How to Make Money on Shopify: 15 Brilliant Ideas For 2023

How to make money on Shopify? Even if this platform seems a bit hard for you, remember that it was designed so business owners can sell their goods and services without actually creating a website from scratch and spending loads of money. This means you can use Shopify if you have zero experience with coding or creating websites.

According to Statista, Shopify's total revenue keeps growing each year, and it won't stop there. Plenty of sellers figured out how to make money with Shopify. 

And it should not necessarily be your primary way of getting the money. It can be your side hustle or your hobby if you're into niche items collecting or just enjoy selling and trying new marketing tricks. There is no answer to the question, “Can Shopify make you rich?”, but it can surely bring you some extra money and make you happy.

In this article, we will give you ideas about what you can sell to make money on Shopify. However, you should remember that this includes extreme work on your brand and marketing game. No one will see your store if you don't pay attention to your online presence. We won't talk about these topics here, but you can find that information in our blog.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is an online e-commerce platform. Basically, it is a third-party site builder that is very user-friendly, which means that anyone can create a website to start selling goods or services online. Shopify meets the needs of many sellers that can be both skilled and unskilled and provides them with a platform that is ready for additional promotion. As many people wonder how to make money from Shopify, the platform provides all of them with simple tools that are used by professionals and beginners.

There are many things on Shopify that are important to any online seller. It is not only online transactions that are possible. Shopify also has a POS system that allows vendors to manage all the payments in one digital system. It is also possible to accept online purchases and fulfill them offline if that is needed.

Like any other platform that provides people with top-notch services, Shopify has its online plans and pricing to bring the best possible experience to sellers. Each plan has its own peculiarities that might interest particular business owners and depending on the business size or business goals, sellers pick different plans.

You can try out and start with the Shopify Lite plan, which costs $9 monthly. With this plan, you can add the Buy button to the websites you use as your primary stores (built with the help of WordPress, Squarespace, etc). It doesn't require much work but will help you start your selling business. Integrating Shopify into your Facebook page is also possible so users won't even need to visit another website to purchase something from you. They can simply buy your products right from the Facebook page. This also allows users to chat with you faster, as Facebook has all the tools to communicate in real-time. 

The Shopify Basic plan costs $29 per month and offers much more than the Shopify Lite plan does. Here you can create a full-scale online e-commerce store with unlimited products. It is much easier to bundle products or services in any possible combination. So if you are a medium-sized business, have several people on your team, and possess many goods, this plan might be the best option for you. 

As a Shopify Lite, the Basic plan includes the card reader and POS. It has transaction fees you can easily find when purchasing any desired plan. 

Then, a Shopify Standard plan costs $92 per month. It has everything Shopify Lite and Basic have, plus it provides you with five accounts for your staff, it can work with gift cards, provide you with performance reports, and track transactions and orders. You also get a POS terminal to work with barcode scanners, other POS systems, staff PINs, receipt printers, etc.

And there is the Shopify Advanced plan. It costs $399 per month and has everything that the above-mentioned plans have, plus more detailed reports, and can be used by 15 employees. You can also show your customer how much the shipping will cost, even if you use third-party logistics companies.

How to Make Money With Shopify

There is no simple formula for making money on Shopify. Each store should have its unique goals, strategy, position, etc. Basically, the marketing team is a must. However, the Spotify platform provides tips and tricks to help you do your best. You can monetize your platform in many ways as Shopify is diverse and provides plenty of opportunities.

As you start your business or run the existing one with Shopify, you must take care of business-related questions. You surely know that each business step must have a particular goal and action to succeed. That's why you need to pay extra attention to the things like:

• Checking your business plan;
• Testing your ideas before fulfilling them;
• Finding your niche;
• Defining your target audience;
• Planning your digital promotion;
• Checking your website. 

These things will help your Shopify store make money. Checking everything before starting your selling business is crucial, so be patient and attentive! 

1. Start Your Own E-Commerce Store

The most obvious way to start making money on Shopify is to open an e-commerce store. The platform is extremely user-friendly, making it easy to start with anything you have on your hands: handmade, vintage, niche products, or popular items. With a simple addition like Shopify, you can monetize your hobby without a second thought and just see where it will lead you. Give yourself the priority of starting a side hustle that you'll love!

Shopify makes it easy to add items, check on them, be user-friendly for your customers, and have fun. More than that, there is an opportunity on the platform that allows you to create a blog and post content that will bring you new customers based on their search requests. Organic traffic is always a good idea that takes a huge place in any marketing strategy. 

You can also add apps to your Shopify store to help you build, manage, and grow your business. Doesn't it sound cool and easy? Definitely worth trying to make money on Shopify.

2. Dropshipping Shopify Business

Dropshipping is an extremely popular business model that many people use. It is the most popular among businessmen, especially the ones that only start their way in selling. Many people make lots of money from such an approach as the only thing that you should focus on is marketing.

Basically, you promote items on your website, and other businessmen sell the purchased goods from their warehouses. This means that you have no products on your hands and don't have to invest in buying products to sell them.

To start off, you have to find out the niche you want to be in and look for unique and interesting items that will be popular among your potential customers. And here, it is important to have many goods that fit your niche; the more SKU you have, the more people will find something for them.

As dropshipping might be one of the easiest answers to how to make money on Shopify, we have a list of things that you need to do to start off your dropshipping business:

• Find a provider that works by the dropshipping business model.
• Create a website, social media page, e-commerce page, etc. 
• Work on your marketing strategy and start your promotion. 
• Start selling. 

With Shopify, you can integrate suppliers, manage to ship, and work on your advertising. You can also integrate your goods to other channels, like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc., which allows you to manage your promotion more easily.

3. Sell Clothes

Clothing is one of the biggest niches that has its own niches. Many people worldwide sell popular, trendy, unique, handmade, historical, vintage, haute couture, etc., clothes with the help of Shopify. And this is something that you can easily get to sell and make money with Shopify. 

There is a possibility to use Shopify to sell clothing picking one of many themes for attire business. And if you are a fashion head, you will be happy to experience how easily you can do what you love and make money with Shopify.  

4. Shopify Affiliate Marketer

You don't actually have to sell something to make money on Shopify. You can become a Shopify affiliate marketer if you have enough followers or website views where people can use it. And if people buy a Shopify plan following your affiliate link, you'll get a commission. 

The best way to get most of such affiliate links is to have a target audience interested in buying the Shopify plan. This means that if you are a musician or art creator who doesn't discuss creating business or marketing, the affiliate Shopify link won't bring much profit. Each thing you do should be checked with your marketing strategy and your target audience.

5. Start Your Own Brand

Have you seen plenty of different clothing with fun or not-so-fun prints? Wouldn't you be surprised that with that popularity, they are extremely easy to produce and sell? 

A lot of businesses offer ready-made solutions for your potential business. You can go and find a supplier that has plenty of different shirts, accessories, and other items that you can sell on your website while they will produce the actual orders.

When it comes to payment, you set the price that includes the price of the source material, the work, logistics price, and your fee. After the person purchases an item, you pay the manufacturer, logistic manager, your team, and the rest is your fee. 

You can collaborate with different designers to create unique prints or let people pick their own prints if they want something specific. The hardest yet most interesting thing you have to work on is marketing. And as every marketer knows, the business is 25% of goods and 75% of marketing.

6. Market Niche Products Well

As we constantly hear the question, "can you make money on Shopify?", we have figured out plenty of ideas to help you do that. Basically, you have to know your audience and your niche from A to Z. Even if you decide on creating or reselling nice products for a specific audience only.

This might sound like a hard task to sell something that is not popular among all people, but we should tell you that that's not true. Moreover, if you learn your audience well enough to sell them niche products, you'll be even more successful than selling items to the general audience.

7. Create Local Online Store

As many stores go online, you can create an online grocery store that has local goods for local people. And if you have your own farm or even a big garden, you can sell your food via the Internet. Many people value natural, eco, bio foods and will buy from you if you do the marketing right.

You can add SEO keywords used in your community so people will find your store more easily.

8. Digital Products

As the Internet grows and many people consider their life to be rather minimalistic, you can make money on Shopify by selling digital products or downloads. It can be anything that can be used digitally: e-books, apps, NFTs, podcasts, games, digital clothes, etc. You might require a strong team to create such products as well as a solid budget. But in the long run, it can bring you more profit as you can sell the same items repeatedly. 

9. Monetize Social Media

Whenever you think about how to get money from Shopify, some influencers do that. You can give your followers something they want and, in return, get revenue. For example, as mentioned before, you can promote an affiliate program. But you can also advertise in different stores. Also, if you have something to sell, you can purchase a Shopify Lite plan and add a Buy button to the items you can sell on Facebook. This can be a great source of additional income or be a full-time business. 

10. Promote Your Freelance Service

Many people do their job daily without sticking to a specific company — freelancing. This means you can sell your services online, making money with Shopify. It is perfect for writers, designers, illustrators, developers, translators, etc. Basically, if you do something that can be done with the help of your computer, you can sell it via Shopify. 

11. Printed Products

As mentioned before, you can work with suppliers that can print pictures and illustrations on clothes and accessories, but that's not the only thing you can print, right?

There is a high demand for anything printed, especially for business owners. Small and big companies need a lot of souvenir products that they can hand out to their partners and workers. This is a present that they can give to people they work with and another medium for promotion to raise awareness about their company. 

With Shopify, you can start your print-on-demand business without struggling. You can print on mugs or stickers, books, calendars, cards, and anything else.

12. Sell Art

If you are an artist, you can sell your art online, skipping the middlemen that require a fee. And as marketing is an art itself, you can try to promote your creations in different ways and make money on Shopify. And as soon as you sell your art, you'll get your money right to your banking account!

What’s more, if you know plenty of art creators, you can become a middleman and marketer for these artists.

13. Sell Services

Suppose you can provide people with services like consultations on different topics, including law, psychology, or schooling, you can start your online business by making money with Shopify. And if you are a professional in any field, you can start your own classes and teach people the things you know yourself.

14. Sell CBD products

One of the newer niches that keep growing and bring a lot of profit to those who believe in the power of CBD. As you invest in supplies and marketing, you can be one of the pioneers in selling these items locally or even globally. Even though there are plenty of stores worldwide, there is still a lot of space to be superior in.

The most popular items in this niche are oil, chewing bears, creams, balms, sprays, and anything else you can imagine.

15. Sell Your Shopify Expertise

Last but not least, you teach others how to make money on Shopify if you are skilled enough. But this is a topic you should consider later if you are just starting. You have to know everything about Shopify yourself and then consult others.

Besides, you should have enough knowledge in business and marketing as it takes plenty of time and skills to learn and try everything that can bring the profit and upgrade the brand. 

If you feel you know the business well, but marketing is not your strongest side, try to collaborate with someone who knows the topic well. Maybe, together, you can consult or teach others how to succeed on Shopify.

Work on Your Marketing to Make Money on Shopify

The answer to how to make money with Shopify begins with creating your own Shopify store. It is easy but takes effort in the longer run. You should definitely check the Shopify apps that can upgrade your working process and make it better and smoother. You should also pick the right Shopify theme if you want to bring a specific target audience and make their experience user-friendly based on your niche. 

The other side of this business with making money on Shopify is that you need to work hard on marketing. And here, you should bring everything that will help you to achieve your goals, like SEO promotion, email marketing, social media influencers, etc. Claspo will help you to better analyze your performance. It has built-in A/B testing, so it’s easy to test and improve your website's conversion rate and customer journey.

Don't forget about making your website mobile-friendly. Many business owners forget that and pay a huge price for this mistake. Most people use their smartphones to shop or to wander on the internet. Ensure their experience with your website is flawless so they have the urge to buy from your store. 

If you need additional help with setting up your Shopify shop, you can contact Claspo. And to read about marketing promotions that you can perform with your Shopify store, you can look at our How to Get Sales on Shopify: 11 Ways for Your Business article.

We hope that you'll succeed with your business and your Shopify store!