Are you wondering how to start an ecommerce business without inventory? That’s a great thing to think about these days! The ecommerce industry is flourishing, and there has never been a better time to start an online business. But how can you do that, indeed?
Suman, our today’s guest, is exploring an interesting strategy of running an ecommerce store without inventory. How did he launch it, in the first place? Has it already proved to be a success? And, more importantly, how can you follow in his footsteps? Let’s have a chat!
Hi, please introduce yourself!
Hi, I’m Suman Tuladhar! I’m 41, a Baltimore citizen who loves simple things in life like swimming and reading.
Half a year ago I became an owner of an ecommerce business. Even though I’ve got my bachelor’s in Computer Science, I’m a newcomer to this industry – I’ve never run an online store before!
Why did you start thinking of how to start an ecommerce business without inventory?
The thing is, I view online business as a way to serve people in need and get some passive income at the same time. My ultimate goal is to provide the needed products to consumers.
That’s a great mission – but how can you pull it off with no actual products at hand?
Turns out, it’s not that challenging – even for a person like me who’s never tried ecommerce.
This June, I got a ready-to-run online store already set up by Sellvia so I could start using it right after handover. This offer got me interested because it’s a professional online shopping website, and I’d love to have a passive income stream from an online business that’s so easy to start.
Basically, it’s a fully functioning online store that comes with personal guidance on how to use and manage it every day. And one of the best parts is that the inventory thing is all settled, too. The store sells auto gadgets directly from a warehouse in California, which means I don’t even need to buy or ship stock on my own. These products come from Sellvia Fulfillment Center: it takes care of the shipping and makes sure the products look presentable on my website.
That means, I have no inventory issues to solve on my own!
Does this business strategy pay off?
The store is running strong, as you can see!
In less than 6 months of my store ownership, I made over $3,700 in sales. What I’m especially proud of is the average order value – $77.46!
That’s impressive! How are you motivating people to buy more than 1 item per order?
There’s a bunch of promo tools I use to try and make the most out of every purchase.
For example, there’s the Abandoned Cart add-on that lets me contact the people who have almost placed an order and then changed their minds. I send them an automatic reminder email that shows the items still staying in their cart and takes them back to where they left. That’s how they get to my store again – check if something new appeared since their last visit – and fill their cart with more products than the last time.
There’s also the Landing Pages add-on that I use together with the Bulk Discounts add-on. Together, they let me create volume discounts: for example, a visitor can buy 1 product for $19 – or 3 units of the same product for $39 (which is $13 per one unit). Usually, people are glad to get a lower price, especially if that’s a product they can give as a gift (like wallets or keychains) or something that they need to buy again when it’s over (like car washing supplies).
Great choice! But how are you driving people to your store in the first place?
I promote my store on social media. To be more specific, I use Facebook ads – I mean, I used them earlier, but then stopped with paid promotions. I haven’t been running FB ads for more than a month now, but sales are still there!
There are 2 reasons for that, I think. First, I use the Social Rabbit plugin to fill my feed with posts regularly. These aren’t ads and they cost me nothing, but they still keep my followers interested and show the store is active. That’s why people remember me and go to see what’s new I have for them.
And second, my Facebook followers count keeps growing because of the products I sell. That might sound strange: I mean, how to start an ecommerce business without inventory – but make this inventory the key to your whole business success? But as I have found out, people are returning to make purchases because my store has really useful auto gadgets for daily use. They like what they get, and are coming for more, and are subscribing to my page. That’s why I’m so thankful to Sellvia for supplying me with products so efficiently.
How would you describe your experience with Sellvia to those who are considering how to start an ecommerce business without inventory?
First of all, my customers love the 3-day shipping that Sellvia provides. That’s another part of their great shopping experience they get in my store, and that’s another reason for them to buy from me more than once.
I previously considered other product sources like AliExpress or Doba, but chose Sellvia eventually. What I like about it is the best product range – a great selection of quality items, shipping terms, and a good return policy.
In terms of my personal experience of using it, I give 5 stars to Sellvia due to their prompt replies and fast and efficient order processing. I had no previous ecommerce experience, but Sellvia made it easy — and I will be doing business with it gladly.
What’s the bottom line? The question of how to start an ecommerce business without inventory should never bother you again – it’s all settled! A tailor-made online store featuring quick to deliver items already kept in a US-based warehouse is all you need to start and grow your successful online venture in no time – just like Suman did! We are grateful for his inspirational feedback and wish him new exciting business horizons to explore!