The Industry That Grew During Covid, and Why You Should Consider Starting a Business In It It isn't as hard as you think, and it can be very lucrative.
By Michael Fenech Edited by Russell Sicklick
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
It's safe to say that Covid-19 has had a huge impact on the world.
The impact, in most cases, has been negative. Lockdowns, people getting sick, mandatory vaccinations, forced Government spending and more.
But is there any upside to this whole mess?
One industry that has grown significantly is the e-commerce space. Now you may be wondering, how could this industry possibly grow?
Let's take a closer look.
First off, when governments enforce lockdowns, people still need to buy things. Even though we were locked down, stores such as supermarkets remained open. But what about other types of stores?
This is where it gets really interesting
You see, Covid-19 and the numerous lockdowns we had to endure changed consumer behavior for good. The reason is that we still had a desire to buy things but needed to adapt our purchasing style.
Rather than go into the store to buy something, we were now forced to pivot by selecting a product online, adding our credit card details and then having that product delivered to our front door.
This was a big change for people, but something really interesting happened. People started to love the convenience of ordering a product online and having it delivered quickly.
Related: The Pandemic Economy Has Made E-Commerce More Indispensable Than Ever
Once people discovered this convenience, consumer behavior was forever changed
According to a consumer insights survey by PwC, 75 percent of over 8,600 consumers surveyed have tried a new shopping behavior in the last 12 months (online) and 73 percent of consumers intend to continue with this trend.
Another interesting insight is that 36 percent of consumers have tried different brands, stores or websites to get their goods.
Amazon, the biggest e-commerce brand of them all, has reported incredible growth, further confirming this new consumer behavior is here to stay.
According to e-marketer.com, Amazon accounts for more than $2 out of every $5 spent online in the U.S. in 2021. Amazon also has a massive 41.4 percent market share when compared to their nearest competitor, Walmart, which sits at a distant 7.2 percent.
So we all know that the e-commerce industry has grown but why should we consider it?
The fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic has seen entire industries nearly wiped out. The travel industry, the live event industry and a whole host of other sectors have seen a significant downturn.
Now as humans, we all need certainty, and workers in these affected sectors have had to reassess the security of their jobs.
People are looking to pandemic-proof their careers and earning capabilities. As a result, the hockey stick (sudden and extremely rapid) growth of e-commerce is quickly gaining the attention of industry workers as a new business opportunity.
Related: Winning The E-Commerce Battle In the Post Covid-19 Era
Welcome to the world of Amazon FBA
Amazon FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) is an e-commerce business model that allows people to create microbrands or white label their own products, ship their goods to one of Amazon's fulfillment centers, and once an item is sold, Amazon takes care of the picking, packing and shipping of your product to the customer's front door.
Now, this is a big deal because Amazon FBA sellers are making money and lots of it. According to Amazon's SMB report, more than 65,000 Americans made over $100,000 USD in sales, up 10 percent year on year.
On top of that, 27,000 Americans made over $500,000 USD in sales on their platform, and nearly 4,000 Americans surpassed the $1,000,000 USD sales mark.
These are Moms and Dads creating a brand and partnering with Amazon.
There are other alternatives to achieve this same objective but they come at a price.
Shopify is an e-commerce platform that allows you to easily build an online store. But the problem with this is you need to pay for your own traffic, which at times can become quite expensive.
Amazon has a massive advantage in this white label space due to one reason — it's in everyone's DNA to go to Amazon to buy something online. They have eyeballs, and if you get your brand and product selection right, you can place your offer in front of millions of people who have buying intent.
The other big advantage Amazon has is trust. With the Amazon FBA program, Amazon takes care of all customer service and handles any issues or returns. So essentially, if you buy products on the Amazon platform, you are safe when compared to an individual Shopify store.
Amazon has their own guides to selling on its platforms and there are 1000's of videos online to help people gain the knowledge they need to take part in the e-commerce action.
When you consider the growth of e-commerce, this is a huge opportunity because 36 percent of consumers are willing to try different brands. As an added plus, you can partner with the biggest online retailer on the planet, Amazon.
All these stats line up to create the perfect storm of opportunity to help micro retailers claim their slice of the e-commerce pie, even in these uncertain times.
Related: Why Amazon is Poised to Further Command the E-Commerce Space
