Start A Shopping Service - Business Ideas

Pat Walls

•

Updated: September 15th, 2022

Start A Shopping Service

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.

The “shopping service” business idea is an excellent opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to tap into e-commerce and customer service. The concept is simple: you offer a personalized shopping experience for your clients, helping them find and purchase the products they need online.

To run this business, you’ll need a strong understanding of online shopping platforms like Amazon and eBay and a keen eye for finding the best deals and discounts for your clients. You'll also need excellent communication skills, as you'll work closely with your clients to understand their needs and preferences.

One of the key benefits of running a shopping service is the ability to work remotely and set your own schedule. This is a perfect business idea for those looking to work from home or on a flexible schedule. Additionally, you can charge a fee for your services, which can be a lucrative source of income.

Another advantage of this business idea is the opportunity to work with various clients and products. From fashion and electronics to home goods and gifts, you’ll have the chance to help people find exactly what they’re looking for. This can be a fulfilling and enjoyable experience, as you’ll be able to use your expertise to impact your clients' lives positively.

Overall, the “shopping service” business idea is an excellent opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to enter the world of e-commerce and customer service. You can turn this idea into a successful and rewarding business with the right skills and dedication.

Starting a shopping service requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell shopping service, or selling shopping service online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key Stats

market size

$658B

starting costs

$18K

gross margin

90%

time to build

270 days

Startup Costs

	Min Startup Costs	Max Startup Costs
Employee & Freelancer Expenses	$151	$252
Website Costs	$223	$7,015
Business Formation Fees	$600	$4,700
Vehicle Expenses	$0	$10,000
Retail Business Expenses	$1,250	$6,650
Advertising & Marketing Costs	$75	$3,986
Software Expenses	$162	$2,720
Office Space Expenses	$0	$100
Specific Industry Expenses	$0	$500
Total Startup Costs	$2,461	$35,923

See all startup costs ➜

Case Studies

Growing a Content-First Brand to ‎75,000‎€/mo.

I’m Jonas Forth, managing director at All Things Commerce Helsinki Ltd. ...

• $500K/mo

Spotify For Clothes: How I Launched A Business Helping Guys Discover New Clothing

My name is Brian McEuen, and I'm the founder of On Brand. We help guys s...

• $150/mo

See all success stories ➜

Successful Businesses

Business	URL	Rank
Flipkart	flipkart.com	82
Elsevier	elsevier.com	631
Bizrate	bizrate.com	2,141
HSN	hsn.com	4,503
Women's Clothes	stitchfix.com	5,129
The Exchange	shopmyexchange.com	18,563
Shop It To Me	shopittome.com	49,655
Loblaws Supermarket - Grocery shop online or instore	loblaws.ca	55,748
shopping.com	shopping.com	71,730
Cart2Cart	shopping-cart-migration.com	73,811
Price Grabber	pricegrabber.com	80,718

See all businesses ➜

Pros & Cons

Pros	Description
Little startup costs required	The cost to start a shopping service costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 62 to 35,923.
Rewarding work	Starting a shopping service 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.
High customer retention rates	Once a customer invests in your product, they've invested their time and energy to utilize your product/service which is highly valuable to them. Typically, your product or service becomes indispensable to your customer.
Pick & choose the clients you work with	Shopping Servicees have the ability to choose the clients they work with. You have the freedom to work with only a few loyal clients or with hundreds of clients!
Control of workload	With starting a shopping service, you have the unique ability to choose how little or how much you want to work. You also have the freedom to decide which projects you want to work on, and can turn down the ones that do not interest you.
Gain exposure and experience	This career allows you to gain experience working for multiple different businesses - which will benefit your resume and also keep things interesting for you!

See all pros ➜

Cons	Description
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.
Longer Sales Process	A shopping service can be a big time and money investment for your customer, so it's important you plan and predict a longer conversion funnel and stay in communication with potential customers.
Work can be inconsistent	As a shopping service, the amount of work assigned to you and schedule tends to be more inconsistent, which may make your income less stable. It's important to set boundaries and budget accordingly based on the amount of work you plan to have.
Lack of benefits	With a shopping service, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming.
Taxes	As a shopping service, 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.
No safety net	Typically, as a shopping service, you do not receive a consistent pay-check and instead earn money based on your transactions each month. During the slow periods, you typically take away less since the job is based on commission. It's important to budget accordingly for the slow times.

See all cons ➜

Marketing Ideas

1

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.

Learn more about direct sales ➜
2

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.

Learn more about word of mouth ➜
3

Social Media Advertising

Social media advertising is the use of social media platforms to connect with your audience with the objective to build your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic.
According to Oberlo, approximately 48% of the global population use social media, and the number is ever-growing.
Therefore, social media allows brands access to cost-effective advertising by enabling them to interact with a large audience.

Learn more about social media advertising ➜

See all marketing ideas ➜

Key Stats

Startup Costs

Case Studies

Successful Businesses

82

631

2,141

4,503

5,129

18,563

49,655

55,748

71,730

73,811

80,718

Pros & Cons

Marketing Ideas

Direct Sales

Word of mouth

Social Media Advertising