How to sell health and beauty online with Netcash Shop

The latest eCommerce tech tools and optimisation trends for 2024
April 4, 2024
The latest eCommerce tech tools and optimisation trends for 2024
April 4, 2024

Selling health and beauty products online has never been easier. Whether you’re launching a skincare line, expanding your beauty brand, or starting a wellness business, having the right tools can make all the difference.

With Netcash Shop, you can create a polished online store without any coding experience, sell on multiple platforms, and accept secure payments—all in one place. From social media sales to marketplace integrations, Netcash Shop helps you reach customers wherever they shop.

Getting started is simple. With a 30-day free trial, you can explore the features that make running an online health and beauty store effortless. Here’s how Netcash Shop can help you build, grow, and manage your business with ease.

Sell on multiple platforms

You can sell across websites, social media platforms, marketplaces, and search engines, ensuring your health and beauty products reach the right customers wherever they are. Whether you’re selling through an eCommerce site, Facebook, Instagram, Google Shopping, or a marketplace, Netcash Shop provides integrations to help you maximise your sales potential.

Social media

With Netcash Shop, you can integrate your health and beauty online store with social media platforms, allowing customers to browse and purchase products directly from your profiles. Customers can engage through your posts, see ads, and have live shopping experiences to increase brand visibility and sales.

Responsive design

Netcash Shop offers customisable, mobile-responsive themes that ensure a seamless shopping experience on smartphones, tablets, and desktops. With more people browsing and buying from their phones, a responsive design helps boost conversions and keep customers engaged.

Global reach

Integrations with Amazon, eBay, and Google Shopping make it easier to tap into global markets. Plus, real-time shipping options with trusted local couriers like BobGo, Fastway, and Droppa ensure smooth delivery. Take your business beyond borders with Netcash Shop’s capabilities.

7 best ways to sell health and beauty products online

Selling health and beauty products online is easier than ever before, whether you’re an established brand or just starting out. Modern eCommerce solutions can help you reach customers through a number of techniques—all without needing specialised expertise.

With Netcash Shop, you can integrate with multiple platforms, manage orders, and accept payments from anywhere. Here are the best ways to sell health and beauty products online:

1. Create your own online store

If you’re looking to build a long-term brand, having a dedicated online store is one of the most effective ways to sell health and beauty products online. With full control over branding, pricing, and customer experience, a website serves as the foundation of a successful eCommerce business.

Netcash Shop’s Instant Site makes this process effortless, offering customisable templates and built-in payment solutions to help you launch your store without any coding knowledge. In addition to providing a professional online presence, a WordPress website enables you to integrate with marketing tools, automate order processing, and establish a loyal customer base.

While setting up a website takes time and effort—especially in terms of driving organic traffic and paid advertising—it remains one of the most scalable and profitable options in the long run.

2. Sell without a website

Not yet ready to build a website? No problem!

Selling without a website is an excellent option for content creators and entrepreneurs who want to start quickly and test the market before committing to a full-blown online store. Netcash Shop’s Buy Now button allows you to sell directly through emails, blog posts, WhatsApp, or even social media posts, facilitating a streamlined checkout experience without needing a store.

This method is quite useful for service-based businesses, affiliate marketers, or anyone selling a limited range of products. However, while it eliminates the complexity of creating and managing a website, it does come with a trade-off—limited branding and customisation options.

3. Leverage social media

Social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook have revolutionised eCommerce, making it easier than ever to sell products directly to your customers. By integrating your store with social media, you can market your health and beauty merchandise through shoppable posts, targeted ads, and influencer collaborations. Or, you can use a well-structured link-in-bio.

Netcash Shop’s eCommerce features allow you to connect a product catalogue to your social accounts, making it simple for customers to discover and purchase items with just a few clicks.

This approach works particularly well for brands with a strong social media presence or those targeting visually-driven audiences. However, since social media algorithms frequently change, businesses relying solely on platforms may experience fluctuations in visibility and engagement.

4. Sell through marketplaces

Marketplaces like Amazon, Takealot, and Zando offer built-in traffic and credibility, making them an ideal choice for brands or businesses looking to scale quickly. By listing your health and beauty items on such platforms, you can tap into an existing customer base that is already searching for and looking to buy products like yours.

Selling through marketplaces comes with numerous benefits, including ease of setup, access to built-in payment processing, and options for managed fulfillment.

However, high competition and marketplace fees can easily cut into your profits, making it essential to price your products strategically and leverage marketing tools to stand out.

5. Choose an eCommerce platform

Want the flexibility of selling across multiple channels without the hassle of managing different platforms? Then, an all-in-one eCommerce solution is the best choice. Netcash Shop allows you to manage your online store, integrate with social media platforms, sync with marketplaces, and accept payments—all from a single dashboard.

This technique is perfect for businesses that want a centralised system to track inventory, manage orders, and streamline operations, allowing you to literally sell from anywhere.

While subscription costs often apply, the convenience as well as automation features far outweigh the investment, especially if you’re serious about growing an online business.

6. Sell on Google Shopping

When customers search for beauty or health products online, Google is often the first place they go. Google Shopping allows online businesses to display their products directly in the search engine results pages, helping them attract buyers who are already looking for what they offer.

By integrating with Netcash Shop, you can easily list your products on Google Shopping, increasing visibility and driving targeted traffic to your store. This process is especially effective for those who invest in Google Ads, as it places their products in front of high-intent customers.

Note: Google Shopping can generate huge sales, but it often requires ad spend to see results.

7. Create a mobile app

For established brands or businesses looking to offer a premium shopping experience, having your own app can be a game-changer. Selling on a mobile app provides a smooth shopping experience, promo push notifications, and loyalty programs to keep customers engaged.

Netcash Shop integrates with mobile eCommerce solutions, allowing you to develop an app that aligns with your goals. While the initial investment for development can be high, the long-term benefits—such as increased customer retention and direct marketing —make it worthwhile.

Best apps for selling health and beauty online

Selling products online will require the right tools to manage inventory, process payments, and market effectively. Whether you want to create your own store, list on a marketplace, or use social media, there are several powerful apps and marketplaces to help streamline the process.

Let’s explore the best platforms for selling health and beauty products online:

1. Netcash Shop

Netcash Shop is a comprehensive eCommerce platform designed to help businesses sell online with minimal hassle. It provides an easy-to-use store builder, secure payment processing, and flawless integrations with social media and marketplaces. One of its standout features is Instant Site, allowing sellers to launch a fully functional online store without needing technical skills.

Beyond store creation, Netcash Shop offers inventory management, automated invoicing, and marketing tools, making it a one-stop solution for selling health and beauty products. The platform is ideal for those looking for a simple yet powerful way to scale their business, especially in South Africa, where localised payment methods and delivery options are essential.

Pros:

  • Easy to set up with pre-designed templates and no coding required
  • Built-in payment processing with multiple payment options
  • Integration with social media and marketplaces for multi-channel selling
  • Affordable pricing compared to many international eCommerce platforms

Cons:

  • Limited customisation compared to platforms like Shopify
  • Best suited for South African businesses—less effective for global scaling
  • Requires marketing efforts to drive traffic to your store

2. Takealot

Takealot is South Africa’s leading online marketplace, making it an excellent choice for health and beauty brands looking for high visibility and a ready-made customer base.

 

Instead of building your own online store from scratch, you can list your products on Takealot’s platform and benefit from its extensive reach. One of the biggest advantages of selling on Takealot is its logistics and fulfillment services, meaning you don’t have to worry about shipping.

However, it’s worth noting that competition is high on Takealot, with multiple businesses selling similar items, and you must pay listing and commission fees, which can reduce profit margins.

Pros:

  • Large customer base with built-in traffic
  • Trust and credibility as a well-known online marketplace
  • Takealot handles logistics and delivery for sellers
  • No need for your own website or eCommerce setup

Cons:

  • High competition from other sellers in the same niche
  • Commission fees can eat into profits
  • Less control over branding and customer relationships

3. Shopify

Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms globally, offering you full control over your store, branding, and customer experience. It has a user-friendly interface, drag-and-drop store builder, and many integrations, making it very customisable for health and beauty brands.

One of Shopify’s biggest advantages is its worldwide scalability. Whether you’re selling locally or internationally, it supports multiple currencies, languages, and payment gateways. However, Shopify does come with monthly subscription costs and additional transaction fees if you don’t use Shopify Payments. Unfortunately, South Africa is not among the supported countries that can use Shopify Payments, but Saffas can still sell via Shopify using other payment gateways.

Pros:

  • Highly customisable with themes, apps, and integrations
  • Great for scaling globally with international shipping options
  • Built-in marketing tools like email campaigns and SEO features
  • Reliable and secure platform with 24/7 customer support

Cons:

  • Monthly subscription fees can be expensive for new sellers
  • Transaction fees if not using Shopify Payments
  • Requires effort to drive traffic (not a marketplace with built-in customers)

4. Amazon

Amazon is the largest online marketplace in the world, making it a powerful platform for selling health and beauty products internationally. With millions of daily visitors, Amazon provides unmatched exposure, allowing you to reach customers worldwide without lifting a finger.

A major benefit of Amazon is its Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service, where Amazon handles storage, packing, and shipping for you. This makes it easier for you to focus on marketing and growing your brand instead of managing logistics.

Note: It charges listing and fulfillment fees and referral commissions, impacting profitability.

Pros:

  • Massive customer base with global reach
  • FBA takes care of storage and shipping for hands-free selling
  • Amazon’s trusted brand makes it easier to attract buyers
  • Advertising and marketing tools to boost visibility

Cons:

  • High competition from other sellers, including Amazon’s own brands
  • Listing and fulfillment fees can reduce profit margins
  • Less control over branding and customer experience

5. WhatsApp Business

WhatsApp Business is a great tool for South African businesses that want to engage with customers directly. It allows sellers to create a business profile, showcase a product catalogue, and accept orders via chat, making it ideal for small-scale sellers of health and beauty products.

One of the biggest advantages of WhatsApp Business is its personalised customer interaction, allowing you to build trust and nurture relationships. It also integrates with Netcash Shop’s Buy Now button, enabling seamless transactions without needing a website. However, it is not ideal for large-scale businesses, as order management can become challenging without automation.

Fun Fact: About 96% of South African internet users use WhatsApp, making it a titan platform.

Pros:

  • Direct communication with customers for personalised service
  • Free to use with no subscription fees
  • Supports product catalogues and order tracking
  • Great for small businesses and social selling

Cons:

  • Limited automation compared to full eCommerce platforms
  • Not ideal for high-volume orders due to manual processes
  • Requires active customer engagement to drive sales

Benefits of using Netcash Shop for selling health and beauty products online

Netcash Shop offers a powerful and user-friendly solution for businesses looking to sell health and beauty products online. With a range of features designed to simplify operations, enhance customer experience, and boost sales, it has everything you need to build and grow your store.

Customisable templates

Professionally designed and customisable templates that allow you to create a visually appealing online store without coding skills. Whether you’re selling cosmetics online or wellness products, you can easily adjust the colours, fonts, and layouts to match your brand identity.

Mobile-optimised design

With more people shopping on their phones, mobile optimisation is crucial. Templates are fully responsive, meaning your store will look and function perfectly on smartphones, tablets, and desktops. A seamless mobile experience reduces cart abandonment rates and improves user engagement, making it easier for customers to browse and purchase your products on the go.

eCommerce shopping cart

Netcash Shop includes a built-in shopping cart that simplifies the checkout process for customers. With a user-friendly interface, your customers can add multiple products, apply discount codes, and choose payment options with ease.

Multiple payment gateways

Support for payments via credit and debit cards, instant EFT, SnapScan, and more, making Netcash Shop convenient for customers to complete their purchases. Secure transactions and multiple payment choices often help build trust, encouraging repeat sales from your customers.

Top features of an online health and beauty store

A successful online health and beauty store requires the right eCommerce features to enhance user experience, streamline operations, and ensure secure transactions.

No software installation required

Setting up your online store is effortless with Netcash Shop, as it operates entirely in the cloud. This means there’s no need to install or update any software—simply log in and start selling. Cloud-based eCommerce solutions also ensure automatic updates, keeping your store running smoothly with the latest features.

Manage your shop from a mobile app

Stay in control of your business from anywhere with the Netcash Shop mobile app. Whether you’re adding new products, processing orders, or tracking sales, the app lets you manage your entire store on the go.

Level 1 PCI DSS compliant

Security is a top priority for online stores, especially when handling customer payments. Netcash Shop is Level 1 PCI DSS compliant, ensuring that all transactions are encrypted and protected against fraud. This gives your customers confidence in making purchases, leading to higher conversion rates and repeat business.

FAQs about selling health and beauty products online

Have a look at these brief answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about selling health and beauty products online—in case of any lingering queries:

Why sell health and beauty online?

With growing demand for skincare, cosmetics, and wellness products. Selling online lets you reach more customers, reduce overhead costs, and offer 24/7 shopping convenience.

Is it worth selling health and beauty online?

Yes. The beauty industry is thriving, driven by social media and self-care trends. Selling online helps you scale quickly, introduce new products easily, and maximise profits.

How to sell health and beauty products online in South Africa?

Use Netcash Shop to create a store, list products, and accept secure payments. You can also sell via social media, marketplaces like Takealot, or without a website using Buy Buttons.

How can I sell and get paid online?

Netcash Shop supports multiple payment gateways, including credit cards, EFT, and mobile payments. This smooth checkout experience ensures a boost in customer trust and sales.

Read Next: How to Sell Food Online with Netcash Shop

Author:
Candice Sergeant
eCommerce Product Owner

Stay in Touch

Candice Sergeant is an experienced eCommerce Product Owner at Netcash, driving the growth strategy for SaaS e-commerce solutions in South Africa with global partner Ecwid by Lightspeed. Candice is skilled at uncovering opportunities to optimize the online presence and operations of startups and medium businesses across a range of industries.

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