Start selling something. What is profitable to sell on the Internet: options for goods and services, how to test a niche and check demand for free, online services for fully launching a business. Business plan: how to make the necessary calculations

Today we will learn how to sell online. In addition, you will have to understand this whole difficult process in general. For example, how to organize sales correctly, where to go to implement your own ideas, and so on. In general, business on the Internet occurs more and more every day. But if you don’t know the basic principles of work, your business will simply fail. There is huge competition here, so it is not always easy to start your own sales. So what to sell online and how to do it?

Handmade

Let's start with ideas for your business. The Internet is a place where you can sell whatever your heart desires. The main thing is to know how to present the product and to which audience to present it. The most popular at the moment is online business, which allows you to promote the so-called handmade products.

What it is? Everything you do with your own hands. Typically, this term refers to handmade items - crafts, jewelry, jewelry. A very profitable activity, especially if you know how to create something special. Handmade was and is highly valued in the world. So it's worth a try. You can, for example, sell beaded goods that you made yourself: keychains, jewelry, costume jewelry, and so on. Quite a good option. Thus, if you know how to create something with your own hands, turn it into profit!

Food

What to sell online? Another very good option is selling food. More precisely, a variety of dishes. Unlike handmade goods, this kind of goods is much less common. Yes, and this arrangement is not suitable for everyone. Mostly women on maternity leave prepare food to order.

In principle, the option is very profitable. Sometimes homemade food sells at a tremendous rate. Can you cook? Full of free time, energy and strength? Then you can try to engage in these sales. Confectionery and baked goods are especially popular. But other dishes are also not inferior in sales.

Cloth

Go ahead. Many people are interested in how to sell things via the Internet, and in general, what exactly is best to promote using the Internet. There are a lot of options, as already mentioned, any of your desires can come true here. Very often people sell clothes online.

This applies to both used and new goods. For example, some sew suits and other clothes to order. Quite a profitable business, especially if it is related to the so-called cosplay. Online clothing sales business has huge demand among buyers. Sometimes you don’t really want to look for something in stores; it’s easier to order everything online. Many people use this. Thus, any clothing, new or not, can be sold online. We’ll talk about how best to bring the idea to life a little later. First, it’s worth considering a few more options for sales.

Services

For example, services are a very non-standard product. That is, you have every right to promote your skills on the Internet and provide assistance to those who ask for it on a paid basis.

Here your imagination is not limited by anything. You can offer absolutely any services: from plumbing to programming. The main thing is that your actions are interesting to the audience. In fact, this is not a sale, but employment, the provision of certain services. A very profitable business, which is most often used by those who know computers well. Demand is usually for web programming (and regular programming too), processing graphics files, configuring and repairing software and computers in general. So this is a pretty good option. Only after contacting you will you have to work hard. After all, in fact, you offer services via the Internet.

Collections

Our list doesn't end there. The best-selling items on the Internet are, of course, those that cannot be purchased in principle. For example, antiques, as well as some collections. Perhaps, if you have any of these, you can organize some pretty profitable sales. Until the auction.

What exactly is being sold? Honestly, that's it. From stamps to coins, from luxury items to any antique fixtures. Even furniture and appliances from old times. It is enough to find a collector who is ready to buy this or that item from you. True, this option is not suitable for everyone, because not everyone has antiques and some collections. Therefore, in principle, sales of these take place, but they are not so common among ordinary users. Only special people have the opportunity to make good money using this method.

Graphic arts

Basically, if you're wondering how to sell things online, it's not that hard to figure out. But once it comes to figuring out the product options, there is too much choice. It has already been said that you have the right to sell anything online.

For example, a good option for those who know video editors and photo editors is to directly sell graphics. People are very willing to buy copyrighted photos and videos for one purpose or another. Many photographers and freelancers use this approach to make money. A very good option if you take a lot of photographs and work with graphic editors. The main thing is to know how to sell this or that product via the Internet. More on this a little later. However, many do not believe in the profitability of this business, which does not allow them to consider the option as such.

Knowledge

Knowledge has always been valued in the world. And on the Internet too. So this is a very good option for sales. Everyone is able to sell their knowledge! What exactly are we talking about?

It's no secret that for a long time users have been doing a variety of dissertations and coursework, solving quizzes and tests via the Internet. This is an excellent option for those who have knowledge in a particular field of science.

By the way, you shouldn’t think that selling knowledge on the Internet is a stupid thing. Not at all. This is where many people are able to earn big money without any problems. Of course, coursework and diplomas are extremely popular. They pay well, and there are orders all the time. Great idea for an online business! Especially when it comes to mathematics and other exact sciences. Try it, you won't regret it!

Lyrics

What other ideas can you find for business and sales on the Internet? Clothes and things are, of course, good. - Same. And selling your own knowledge via the Internet is not so difficult. But there is one more area worthy of attention.

What is it about? For a long time now, there has been such a thing as “freelancing” on the Internet. This is the so-called remote work. Many people associate it primarily with the sale of texts. This includes copyright and rewriting. Users write unique texts, which they then sell for further use on websites and pages on the Internet. A very profitable business, especially if you can write well and competently on a variety of topics.

The Internet is one of the main directions of modern online business. So don't neglect this option. It is very profitable, in some cases it can replace the main job and bring in a lot of money. The main thing is to constantly improve your writing skills.

Cosmetics

How to sell certain things online? This isn't really such a problem. The question is: what exactly can be put up for sale? Often, among the products on the Internet (in addition to all of the above), users are able to find cosmetics. And household goods. In general - anything, but this arrangement occurs quite often.

Typically, various companies use online sales to increase profits. Users are very happy to buy this product directly on the Internet. For new organizations, this option of doing business is not particularly suitable. As a rule, it arouses a lot of suspicion among users: what if we are being deceived? So it is better to sell cosmetics and household chemicals online only after promoting your product on the market, when people know and hear about you.

Start of sales

Now directly about the organization of the process. Where can I sell online? Honestly, everywhere. But there are generally accepted rules and algorithms that will help you run your own business on the Internet.

The first option that can be recommended is the use of virtual bulletin boards. Sales happen here every day, and it doesn’t matter what exactly you offer. Find a board (you can even use a free one, for example, “Avito”), place your ad there and wait for the results. True, this arrangement is usually suitable for one-time transactions. Not entirely suitable as a permanent business. Perhaps to additionally attract buyers.

Social media

How to sell your product online? Or more precisely, where exactly to do this? A modern solution to this problem is the use of social networks. Here you can use a variety of thematic groups or even create a separate page. Or make a community for this purpose.

A very popular solution to the problem. On social networks lately, a lot of sales are happening day after day. So take a closer look. All you have to do is simply create an ad that will attract users. Of course, as with all online sales, prepare in advance a bank account (or better yet, an electronic wallet) where you will be required to transfer funds for the goods.

Online store

Have you decided to open your own online business? Then it’s time to think about where to sell your product online. A good approach is to create a personal website or online store. Especially if you are actually going to open (or have already opened) a store.

This option is used by many. There are plenty of online stores, as well as regular ones, but with the ability to order goods via the Internet. And it's all very profitable. Especially when it comes to something that suits everyone: jewelry, toys, furniture. The virtual store inspires great trust among users. But creating and maintaining it is not an easy task.

Sites and groups

There are various sales services on the Internet. They are somewhat reminiscent of bulletin boards. Here you can easily promote any product you want. For example, pay attention to the various services from the “buy and sell on the Internet” series.

The principle of operation is simple: place an ad (preferably with a photo) and wait. Through the proposed systems you can not only sell, but also buy any product. True, this is also not the best approach for a permanent business. In this situation, the use of social networks is more popular.

Exchanges

How to sell anything online? The answer is simple: we find a sales service, place an ad and wait. This applies to goods, services, and knowledge. But if we are talking about texts or any other freelance activity, we can recommend certain exchanges. These services are common and are called freelancer (copywriter) exchanges.

How to sell here? You can either take orders and write texts on certain topics, or post your texts and just wait for people to buy them from you. Find an exchange, register, specify a virtual wallet (optional, it will come in handy later), place it - and that’s it. A very good option. By the way, if you don’t want to think for a long time about how to sell texts on the Internet, you can immediately join the Advego, TextSale and eTXT exchanges. They are in great demand on the Internet.

Organization

By the way, virtual business needs the right approach. To avoid problems in the future, you should properly prepare for the online sales process. What will it take? Here are a few points that will help you in the future:

• registration of individual entrepreneurs (mandatory for business, one-time sales do not require this);
• opening a bank account (card);
• registration of a virtual wallet (preferably "WebMoney" and "PayPal");
• registration on freelance exchanges and message boards (in your city).

In principle, after this you can take photographs of the product you are selling and promote it on the Internet. Don't forget to keep in touch with buyers. As you can see, you can sell anything. Moreover, wherever you can place an appropriate ad. Sometimes users engage in sales using thematic forums. This is also a good option for the development of events.

Business development via the Internet is gaining momentum every year. However, anyone who wants to understand the art of making money from users of the World Wide Web is faced with the inevitable problem of needing start-up capital. Today you will learn how to open and promote your online business without investment and how to make your income depend only on your skills and ingenuity.

• How does online business work?
• What if there is no start-up capital?
• Option two: mastering the art of the pen
• Let's sum it up

How does online business work?

Of course, virtual marketing is very different from the concept of “business” that we are used to. There are completely different principles at work here, and such a business needs to be conducted in a completely different way.

How do we understand starting a business in the usual sense? This complex process is divided into the following stages:

• Search for an idea;
• Accumulation of start-up capital and search for investors;
• Development of a development strategy;
• Purchase of goods;
• Beginning of work.

How to build a CPA business, where to start

Great. There is start-up capital - there is a conversation. Moreover, the more funds a novice businessman initially has in his hands, the more powerful an impetus he will be able to give to the business from the very beginning.

With internet marketing, things are a little different. Yes, start-up capital is usually needed. Be it renting the appropriate domain, hiring professional website developers, purchasing goods and advertising. But there are significantly fewer risks here: all you can lose is profit from the sale of the goods you purchased. You do not risk damaging the rented premises, falling into the clutches of the tax inspectorate, or encountering a criminal segment that will demand a large part of the profit from you.

However, as practice shows, a virtual business requires little investment, but a lot of time. In other words, if you are interested in such a business, a way to earn extra money in your free time is not for you. You need to weigh all the pros and cons, and only then should you start working on a strategy.

What if there is no start-up capital?

This is not an obstacle to developing your online business. Such a statement may seem absurd, but it is true: you can make money online without investing a penny. You will need to invest your strength, skills and, of course, time. The main thing is to get down to business seriously: develop a competent strategy, carefully think through the idea and start selling and work hard in the right direction.

We recommend a course on making money on the Internet: Find out more than 50 ways to make money online, including ways to make money freelancing

To understand how you can organize your business without starting capital, let's think about what you can sell without investing money in either raw materials or the finished product, be it food, equipment or household items. For example, it makes sense to sell your creative works. Today, this is the most popular type of virtual business for those who do not want to risk their money.

Surely every home has a camera. It can be built into a phone or tablet, or be a separate device. After all, on sites where people give away unwanted items for free, you can always find an old digital camera. What are we talking about? And besides, selling photographs can be a good help for your own business. It is enough to read a couple of books on the art of photography and watch a series of video tutorials on working in Photoshop via the Internet. After this, you can safely open your own store via the Internet selling photographs, where you can offer people to download a series of their own photos in high resolution for a small price or provide photo color processing services.

What can you sell to make money?

It is believed that the average cost of processing one photo ranges from 100 to 200 rubles. At the same time, an experienced hand can perform this seemingly tricky procedure in just a couple of minutes.

Option two: mastering the art of the pen

Now you are reading an article that we hope will be interesting to you. Let's think about how this happens. A man picks up a laptop, opens a text editor and begins to create. What kind of investments occur on the part of the author himself? That's right, none. So why not start selling articles online, why not turn competently and interestingly written text into a product, albeit a virtual one?

Here is another idea for a business operating via the Internet. It is enough to learn to write cleanly, informatively and competently. And, if you master the skills of a professional author, which in itself is not that difficult, you can quickly start selling your works online. Moreover, texts can be posted both on already open platforms (etxt, advego), and you can organize your own.

Making money from freelancing - is it real?

As for the average cost of a text, not only its quality is important, but also its volume. You can sell a thousand characters at a price from 10 to 100 rubles: this depends on the level of both the author himself and his articles. It is believed that to achieve an average level of performance skill, just a couple of months of hard work are enough: after that, the money begins to literally drip into your hands.

Let's sum it up

It turns out that the most popular idea for a business operating via the Internet is the sale of services and works that do not require raw materials, materials or special tools. This allows you to endlessly increase sales to unprecedented levels. You can sell not only photos and texts, but also provide translation services, problem solving, accounting, online tutoring and much more.

The main thing is not to despair; if you can’t sell a lot at once, no one achieves success quickly. But if you have enough patience, the business will definitely bring income, and you won’t have to strain to get a stable and decent income without investing any money or effort.

Selling things online is not a very complicated process, the success of which depends entirely on preliminary preparation, namely: calculating investment risks and developing a strategy for attracting customers. It is not enough to simply purchase goods and create a sales platform. At the very beginning, it is important to develop a marketing plan, conduct an advertising campaign and begin building a client base.

What you need to sell things online

The choice of a site for selling goods also plays a certain role; there are several options, but it is small. This can be your own online store (at the first stage, which you can create yourself and completely free), message boards and social networks:

• Online store. To create it you will need at least minimal knowledge in the field of SEO, unique texts with descriptions and photographs. Advertising also works effectively to attract customers.
• Notice boards. It requires perseverance, unique content and photographs. A great option to empty your wardrobe and sell used items.
• Social media. You need to have thousands of people as friends or a well-advertised community where selling handmade items online is great, and you also need photographs and descriptions of the goods.

Specifics of creating an online store

How do you sell things online, where to start? Not a single Internet project will make a profit without a high-quality selling website. The resource should not only be visually attractive and convenient, but also “catch” real people, and not search engines. The basis of a selling website is informativeness and unique content. Search engines, which are created to improve sites, help with this, as they require high-quality text, unique photographs and the presence of goods with descriptions. For the convenience of clients, you can add a forum to the site for discussion and the ability to communicate with specialists. As a result, search engines will display the online store on the first page of the search due to the frequent mention of keywords and unique text, and you will get new customers.

Promotion

It happens that the site contains high-quality text, unique photographs of excellent quality, a forum has been created, but buyers do not come. In this case, you need to start promoting the resource on the Internet, and most importantly, find a good specialist. Not many of those who are just exploring a new field called “Selling things online” can boast that they are well versed in promotion and are familiar with its possibilities. Therefore, it is better to contact a specialist who will do everything in the best possible way.

Popular resources for selling things online

Don't know how to sell things online? On the Internet you can find a huge number of platforms for selling goods, each of them has its own characteristics. Let's look at the three most popular:

1. Avito. A free site with excellent tools for selling different categories of goods (you can put up used items for sale), and there is also a large number of online stores. Even unregistered users can view ads, which is undoubtedly a plus. Selling things online on Avito is carried out through your personal account; therefore, you need to go through a simple registration procedure. Ads can be placed for free for 30 days, and there are also paid options for those who want to highlight their ad or raise it in search.
2. Ebay. A global platform designed to sell completely different things, there are both private sellers and large corporations. A clear advantage of the resource is free registration, but you will have to pay for each product displayed, which is an obstacle for some.
3. "Meshok.ru". A platform that provides the opportunity to put goods up for auction completely free of charge. The seller must register on the site, add high-quality photographs and a description of the product. According to the rules of the site, for each successful transaction the user must pay the owners of the resource 2-3% of the price of the goods sold.

Selling products online through social networks

Selling goods through VKontakte is very easy and simple. An online store is created for free; you can quickly create product catalogs and upload photos there. In addition, the owners of the VKontakte website are interested in attracting new users, so the seller has all the conditions for work. It is possible to attract customers for free by sending a friend request and sending personal messages inviting them to visit your online store. You can also conduct advertising campaigns, although in this case you will have to spend a certain amount.

So what do you need to sell things online and how to open a VKontakte store? It's quite simple. Many people create a resource on social media. networks parallel to the site, although at first, if you have a large number of friends, you can limit yourself to the VKontakte platform. For successful sales, you need to pay great attention to SEO promotion, filling the page with content and increasing the number of subscribers. If you doubt your abilities or are not ready to devote a lot of time to social networks, you can hire a freelance administrator.

How to work with the VKontakte service

1. Registration.
2. Creation of an online store.
3. Filling the page with products and content.
4. Conducting an advertising campaign.
5. Working with clients (carrying out promotions, stimulating repeat purchases).

The main attracting factors for buyers are price and assortment. Selling clothes online is a responsible business, but if you try and thoroughly fill out the catalog and offer the client a favorable price, he will undoubtedly prefer to make a purchase from you. To attract the target audience, it is recommended to use hashtags (#sale, #obnova, etc.); many buyers use them to find the right product.

Working with social networks, it is important to start building a base of regular customers from the very beginning, to do everything to ensure that selling clothes via the Internet is profitable, and that customers are satisfied and come back to you again. How to attract a buyer:

• Help in choosing color, size, style, etc.
• Placing in catalogs not only photographs, but also videos for maximum demonstration of the product.
• Using special programs for virtual selection of clothes.
• Possibility of online communication with the seller.

Payment system

The next point is to open an account in a payment system convenient for both the buyer and the seller. When opening an account in a Russian bank, the seller will immediately be faced with the issue of taxes, which will reduce all the advantages of selling online to nothing. An account in a foreign bank will save the seller from paying taxes, but buyers will not transfer funds there. The question arises: what to do? The best option is to pay for orders from an electronic wallet account; the system is not yet controlled by the tax authorities. Of course, not everyone has opened electronic accounts yet, but every day this payment method is gaining popularity.

Some people think about their business or their business so that they can stop working for their uncle and start working for themselves. Most of them tend to think about trading because, in their opinion, “buy and sell” is the easiest way to make money. And nowadays, trade is moving to e-commerce, since this is the most developed type of commerce on the Internet at the moment. And people are thinking about opening their own online store and starting trading and working for themselves.

Most people never start, because to open an online store, you still need some knowledge, choose an engine, type of online store, understand what is best, and so on. That is, people get stuck in technical aspects, programming, engines, features and small details, instead of engaging directly in trading.
Therefore, it is for them that I am writing this article, so that people try to engage in trading without getting into the technical jungle, and only after that they decide whether they want to continue.

Let's imagine a situation that you have already decided on what you want to sell, perhaps you have even purchased this product or are planning to purchase it, or maybe you yourself create some unique things or clothes, or something else, and now the task is to start selling it, The most logical thing would be to open your own online store, but this article is about how to start trading without opening it.

Option 1: Find existing online stores and outlets
Search through the search for online stores in your region or city that sell similar or the same products as you, or maybe you think that your product will perfectly complement their assortment. You contact the owners and offer them to take your product for sale. With whom you agree, they will sell it for you, taking their percentage.
The main advantage is that you don’t need to invest in advertising, you only need money for the product, and other online stores will sell it, and it can be any quantity, that is, you can have a whole network where you sell your product. Also, you will see whether your product is selling, and you will understand who your target audience is.
The disadvantages are that you will not be able to build up your customer base, if you have a non-unique product, then any online store can simply start purchasing it itself if it goes well, and you will be left with your product without a point of sale.

As a rule, large online stores will not contact you because of a lot of red tape, but small ones will quite easily take your product for sale. Despite the disadvantages, you can still start trading this way and even earn your first money so that you can decide whether to move further in this direction and open your own store.

By the way, if you have a unique product that you make yourself, then this is generally an ideal scheme and you can keep it even if you open your own online store.

Option 2: Social media
You can generally sell not only through online stores with a shopping cart and other technical attributes, but also through social networks, such as VKontakte or Facebook. For the Russian-speaking audience, I recommend VKontakte as the largest social network in terms of users. But you can trade at least through all available to you, it’s up to you to decide for yourself.

So, you create a group or public page there, post photos of the product, descriptions, videos, everything you have, invite friends, ask them to invite their friends, organize a competition or buy some advertising and start selling.
In fact, it’s almost an online store, but you don’t need to know anything at all to create it. In general, I see many groups and public pages on VKontakte that generally only trade there, that is, they earn money without online stores on a separate domain, only through social networks.

The pros are that it’s simple, in 1 minute a group is created, it fills up in a little while, and after a couple of hours you can already get your first clients, and you have everything, both the product and the customers, but the downside is: that here you need to deal with delivery and other work with clients yourself. But it will work almost like an online store, that is, after this you can clearly understand whether you want to move on.
There are people who sell more per day through social networks than people with their own online store.

Option 3: Forums, message boards, auctions, etc.
You don’t have to create groups on VKontakte, Facebook, Odnoklassniki and other social networks, you don’t have to negotiate with the owners of other online stores, you can simply place your ads and goods on various platforms, city websites, thematic projects and forums, in product aggregators, and at auctions.

It's all free, you just need to spend a little time researching where you can place your product, and then you'll just sell on all of them, updating offers, creating new ads, communicating with buyers.
That is, you will simply sell where it is possible, selling to the audience of these sites.
The main disadvantage is that competitors can unsubscribe right in your topic, telling you why your product is bad and why theirs is better, or offering the same thing, but cheaper. These sites are simply beyond your control.

Option 4: Online stores and sites for rent
I will not dwell on this option in detail, since it has disadvantages that are not very suitable for those people who do not want to bother or pay at all.

There are services that allow you to quickly create your own store on the basis of their platform without special knowledge and skills, or a platform where you pay a monthly rent or, depending on the number of goods, and your goods are sold there.
For example, Yandex market or stores for rent such as insales and ecwid. Some services even allow you to embed online stores into any website. But one way or another, these are almost online stores, even if some basic conditions are free, you will still need to pay later, for additional functionality, or you will have to pay immediately. Therefore, I consider this option more likely for people who have already decided that they want to make an online store, but for some reason do not want to make their own using their own development or a separate engine.

Therefore, for serious consideration, I propose only the first three options. You can mix them and use all three; you may not need an online store at all.
Now you know that you can engage in e-commerce without creating an online store, trade without it, through what I described, if you want, see how it goes, whether you like it, and only then create an online store.

The volume of sales via the Internet in Russia is growing every year. The list of goods and services that Russians are getting used to buying online is constantly expanding. You can start a new business on the Internet quickly, without being tied to a specific place of residence. For the convenience of entrepreneurs, today there are many available services for starting an online business, which we will discuss below.

What can you sell online?

First, it’s worth listing the main advantages of selling online:

• lower costs for starting a business compared to offline trading;
• business can be managed remotely;
• activities can be largely automated;
• there is the possibility of scaling to significant sizes.

You can sell more than just goods via the Internet. Here are three main groups of what is sold on the RuNet:

• Goods
• Services
• Information products

Let's take a closer look at them.

Goods

When selling goods online, the business is built on purchasing goods at a lower price (often in bulk) and reselling them at a higher price. An entrepreneur is not required to be a specialized specialist in any field; it is more important to navigate the market for a specific product.

If the business takes off, there is a chance to make money on one type of product for a long time. And if the demand for it is wide, then such a business is much easier to scale than retail trade through offline stores. The Internet will allow you to start with much less investment and quickly reach a decent income.

But at the same time, creating an online store requires more funds than selling services or information products through a network. As a rule, a larger website (with a product catalog) is required, as well as funds for purchasing products. In addition, the cost of time and money will be associated with the fact that the goods will need to be stored somewhere, it will be necessary to ensure its delivery and daily calls. It is necessary to take into account the possible presence of defects, as well as the fact that the product may go out of fashion or deteriorate. Paperwork is also still required.

We will return to information about what products are in demand on the RuNet in the statistics section.

Services

If an entrepreneur is a specialist in a certain field, he can sell his services via the Internet and provide them (depending on the type) not only in his local market, but also to remote clients. In addition, it is possible to sell not only your own services, but also those performed by other people. In this case, the business becomes scalable, since it does not depend on the physical capabilities of one person.

Starting a business selling services is less expensive than selling goods. In this case, there is no need to purchase goods, and the site, as a rule, is required to be much less voluminous than when creating an online store. There is no risk of damage to the goods.

To start an Internet business based on services, it makes sense to create a portfolio - some presentation of achievements in the selected segment. There should be positive customer reviews here.

Service providers must constantly improve their skills and knowledge in their field.

For example, the following services are sold via the Internet in Russia:

• Creation of texts
• Website creation and promotion
• Real estate rental and sales services
• Advertising services
• Lawyers' services
• Programming
• Services in the beauty sector (cosmetologists, hairdressers, etc.)

Information products

If you managed to solve a serious problem, you can make an information product about it and sell it to those who face similar difficulties. When your own experience is not enough, you can produce other people's information products.

The costs of starting a business selling information products, as well as selling services, are low. In addition to the costs of the information product itself, as a rule, it requires the creation of a very small website and investment in advertising.

In order for people to trust the information being sold, positive reviews from students and clients are useful. An information business specialist must constantly develop his knowledge and periodically update his products.

In this sector, you may encounter cases of piracy. If possible, you need to monitor the availability of your courses posted online and combat this. But the best way to deal with this would be to provide customer support, which those who simply download a file with course information are deprived of. After all, people master certain skills more successfully if they are included in live communication and can consult with an expert.

Completely different information products are sold on the RuNet, here are some quite popular areas:

• related to financial issues and problems (where to invest, how to resolve debt issues, how to achieve sales growth, etc.);
• related to personal relationships (how to get married, etc.);
• about changing your own body (weight loss, muscle building, etc.).

Statistics: what do Russians buy most online?

The Russian online trading market is very different from the global one. If there is a significant segment in the world for the sale of information (cinema, music, books), then Russians are accustomed to paying several times less for this, and mostly spend money on the purchase of physical goods. Here is the ranking of the best-selling products online in Russia:

1. Electronics and household appliances.
2. Clothes and shoes.
3. Computer technology.
4. Auto parts.
5. Cell phones.
6. Childen's goods.
7. Household products.
8. Furniture.
9. Equipment.
10. Construction materials.

How to choose a profitable property for sale on the RuNet

First, when choosing a niche, you should consider your own interests. Of course, you will not be able to sell something that is interesting only to you and no one else. But for a long time it will also be extremely difficult for you to do something that you are not passionate about. After all, to achieve results you sometimes need to be persistent and overcome difficulties, which is easier when you are really interested in something. It’s good to have some experience and understand the chosen segment (or at least devote enough time to searching for the necessary information).

Secondly, you need to find out what demand there is for the product or service. If the demand is already there, it is much easier to work with it than with promoting a completely new unknown product. To determine demand, there are query statistics services from Yandex and Google - this is a reflection of how often Runet users search for something on the Internet. For example, you choose between two groups of products with which to create an online store. You can select the main queries by which people search for products from these two groups and check how many queries per month there are for one and the other group in Yandex Wordstat. A significant difference in numbers will objectively show that it is in great demand.

Here you can immediately assess the seasonality of the future business. To do this, look at the query history in Wordstat. If you want to trade skis, you will notice that the main surge in demand during the year in this segment occurs from November to February. This will allow you to more clearly plan your activities throughout the year. In addition, you will be able to roughly understand whether the number of requests in a given sector is increasing or decreasing compared to the previous year.

Third, assess the presence of competition. Strange as it may sound, the more competitors there are, the more profitable it may be to run a business in a given niche. If in a certain sector no one is investing in business and advertising, this may indicate that it is quite difficult to make money in this niche. What are some simple tools for assessing competition? Enter the desired search query in Yandex: for example, “cat food.” On the right you will see statistics on the results (how many pages Yandex found on this topic), and under this the words “Advertise” and “Show all”. If you click on the “Show all” link, you can find out how many total advertisements have been placed for this request. A simple example is to change the word “cats” to the word “dogs” and compare the results. You can do the same with the goods or services you are going to sell to compare them.

Fourthly, you need to take into account the profit per sale. Online advertising costs money. And each client you attract will cost you some amount. In this regard, some experts recommend not to get involved with sales in segments where the planned average profit per sale is less than 700 rubles.

Fifth, evaluate upsell opportunities. If you are choosing between two products, and customers need to order one product constantly, and the second one is ordered once in a lifetime, with the same sales margin, the first one is definitely more profitable. To increase the size of the check, you can consider creating sets, offering additional services, gift certificates, and so on.

Sixth, evaluate the cost of personal time running a business. If a business can only become profitable if you spend more time on it than is physically possible, perhaps you should abandon the idea outright. It is also worth taking into account the time spent on document management. In Russia, the situation in this regard is aggravated if the business is conducted in the form of a legal entity (and not an individual entrepreneur), there are employees on employment contracts, as well as in sectors that require additional permits, and the like.

Seventh, think about logistics and storage when it comes to goods. What costs of time and money await you? What delivery services are available to you and what hours do they operate? How long will it take to ship the goods, etc.? How much space will you need to store it?

Eighth, think about how quickly a product or information product will become outdated. If it happens very quickly, it will increase possible business risks.

And ninth, consider opportunities to build momentum. If the business turns out to be profitable, it will be easier to scale it in a growing market and with a sufficient number of potential clients.

When comparing several groups of goods or services, you can evaluate them according to the given criteria and compare which is more profitable for you.

Steps to starting an internet business

In what sequence can you proceed to start a business online?

1. Selecting an object (product, service, information product) according to the steps described in the previous paragraph.
2. Carrying out calculations, drawing up a business plan.
3. Testing a business with this object.
4. Making a decision to continue/terminate sales of an object.
5. If continued, the business will be replicated.

These stages can be completed several times with different products or services until the best option is selected. In addition, the choice of profitable options can be continued even if you have a successful business, because the demand for many things changes, new goods and technologies appear, and seasonal demand for certain goods arises.

We have already considered the choice of a sales object, and we will devote a separate paragraph below to drawing up a business plan.

Therefore, here we will immediately move on to the testing stage.

Let's say you've chosen the service you want to provide, found out that there is a demand for it, and that many people are advertising about it.

Where you should start testing is by determining what promotion methods your competitors use.

You can check the demand for advertising on large platforms: Yandex, Avito, other well-known, as well as specialized resources and other channels that, in your experience, are more often used when searching for clients for this service. If the service is local, it is also worth finding groups in your area on social networks.

You need to find out the cost of advertising across all channels. And then choose the least expensive methods of promotion in order to try them out first. Advertising costs should be considered not only direct, but also those associated with the creation of the site. For example, if you see that you can place an ad from a private person on Avito, perhaps you should take advantage of this first, rather than immediately spending time and significant funds on creating your own resource. To sell a variety of services and individual products, you can use pages on social networks and one-page websites. This will save you money when starting a business.

Some promotion methods may turn out to be very inexpensive, and some may even be free. However, it is worth setting aside some money to test different promotion channels.

Next, it makes sense to make a plan for time, money and methods of promotion when testing the niche, as well as the expected results. And then record all the data (how much money was spent and how many hits there were from each channel).

Prepare for the start of sales without making unnecessary expenses (collect the necessary materials, get separate telephone numbers, if appropriate, set up pages on social networks or the minimum possible websites).

After this, you can launch the first advertisement - starting with the lowest cost one. Often, the result of promotion depends on many factors (drafting an ad, the availability of a portfolio, the effectiveness of the advertising platform, etc.). Therefore, it will obviously be too early to draw a conclusion about the success of sales after one attempt at advertising on one site.

According to statistics, not every contact with a client (viewing your ad) turns into a sale. 100 views from interested customers can result in, for example, one sale. If we are talking about advertising on a non-core resource where visitors were not looking for your services (for example, a city group), then tens of times more views may be required.

During the testing stage, you need to ensure a sufficient number of views of your ads.

If we are talking about advertising in Yandex.Direct or Google Adwords, the number of clicks on your ads should not be 10-20, but approximately 100 for each potential sale. And these should be target clients; do not waste money on too general and non-core requests.

When executing your plan for your first test ad, it makes sense to adjust your advertising campaign based on new data received and customer feedback.

Once you have reached a sufficient number of potential customers, you can estimate the resulting sales of your service (or product) as well as the average cost per sale. And based on this, make a rational decision about whether to continue this activity further or find something more interesting.

Online services for starting an Internet business

New services appear on the Internet all the time; we will list a few of them. You can probably find others to suit your specific needs.

• Yandex Wordstat. We have already described how convenient this service is for determining the demand for a product/service and determining the seasonality of its sales.
• Yandex.Direct and Google Adwords- two main services for placing search advertising.
• Yandex Market- a large Russian platform for selling goods.
• Aliexpress- a large international platform for selling goods.
• Avito- an effective platform for finding buyers of goods and services.
• In contact with- a social network with a large number of formed Russian groups of potential consumers (local groups, interest groups).
• Business plan designers- a range of online services for making calculations.
• Website builders- services that allow you to create your own website for free.
• Insales- service for independent creation of online stores.

Business plan: how to make the necessary calculations

Business plan- it's not just calculations. When prepared for investors, it can be a fairly lengthy document. It is unlikely that when starting a small online business, entrepreneurs will compose it for themselves in detail, but we will nevertheless present the main sections that are usually included in it.

1. Brief description of the project (form of business, required general financing).
2. Description of the product or service (main characteristics and price).
3. Market analysis (competition situation, sales channels).
4. Marketing plan (description of the target buyer, sales geography, main methods of promotion).
5. Production plan (if applicable) and logistics.
6. Personnel planning (how many people will work in the project).
7. Financial plan (cash flow budget).
8. Project implementation schedule (calendar plan).

If you are interested in completing all of these sections, online business plan designers will help you. Such a free service is even available on the Russian government website (on the federal SME portal).

But the most useful thing to do before starting a business is to create a cash flow budget. It can take the form of a table that shows all expenses (one-time and regular), as well as expected revenue and other income. Such a plan is drawn up monthly for a long period, for example, 3 years. At the same time, sales volumes must be planned taking into account seasonality. For example, if you sell skis, your income in winter and summer will obviously be different.

As a result, the planned profit is determined for each period, as well as this indicator on an accrual basis.

Don't forget to include in your expenses:

• business registration costs,
• taxes,
• rent if you plan to rent the premises,
• fare,
• purchase of goods,
• payment for advertising and website promotion,
• hosting costs and domain names,
• employee salaries,
• expenses for accounting support,
• site content, etc.

If you include all the necessary expenses in the table, you may be unpleasantly surprised by the possible result. But it’s better to see the danger at the planning stage and change plans than to spend months, or even years, working at a loss that can no longer be returned.

That is why drawing up calculations is highly recommended when doing business. Next, it is important to keep statistics in order to assess the real, and not the planned, state of affairs and take measures to optimize the situation.

An example of basic calculations for an online store

Each entrepreneur, as a rule, has his own expense items. It depends on the taxation system he chooses, hiring employees, renting a warehouse, transportation costs, and so on.

Without going into such individual details, we will give a schematic example of calculating the profit of an online store.

Such a calculation should be made before starting a business and then adjusted depending on the results obtained. For example, you see that with the planned advertising costs, the number of site visitors is half as much as was planned. Perhaps you should test other advertising methods or add new actual data on advertising costs to the main calculation.

A little about business registration

While you are testing different niches, you may not make a single sale at all. Or do one or two, which in essence is not yet a business. Therefore, there is little point in registering an individual entrepreneur or, especially, a company at this stage.

If the business has taken off, registration can be done quickly and without any problems. In the current legal regime, when registering an LLC, the document flow will be more voluminous than when registering an individual entrepreneur, so is it worth complicating your life?

We highly condemn working without registering a business in the manner prescribed by law, but some do this, taking advantage of the peculiarities of Russian legislation. For example, from the following article of the Code of Administrative Offenses it is clear that an individual in this case bears much less responsibility than a registered legal entity: “Article 14.15. Violation of the rules for the sale of certain types of goods. Violation of the established rules for the sale of certain types of goods - entails a warning or the imposition of an administrative fine on citizens in the amount of three hundred to one thousand five hundred rubles; for officials - from one thousand to three thousand rubles; for legal entities - from ten thousand to thirty thousand rubles.”

Nevertheless, there are a number of liability options for illegal business activities.