Today, an online store can be run from anywhere on earth

A modern online store gives its owner the convenience of working from anywhere on earth. Flexible sales models make it possible to sell remotely and even combine daily work with an e-shop with travel. Among others, the creators of the Deepbreath.pl store, which operates on the Shoper platform, have managed to do this.

In recent years, the English word "workation" has become increasingly popular. Formed from a combination of work and vacation, it denotes a trip that is spent not only in carefree relaxation, but also in work. Such a stay does not drain the household budget, so it can last longer than a typical vacation. It even allows you to become a permanent digital nomad, waiting out the winter in a pleasant climate or in a secluded place for the next waves of a pandemic.

In 2020, the popularity of the phrase "workation" on Google began to grow rapidly. It is now typed into the search engine by several times more people than before the pandemic. Some agritourisms are betting on working vacationers - they already offer guests not only a living room with a fireplace, but also comfortable desks in the attic. In addition to freelancers, entrepreneurs whose business is based on new technologies can also take advantage of this privilege.

- In the case of online stores, a big help for those looking for flexibility is the SaaS model, which takes off the owner's shoulders a lot of logistical challenges related to, for example, programming or hosting the store's website. On the Shoper platform, for example, he also gets a whole suite of sales support tools. As a result, he is able to manage all sales from a single panel running on a laptop, practically anywhere in the world with Internet access," notes Artur Halik, Head of Sales at the Shoper online store platform, offered as a service for rent.

- Naturally, there still remains the physical part of store tasks, which should be left to on-site associates, or use solutions available on the market, such as fulfillment, which allows you to manage your own warehouse remotely, including receipt of goods, storage and subsequent shipment directly to customers. With the development of the Shoper ecosystem for sellers, they get a turnkey solution integrated with third-party solutions that handle the entire order fulfillment process. In addition, we can choose to sell digital products or dropshipping, where the element of sending packages in person is not present at all," adds Shoper's expert.

Agata and Patryk, creators of the Deep Breath brand and store that promotes healthy and active lifestyles, have opted for a working model in which they operate their online store from anywhere on earth, with shipping of orders handled by the staff of a warehouse located in Poland.

The e-store they launched initially featured only a digital product - a workout plan in e-book form. Later, it also featured T-shirts or exercise accessories like rubber bands and mats. In the near future, the store will also feature natural plant-based supplements and self-massage products (rollers and balls), as well as a guide on how to deal with injuries on your own. All in line with the brand's slogan: "Get in shape at home." The flexible sales model allowed the pair of owners two years ago to move to Thailand for a few months and continue to manage the store from there.

- The plan came together with the idea that we could start earning money doing what we love, which is motivating people to change their eating habits, encouraging workouts and enjoying life one hundred percent. Our workouts consisted of exercises for which we needed workout elastics, so-called mini bands, which are currently the best-selling products in our store. It was a hit, as the rubbers started selling better than the e-book itself," the creators of the Deepbreath.co.uk store recall.

There is no shortage of guides for online retailers on how to arrange vacations while running their business remotely. The originators of the Deep Breath brand admit that from the beginning they wanted to run such a business that would allow them to take "continuous vacations," i.e. to explore the world. In this way, they have already visited Asia, Africa or South America.

- This was our dream. From our first trip, we wanted to create something that would allow us to travel and work at the same time. That's why, from the beginning, we focused on making our business as automated as possible and making all its segments work pretty much without our presence. Therefore, when we are not there, we are. (Smile) We can do everything online," they say.

Such automation is made possible today by SaaS e-commerce solutions - for example, a ready-made online store offered as a comprehensive service for rent. Among its biggest advantages are the absence of the need to have one's own technological background and a high level of security. As a result, today one's own online store can not only be opened, but also successfully operated, from anywhere on earth. It is also possible to run an online store today without owning your goods at all. Such sales are made possible by dropshipping.

The biggest giants of new technologies started with the now-mythical backyard garage, but anyone who doesn't have at least a small warehouse space for an online store, or doesn't want to deal with order processing, can take off without that as well. In dropshipping, products are shipped to the buyer directly from the wholesaler. It works with suppliers more closely and efficiently than a fledgling e-shop would be able to do, so orders reach customers faster, and the seller has more time for marketing activities.

Dropshipping allows you to sell not only from the basic offer of a selected wholesaler, but often also self-created or personalized products such as clothing with your own prints. Its other advantage is that it allows you to refine your offer in terms of profitability of sales, that is, to offer those products for which there is the greatest demand despite the fact that we ourselves are not their producers.

- Dropshipping lowers the barrier to entry into the online sales channel, because it allows to reduce the cost of operations already at the start. The best and largest wholesalers today also have perfectly optimized and modernized order handling processes, current solutions are able to meet the offer from almost every industry, which definitely facilitates such work," concludes Artur Halik from Shopera.