AI in eCommerce: Optimize or start your business from scratch for 1$

The graph shows the Global Google search volume for the previous full month. For example, a topic with a 6.6K volume means there were 6,600 searches on Google for that keyword last month.

Don’t have an idea for a niche? Get inspired:
• Use Buzzsumo (30-day free trial), a content marketing tool that offers a trend discovery feature. It helps you find the latest trending content for a particular niche (tech, sports, entertainment, etc.), making it ideal for content marketers who need to find the latest industry news.
• Exploding topics

• And if you’ve chosen a niche that offers a lot of subcategories, you can use SparkToro - a tool that shows who your audience is, what they talk about, and where to reach them. By seeing what your audience is talking about, you can precisely choose a subcategory that’s trending, that is, products in demand.
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So, if you want to test which subcategory in the beauty niche has the biggest potential, list and filter results for each subcategory. For example:
• Makeup
• Fragrances
• Personal care appliances
• Bath and body
• Grooming tools
• Accessories
• Men's grooming
• Cosmetic bags and storage
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Then, pick one with the highest scores, and the next step is to research competitors to see if it's oversaturated for your chosen market.

We tested a specific product, wigs, to show which results you’ll get using SparkToro:

Click here to learn more about the most profitable niches in 2023, and to learn more about dropshipping, visit this link.

Research your competitors

Now that you know what you're selling, let's explore your competition – they hold the keys to success. Here's how:

Google Search: Look up your top five competitors using Google. Use simple terms that describe your business, like "food processor." For more focused results, try tools like Ahrefs, which offers several free tools, or SEMRush, which has a free trial.
‍Spy Tools: Try tools like Similarweb and Alexa. They reveal competitor info like social media, traffic sources, and more.
‍Social Media: Check out leading brands on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc. You can use AdSpy tool. See how they engage customers and improve your own social media strategy. Also, check ad libraries, like Facebook Ad Library, Google - adstranparency.google.com, and TikTok Ad Library.

Remember to gather this info in a spreadsheet. Because later on, it’s hard to keep everything in your head, especially when the time comes to evaluate that data.
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With Similarweb’s competitor research tool, all you have to do is enter your domain vs. your competitor's domain (up to 20) and get insight into:
• Traffic And Engagement
• Organic Search
• Paid Search
• Display
• Social
• Referrals
• Direct
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You can see new campaigns and analyze them along with traffic coming to the site and see if they’re profitable. This way, you can see what works and what doesn't with the audience, that’s basically the same for you and your competitor, and get inspired on your campaign efforts.

Find a supplier

This is the most important step since a supplier plays the most important role in eCommerce businesses. Why? Well
• A business's image depends on timely deliveries and quality products
• Fewer returns and complaints mean better profit margins
• Efficient suppliers can handle increased order volumes, enabling business growth
• With a reliable supplier, you can focus more on marketing and customer relations
• A reliable supply chain lowers the risk of disruptions, stockouts, or delayed deliveries
• Superior supply chain logistics can give you an advantage over competitors

And when it comes to looking for companies that provide these services, take simple steps like searching on Google, joining Facebook and LinkedIn eCommerce groups, or checking industry directories by sectors or regions and filtering by keywords.

Don’t forget to check online forums and communities. Websites like Reddit, Quora, or specialized eCommerce forums often have discussions about suppliers.

Since this is the ground base of your business, we recommend you approach this task with caution and focus. If you’re going to do business in Europe, you should choose a supplier located also in Europe to provide end customers with fast shipping. Remember, fast shipping equals a happy and loyal customer.

Also, check out the catalogs and pricing to determine which supplier best suits your needs, niche, and budget. Besides product prices, compare shipping prices and keep asking about the process until you confirm that there are no hidden fees.

Other key business factors to look after:
• Advertising material
• Returns and refunds
• Payment option
• Support system, both for customers and to help you overcome difficulties
• Branding
• Integrations

Gather information and make a decision. If you’re not the best analyst yourself, you can get help from these tools: 
• Qlik
• CommerceIQ
• MonkeyLearn
• Tableau

Here is an example of sorted data in Qlik for the selected field “Sales”. It looks like a lot of boring math, but it’s not. Just read the numbers on the charts or follow values, and voila, you’ve got your decision.

Last but not least, make a pro-con list by hand. SWOT analysis is also a choice.

Set up your online store
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To start selling online, the essential is an online business platform such as Shopify. This platform serves as the hub where you'll direct visitors, sell products, and handle transactions

.Shopify simplifies the process of building and launching your online store. It guides you from selecting a domain name to integrating marketing and sales extensions. Shopify enables you to vend across various channels (including online platforms), accommodate multiple currencies, and efficiently oversee products and payment processing.

What's more, you don’t have to be a designer or developer. It’s as simple as drag and drop, no code.

‍Shopify currently offers a 3-month trial for 1$. The registration process is very simple. All you have to do is answer a few questions related to your business goals and set basic store settings. And for a more detailed process, visit the Shopify Help Center. 
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If you want to start an online store completely free, you can use Weebly. It’s not as flexible or customizable as Wix, Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce, but it does offer a completely free plan. For more personalization, you can switch to a paid plan anytime.
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But what do you need for your store?

Brand name and a domain name

If you’re a creative person, you don’t need guidance to come up with a brand name. But if you’re not, use ChatGPT or these name generators:
‍• Namelix.com
• businessnamegenerator.com
• Looka (Alternative - Hatchful by Shopify)

Once you choose a brand name, it’s time for a domain name. It’s a unique address used to access a website.

Best practices that are about to become the rules for choosing a good domain name:
• Use your brand name
• Keep it short and simple
• Include keywords
• Avoid numbers and hyphens
• Choose the right extension (.store, .net, .org, .biz, .com, etc.)
• Make it easy to spell

If using Shopify, the business name you use when creating an account will become the myshopify.com URL for your store. For example, if your business name is entered as XYZ Company during sign-up, then your Shopify domain name will be XYZ-company.myshopify.com.

When you publish a free Weebly site, it will automatically get its own site address (URL), like http://test.weebly.com. If you would like to connect your own domain, you will first have to upgrade your plan to a paid one that includes using your own domain.

BigCommerce does not come with a domain. You will need to purchase a domain separately from a domain name provider such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Hover. Once you have purchased a domain, you can register it with BigCommerce and host your online store.

Regarding Wix, you can browse and purchase a domain directly on their site.

Logo

You know that little image that represents your brand? A logo, yes. They’re like your store's friendly face on the internet. They're important because they help people remember and recognize your business in a snap.

Now, here are some tools to keep in mind when creating your logo:

Canva

It’s really hard to determine in which section to place Canva since it does everything, especially after its AI upgrade. With Canva, you don’t really get a finished product with one click, but it’s as easy to use as clicking and moving objects. It has thousands of ready-to-use templates. Here’s how it looks:

Logos:

Amazon product image templates:

Namelix

Yes, you remember well, we used this tool for a brand name, too. You’ve got a free multitasker here.

Logo.ai

Cool, right?

Product pages

Let's run through the stuff again - you’ve chosen the niche, a supplier, and made your online store. Now, it’s time to pick products from your supplier’s offer and make product pages.

For a product page, you’ll need 
• Images
• Videos
• Text (copy) - gram free

If you’re lucky enough, your chosen supplier will offer you free, tested advertising material. If not, here are some tools that do the job fast and, in most cases, free.

‍Product images:
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‍ PeBblely