Start Making Money with an Online Candy Store
- A Good Online Candy Store: Essential Features
- Learn How to Work on a Marketing Campaign and SEO Promotion
- Everything you Need to Know about How to Present Sweet Products/Services
- How to Start an Online Candy Store on Shopify
- Helpful Online Store Setup Service from TemplateMonster
- Things to Consider When Choosing a Website Template for an Online Candy Business
- Top Online Candy Store Themes for Inspiration
- The Online Candy Store Templates Comparison Table
Are you a cupcakes fairy? Do you think that your lollipops deserve the nomination “Lollipop of the Year”? Do you bake the most delicious chocolate cakes in the world? It may come as a huge surprise to you, but selling homemade candy online can be quite profitable and you can start making money today. Let the numbers speak for themselves. It is expected that confectionery sales will reach $38.1 billion by 2020, in the US alone. Here’s one more. People consume approximately 7.2 million metric tons of chocolate annually. Pretty impressive, huh? Let's put these two interesting statistics together. On the one hand, we have lots of people who like sweets. On the other hand, there's a cost-effective business niche. Isn't it high time to start an online candy store? Of course, it is. And we are going to guide you through the process.
You don’t have to be a sweet tooth yourself to start a candy business. It takes your desire, a small investment, and a knowledge base to start selling candy online. As for the latter, this article will provide you with all the necessary information. Keep reading.
A Good Online Candy Store: Essential Features
With the rapid growth of internet users, it is clear why most sellers go online. More and more people give their preference to shopping online; hence the owners of online stores have to be up-to-date to keep their businesses afloat. As a merchant, you need to make sure that your online candy shop is packed with the following key features.
User-friendly design
We’ll start from something that may sound obvious, but there are lots of web stores that simply ignore this characteristic. A prevailing number of consumers will say that a good online shop is the one that is easy to use. If the design layout is clear and easy-to-follow, shoppers can make purchases fast and they will come back again. The user-friendly design can be implemented by categorizing goods, providing comparisons, and filter capabilities. Also, when starting a candy business from home, you must present all the necessary information such as FAQs, reviews, store policies, etc.
Mobile-first philosophy
It is safe to say that your online candy shop should be optimized for mobile. A responsive design means that your website will be supported on different devices and will adjust to various screen sizes with ease. As a result, you will attract more potential consumers.
The reviews of customers
When it comes to online shopping one of the pain points is the inability to physically inspect the goods before buying. Due to this, the review functionality is crucial. Make sure your future online candy shop contains a reviews section since it will definitely help you to boost sales.
High quality images and videos
It goes without saying that having attractive photos in any online shop is super important, especially online candy shops. Pay attention to every single picture you upload on your website: it should be eye-catching as well as high resolution. Wondering how to sell candy from home? Start with the visual side of your products.
Fast and easy-to-follow check-out process
There are very few shoppers who are ready to go through the complexity of unnecessary actions to make an online purchase. Provide your consumers with a convenient and fast check-out flow.
These are just a few main features; however, there are a lot more of them. For instance, it is necessary to make a store protected by opting for an e-commerce platform with HTTPS and SSL support and provide social media integration. But, of course, all of these mentioned features are just the tip of the iceberg and you need to do thorough research regarding all the essential features that every online candy store should have.
Learn How to Work on a Marketing Campaign and SEO Promotion
With the fitting SEO strategy up your sleeve, it will be easy for you to make it to the top 10 in Google search results. The right SEO can make your online candy store more visible and boost its sales. First and foremost, pick an e-commerce platform that offers efficient built-in SEO tools. This will be a good start since SEO friendly themes guarantee that pages are indexed faster.
Since this niche is highly competitive, search engine optimization is as important as picking the right type of candy to sell. So, what exactly can you do?
Write a blog
Blogging is one of the most powerful on-site SEO tactics at the moment. Thanks to interesting keywords-rich content, you can increase the number of clients. As an online candy store owner, you might write articles that include some interesting facts about sweets. On top of that, you can add some step-by-step recipes with the ingredients that can be found among your products. There are tons of candy-related topics to write about.
Offer sales, discounts, and promotions
Everyone likes gifts and promotions. You can attract the attention of potential customers with the help of seasonal sales or by offering discounts for registration. Also, it is a good idea to come up with a profitable discount system for loyal clients.
Link-building
You will need to hire a professional SEO specialist for this, but the technique has proven to be highly effective in terms of off-site SEO. By building a wider net of links, you show search engines the authority of your website which results in a higher ranking position and better website visibility.
Social media
One of the most effective ways to promote your online candy shop is through social media tools. A well thought out SMM strategy can be life-saving for a candy business. Making regular posts with bright high quality pictures is a must in today’s world since most people spend a decent share of their time on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Email marketing
After you have gained leads, start your email marketing campaign. This means you can inform your customers about upcoming promotions or sales, offer them special deals, or notify them about new blog publications. Of course, it is not recommended to send too many emails since it is considered spamming. However, if done correctly, email marketing is a great way to keep your customers engaged.
Offline advertising
It may be hard to believe but people still have lives outside the internet, hence it is also advised to promote your shop by means of regular ads like flyers, TV or radio ads, etc.
Everything you Need to Know about How to Present Sweet Products/Services
The product pages aren't the place to lag behind. On the contrary, it is crucial to spend enough time writing readable informative descriptions as well as taking high-quality photos of your candy products. Look through the main characteristics every product page needs to follow:
- A well-written product description
- Attractive high quality pictures
- A price (and/or a discount price)
- Easy-to-use filters
- A function allowing to choose quantity
- Reviews and rating sections
- Visible “Add to Cart/Buy” button
- Display of related products
Of course, there might be additional things like “Add to wishlist” or “Add to compare” buttons, but here we have listed the most important aspects of product pages.
How to Start an Online Candy Store on Shopify
Being one of the most popular e-commerce platforms out there, Shopify can be a suitable option when it comes to starting a candy business online. This solution provides all the necessary tools and features so you can sell candy online with just a few mouse clicks. We’re not kidding; the whole process takes no more than 15 minutes. By paying a small fee you get access to a wide array of settings to play with. So, here’s how to start a candy store online with Shopify:
- Create a Shopify account.
- Pick a suitable design. Your future online candy shop can look just like you want it to thanks to a great variety of possible Shopify themes to choose from. Moreover, if you are not interested in Shopify, you can try WooCommerce themes instead.
- Set up a store and customize it in accordance with your needs. You may like to check out our free course explaining everything about Shopify online store creation.
- Add the products you want to sell along with their descriptions.
- Select a domain. You can either purchase a domain from Shopify or from other suppliers of your choice.
- Make a test order to check if everything goes right.
As you can see, the process is super clear and easy, so you are ready to sell homemade candy without putting much effort into launching a website.
Helpful Online Store Setup Service from TemplateMonster
Launching a fully operational online candy store isn't all sunshine and rainbows as it may seem at first. It is time-consuming and requires some basic tech background. TemplateMonster is happy to present the ultimate online store setup service to help you get your online web store set up hassle-free. In case you are busy baking delicious cakes or searching for a reliable supplier and don’t really have time to figure out how the whole online store setup process works, our team will do it for you. The whole thing will take only one business day. Opting for our e-commerce web development services means that you will get a fully-fledged online candy store installed and configured in accordance with your instructions in no time.
The array of services available will depend on the package you pick. You can go with the Quick package that includes basic settings. There are also Classic, Premium, and All-in-One packages that offer more services. Basically, all that we need from you is the information about your store and the items you sell, the choice of the e-commerce platform you want to work with, and the URL address of your website. The rest of the work is on us. Our experts will do everything from configuring shipping settings and uploading your logo to importing your products and adding your content. Moreover, you can get extended On-Page SEO optimization if you purchase the All-in-One package.
So, while you are making candy, our team is working its magic on your future online candy shop. There is no need to worry about things like how to start a candy store online–just opt for the help of professionals!
Things to Consider When Choosing a Website Template for an Online Candy Business
Now that you know how to sell candy from home, it is time to decide which template to pick for your online candy store. The right choice of a theme can save tons of time and effort in terms of site maintenance. So, when choosing a template, make sure:
- It comes from a reliable source. Whether you purchase an expensive template or get it for free (or at a small price), it is really important to check the reliance of the supplier. Otherwise, you may face quite a few issues such as the absence of needed features, non-working plugins, etc.
- It has a responsive layout. The ability to adjust to different screen sizes and devices is an inevitable requirement which a good website needs to follow. If a template is fully responsive, you don’t need to worry that mobile users won’t be able to access your candy store.
- It is SEO-optimized. With an SEO-friendly template, your website’s pages will be indexed faster and found easily on the web.
- It is customizable. Although almost all templates are customizable these days, it wouldn’t hurt to check the availability of additional customization options to get more from what a certain template offers.
- It supports e-commerce. You need a template that ensures the full-cycle functioning of your online store; therefore you need one that has e-commerce or WooCommerce plugins.
Top Online Candy Store Themes for Inspiration
Whether you are about to start selling homemade candy online or launching a specialized online chocolate shop, the following sweet shop templates will provide you with enough inspiration for doing so. With about 70 awesome templates at hand, it is so easy to make your dreams come true. Check out the top online candy store templates from TemplateMonster here:
Sweet Life - Sweet Store Multipage Clean Shopify Theme
The Sweet Life theme belongs to those fully-responsive Shopify themes that attract attention right away. It is packed with all the essential features every online candy store needs such as Ajax shopping cart, products quick view, as well as easy-to-use search form and sorting options. On top of that, your customers will be provided with “products carousel” and “add to wishlist” features that level up the shopping experience big time. After having purchased this awesome template, start playing with your website layouts and homepage which is 100% customizable. Various social options and multi-currency availability make the shopping experience super convenient.
Sweet Shop Responsive Shopify Theme
With this responsive Shopify template, you can start a candy business from home with ease. The template is equipped with convenient sorting options and a multi-currency module to make your online candy store user-friendly. The color scheme of a website interface can be customized thanks to the theme color switcher option. The Sweet Shop comes with Ajax cart that allows your customers to add desired products right to the cart without the need to reload a page. You can also write a company blog to boost customers’ engagement and bring more traffic to the website. Advanced mega-menu allows you to set up product categories and subcategories in a well-structured way. Another cool feature allows you to present your new products, temporary promotions, etc. with a website slider.
Sweet Shop Responsive WooCommerce Theme
The modern and stylish design of the Sweet Shop WooCommerce theme definitely stands out among other confectionery themes. It offers a wide array of useful features that every website needs to function appropriately. The template is completely responsive and mobile-friendly. You may like to check out the demo version to see whether this online candy store template fits your business objectives.
Sweet Life WooCommerce Theme
Zephyr, chocolate, macaroons... No matter what sweets you want to sell online, with the Sweet Life WooCommerce theme, it is super easy. Having read our guide on how to open a candy store at home, you are now well-prepared and ready to make a choice for an appropriate online candy store template. We highly recommend you focus on this fully customizable, responsive, and WPML-ready template. The bright colorful design, simplicity in use, and multi-functionality are the main advantages of the theme. Take a look at the demo version and make sure we are telling the truth.
Yummy Sweets WooCommerce Theme
If you are wondering how to start a candy business, we suggest that you begin by inspiring yourself. Here’s another eye-catching WooCommerce candy store theme that can bring you closer to your dream. What is so good about it? First, it is a parallax scrolling effect that livens up the website layout. Besides, the pastel tones add up to the attractiveness and make visitors fall in love with your online candy store from first sight. The template is 100% responsive and SEO friendly. It comes with the core features each online store needs such as “add to cart”, “add to wishlist”, and “compare” options. There is also a quick view mode. Look through the buyers’ reviews who have confirmed that the template is very easy to use and customize.
The Bakery WooCommerce Theme
The fully responsive design of this bakery and cafe WordPress template ensures that your customers receive the top-notch performance of your online candy store despite which device type and screen size they have. With it, you get a pack of useful features such as WooCommerce integration, multilingual support, different Google fonts, etc. Advanced theme options allow you to customize your page layouts, styles, and sidebars as you want. Landing heading slides can be customized with awesome animations. The Bakery theme is a perfect solution at an affordable price.
CreamBella IceCream Store WooCommerce Theme
This multipurpose WooCommerce template is perfect for selling ice cream, cakes, candy, and chocolate online. With an accent on ice cream related products, just a quick glance at the template design gets your mouth watering. The interactive homepage with a website slider to present new products and promotions is attention-grabbing and user-friendly. As for e-commerce features, you are not limited to anything. Ajax cart, the products carousel, sorting options, and advanced search and filter systems make the check-out flow super easy and fast. Thanks to a blog module you can increase the number of visitors to your store.
Sweets' King Shopify Theme
Start selling tasty cookies, candy, and cupcakes with this awesome fully responsive and SEO-friendly Shopify template. Being equipped with all the necessary features like Ajax cart, products quick view, and advanced sorting and search options, the Sweet's King template is a perfect candidate for everyone who is interested in selling candy online. Moreover, this template is powered up with the parallax effect which makes the design more pleasing to the eye. You are also presented with an opportunity to publish topic-related articles in a blog section to improve the website's visibility.
The Online Candy Store Templates Comparison Table
| E-commerce Platform | Responsive | Parallax | Ajax Cart | Search Option | Blog Module | Price | |
| Sweet Life Shopify Theme | Shopify | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $139 |
| Sweet Shop Shopify Theme | Shopify | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $139 |
| Sweets' King Shopify Theme | Shopify | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $139 |
| CreamBella WooCommerce Theme | WooCommerce | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $99 |
| The Bakery WooCommerce Theme | WooCommerce | Yes | Yes | N/A | Yes | Yes | $95 |
| Yummy Sweets WooCommerce Theme | WooCommerce | Yes | Yes | N/A | Yes | Yes | $114 |
| Sweet Life WooCommerce Theme | WooCommerce | Yes | Yes | N/A | Yes | Yes | $114 |
| Sweet Shop WooCommerce Theme | WooCommerce | Yes | Yes | N/A | Yes | Yes | $114 |
FAQ
To do so, first, decide on what kind of sweets you want to sell as well as whether you plan to make candy yourself or purchase it somewhere else. Make sure you get a food manufacturing permit in case you are planning to make the candies. Pick a name for your business and craft an eye-catching logo. Determine what your target market is. Choose an e-commerce platform you want your online candy store to be on. Get a website domain and hosting and set up your online store. It is neither easy nor difficult to sell candy online; it just requires time, effort, and money investment.
If you are among those who want to sell homemade candy, this question appears first. According to the statistics taken from the job site Indeed, a candy shop owner can make from $25,000 to $30,000 a year. You can easily make even more money with the right SEO strategy and unique products.
Get acquainted with the necessary SEO optimization tools and marketing strategies. Not only does it include well thought out email marketing and keyword-rich content writing for a company blog, but also various discounts and sales as well as promoting your products on social media.
As mentioned above, the user experience is crucial when it comes to setting up an online candy store. You need to make sure that your website loads fast enough and has clear and easy-to-use navigation. Also, check to be sure it is responsive and mobile friendly. That being said, make sure that the product pages are informative and offer a fast check-out process.
Read Also
The Best Platform For Online Clothing Store: Shopify or WooCommerce? [Developers Speaking]
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20+ Сheap WordPress Themes for Your Online Business: Build Your Website 2020
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Hi! I'm Boryslava, a freelance SEO copywriter and content writer. Enjoy reading, running and learning new things. A big fan of Star Wars saga and corgis. LinkedIn
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