So you’ve decided to sell vitamins via the vast online marketplace of the worldwide web?  Then check out these five tips so that you don’t drown in the sea of e-commerce!

  1. Know what the top-selling products are.  One of the best ways to get an idea of what is really selling well is to ask local vitamin stores or markets what their best selling product is. Sometimes this will vary seasonally (Vitamin-C gets a boost in sales when the cold season hits during the winter), so be sure to keep up on new trends, both by talking to vendors and by searching the net.
  2. Spend money to make money.  This might run counter to common sense, but spending money on advertisements can give your vitamin company the boost in sales you’ve been looking for.  Just make sure that you understand the audience of the online or print publication you’re advertising in and tailor the message accordingly.  For instance, employ an easy laid-back tone in an ad aimed at selling protein powder to young adults, and a more academic tone in ad directed toward selling multivitamins to working professionals.
  3. Be realistic with your expectations.  Building a business takes time, and millionaires usually aren’t created overnight.  Set small goals for your business (selling ten products a week at first), and then watch to see if you are achieving the growth you expected.
  4. Learn from the success (or failure) of others.  Is business booming for one vitamin store in town, but petering out for another?  Maybe it’s a difference in product.  Take note, and if there seems to be a demand for a certain product, there’s a probably a similar niche on the net.  Of course, if the football team is coming to your GNC to buy muscle supplements from the local hottie, you may have a problem.
  5. Make sure that the online market isn’t already flooded with a product that you’re offering.  Oftentimes a certain vitamin will become popular and a deluge of other vitamin vendors will jump on the bandwagon.  This drives down prices to barely profitable levels.  Be wary, and keep an eye out for falling prices