I'm going to answer three fantastic questions concerning food e-commerce enterprises that you, my subscribers, have emailed me. The idea of selling food online has gained a lot of traction in recent years. And this category of internet-based items will only grow in the future. So I'm going to go over three questions that some of you may have submitted, and we'll go through them right now.
Yeah. That's all fine. Damien from marketing has been posted online. And, as I stated in the opening, I'm going to answer your subscriber questions regarding food e-commerce, including what it is, how it works, and what you'll need to get your food e-commerce up and running. But first, as always, welcome to online food marketing; this is YouTube's top food entrepreneur channel.
I've been a food entrepreneur for over a decade, 12 years, and my wife and I currently own and operate 60 retail food establishments. Over the last 12 years, we've built six-figure businesses on every single platform. So I provide you all of those recommendations and information about what I've done, and the marketing food team conducts research and presents you with fascinating subjects about different food company ideas.
So let's get right to work. On my side, I've got my laptop open. So I'll have a look at these subscription inquiries. So, the first question, which is a super, kind of simple one, but it's a good one to grasp and offer what to ask, is: What is the definition of food e-commerce? So, what is the definition of gastronomic commerce? If you want to start an internet business selling food, you may either acquire food goods to resell or start your own business.
You may start a food subscription business by manufacturing the food goods yourself, ensuring sure they're packed appropriately, and selling them yourself. You may either establish a wholesale website where you sell food directly online through wholesale, wholesale-style accounts, or you can curate the items and start a food subscription service. So that's what the food industry is. Then there's e-commerce, which is when you go on the internet and sell things through websites. So, selling food goods through e-commerce is something you can do completely legally, but there are a few things you need to do first to establish yourself as a legal business. You'll want to double-check that you've integrated yourself. You'll want to be sure you know where your food goods are coming from.
You can't sell food from your house over the internet or through interstate sales since you'd be breaking cottage food rules, which would restrict where you could sell. So you want to make sure your facility is commercially licensed. You'll want to make sure you're examined as well. Normally, the USDA or the local health agency will inspect it. You should ensure that you have a business license to operate in the city or county you're in, as well as that you're in a zoning area that enables you to distribute and ship food items from the region you're in. Okay. That is to say, you want to be sure that the structure you have complies with all local regulations as well as any permissions or licenses that you may require.
Now, this changes depending on where you live and what you're doing. So make sure you're zoned commercially and in a location that permits you to do so. However, selling food online has exploded in popularity over the last decade. And, particularly in the last year, what has transpired with the present scenario in 2020 has pushed food purchases into the billions of dollars, and this trend will continue internationally. So, if you're wanting to go into food e-commerce and want to know precisely what Sukkot foodie commerce is, I strongly advise you to get started with it. You no longer have to build a website from the ground up. And allow me to clarify what I mean. You may begin by selling on Ebay, Etsy, Bonanza, or even Walmart.com.
Some of the other platforms are already involved in the food industry. E-Commerce sites are locations where you may start selling your food goods or resale items that you have purchased and wish to resell. These are fantastic since they have a built-in audience of millions, if not billions, of consumers, so you don't have to generate traffic to your business.
Now, Damien, why didn't you bring up Amazon? I've been an Amazon customer for the past eight years. I advise you to avoid going to Amazon at first since there are many things you must grasp about how Amazon works in the food area in order to be successful. So I don't usually advise folks to do it straight away. Okay. However, I believe that as you get expertise selling food and e-commerce online, you will have the option to go to Amazon.
MORE FREE RESOURCES:
🗒️ Helpful resources:
- FDA food labeling, ingredients, and packaging information (US)
- FDA Food Labeling Requirements Ebook (US)
- FTC Fair Packaging and Labelling Act (US)
- CFIA food labeling requirements (Canada)
- Canadian food packaging manufacturer directory (Canada)
- US food packaging manufacturer directory (US)
Okay. E-bay and Etsy are excellent places to start if you want to gain some e-commerce experience and have a better understanding of the world of food e-commerce. It's because you have to have broken goods. You're going to get bad comments when you ship a product. You're going to get a lot of good comments. You'll have metrics to adhere to when it comes to delivery difficulties and refunds. There are a slew of additional issues that you'll have to deal with as well. And I've had to learn the hard way through the years, of course, by doing it myself. But you have to do it before you go to Amazon. I had been online for approximately three years before I went to Amazon. So, yeah, Amazon is a fantastic place to be, but don't go there just yet; Nan's is a great place to start. How to sell food online?
Etsy.Com is a wonderful website. I've been on Etsy since 2011, and I've also been on Ebay. I've been selling on eBay for almost 11 years. So those are the regions where culinary commerce would be the greatest location to get your foot in the door and try it out. Okay. So, in a word, that's what food e-commerce is all about. It's simply providing food goods to people all over the world via the internet and your website. So, what's the next step? How can I sell food on the internet? Okay. So the problem with selling food on e-commerce is that you have to make sure you understand everything from how to make a product to how to acquire it and resale it to how to transport and package it. The price point, where you clearly want to be competitive and profitable, but also the shipping of it, the logistics of it, the handling of customer service, and the management of any negatives that will inevitably emerge.
5 FEMALE FOOD ENTREPRENEURS SUCCESS
For example, owing to the massive problem of 2020, many shipping careers were held up last Christmas in December, and we had to deal with over $5,000 worth of returns, refunds, and credits to orders that didn't get sent. They are only delivered once, when they are really shipped. So, recognizing that you're going to run across those issues when operating an e-commerce food business, and knowing how to deal with them when it comes to pricing your goods. As a result, your price and shipment are both lucrative. So it's understandable. And on top of all of these varied aspects, there are costs that you should be aware of on eBay, Etsy, Amazon, Walmart, and any other platform where you sell. Even if you have your own website and are doing food e-commerce, there will be a lot of expenses involved.
There are transaction costs, as well as monthly fees for the actual membership or website hosting. If you're using Shopify, Weebly hosting, or Wix hosting, you'll have to pay a monthly charge even if you're not selling anything. So all of these different elements come into play, and those are the things you need to know to figure out how to sell food on the internet. So it is something you should certainly look into and then attempt, but don't go to a platform like Amazon just yet. I'd start with something easy and modest, although having your own website is also beneficial. It's true, believe it or not. I didn't even have a webpage at the time. I had only been selling on eBay and Etsy for approximately a year when I initially started. I'll have some links down here when I've really designed and constructed my own on Weebly, we believe.com.
If you want to check out these other hosting websites where you can really build up your own website, they were very great for what we needed next. So, in general, will business-to-business e-commerce increase in the next years? Yes. Yes. Even in five to seven years, I would project over the following year. And right now, you'll have approximately $20 to $30 billion in sales show you a little graph right there over the next five to seven years, food e-commerce in general, whether it's a door dash or Uber eats, even if it's just simple meal delivery through an app. If you go to Amazon, it's listed in the gourmet category. All of these different sorts of food-related companies will only continue to develop if you have a fantastic product, whether you're selling food on your own website, or if you're selling food on Shopify.
As a result, it makes sense to get online right now, or at the very least get started. Watch as many of my videos as you can, and if they're not useful, look up any questions you have about food e-commerce and how it affects your business model or how you're going to try to sell food online, and then figure out what you need to do to make it happen. Just bear in mind that you must run your business like a business. Th