A Comprehensive List of Business Opportunities For Retail Sales Associates
- Print-on-demand Products (44)
- Consignment Shop Owner (29)
- Clothing Boutique (18)
- Dropshipper (43)
- E-commerce Store (52)
- Vending Machine (35)
- Specialty Food Selling (16)
- Candy Seller (40)
- Downloadable Digital Products (46)
Description: For a retail sales associate starting a print-on-demand products business offers little risk, but high return on investment, with low effort. A POD business is attractive to designers and artists. A design is printed on products per purchase, packaged, and shipped by a third party straight to the customer.
Products/Services: Print-on-demand products can be endless within the capabilities of the third-party printing supplier. The main product that retail sales associates should expect in a POD business is the designs and the products they print on merchandise like t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, etc.
Potential Customers: The usual customers of a print-on-demand products business are typically online shoppers with a teen to the young adult demographic. Print-on-demand products are also popular as gifts for special occasions.
Description: A consignment shop owner can be retail sales associates with an inventory of items like clothes, supplies, materials, merchandise, etc. that are sold in behalf of the product owners. A percentage of the earnings are shared by the consignment shop owner with each item sold.
Products/Services: The retail sales associate should learn dealing as a consignment shop owner, offering affordable opportunity for people who want to sell their goods directly to consumers for less effort than if they were to open their store. Consignment shops mainly house resale items.
Potential Customers: There are two target customers a consignment shop owner has. One is individuals or small-time businesses giving them a percentage of the profit to house their resale items and the other is the customers looking for affordable items that are on sale.
Description: A clothing boutique business is a specialty clothing store that is privately owned. Boutiques are a good opportunity for retail sales associates usually being set up in smaller retail spaces and offer a more personal shopping experience to customers.
Products/Services: Unlike retail clothing stores, a clothing boutique offers more limited and niche clothing and accessories, meant to showcase more high-end and unique fashion choices. The retail sales associate should keep in mind that clothing boutiques often sell one-of-a-kind items rarely find in other stores.
Potential Customers: Usual customers of clothing boutiques are shoppers looking for unique items, collectors, designers, or stylists. Clothing boutiques serve any individual of any age that are looking for unique statement pieces to add to their wardrobe.
Description: A dropshipping business is an opportunity for retail sales associates which is a popular type of retail e-commerce model wherein a reseller purchases wholesales from suppliers and sell these supplies to their customers. Dropshippers act as a middleman between customers and suppliers who stores and ships their products.
Products/Services: Dropshipping have an endless types of products that a retail sales associate can sell to customers. These can be clothing, accessories, makeup, skincare, decoration, etc. The dropshipper's main products are purchased wholesale and are typically stored and shipped directly from the supplier.
Potential Customers: A dropshipper’s typical customers are usually online shoppers looking for a quick and easy shopping experience. They can be from any demographic who has access to the Internet.
Description: An e-commerce store is an opportunity for retail sales associates around setting up an online store for online shoppers. Sellers can market their products or services online where they sell them digitally to customers. This is less costly than a physical store and only requires storage for inventory and shipping equipment for customers.
Products/Services: Products in an e-commerce store can be anything and everything. Examples are clothing, equipment, home products, supplies, etc that can be relevant to you as a retail sales associate. Successful e-commerce stores typically sell specialized or niche items to consistently attract their target customers.
Potential Customers: Usual customers of an e-commerce store are online shoppers looking for a convenient experience as they shop. Customers can also be looking for niche or specialized items that cannot be found in their area.
Description: A vending machine business can be a lucrative, minimal-effort business for retail sales associates. A vending machine is an automated do-it-yourself shop for people on the move. Owning several vending machines involves stocking products, maintaining repairs, and collecting money earned.
Products/Services: Vending machines are opportunities for retail sales associates with limitless in products that can be offered. Typical vending machines provide snacks, sodas, beverages, and fresh foods available for purchase for as much as 24 hours. Specialty vending machines can also have specialty items like supplies, food products, dry goods, and many more.
Potential Customers: The usual customers of vending machines depend on where it is located. They are typically placed in high-traffic areas like commercial districts or outside schools.
Description: A specialty food selling business is an opportunity for retail sales associates centered on selling rare specialty food items. Specialty food-selling businesses can be operated on a part-time or full-time basis and can be operated at home and online.
Products/Services: Specialty food items are the bread and butter that the retail sales associate should keep in mind in a specialty food-selling business. These are food items that are rare and valuable or are often found in small quantities. Examples are caviar, craft beer, truffles, high-quality chocolate, foie gras, artisan cheese, and more.
Potential Customers: A specialty food business’s usual customers are mostly from specialty markets like gourmet restaurants, stores, groceries, gift shops, and bars. Typical customers are also someone who likes novelty, high-quality products, and experimentation with their food.
Description: Candy-selling business deals with selling different kinds of candy and confectioneries. Candy sellers are responsible for restocking their goods, promoting their products, and ensuring supply quality. The retail sales associate can sell candy out of a physical store, a stall, and online.
Products/Services: Candy sellers’ main products are candy and confectioneries. The retail sales associates can attract customers to their stores by displaying various sweets, from local candies to international varieties, or rare sweet treats.
Potential Customers: A candy seller’s usual customer can be any age demographic with a sweet tooth. Candy shops consistently attract children, and are popular amongst gift-givers for special occasions or simple novelty.
Description: A downloadable digital products business can be lucrative for retail sales associates in today's digital world. This type of business requires creativity in developing products that appeal to people online. Business owners are in charge of promoting and ensuring the quality and security of downloadable digital products.
Products/Services: The products that a retail sales associate can offer in a downloadable digital business can be boundless. These can be ebooks, PDFs, NFTs, designs, wallpapers, games, apps, music, videos, etc.
Potential Customers: The usual customers of a downloadable digital products business can be from any demographic. Most often these are professionals with disposable income that looks to downloadable digital products to enhance their online experiences.