Niche businesses aren’t the only road to Shopify fame. Over 70% of businesses target multiple audiences instead of a single customer type. If you’re planning to start dropshipping — or you’re wondering if the grass is greener on the other side of the Shopify general store vs. niche fence — this guide can help you.
What Is a Shopify General Store vs. Niche Store?
A general store has a broad inventory of products. For example, a general clothing store on Shopify could have dresses, jeans, pants, shoes, sweaters, jackets, and accessories. Fashion Nova is a huge online fashion store built with Shopify.
Niche stores concentrate on small groups of products or a very specific target audience. A niche could be exercise apparel, cowboy boots, or audience-specific products like board shorts, sandals, and sunglasses. Death Wish Coffee Co. is a great example of a niche Shopify store.
Is It Better To Have a Niche or General Store?
Choosing your product focus is one of the most important decisions you can make as an entrepreneur, so take your time and do your homework. The right choice depends on countless factors:
- Your personality and business goals
- The type of products that get you excited
- How much startup capital you have
- Whether you have a loyal fanbase already or need to build your customer list from scratch
- Your level of e-commerce experience
- What type of business model you choose
Some Shopify store owners have such a distinctive point of view that it’s like they were born to be niche. Others like the adaptability of general stores and take a long-term approach to success.
What Are the Advantages of Niche Products?
Finding your niche and building a large customer base can take time, but once you do, the benefits are great:
- Much simpler search optimization and cheaper advertising
- Lower startup costs
- Higher conversion rate
- Higher profit margins
- Easier website management
- Less competition
As a small business owner, it’s much easier to manage 20 items versus 2,000. There’s less work for promotions, designing product pages, and adding new products. That said, if you go this route for dropshipping, use an app that shows you trustworthy suppliers and high-rated items. Niche stores can’t afford to hurt their reputation with target audiences.
Which Type of Shopify Stores Benefit From General Products?
General stores are more adaptable. If trends mean that leggings aren’t popular anymore, it’s no big deal. A wide audience also reduces the risk of isolating target customers when testing new items.
A general store takes longer to get up to speed, but once you have a presence, you can reach greater sales numbers. Getting there requires more capital for advertising and website setup, though.
More competition also means less customer loyalty and lower profit margins per item. This type of store needs Shopify apps to automate discounts, size chart creation, and wholesale pricing.
Shopify General Store vs. Niche Stores: The Bottom Line
Niches have less competition and higher profit margins but general stores are more flexible and easier to scale. Remember that you’re not locked into one or the other. Shopify makes it easy to expand your focus or even open a second store for a different audience. Find the right apps for Shopify general stores and niche stores right away.