You dream of starting your own retail business, but how will you ever secure the startup funding you need? Launch alone can cost a small fortune, and added overhead before you reach profitability can be devastating to your fledgling venture. Lending requirements are tighter than ever, too, making it even harder to get a new business off the ground. What’s an entrepreneur to do?
Digital downloads and online retail may be the answer to all your questions.
You Can Sell Digital Downloads on a Shoestring Budget
It’s no secret that you’ll need a substantial amount of money to invest in brick-and-mortar retail sales. There are real estate leasing or mortgage costs to consider, along with the associated upkeep and utility costs. Staffing costs money, and then you’ll need warehouse or storage space for the stock you’ll need to buy in order to have something to sell. Before you ever open the doors, you’re facing tens of thousands of dollars in expenses. You’ll have to reinvest everything you earn into replenishing stock and keeping the lights on in your space.
Selling digital downloads is different. Almost none of those expenses apply, because you’re not dealing in physical stock. You don’t need commercial real estate space and associated expenses, and your business will grow exponentially before you’ll need to hire additional staff. A single digital file can be sold and resold an infinite number of times, so it never needs to be restocked. Since the goods are intangible, they don’t require storage or warehousing. You don’t have to man the counter in your retail store, or even pay shipping costs to get your goods into the hands of buyers. You don’t even have to invest in an expensive website designed by a professional specifically for online sales. You can use low-cost websites you build yourself, or even free blog sites to get started, if you choose the right support tools and services. Dedicated eCommerce platforms like
PayLoadz.com make it easy and inexpensive to launch your digital downloads business through any sales portal you choose, be it a website you’ve built yourself or a social media profile. You don’t need advanced web design knowledge; you just need to know how to cut and paste simple HTML.
Streamlining Digital Downloads Sales
While there are no storage, staffing or retail space requirements associated with selling digital downloads, this business model does come with its own set of demands. For instance, you must be able to provide your customers with a way to pay for digital goods safely through names they trust, like PayPal and Google Wallet. You’ll need to ensure they get access to those files immediately, so automated download delivery is a must. You’ll need secure file hosting, and the ability to access cost-effective marketing through tools like affiliate networks. A high-quality eCommerce platform delivers each of these, streamlining operations and allowing you to operate through a single central hub. Your business is more efficient, and less expensive to manage.
Get started today, and find out just how much easier selling digital downloads is, versus traditional brick-and-mortar retail.
