Today, it seems like everything has moved into the online environment. For those looking to start a business, leveraging the internet’s power can be a very lucrative idea. However, what if you wanted to start a business related to fitness? While you certainly cannot open an online gym, there are actually many ways to get into this industry with an online model. One of them is selling workout plans and fitness products online. Read on to learn whether this is for you and how you can get started.
Is “online fitness” a profitable idea?
As we just mentioned, a lot of people nowadays do everything they possibly can on the internet. With the pandemic still restricting certain activities, it’s also the only option in some cases. Nevertheless, you don’t have to worry about the post-pandemic world either. E-commerce has become a massive industry, and few people will buy anything without looking up the competition online. And it’s not only fitness equipment people are willing to pay for. Without a solid fitness plan, beginners are likely to lose motivation and give up if they don’t see results soon enough, and they are well aware of this. However, not everyone wants to or can employ a private coach or frequent a gym. Purchasing workout plans online solves these problems for them. Of course, there are pros and cons to this kind of fitness coaching, but there is still a demand for it.
Decide on what to sell.
So you want to open a fitness store. Above all, you need to decide on what exactly you will be selling. This phase of your business will involve a lot of research. You need to know your target audience well to cater to their needs. Look around on Instagram, see what the trends are and what products people are using. Research your competition and try to come up with a way to be different from them. It’s a good idea to focus on a specific niche instead of doing everything at once. This will allow you to build a customer base more effectively. For instance, you can focus on weight loss, create plans for this objective, and sell supplements that specifically target this issue. Alternatively, you can focus on weight training and supply your store with equipment such as a power rack. You can even focus on fitness clothing. Decide whether you will keep inventory or utilize drop shipping, and you can move onto the next step.
Set up your store
The next step is setting up your actual store. You have a lot of options on this front. If you plan to resell equipment and other products, you can open a store on an e-commerce platform such as eBay and utilize the benefits this option comes with. It’s the fastest to set up, and you can immediately reach many people thanks to the popularity of these sites. However, setting up your own website is a better option if you’re planning for the long term. This option might be a bit more complicated to set up. However, a solid website gives you and your store more credibility, and it opens up a whole world of possibilities for developing your own brand. It’s also the way to go if you sell fitness plans, as you will need a membership plugin.
Create a membership plan
As we just mentioned, the most straightforward way to sell fitness plans is through a membership. For this, you will need to pick a membership plugin and set it up – don’t worry, you can do this by yourself with the help of a guide. However, your website should also include free content to attract more potential customers. You can use your website as a blog, where you share valuable tips while reserving more in-depth content for premium members. This way, your website will have traffic from a much wider audience than just your members, which will not only boost your Google ranking but will inevitably bring more traffic to the store section as well. It’s a win-win.
Start getting your name out there.
Finally, once your site or store is up and running, it’s time to work even harder. There is a lot of competition in this industry, so you will have to be smart when marketing yourself. The aforementioned blog posts are already a great start. It would be even more effective if you also produced videos. Make sure you are present on social media and keep posting valuable content consistently to gain the trust of your audience. Once they develop their trust in you, they will not hesitate to follow your fitness plans and try your product recommendations.
Of course, there are many more details you will have to give careful thought to, such as appropriately pricing your membership plans and the products you sell; however, these were some of the basics of getting started. There is a lot of trial and error involved in the process of starting a fitness-related website and store, but your skills will ultimately prevail.
Allan Wickerson is a passionate blog writer who is extremely keen on writing about health, lifestyle, home improvement, and technology. His exclusive hobby is surfing the net to find amazing articles that can inspire him with fresh ideas for article writing. He loathes being a common person who wastes his time. Follow him on Twitter.
