Guide to Starting an Online Lighting Business

People with an affinity for lighting solutions thinking about starting a lighting business online may be onto a winning formula. This is because the lighting industry is currently experiencing growth that can be tapped into with the right business strategy.

The first step for business owners is to have a passion for and knowledge about the sector. Taking your interest and translating it into a thriving business will then be a question of creating a clear business and marketing plan and following good business practices to make your business profitable.

Step-by-Step Guide to Starting Your Lighting Business

If you’re intent on setting up your own business in lighting, the following steps will help you put your business in a great position to thrive. Be careful to do thorough groundwork before you start investing your savings, and have a clear idea about how much capital online retail businesses take to launch.

1. Learn What You Can About the Industry

You may have chosen to set up an online lighting shop because you have a passion for it or you already possess some background knowledge about the sector. Though this will give you a head start, you will still need to do in-depth research about the industry before creating a business plan.

Find out:

• Which products are the best sellers?
• Which type of products does your target audience buy? Why?
• What types of lights can you sell?
• Should you have a diverse range of products, or focus on a niche product?

Knowing the answers to these questions will clarify your position in the industry.

What Type of Lighting Will You Sell?

One of the main considerations will be what type of lighting you want to sell. You’ll reach this conclusion when you learn about the industry, its customers, and how you could best fit into any gaps in the market. Think about whether you want to sell:

• Indoor lighting: This category includes lamps, overhead lights, lampshades, night lights, or any other type of indoor lighting for the home.
• Outside lighting: This could include porch lighting, security lights, garden lights, Christmas lights, and more.
• Energy-efficient lighting: LED lights are up to 90% more energy efficient compared to incandescent light bulbs and also last longer.
• Commercial lighting: Businesses need lighting for many different reasons. Find out what commercial lighting needs exist in your area.

You could talk to retail stores and suppliers to find out the answers to these questions or network with people from the industry at lighting trade shows. Remember that you must have a clear idea of what you’re getting into if you want to be a successful player in the business.

2. Calculate Your Initial Business Costs

Even the best business ideas need a significant amount of work before launching. You should estimate the total cost of opening your online lighting store to get a good idea of the financial commitment you’re taking on. Consider factors like:

• Creating your business plan: While some businesses hire a professional to redact their business plan, many small business owners take on the task themselves. Though this may seem like a “free” option, factor in your time. As the business owner, you may need to leave or reduce the time you dedicate to your current job to focus on your new enterprise.
• Research expenses: Some business owners hire professionals in market research to help them assess the market as a whole.
• Borrowing costs: While some owners may have personal savings to spend on their new business, others may have to consider taking out a loan to cover costs incurred in the initial stages of starting a business.
• The cost of creating and running a website: You’ll likely need to hire developers to build a website from scratch. Ready-made e-commerce platforms like Shopify are easier to set up than brand-new websites but charge a monthly fee.
• Technological expenses: Apart from your website, your business may require information systems or accounting software. Setting up payment processing is also a must for online businesses.

Choose a Reliable Payment Processor

Setting up credit card processing for home lighting decor is one of the key early steps for a budding business. Having support from a payment processor that understands your sector is invaluable to businesses and puts them in a strong position to thrive.

Businesses with a merchant services account often have access to an integrated global payment gateway. This helps your online business in several ways. Business owners benefit from the greater control they have over transactions and sales and can track all movements from the central dashboard, available from anywhere with an internet connection. A secure payment gateway also offers you peace of mind by protecting your sales against fraud and chargebacks.

3. Conduct Market Research and Pinpoint Your Target Audience

Before taking the plunge and starting your online lighting store, you need to make a detailed business plan centred around your target audience. Diverting some time and the necessary financial resources to conduct market research is a crucial first step. Doing so will allow you to tailor your business to meet the needs of your future customers and shape the decisions you make going forward. The data you collect from your market research will also influence how you reach out to customers through marketing.

During this stage, you will:

Analyse the Market You’re Planning on Selling In

If you’re thinking about selling nationally or internationally, you need to determine the level of competition you’ll have. Look for lighting stores that already exist in your area or niche, the demand for lighting products, and the types of products people are interested in.

Identify Your Target Market

Once you have a clearer idea of the market you’ll be joining, identify your target audience. This can take many forms and will require you to identify the factors that motivate your customers’ shopping habits.

You will need to start thinking about the scope of your business at this stage; do you want to sell locally, nationally, or internationally? A greater scope will increase your base of potential customers, but your business may end up being less focused.

Identifying your target market is essential because:

• You can market to people who are interested in your product instead of wasting resources on trying to catch the attention of a larger but less interested audience.
• Online stores don’t interact with their customers in the same way that brick-and-mortar shops can. Business owners need to glean what they can about their target audience’s habits and behaviours to better understand their customers and how to reach them.

Businesses that function both nationally and internationally can benefit from a global payment gateway because it allows your business to accept different payment methods and different currencies. This is especially important if you want to reach potential customers from all over the world through social media or digital marketing.

4. Find a Supplier or Suppliers

A good supplier will offer a range of lighting fixtures that fit with your brand. The success of your brand will depend on what you can offer your customers, so finding suppliers that can provide what you need is key.

Keep in mind that your products should fit with your brand’s values and that pricing will be a crucial factor for many customers. Also, be prepared to negotiate with your suppliers to protect or improve your profit margin.

5. Build an Online Platform

There are different ways to start an e-commerce business. Businesses that sell online can sell directly from their website or through dedicated e-commerce websites like Amazon or Shopify. Some businesses sell exclusively through social media, but you’ll need a robust social media presence for this to work.

Research the pros and cons of each platform before you choose one or more to work with.

6. Digital Marketing

Knowing how to build an online presence is crucial for modern, online businesses. Online stores use digital marketing to reach new customers and spread the word about their business. However, it’s not always easy to find new customers, engage them, and convince them to buy from you. Some common strategies online businesses use include:

• Exploiting social media platforms: Use social media marketing on different online platforms to boost your online presence. Dedicate time to showing your products on Instagram, Pinterest, and other platforms.
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): Optimising your website can bring more organic traffic to your site. A savvy use of keywords, a blog, and having great content on your website will result in a greater number of people finding your website directly through Google search.
• Start a blog: Small businesses can establish themselves as authorities in their niches by starting a blog. Producing informative articles can help users with problems or questions about lighting and direct them to your online store. Creating highly relevant content in your blog articles may also help increase conversions.
• Ads: Investigate the possibility of using pay-per-click ads that target customers and get them onto your website.

7. Think about Shipping Methods

When your e-commerce website is up and running, you have your stock in place, and you’re raring to go, it’s time to think about how you’re going to deliver your customers’ purchases.

Consider the following:

• Your lighting fixtures must arrive in perfect condition: Many of your items will be delicate and require careful handling and proper packaging methods.
• You must offer fast shipping: How are you going to get your customers’ orders to them as quickly as possible?
• The cost: Will you assume the costs of shipping, or pass them on to the customer?

8. Launch Your Business

You’ve done it! Your online lighting store is ready to go. Celebrate your launch by announcing it on social media or using advertising to direct people to your website. Consider using a promo code or a special offer to hook people from the word “go.”

Why the Lighting Sector?

Increasing demand for energy-efficient lighting solutions and smart lighting technologies may explain the growing interest in the lighting sector. It’s predicted that the market will experience a 2.77% growth rate in Europe between 2024 and 2028, partly driven by factors like Germany’s focus on energy efficiency and high-quality, sustainable lighting solutions.

A Modern and Dynamic Industry

The lighting sector has experienced various shifts in focus in the past years due to the demand for innovative lighting solutions and energy-efficient products. This makes the industry an interesting and dynamic one to be part of and one that has the potential to grow. There are several reasons for this:

Energy-Efficient Is Cost-Efficient

Modern lighting fixtures focus on energy efficiency. Factors like the rise in the cost of living and sky-high electricity bills contribute to a greater focus on energy-efficient technology. LED lights, for example, are more cost-efficient than traditional lighting solutions. Therefore, offering products that can provide energy savings compared to other forms of lighting may help drive your sales.

Modern Lights Offer Much More than Just Illumination

The most innovative light designs offer more than just a way to light a room. Lights may include ventilation, light ambience, charging stations, and even warmth. People with smaller homes may look for products that can provide more than one service.

Lights Are Part of a Home’s Aesthetic

Lights can be just as big a part of a room’s aesthetic as a sofa, table, or rug. Though many customers will simply require a functional light, other customers also look for items of beauty to place in their homes. Follow lighting trends to understand what types of products your key demographic likes and order your stock accordingly.

Flourish in the Lighting Industry

The lighting sector is an exciting place to be for entrepreneurs who want to join a modern and fast-moving industry. Setting up your online lighting store—and positioning it for success—can be greatly assisted by putting in the necessary groundwork before launching your brand.

Ensuring a successful launch includes partnering with an e-commerce payment processor that can handle a range of currencies and uses the highest level of fraud protection. It also includes conducting thorough market research and being prepared to be flexible and adjust to market trends as you go.