Regardless of what culture or country you come from, it is likely that you are going to have a passion for food. Everyone wants to taste new meals and tell their friends and relatives about them. With the COVID-19 pandemic increasing unemployment across so many industries, people have started to learn how to sell food online. Since the food industry has evolved in the last few years, people have understood its potential and started selling food online.
The expansion of the online food business can be because of the following factors:
- The evolution of the buying power in the global middle class
- Offering a variety of meals
- Busy professional life that gives no time to prepare or eat out
- Leading brands in the food industry are launching aggressive marketing campaigns
Technological evolution has made it easier to start selling food from home. You can use worldwide markets and established eCommerce platforms to make online sales.
How to Start a Food Business
1) Understand the Laws
When you are learning how to sell food from home, you must understand the rules of the food industry. For example, if you make a mistake in your food preparation (from packaging to ingredients), you can put your customers at risk. You may even have to pay fines or challans if you need to follow the proper regulations.
Let's assume that you are a US citizen. For selling food from home, you must understand the 'Cottage Food Laws.' These laws teach you how to store your food properly and keep it away from harmful contaminants, such as pets.
Here are the elements that you would need to open your business and start selling food online:
- State business license
- Zoning clearance and approval from the government
- Kitchen inspections once a year
- Conduct regular food handling training sessions to secure the food
- License your business in the state you are living in
Since you are a business owner, you must research the regulations and guidelines regarding food management and selling in your region. You can also take online food security courses, ensuring that your customers achieve peace of mind if they have any questions about your food.
2) Select Your Niche
It is not a surprise that food is an extensive industry. Although you might be tempted to sell food online to everyone, it is only sometimes an intelligent decision. The more specific you can get with your niche, the more chances you will have to get superiority in your field.
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
When you start selling food from home, you must initially think about the food types you are most passionate about. For example, you may love to make pasta in minutes or want to make bread.
You can conduct some initial market research if you have a different preference. You can use the keyword research tool to understand what people want in the food industry. Here are some of the food niche options that you can consider:
- Custom cake
- Organic or natural food
- Food with dietary restrictions
- Gourmet and small-batch food
If you have just started selling food online, focusing on food products that don't require huge investments would be best. For example, you can make canned products, candies, and baked food without special equipment.
3) Identify Your Supplier
If you are making food products from scratch or curating food items to sell to your target audience, you must identify a reliable supplier for your online food business. Choosing the correct supplier is essential in selling food from home. The wrong selection doesn't just harm your brand image but can also result in food poisoning and illness to your customers.
Suppose you are considering a supplier with specific attributes (such as sustainably sourced ingredients) and can't find proof of those attributes. In that case, you must reach out and ask for more information. Any top-notch supplier will provide you with the relevant information to overcome your problems.
You must also prove that you can deliver products with a decent shelf-life rather than getting them off your store near their expiration date. You can also keep your food fresh by managing your food inventory properly.
4) Packaging, Branding, and Labeling
Every business owner prefers a quality brand image, but it is essential to get your packaging right when selling food from home. Your packing and branding strategies should be identical to the kind of product you are selling. For example, an all-organic food company may use plenty of natural colors and plant imagery. If you own an online food business selling custom cakes, you must have a brightly colored appearance.
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
Once you are done with your brand personality, you can focus on packaging your food correctly. You must provide the correct information to your customers to help them make the right purchasing decisions. Transparency is integral within your food ingredients to maintain your reputation.
5) Price Your Food Products
Pricing can be complicated, especially if you need experience selling food from home. You cannot put a meager price because it will only result in profit despite steady sales. Similarly, you cannot put a high price, or you may risk alienating your target audience. Low prices may also indicate low quality in some regions of the food industry. Getting the balance in terms of prices is crucial to the welfare of your online food business.
Image taken from Strikingly User’s Website
You can start by researching your industry and the prices set by your competitors. This step is helpful for you to determine the correct prices for your food products. If you believe your food items are valuable, you can set your price at a high margin. Ensure you know how to convince your customers about your product value.
6) Create Your Online Store
Once you are ready to sell food online, you can start building your online store. Although you can attract your viewers through blogs, newsletters, and social media, a website is the heartbeat of any online business. You must make your food look as irresistible as possible on your website. When selling food from home, your images will grab the most attention. Hence, you must upload high-quality pictures of your food alongside epic food descriptions to encourage people. The right combination of your written content and images will convince your customers to take action.
Here are the elements you must integrate into your food website:
- 'About Us' page
- Contact page
- FAQ page
- Any certificates
- Blog section
- Lead generation strategy
7) Promote Your Online Food Business
Once you have established your online store, you can focus on promoting your food brand. Social media is a great choice to promote food because many people love food snaps on Facebook and Instagram. You can also promote your food items with the following strategies:
- Post recipes on Pinterest
- Offer great deals
- Selling food through other companies
- Offering cooking courses
Start Online Food Business on Strikingly
Once you understand how to make money by selling food from home, it is time to implement your plans. In the digital world today, here are the three ways of selling food online:
- Sell curated food products through a supplier
- Build your eCommerce website
- Use digital marketplaces, such as Amazon and Etsy
Image taken from Strikingly
The website development process has become easy with the introduction of top-notch website builders, such as Strikingly. Nowadays, building a website is as easy as creating a social media account. Strikingly is a professional website builder that enables you to build your eCommerce website within a couple of hours. More importantly, you can build your eCommerce website without any expertise in coding or programming.
Strikingly helps you create quality websites that advertise your business of selling food from home. Since Strikingly enables you to build an essential website without investing a single penny, it has resulted in many small businesses building professional webspace cheaply.
Image taken from Strikingly
Before you start building your website on Strikingly, you must identify the elements you want to include in your food website. The elements you include must represent your goals while creating the website. Will you convert your food website into an online brochure? Do you want to ensure potential clients book your services through your food website? Do you want to have a conversation with them in real-time?
You would need high-resolution photos and videos to demonstrate your food management experience on your food website. You can include a portfolio gallery on your food website to make it look more professional and trustworthy. The best way to promote your online food business is to ask people for reviews and testimonials. Customers will be inclined to use your website if your website is highly recommended.
To sell food from home successfully, you must present your entire menu on your website so the clients will have various options. If your food items are professionally photographed, your customers will likely browse your menu. Prices will make the customers determine whether your items are within their budget.
Lastly, you should include the contact section on your food website. You can include the Facebook messenger or the live chat feature to respond to your costumes in real-time. You can also integrate social media timelines on your website.
Conclusion
Selling food from home is an exciting and profitable way to make your entrepreneurial dreams come true. You are on track to build a reliable food business if you have the right combination of ingredients, a quality website, and fantastic food items.
Since you are a business owner, you must be cautious while determining your supplier, following safety rules, and creating food packaging. The food industry is vast, and one mistake can disrupt your business plans. An in-depth research and analysis will eventually elevate your food business.
