EcomCrew Podcast

E273: Growing an Ecommerce Business in an Ultra Niche Market

It’s been a hot minute since I did one of these Under the Hood episodes. Today, I bring you one that could be both interesting and potentially helpful for those selling products in narrow niches.

It can be difficult to be number one in a highly saturated and competitive niche. That’s not usually a problem for folks with businesses in very specific and product-focused niches. 

Nevertheless, being involved in an ultra-niche business has its own share of challenges.

Today, I’m talking to Mark who helps run a dancewear company in an ultra-niche market.  Originally started by his grandma 40 years ago, he was instrumental in its shift from selling wholesale to retail in 2017.

Here’s a look at where the business is at right now.

  • How Mark got involved in ecommerce (2:43)
  • How they stared in the online space (4:05)
  • What the revenue’s like (5:19)

Mike puts in a couple of suggestions for growing the business. 

  • Do SEO (7:11)
  • Look at selling on Amazon (9:26)
  • Put out good quality content (12:15)
  • Start using Facebook Messenger (19:12)
  • Free plus shipping offer (20:46)
  • Create a giveaway (24:57)
  • Add lifestyle photos (29:57)

Under the Hood is a segment where we do an hour-long coaching call with one of our listeners. We take a look at their businesses, provide honest feedback, offer our best business advice, and answer whatever questions they have. In exchange for the free coaching, we will turn the call into a podcast episode so that our community can benefit as well. It’s a win-win!

Subscribe to the 5 Minute Pitch podcast to listen to all the pitches and deliberations from the show’s first season.

Join season two of the 5 Minute Pitch by filling out and submitting the application form.

Michael Jackness

Michael started his first business when he was 18 and is a serial entrepreneur. He got his start in the online world way back in 2004 as an affiliate marketer. From there he grew as an SEO expert and has transitioned into ecommerce, running several sites that bring in a total of 7-figures of revenue each year.

4 Comments

  1. I was just listening to this podcast and had a thought for Mark: I don’t know your business, but it sounds like you cater to the competitive dance market. My husband and I are social “ballroom” dancers – I put ballroom in quotes because we mostly participate in more contemporary dances like West Coast Swing which tends to attract a much younger (millennial) crowd. Mike may have been on to something when he suggested expanding into the shoe market, but I’m going to suggest a more specific niche. There is an unfilled market for comfortable social dancing shoes. A lot of of us wear sneakers and use a cobbler to attach suede dancing soles to them. Since we’re not competing, we want comfort. There is one company that makes the rounds of the dance conferences hawking their sneaker-like social dance shoes, but they’re ugly, uncomfortable, come in a single width (which is either too narrow or too wide, depending upon who you talk to), and outrageously expensive. There’s a wide world of young, up-and-coming social dancers who just want something comfortable to put on their feet, but no one is willing it sell it to them.

Leave a Reply to Brenna Olsen Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button