• Build your business

Business Tools

  • Profit Margin Calculator
  • Business Name Generator
  • Slogan Generator
  • Traffic Calculator
  • Ecommerce Statistics
  • Ecommerce Wiki

Free business tools

Start a business and design the life you want – all in one place.

  • © 2015-2024 Oberlo

How to Sell Online: Online Selling Ideas for 2023

Whatever you’ve heard about starting an online business , it’s probably true. It’s a competitive playground that challenges even the savviest entrepreneurs, but the overwhelming consensus is that you start learning how to sell online..

One of the best parts about it is that you can sell online beyond the borders of your city, your country, or even continent without ever leaving your work desk! Once you get started, virtually anyone from anywhere in the world can become your customer.

But where do you start?

There are simple ways to figure out how to sell on the internet, and they all stem from the answers to three basic questions – why, what, and how?

Here’s a guide of everything you need to know about how to sell online. It couldn’t get any easier.

Why Learning How to Sell Online Is a Good Idea

Can you imagine your life without the internet? No emails, no last-minute shopping, no cat videos… Let’s just stop there.

That’s precisely why the eCommerce industry is living its golden age. Everyone is connected and cozily nestled in their little online bubbles with no intention of going back to the old ways. Plugging into this trend is beginning to look like the smartest way to start an online business.

Here’s more on why .

1. Your business goes where you go.

Let’s get this one out of the way first — forget about *real* vacations without a laptop, at least for the first year or so.

When you learn how to sell stuff online, any place in the world can become your office, and more often than not, you’ll end up working weekends, nights, and holidays. The only difference is that you’ll do it with a smile on your face.

Work from the beach or your grandma’s garden — wherever you go, you’re just a tap (and a Wi-Fi connection) away from accessing your business. Everything you do must propel you towards success .

selling products online essay

2. Cash-strapped? Start a business with a small investment!

The beauty of the online world is that you can get the business off the ground with very little initial investment. It depends, of course, on what kind of business you’re planning to start, but for the sake of this article, we’re assuming you have your mind set on running an online store. And when it comes to selling online, dropshipping seems to be the go-to strategy.

With minimum overheads, such as paying for the hosting of your website and running some online ads, you can sell products online and build a profitable business in just a few months. And it’s not some kind of fantasy. There are real success stories to prove it.

3. You can make money 24/7.

Whereas physical shops are restricted to opening and closing times, online stores run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All the time. It doesn’t take a genius to see the potential in this business model. If you have a constant stream of traffic coming to your store and you optimize your conversions to a good standard, you can essentially earn passively while you sleep . 

This touches on another substantial benefit of selling online – if done right, it can be a sweet source of residual income . It is less time-intensive than, say, running a brick-and-mortar boutique because you don’t need to be present at all times. With automated inventory management and a robust online marketing plan, you can master how to sell things online with very little input from your side..

selling products online essay

4. There’s a lot of room to grow.

Entrepreneurs often have to bend over backwards to keep increasing their sales. While you may have the hottest products in stock , it can be hard to find new customers and keep them loyal to your business. Taking up the option to sell online can fix this problem almost instantly.

 According to the latest eCommerce statistics , the number online shoppers are rapidly growing and are expected to hit a whopping 218.8 million in 2023.

The takeaway? Entrepreneurs who are still on the fence about online selling should take action before they’re left in the dust. Plus, with so many strategies for selling online, it couldn’t be more simple to capitalize on the growing ecommerce trend.  

Now, that sounds like a dream come true.

Until you hit the next cornerstone of this process: What will I sell online?

Online Selling Ideas: Sourcing Products When You’re Stuck

Let’s leave the question of how to sell online for a moment and focus on WHAT things to sell instead. Finding a profitable idea is not an easy task, but you’ll be surprised at where you can find product recommendations . Sometimes, the answer might be hiding in plain sight. 

1. Piggyback on trends.

Who doesn’t want to be a trendsetter? A pioneering genius with a ground-breaking idea? It’s a blazing dream of many entrepreneurs. Yet, the eCommerce world isn’t always kind to unique online selling ideas. 

To get the sales engine running, an online store needs to serve a high demand in a market and source top products to sell .

When you’re on the hunt for a money-making idea, it pays off to listen to what the customers want. Yes, I’m talking about the best-selling lists, trend reports, and product curation lists.

Start your initial product research by casting a wide net. First, review the new and upcoming trends on online retail giants, such as eBay, Amazon, or Etsy. What are the month’s top picks, most favorite products, or best-selling items? Can you spot any particular trends like colors, shapes, fabrics, or patterns?  

When you have a rough idea of what you want to sell online, it’s time to find a way to source these products for your online store. And one of the best places to look for dropshipping product ideas is Oberlo . 

Give  Oberlo a thorough look, and you’re almost guaranteed to find something that meets your needs. For example, products with more than 500 orders in the past 30 days are likely to sell well. Jump on these products quickly, so you can get ahead of the competition. 

Bonus for Beginners : How to Find Products from Oberlo

Your next logical step is to choose high-margin products.

find products on Oberlo

2. Aim for healthy margins.

What matters at the end of the day is how much money you get to keep. Healthy margins will determine the future of your ecommerce business, so you should do everything you can to invest your time and effort into products that will yield the best results. 

The average eCommerce gross margin is approximately 40 percent. However, every market and every product is different, so you should spend time analyzing the competition and the going rate.

Some of the easiest tactics you can use to maximize the profits include finding winning products to sell , putting them at the front of your marketing initiatives and cross-selling campaigns, and adding variations of the best-selling items (think different colors, sizes, and shapes).

Oberlo has a profit margin calculator that will give you a better idea of your options.

3. Follow in the footsteps of other eCommerce winners.

Why try to reinvent the wheel? Capitalizing on useful resources, such as Oberlo’s 100+ Best Products to Sell ebook and ‘What to Sell’ section , is the ultimate shortcut to kicking off a successful online store. Don’t be discouraged from investing in a particular idea just because someone else is also doing it – the online world is big enough for all hustlers.  

How to Sell Products Online Successfully

Now, we’re ready to answer the question of how to sell online. Since we talk about all things ecommerce here on Oberlo, we’re going to discuss how to sell products online. Here are a few strategies that you can put into action with ease.

1. Use existing sales gateways.

You can sell online through marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, or Etsy, but this strategy has its pros and cons. 

On the pro side, there’s an established, large community of returning customers that you can access. And for someone who’s just learning how to sell online, it’s a big deal to be able to tap into a vast pool of online shoppers that already trust the platform. 

Another big plus for ecommerce beginners is the opportunity to test the demand for the products they offer. In fact, you can even test one-product store ideas in which you build a brand around a single product. Once you establish a good sense of what’s popular, it’s time to start building an online store . If you create one with Shopify , it’s easy to connect popular sales channels to your store.

builc online store Shopify

So, why shift the strategy when it starts returning a profit? Many reasons. First, the big marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, or Etsy will charge you a commission for every sale. Second, selling through a third-party will prevent you from building a personal relationship with your customers.

In essence, you won’t be able to capture their email addresses, provide useful content, or run your own campaigns to generate more sales. What’s more, marketplaces can shut your store at any time, which is a costly and damaging process to go through.

2. Sell via social media platforms. 

Along with marketplaces, social media channels like Facebook and Instagram allow you to get your products in front of prospective customers. For instance, you can set up a Facebook shop to showcase your inventory to Facebook users. Those interested can then add your items to their cart and check out on the platform directly. But if you’d rather create an independent eCommerce website, Facebook still offers several ways to sell online; you can use your Facebook Business Page, run ads, and sell products in Facebook groups .

Social media allows you to work with influencers. You can give samples of your items to influencers in return for shoutouts . Identify some influencers in your niche by searching for relevant hashtags, then partner with them to promote your products through stories, videos, posts, and more.

selling products online essay

3. Create your own dropshipping website.

Thanks to platforms like Shopify, setting up your website is easier than ever. You can take advantage of free trials and endless online resources to get it off the ground in just a few days. 

Also, you can install a dropshipping app to eliminate the hassle of buying and storing inventory. It’s a great way to sell online due to its many advantages, but the most profound are, of course, minimum setup costs – since you don’t need to buy the inventory or manage a warehouse. 

There’s also the ability to offer an extensive selection of products, which helps to scale quickly, and the incredible flexibility that comes with the fact that you can run your business from anywhere in the world. It’s the perfect combo of potential and freedom that’s attracting the digital nomads and hustlers .

However, it’s not entirely hassle-free. With so many success stories fueling the interest in this market, the competition to sell online is high and growing, so it’s crucial you do your homework before jumping on board.

Some of the other most commonly cited problems, such as finding the right suppliers, can be solved by integrating with existing ecommerce tools. With 2,000-plus, five-star reviews and a free Explorer plan , Oberlo is one of the most popular choices when it comes to importing products to your online store and managing inventory.

How to Sell Online – Final Thoughts 

Let’s look at it this way – an online store is almost free to set up, no initial investment means there are very few risks involved, and the factors determining your business’ success are entirely in your control. If you have the time and resources for going at it alone, then remember – sooner is better than later.  

Want to Learn More?

  • How to Launch Your eCommerce Store in Less Than 30-Minutes Flat
  • 23 Top Social Media Sites To Consider For Your Business
  • [VIDEO] What to Sell Online: How to Choose Products
  • 10 Online Stores to Use as Inspiration for Your First Store

Is there anything else you’d like to know more about and wish was included in this article?

Product Marketing Essay Examples & Topics

Product marketing is the process of taking a product and launching it into a market. This process takes place in the beginning of a product’s life cycle. Product marketers have to understand the product and the customers that it will reach.

Introduction of a new product consists of five steps.

The first step is discovery, where specialists conduct research. The next stage is planning: the team comes up with an effective marketing strategy. It is followed by definitions, where the customers are identified. Then it is time for the preparation stage, where campaigns are developed. Finally, the product launches, and it is time to monitor it to ensure its growth.

In your product essay, you might want to focus on product marketing strategy development. Another option is to discuss the essential product management issues. Want to know more about how to promote a product? Essay examples, topics, and writing tips are collected here. In this article, our IvaPanda experts have broken down how to write a successful product marketing essay. We listed some advice on how to describe any item that needs to be marketed and sold. Furthermore, on the page, you will also find product essay examples.

Write an A+ essay about product marketing with us!

Product Essay: Writing Descriptions 101

To sell a particular product, you have to advertise it effectively. If you are studying marketing, you are very aware of that fact. However, you should also be mindful of writing a clever description of the item you’re advertising. An accurate and complete product description leads to the selling of a product. Essay examples analyzing such advertisements can be found below. Here, we will explore how to describe a product correctly.

Here are some ground rules:

  • Determine your audience.

Before you can begin selling your item, you need to know to whom you’re selling it. Promoting a product cannot be accomplished without identifying your target audience. To do this, you need to get into the heads of your customers. Think of their interests, why they want your product, which features they would pay most attention to.

  • Think of the product’s benefits.

With your buyer in mind, imagine what parts of your product are of the utmost importance. This will be the basis for your product promotion. Your audience needs to know how you can improve their lives. Mention the quality of the product and its unique selling point.

  • Try a story-telling technique.

The days of personal selling door-to-door are over. Yet, you can still try to appeal to your customers. Their emotions will still influence their purchase, so try to call to them by being as precise as possible. Mention all the features that will be relevant. Ensure that you allow them to visualize their experience with the product.

  • Work on the wording and tone.

Your sales letter needs to sound convincing but not overbearing. Try being as natural as possible in your wording, as though you’re working retail and selling the product face-to-face. At the same time, don’t shy away from using powerful words. Make sure your phrasing will elicit a strong emotional response from your audience.

  • Make sure it’s easy to skim.

In the day and age of social media, people are surrounded by information. There isn’t enough time in the world to absorb it all. So, ensure that your description is easy to skim. Keep your introduction and conclusion short, use bullet points, and break your text into paragraphs. Our summarizer tool can help you see your essential arguments.

  • Add keywords and images.

Remember to review your text to check that it is optimized for search engines. After all, that is how most people will stumble upon it! Make sure to add decent, quality images that capture your product design. They are just as important as the full item description.

How to Write an Essay about a Product

Even if you have read through different examples of essays about products and marketing in general, you might still have questions. For example, how do you create a correct paper structure? What is product-market research? Should you include it in your essay? In this section, see how to start your marketing essay.

Here are some tips on how to write an essay about a product:

  • Introduce the product. This is the stage where you develop a relationship with your reader. Show your audience that you understand them and start to familiarize them with your item. They don’t have to know the history of the product development – just the context.
  • Address the problem. In other words, formulate your thesis statement. Think of an issue that you could describe. Or consider ways to improve your product. You can approach this through tools such as marketing mix. Our thesis generator can help you formulate it.
  • Describe the product in question. In the body of your essay, you need to capture the essence of your item. You can think about it in terms of a product launch. How do you sell it to the customers? Be specific, and don’t forget who your audience is.
  • Evaluate the product’s features. Imagine what kind of service or benefit your readers might receive from it. Don’t forget to mention key details. For example, imagine you’re talking about a local product. Acknowledge a few different alternatives available on the market to validate your research.
  • Conclude your assessment. To round up your essay, deliver your final verdict on the product. Mention whether you think the price-to-quality ratio is worth it. Your product essay has to be valuable to those who read it, so be candid and thoughtful.

Thank you for reading! We wish you all the best with your paper. Now, you can proceed to read our examples of essays about product below.

370 Sample Essays on Product Marketing

Scrub daddy inc.’s superior sponge marketing plan.

  • Words: 3585

Bulla Creamy Classics Ice Cream’s Marketing Strategy

  • Words: 1615

Victoria Secret Target Market & Consumer Demographics

Apple distribution channels research paper: direct & indirect distribution of iphone.

  • Words: 2874

Forbidden City: Launching a Craft Beer in China

The product life cycle (plc): apple inc. case.

  • Words: 1441

MacBook Pro: Targeting, Positioning, Marketing Mix

  • Words: 1663

Decathlon Company’s New Product Marketing Strategy

  • Words: 3498

Nike Shoes Product Marketing and Perceptual Map

New energy drink marketing strategy.

  • Words: 3973

Christian Louboutin: Brand, Voice, and Guidelines

  • Words: 1096

Marketing: Rolex as Product, Its Promotion and Price

  • Words: 7165

Marketing: McDonalds and KFC

  • Words: 2511

Marketing Strategies for Laundry Detergent “Finish Dishwater Tablets 25 Pack”

  • Words: 1502

Pricing and Distribution Strategy: Blizzard From Dairy Queen

Rockstar drink: developing, managing and pricing products, potato chip: basics of cost & managerial accounting.

  • Words: 1413

Dell Inc. Company Strategic Marketing

  • Words: 3503

Tesla Motors’ Electric Vehicles Marketing

  • Words: 1704

Vaseline Product: Brand and Packaging Perspectives

Xbox product’s market segments and decision-making.

  • Words: 2726

Dunkin’ Donuts Products’ Competitive Advantage

Apple, samsung, sony, lg, toshiba product hierarchies.

  • Words: 2775

A Strategic Marketing Plan for the Coca-Cola Amatil Company

  • Words: 3444

Sleep and Wake Pillow Product Development & Marketing

  • Words: 3060

Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel: Consumer Behavior

  • Words: 1235

Why Barbie Has Been so Successful?

Nivea and its marketing strategy.

  • Words: 1187

Blu-Ray DVDs: Marketing and Target Market

  • Words: 1532

The Dyson Robotic Vacuum: Target Group and Marketing Plan

Starbucks’ new ice cream product and service plan.

  • Words: 1218

Finish Dishwasher Tablets and Its Buyers’ Behavior

Tastykake’s innovative product introduction, red bull project’s effective leadership measures.

  • Words: 9892

The Consolidating Steel Industry

Victoria’s secret’s positioning and product differentiation, kellogg company’s marketing positioning.

  • Words: 1086

Nike Shoes’ Marketing and Segmentation Strategy

Foldable fabric trolley: product design and development.

  • Words: 8852

New Product Development: Smart Shopping Cart

  • Words: 1140

Unilever’s Product Development: Collaborative Innovation

  • Words: 2492

Marketing Mix of Yorkshire Tea

  • Words: 1109

Marketing Strategy of Kellogg’s

  • Words: 1119

IKEA Company’s Product Design and Pricing

Pricing strategy for a general motors’ chevrolet bolt ev.

  • Words: 1246

Organizational Buyers

  • Words: 1790

Market-Product Focus in Marketing Plan

Vertu company’s new product advertising strategy.

  • Words: 1478

Launching a New Car: Project Initiation and Planning

  • Words: 1430

Chanel Cosmetics Competition Analysis

  • Words: 2510

Development of a Low Calorie Date Jam

  • Words: 3104

Christian Dior’s Jasmine Perfume’s Marketing

  • Words: 1708

Effects of Red Bull’s Promotion on Sales Volume

  • Words: 4278

OGX Beauty Product Launch Project Management

  • Words: 2740

Smart Bags: Product Life Cycles Stages

Marketing for orthopedic footwear production.

  • Words: 1004

Product Distribution Options

Pharmaceutical sales using e-commerce.

  • Words: 1725

Vegan Hot Dogs: Product Marketing

Baby car seats product positioning and marketing, abc company: instagram campaign creation.

  • Words: 1124

Nissan Patrol Product Marketing in the UAE

  • Words: 2201

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, (MSO)

New product feasibility: tecno n7 series android smartphone.

  • Words: 3127

New Products: Electric Scooters

Green marketing: tesla’s case, quality function deployment: steps and benefits.

  • Words: 1974

Salespeople Promoting Products: Pros and Cons

Xiaomi devices’ design, production, and sale, ford motors company’s new product development.

  • Words: 4222

Virtual Reality Technology for Wide Target Audience

  • Words: 1088

Squeeze Ball Product Development and Marketing

  • Words: 1668

Ergonomic Chairs: Product Marketing

Energy drink product marketing.

  • Words: 1199

L’Oréal Professionnel Homme’s Product Marketing Strategy

  • Words: 5143

Soju Product: Socio-Cultural Environment Influence

  • Words: 1674

Autonomous Vehicles Product Development and Launch

  • Words: 1424

Nestle’s Nescafe Arabiana Marketing Plan Audit

  • Words: 3387

Product Classification, Differentiation, Branding

  • Words: 1388

Samsung & LG Electronics: Product Differentiation

  • Words: 1681

Maotai Spirit Product Competitive Advantage

  • Words: 1092

The Tesla Model 3: Product Evaluation

Aqualisa quartz: simply a best shower, adopting marketing strategy across cultural and religious divides: mcdonald’s home market and turkey.

  • Words: 1259

New Product Campaign Pitch: Women Cosmetic

  • Words: 1946

Woolworths’ Homebrand Product Marketing Mix

  • Words: 1659

IPhone as a Product That Isn’t Worth Its Cost

Dubai private hospitals’ product hierarchy.

  • Words: 2766

Amazon.com Website Products Marketing

  • Words: 1142

IKEA: Overview of Marketing Strategies

Rococo chocolates: a marketing plan and business strategy, product marketing: the key approaches, licious whiskers: retail sales plan, sobar: the non-alcoholic drink.

  • Words: 1158

New Balance 827 Sneakers for Active Lifestyles

  • Words: 1175

The Costs and Pricing of Athletic Accessories

  • Words: 1569

Licious Whiskers Distribution in Tennessee

The new balance sneakers product marketing, mealztime cordless self-heating bento box, nike’s baseball shoes: product marketing, the eight sleep pod: product marketing, tokyo’s branding & social media, decoding the art of television commercials.

  • Words: 1240

E-Cigarettes and Tobacco Product Marketing Tactics

Crescent pure promotion: case study, domestic production as an essential for stabilizing the economy, the coho salmon cake product marketing.

  • Words: 2977

The Wrinkle Cream Marketing and Pricing Policy

Chevy silverado vs. gmc denali trucks comparison, fraudulent claims and incomplete product content, developing a supply chain security policy, led (light-emitting diode) table lamps as products, jolt coffee’s new categories of commodities, the lenovo consumer digital journey.

  • Words: 2575

Market Efficiency and Externalities

Product advertising through product placement, solar powered sunglasses product marketing, psychographic and behavioral characteristics in promoting the product, the attractiveness of environmentally-friendly clothing products, importance of development of the cellphone.

Home / Essay Samples / Business / Retail / Online Shopping

Online Shopping Essay Examples

Online shopping vs in-store shopping.

With the rise of e-commerce, online shopping has become increasingly popular in recent years. However, traditional in-store shopping still holds its ground. This essay will compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of online shopping and in-store shopping, ultimately determining which method is more convenient...

E-commerce and Online Selling: Trends and Challenges

In decades the escalation of global pandemics have been witnesse, each of which negatively affected business activities and economic growth. Covid-19 virus caused a 13,5% drop in China's industry production and a 20,5% decline in retail sales in the first two months of 2020 while...

Starting an Online Business: Simplified Registration Guide

Thinking of launching an online business? Since you’re reading this online business registration essay, I am willing to wager a bet that the answer is “Yes”. The truth is, finding online business success is no mean feat. However, we are in an age where the...

The Goals and Strategies of Taobao

The main motivation that Alibaba had when creating a consumer oriented website was the recent acquisition of Eachnet by Ebay. This acquisition was a serious threat for Alibaba since it’s difficult to draw a line between consumers and small businesses in China. Therefore, if Ebay...

The Perfect Destination for Online Tailoring in Kolkata

SUMMARY: Everyone has faced this situation in life, especially while buying clothes online, the issue of improper fitting. There are many instances where we found that perfect dress in an online store but our size is not available. We often compromised our size in order...

The Impact of Expanding Utilization of Internet on Online Business: Analysis of Amazon and Flipkart

Web turned out to be all the more ground-breaking and essential instrument for each individual's need and the manner in which individuals work. By coordinating different on the web data administration instruments utilizing Internet, different creative organizations have set up frameworks for taking client orders,...

The Factors Influencing Customer Loyalty in Internet Retailing

With the adoption and diffusion of the Internet as consumer products retailing channels, the number of online shoppers has been increasing. It seems the profit potential of online retailing is very attractive because the operation costs of selling consumer products online are relatively lower than...

An Analysis of Current Industry Characteristics and the Future of the Traditional Grocery Store

In an industry that has long been slow to evolve, business has never been more competitive and complex for grocery retailers as they navigate the rapid transformation of consumer preferences and industry disruption, driven by technological innovations both online and in-store. This article will provide...

Annotated Bibliography: Amazon

This 30 second ad starts off with a young man, who just got offered a new job over a video conference call. The man appears to be very well dressed as he is wearing a suit and a tie, and is well groomed. However when...

Creating a Content Marketing Strategy for Online Business

If you are going to start a business (or in case that you have never done anything for your business online), building up your content marketing strategy shouldn't really be a dreadful ordeal. It doesn't need to be laborious and it doesn't need to be...

Trying to find an excellent essay sample but no results?

Don’t waste your time and get a professional writer to help!

  • Iphone Essays
  • Nestle Essays
  • Conflict Essays
  • Facebook Essays
  • Uber Essays
  • Costco Essays
  • Apple Essays
  • Bill Gates Essays
  • Swot Analysis Essays
  • Supply Chain Management Essays

samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->