Welcome back aspiring entrepreneurs to our Shopify weekly inspiration series. It’s me again; Brendan from the SellerSmith team, and I’ll guiding you through this post so keep your eyes peeled and your mind open to the wonderful possibilities of eCommerce. We’re about to uncover some awesome houseware stores run with Shopify.

 

So what does it mean to make a house a home? Home is a sanctuary. Home is comfort. Home is a refuge from the world.

It doesn’t have to be a fabulous designer space either - it’s more about the little personal touches that give this transformation meaning.

 

Have you ever thought about helping others make their house a home? You might want to consider starting an online housewares store with Shopify. As we move ever further into the digital era, e-Commerce takes precedence over traditional shopping and will soon be the norm. Not to mention the percentage of the online buyers who are purchasing housewares, home textiles, and major home appliances is on the rise.  

 

E-commerce houseware figures look really promising. Let’s check out some exciting stats:

• Between 17 and 20 percent of the U.S. online buying population purchased home textiles, housewares, and small appliances online in 2017.
• Online sales are making gains and are projected to account for 17.0% of all retail sales within the next five years, according to Forrester
• By 2022, Forrester also predicts that housewares will replace computers as the third-largest product category, with almost half of this spending occurring online.

 

Plus, with platforms like Shopify making the process of becoming a merchant easier than ever, there’s no reason not to... Right?

Glad we agree. Welcome back then, to another weekly dose of inspiration for starting your very own Shopify store. If you didn’t catch our last post on Inspirational Shopify Fashion stores check it out here. These posts are aimed to show you the capabilities and beauty of what can be achieved using the Shopify platform combined with some basic apps.

This week we went on a quest to find the most inspirational Shopify houseware stores to motivate you on your journey and make those long nights dreaming of leather lounges and ceramic crockery a reality.

Let’s dive in head first as always!

 

Inspirational Shopify Houseware Stores 

Old Faithful Shop

A beautiful collection that seems to be heavily influenced by minimalist Japanese design.

 What we love:

• Drop down menu
• Interactive product display
• Multiple currencies
• Option to shop by brand
• Minimal design and font
• Mobile integration

 

Leif

Founder Stacey provides a charming story of how she turned her love of collecting and selling into a viable business. At twelve years old she started in eCommerce and has never looked back since.

What we love:

• Soft pastel colors
• Neatly arranged elements
• Huge product range
• Browse by maker option
• Interactive product page
• Mobile integration

 

Ratio

For some coffee is a necessity. For others it's a luxury. Whichever way you require it, Ratio offers a stress-free way to enjoy your morning routine. One look at this page and we can see these guys understand the importance of providing valuable content. There’s a heavy focus on the journal/blog aspect of their site which covers topics from coffee to design to photography!

 What we love:

• Dynamic & innovative design
• Sleek, elegant imagery
• Journal style blog
• Large HD photography
• Blog integration
• Mobile integration

 

Helbak

The use of bright colors combined with minimal photography shots make this site simple and charming. Started by a Danish ceramist, the site showcases unique product designs that have multiple uses.

 What we love:

• Scandinavian minimalism
• Broad color scheme
• Handmade products
• Multiple currencies
• Sort by color and product type options
• Mobile integration

 

Still House

Having been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, New York Magazine and many more, Still House focuses on selling unique and timeless designs.

What we love:

• Free shipping over $200
• Minimal design
• Wide product range
• Grey and charcoal tones
• Shop by designer option
• Mobile integration

 

Love Is Art

Who doesn’t love a bit of art to spruce up the place? Art being a subjective matter, it gives you a chance to truly personalize your home to your tastes. But what's really exceptional about this is store is that they don’t sell paintings, they sell art kits.

Simply put, LOVE IS ART kits comes with everything a couple needs to safely make a tangible piece of abstract expressionist painting while being intimate with each other. You’re then left with an art piece that represents a special moment, captured in time in the rawest and most unique of ways.

 What we love:

• Urban style photography
• Large, bold fonts
• Compelling brand backstory
• Huge index of customer testimonials
• Multiple currencies
• Easy to navigate website
• Quick shop option

 

LOVE IS ART was founded by South African-born, Jeremy Brown.  As an abstract artist, Brown has been making paintings during intimacy for over a decade, inspired by the 1960's French artist Yves Klein and various performance art pieces by Andy Warhol.  

 

Bottle Cutting

 

A unique concept that allows you to create distinctive and personalized glassware. We can see the rise in crafts as more people strive to add personal, quirky touches to their homes. Bottle cutters allow you to recycle any old bottles into stylish (if perhaps a little bit hipster) drinking glasses, candle holders or vases.

 What we love:

• Inspiration gallery
• Reviews directly below products
• Environmentally friendly business model
• Multiple payment options
• Large social following displayed
• Bundle deals
• Mobile integration

 

Swag Paper

Swag Paper pride themselves on providing temporary wallpapers for those commitment-phobes who have a fear of ‘forever’ wallpapers. “It’s like putting a giant sticker on your wall” - according to the folk over at Swag Paper.

What we love:

• Unique product
• Pop up discount
• Blog integration to promote content
• Vintage design
• Cost effective alternative to wallpaper
• Aesthetic landing page (use of columns)

 

 

Conclusion

As always we hope this list was inspiring and informative. With a world of opportunity at your fingertips (quite literally), there’s no reason you can’t start your own eCommerce journey today.

Now you might still be wondering, why should I take such a plunge? Well let me break down some of the benefits of owning your own online business in 2018:

• Side hustle - eCommerce can be run as a side hustle or passion project in addition to your full-time job. If you’re successful and loving the process, evaluate your finances and decide if you can afford to quit and work for yourself full time.
• Independence - there’s nothing quite like being your own boss. Most corporate jobs (or any job for that matter) require you to work to make someone else’s dreams come true. In most cases, your boss - the business owner. Maybe it’s time to start lining your own pockets.
• Passive income - stop trading your hours for dollars. Earn money while you sleep by leveraging technologies to expand your business.
• Tax benefits - Running an eCommerce business, you can take advantage of certain tax benefits. Because this business can be started from home,  a portion of your emi payments, computers, even furniture and utility bills can be deducted from your tax liability. Although this can a strong factor in your decision to open a business online, it shouldn’t be the sole reason.
• Worldwide growth - an industry that shows no signs of slowing down. This year eCommerce is expected to peak at nearly $1.6 trillion and by the end of 2018, almost $2.5 trillion, according to projections from eMarketer.
• Simplicity - platforms like Shopify are revolutionizing the way we do business. It has never been easier than it is now to get going. Shopify offer a risk-free 14 day free trial for anyone who wants to get a taste of the capabilities of the platform. It only takes 5 minutes to register!
• State of the art tools - there’s an abundance of Shopify apps now available that can help you increase sales, build beautiful pages and streamline your business processes. For a better understanding of what these apps can really do, check out this article.

 

With so many Shopify success stories, it’s hard to deny the power of this platform - granted you’re willing to put in the time and effort to be a winner. Ordinary folk like me and you are making their dreams come true while serving a greater purpose: that of fulfilling the needs of genuine people through value creation and high quality products.

 

Well it looks like we’ve come to the end of our time together. If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably begun, or are considering starting your very own Shopify houseware store. And so you should!

 As experts in eCommerce and relevant software, we aim to equip you with the highest state of readiness in your online journey. Your project is our passion.

 

Got a question? Comment below and we’ll answer. Enjoyed this post? Share it with your friends.

 

Until next week!