business is its difficulty scaling. Some service-based businesses are more challenging to scale than others.

Whether you offer technical writing, web design, or transcription, figuring out how to grow from being a solopreneur to a more significant business can take a bit of thought. That’s why most service businesses will cap out at a few dozen employees. The good news is that the relatively small staff means you can have a personal relationship with each one.

Small service businesses are also easier to manage because the owner and staff work as a team to overcome challenges. This helps build a strong team that believes in each other.

The model most service businesses stick to as they grow to have a few top experts, with the juniors at the bottom.

The good news is that it is possible to scale, and you don’t need to remain in the same vertical. You can scale across multiple service businesses.

Below are a few tips on how to scale your service business. However, think out of the box.

Drop Servicing

Now, this is an exciting concept that draws from the idea of drop shipping. However, you do this for services instead of marketing products with a marked-up price.

There are two keys to running a successful drop servicing business:

1. You need to find freelancers that can handle the workload. Often, you’d want to find 3-4 quality freelancers who can handle the tasks sourced to them. An online marketplace like Legiit is a great place to start.

2. Create a website that brands and markets the services as your own. This will require good content, branding, running ads, and SEO.

3. You will need to provide good customer service so that your clients keep returning for more.

The skills required to pull this off are mainly knowing how to generate and close leads. Your client's needs will differ depending on the industry you’re targeting.

You will also want to build a network of trusted freelancers that provide quality work on time and are there when you need them. Fortunately, that’s where Legiit can help you.

It is worth mentioning that Legiit is home to hundreds of freelancers that can handle everything from link building and writing content to professionals running Google ads and SEO.

So, all you need is to set up a website and hire the right people from the platform, and you’re good to go!

How To Learn The Required Skills Online?

There are many places on the internet where you can learn the required skills. A simple search will yield dozens of courses across hundreds of platforms.

Legiit also offers courses led by some of the most successful freelancers in the marketplace. If anything, this is a great place to start your journey.

The key to learning any skill online is self-motivation which ensures consistency.

15 Product Ideas For Drop Shipping

1. Pet Supplies

The pet industry is worth a whopping $103.6 billion in the US alone. Fortunately, there are many ways to enter the pet niche, from cat and dog food to toys.

2. Eco-Friendly Products

According to a global consumer insights survey, 52% of shoppers consider themselves eco-friendly. Many lean in favor of buying environmentally friendly alternatives to popular products.

If people see that your business and products are trying to help the planet, there is no reason why they will not buy from you. 

3. Baby Products

All parents want to give their children the best. So, if you sell high-quality products, there is no reason why they will not return for more. It is estimated that revenue growth for sellers in this space will mushroom by over 10 per cent in the next three years. 

4. Fitness and Sports Products

Health and fitness are something most people are now more serious about after than pandemic than ever before. 4 out of 5 Americans now own at least one exercise machine.

5. Beauty Products

The beauty industry is estimated to be worth over $558.12 billion, which, according to experts, will grow further at over 4% each year.

While trends in this industry are changing quickly, there is an excellent opportunity here with the choice of the right products. 

6. Home Décor

It is predicted that Home Décor will be valued at over $283 billion by 2026. It is one of the top markets in the drop shipping niche.

You can choose from many different styles, from Art Décor to industrial and everything in between.

7. Clothing

It is a universal dropshipping niche, and almost anyone can succeed using the right approach.

However, you will need to consider choosing products beyond just what is readily available. So, think in terms of industrial wear, medical scrubs, sports apparel etc.

8. Health and Personal Care

It is a niche estimated to be valued at over $6 million by 2028. That’s because an increasing number of people are more conscious about their health. A quick look at Etsy and Amazon will give you an idea of how lucrative this niche can be.

9. Gaming Accessories

The gaming market is over 3 billion US dollars, making it one of the most lucrative markets for drop shippers.

Gaming is no longer a hobby, with an increasing number of people playing it professionally. Everything from gaming mice to keyboards and monitors is more expensive than their regular counterparts, which allows people in the drop shipping niche to sell more.

10. Jewelry

There will always be a market for jewelry. It is worth over $228 billion, and if you can find evergreen products, they will continue to sell.

Though you always want to keep up with the latest styles, brands and industry news so that you’re always selling the latest and greatest.

11. Mobile Phone Accessories

There will always be a market for quality cables, screens and screen protectors. Sure some are better than others, but carving out a niche in this industry isn’t hard.

You have an abundance of products to choose from in this niche. But there is no reason why you can’t use multiple chargers, cables and screen protectors.

12. Home Office Accessories

Today, with many people working from home, the home office is no longer a luxury. There are various home office accessories, but most don’t require educating the prospective buyer.

13. Kitchen Tools

Everyone needs kitchen utensils and gadgets. That’s why it is one of the best-selling niches on Amazon.

There are dozens of tools and utensils to choose from and while you’re browsing through Amazon, make a note of the best-selling ones to further investigate their lucrativeness.

14. Car Accessories

Accessories and car parts are great products to sell online because there are many manufacturers. Plus, you don’t have to worry about storing these often bulky and heavy products.

Market the products correctly, and you can carve out a share from this growing $522 billion industry.

15. Hobby Items

Everyone is interested in or passionate about something. The top five hobbies in the US are food, reading, music, video games and pets. We covered a couple, but you’re free to explore the others.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most profitable product to sell online?

There is no one profitable product that you can sell. The list mentioned above is all some of the hottest categories.

What is the easiest thing to sell online?

The easiest to sell is a good service. Whether you are selling your service or the service of someone on Legiit, you’ll find it is far easier with a lower barrier to entry.

What's the best thing to sell online?

The best thing to sell online is one you don’t need to possess. That’s because storage and manufacturing will be two of the most significant expenses.

What can I sell to make money fast?

The best thing you can sell to make money right away is services. Whether it is writing or graphics design, people always look for a good service at an affordable price.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for ideas to sell or market a service, Legiit is a great place to start. We’ve got dozens of sellers selling just about every service imaginable.

You can sign up as a seller and start making money right away. Alternatively, you can drop sell any of the services on Legiit at a small or big markup and not have to do a shred of work other than market the services.