Is it a Good Idea to Open an Online Lighting Store?

A lighting business is a lucrative endeavour to pursue. You can be a manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, and retailer. This article will discuss how to start an online business of a lighting store. We have you covered on everything from supplies to marketing.

What is an Online Lighting Store?

An online lighting store does not have a physical retail presence. It’s catalogue is sold on online platforms. Buying or renting a store is often expensive. On top of that, you would have to design and build the interior space, hire employees to manage customers, and pay maintenance costs, such as electricity, taxes, etc. You can save time, money, and energy by operating an online lighting store.

How to Start Lighting Business

Here are some tips you can use while opening an online lighting store:

1. Get knowledge about the field

People with no background in this sector should research about this business before making a lighting business plan. For this, they can talk to local retail stores, dealers and suppliers. You should know the answer to the following questions:

• Which products are popular right now?
• Which type of products do your target customers buy?
• In which months does business boom?
• How much diversity should a retailer have?

As an entrepreneur, you must find out what you are getting into. Knowing the market is a prerequisite for entering it as a player.

2. Estimate the cost of business

After getting information about how this business works, you have to estimate the cost of opening an online lighting store. You will need to hire developers to create a website and other operations. Next, you will have to figure out the scale at which you want to operate. Do you want to operate in your city or go pan-Indian? Do you want to sell lighting fixtures only for residential use or for all purposes? After answering these questions, you can find out how much it will cost you.

3. Lighting business plan

Firstly, you need a business plan to get started. Ask yourself these questions while making a plan:

• Who’s going to be my target customer?
• Which dealer should I tie-up with?
• How much capital will I need to run my operations?

These are some of the most fundamental questions of a business plan. Think carefully and figure out what you want from the business. Your plan should have ingredients such as company description, strategy, marketing plan, financial plan, and appendix.

4. Finding a supplier

A good supplier offering an assortment of fixtures and lighting can make all the difference to your store. The success of your business depends on what you offer to your customers. A mix of modern and traditional fixtures should be preferred. Pricing is a crucial factor as well. The better you negotiate with them, the higher your margins.

5. Building an online platform

You might be asking yourself how to start an e-commerce business. Well, firstly, you should decide which platform you want to sell on. You can sell the fixtures through e-commerce websites like Amazon and Flipkart. You can also create your website and sell from there. You will have to spend money on digital marketing and targeted ads on social media.

Another option is selling on social media only. Hundreds of millions of Indians use social media every day. You can use it to sell lighting fixtures.

6. Digital marketing

With an online store, you have to use digital marketing to spread the word around. It’s not an easy task to find new customers and convince them to buy from you. Here are a few digital marketing tips you can use:

• Pay-Per-Click ads: Google is the most used search engine in the world. People search for everything. You can use the PPC program of Google to target your customer base directly. The beauty of this program is that you won’t have to pay Google just for showing your ads. Only if the users click on the ad you will have to pay a small amount. You can program your ads based on search words. For example, if someone searches ‘buy lighting for home’, you can have your ad featured if someone uses this keyword. This will ensure that you will find individuals that are motivated to buy lighting fixtures.
• Search Engine Optimisation: SEO is a vital part of a marketing campaign. You have to pay Google to get page views if you use PPC ads. However, with SEO, you can increase views on your website without spending money. You need to find out which words customers use when searching. You can use Google Adwords Planner to find out the best-searched words. Use those words on your website, so if anyone searches those keywords, your website will show up organically on the first page of search results.
• Build a blog: Provide value to readers that are interested in lighting fixtures. For example,  you could write articles on how to light retail stores or how to create the perfect lighting for an event. These articles will be helpful to users, and they might check out your website and buy from you. You can plug your products in the blog as well. A blog is effective for conversion because potential buyers would be interested to read blogs. For example, someone looking to upgrade the lighting in their house will read blogs to find out the popular fixtures today. If they get impressed by your blog, there is a strong chance of a conversion.

Many people want the answer to how to start an online business for free. One crucial aspect of this is to devise an ingenious marketing plan with an aim to get organic growth. With a clever digital marketing tactic, you can start your online lighting store.

7. A diversified product line

A single dealer or supplier might not have the range you are looking for. With lighting, you need to have a diversified line that takes into account different styles of lighting prevalent in the market. Other than that, you need to have traditional lighting to keep the sales rolling.

To establish yourself as a key player in the market, your assortment of products need to be top class. This helps you stay ahead in the game.

8. Communicate with different lighting stores to set up your business

A new venture like this is not a walk in the park. Ask for help from experienced retailers and dealers while setting up your business. Someone experienced can help you focus on the most important aspects of opening an online lighting store. Moreover, they can introduce you to other distributors and suppliers and make you known in the circle.

Conclusion

The journey of becoming an entrepreneur and managing your own business is full of hurdles. You need all the help you can get along the way. We hope that this article helps you set up a successful online lighting store.

Also Read:

1) Is it a good idea to start up a solar power plant?
2) How Profitable is it to Start a Breakfast Joint & Coffee Shop?
3) How to start a business of eco-friendly & organic cleaning products?
4) How To Start An E-waste Recycling Business?

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FAQs

Q. Is it a good idea to open an online lighting store?

Ans. Absolutely, an online lighting store is a worthwhile venture. People know the value of having top-notch lighting fixtures in a home. The market for this is expanding every day.

Q. How to start a small business online?

Ans. For a small business, you can set up a shop on platforms like Shopify. You can also sell your products on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart. Small businesses can also sell on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The platforms can show targeted ads to ideal customers so that small businesses can get a decent return on investment.

Q. I deal in lighting fixtures. How to start an online business from home?

Ans. A lighting store can be easily operated from home. You will only need to find space for inventory. You can easily set up your own website and sell online while sitting at home. Especially with the pandemic, it is an excellent idea to operate online.

Q. What are some online lighting stores?

Ans. Many online lighting startups have been doing tremendous work in this field. You can take inspiration from them to start your own thing. Websites such as Wayfair, Schoolhouse, Etsy (in the US), Frontgate, etc. are some excellent online stores.