Mia
Hats never go out of style. Different types and fashions may come and go, but the good old hat is here to stay – which is why selling hats online is an excellent way to set up a side hustle or even a full-blown business. There’s a massive market for custom hats right now that’s waiting for you to tap into it. Here are four simple steps to setting up a hat business online.
Think About Your Product
While there’s plenty you can do before finalizing a product, it’s always a good idea to start thinking about it early, as it can have a significant bearing on the rest of the business. At this point, you have two options; wholesale custom hats, which usually involve purchasing large quantities of a product, or print-on-demand hats, which companies create after somebody buys them.
Both have benefits and drawbacks, but it usually depends on how and where you sell them and how much financial backing you have available.
Design Your Hats
It’s worth remembering that just because you love something doesn’t mean that everybody else is going to love it too. If you want your hat business to succeed, you must appeal to a broad enough audience while still being niche. Nobody is going to buy the same hat they can buy at Walmart, so you need to think outside of the box.
Do a little research here. Look at what’s selling well on different platforms, then consider how you could put your unique spin on things. The hat industry in the U.S. is worth around $2.5 annually, meaning it’s a big market, but also, there’s plenty of competition.
Set Up Your Shop
With loose ideas for products in place, you can turn your attention to where you will sell your hats. Facebook and Instagram are both hugely popular, and both provide a quick and easy way to sell products, while platforms such as Shopify, Etsy, and Amazon allow you to create online shops and then drive traffic to your products.
Advertise
Once you have a great product and a smooth-looking online shop, you still need to connect with your audience. If you think people are going to stumble upon your Etsy shop randomly, you might be in for a shock. As mentioned, the hat industry is a big one, but heavily diluted.
That said, if you have a winning product, you need to get it in front of the right people. You can advertise on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Google, and more, but your choice usually depends on who you want to sell to. Advertising is critical to the whole process. Without it, you’re just somebody with a lot of hats lying around.
Conclusion
These days, people are itching for something new. Aren’t you? The old ways of doing business are quickly fading out of the rearview mirror. Setting up a hat business and selling them online has never been easier or a more viable option to make a living. What are you waiting for?
