Start A Bento Box Shop - Business Ideas
Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.
Bento boxes are a popular container for carrying packed food to school or workplaces. While the bento boxes may be widespread across the globe, their history started in Japan hundreds of decades ago.
The lunch boxes are popular among the health-conscious population who prefer packed home food to fast-food eateries in the city. Starting a bento box shop in your neighborhood could be profitable, especially if you have students and working professionals in your area.
Starting a bento box shop requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.
If you're interested in how to sell bento box store, or selling bento box store online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.
Want to learn more? You can check out our full guide on how to start a bento box shop ➜
Key Stats
Startup Costs
| Min Startup Costs | Max Startup Costs | |
|---|---|---|
|
Equipment & Supply Expenses |
$66 |
$1,200 |
|
Retail Business Expenses |
$1,250 |
$11,650 |
|
Inventory Expenses |
$350 |
$14,750 |
|
Advertising & Marketing Costs |
$75 |
$9,636 |
|
Software Expenses |
$0 |
$425 |
|
Website Costs |
$13 |
$215 |
|
Total Startup Costs |
$1,754 |
$37,876 |
Successful Businesses
| Business | URL | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Pei Wei Asian Kitchen |
peiwei.com |
129,065 |
|
|
Blippo Kawaii Shop |
blippo.com |
182,351 |
|
|
BENTO DELIVERY |
bento.delivery |
295,567 |
|
|
Bento&co |
bentoandco.com |
298,577 |
|
|
Chinese Menu |
chinesemenu.com |
308,412 |
|
|
Bento Cafe |
eatatbento.com |
313,132 |
|
|
Monbento |
en.monbento.com |
439,724 |
|
|
U-Konserve |
ukonserve.com |
475,152 |
|
|
Monbento |
monbento.com |
529,707 |
|
|
EcoBox |
ecobox.com |
577,132 |
|
|
Sabert |
sabert.com |
592,598 |
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Description |
|---|---|
|
Rewarding work |
Starting a bento box shop can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about. |
|
Meaningful business connections |
You never know who you will meet as a bento box shop. This could be the start of an incredible business opportunity! |
|
Daily physical activity |
Bento Box Shop's typically involve a much greater degree of movement than other lines of work. Most days, you will spend your day walking, running errands for your business, and performing a multitude of tasks. This can have a positive impact on energy levels and your overall health. |
|
Amazing perks and discounts |
Working in the bento box shop comes with its perks! As a seller for these products/services, you typically also get to enjoy industry perks and discounts. |
|
You are your own boss! |
With starting a bento box shop, you are the one to make decisions for almost all of the operations. Calling the shots can be empowering and liberating! |
|
Local Community |
One of the best parts of starting a bento box shop is that you can develop a local following by selling your products at craft shows, farmers' markets, or even local storefront businesses! This gives you access to additional revenue streams and loyal customers. |
| Cons | Description |
|---|---|
|
Crowded Space |
Competition is high when it comes to your bento box shop, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies. |
|
Finding The Right Supplier |
Most businesses in this space go the supplier/manufacturer route, which isn't a bad thing! However, finding the right supplier can take a lot of time, energy and trial/error. If done properly, this process can save you months (if not years) of time and energy. More on this below in the "finding a supplier" section. |
|
Motivation of employees |
If you plan to have a sales/content team on board, finding creative ways to motivate them can be a challenge. It's important that you're able to offer great incentives and a good work environment for your employees. |
|
Low margins |
The gross margins for your bento box shop are typically around 43%, which can make it more challenging to incur new expenses and maintain profitability. |
|
High employee turnover |
In the bento box shop, employee turnover is often high, which can be quite costly and time consuming for your business. It's important to try and avoid this as much as possible by offering competitive pay, benefits, and a positive work environment. |
|
Taxes |
As a bento box shop, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it. |
Marketing Ideas
-
1
Affiliate Program
Affiliate marketing is a great way to bring in a new revenue stream, especially when you don't sell products or services.
Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement where a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.
The affiliate typically gets a unique link where clicks and conversions can be tracked.
-
2
Direct Sales
Direct sales strategy implies a direct contact between a seller and a consumer without the involvement of any third party. Direct selling is popular in sectors where sellers communicate with their clientele personally. The sales technique occurs at non-store locations which include at home, work, or online.
For direct selling to succeed, hire a few (or many) salespeople to support the sales conversion process. It's critical that you assign them specific roles and responsibilities to nurture the client and provide excellent support.
-
3
Word of mouth
Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.
Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.
According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.
Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.
- 4,818 founder case studies
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- 8,628 business ideas
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
