5 Things failed online sellers would have done differently

So easy has it become to launch an online storefront that hundreds of success and failure stories are written every other day. 

While as bad as it is for the sellers experiencing crash, the cases set are the perfect example for the other vendors to learn from. After all, like the saying goes…

‘Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.’

While many publications and blogs have been so kind to the million-dollars Amazon and eBay stores, few of them have shown equal enthusiasm in covering failed stories—how the online sellers made all the wrong decisions, why they failed to earn “riches”, and what are the things they would do differently if they are to start again on the same path. 

Are you an online seller?

To help you learn from all the wrongs, here are 5 things that failed online sellers would have done differently if they can travel back to time- 

Getting rid of the lone wolf mentality 

Admittedly, it looks like handling few online storefronts is much easy and one person is sufficient. However, when dived deeper into it, there’s a lot to take care of and even 24 hours in a day isn’t ample—not at least if one is looking to make big bucks. So a ‘lone wolf’ mentality is one the foremost things that failed online sellers would get rid of. Many think they would outsource help while others say they would go for managed service of top e-commerce solution providers. 

Not wasting time in all the manual work

In the backend, there are a lot of activities—some are time-consuming, less important and yield low return. Many people, naively, spend most of their time in these small tasks, giving less of their time on more important activities like marketing, customer retention, customer service and more. The failed online sellers say that going with automation tools or hiring an additional help would have been a better idea for them. 

Spending more time in marketing 

Marketing is the backbone of any and every business—something that many online sellers don’t understand, especially the new market players. Too hung up on other activities of their storefronts, they spend no to very less time here. And the outcome is rather evident- they fail! If they are to start back again, the yesteryear sellers believe, they would spend more time promoting their products and online stores on Facebook and other open platforms. 

Analyzing sales performance regularly 

With market trends changing every so often, making informed decisions is a key for online sellers. Meaning, analyzing their sales performance regularly – and changing strategies accordingly – isn’t optional anymore, it’s essential. Failed Amazon and eBay sellers, now, understand this well. Many of them advise the new players to spend more time with their marketing and sales metrics to know exactly, without assumptions, how things are going and where their business stands. 

Signing up to multi-channel ecommerce solution 

Multi-channel e-commerce solution isn’t a new thing. Successful online sellers rely on them intensively. And the failed stories say that they should have signup to them. In partnership with marketplaces, webstores and comparison search engines, a top e-commerce solution plays many significant roles for the sellers, right from offering easy-to-use eBay Amazon tool to making things easier with seamless integration of Magento NewEgg and more. They save time, stress and make life easier for the sellers. 

These 5 things that sellers, who failed, would do differently if they are to try again; 5 stories that new online vendors can learn from. 

Now that you know, don’t make the same mistakes; keep your business (and yourself) on the right track!

Online selling- 4 Smart ways to make more sales with NO acquisition cost

One of the biggest differences between the successful online sellers and the not-so-successful ones is Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). The former group aims (and succeeds) in keeping this cost to the minimal, hence enjoying higher profit margin without really increasing the price of their products. 

Wondering how they do it?

Here are 4 smart ways to make more sales with NO acquisition cost- 

1. Offering solid post-sale service- 

Providing your buying customers with a solid post-sales service is nothing short of essential for them to have a satisfying shopping experience, and return back to you for more purchases. Give them a better experience and you can up your future sales with no additional cost. 

2.Triggering word-of-mouth marketing- 

Instead of doing all the promotional work by yourself, why not let your existing customers (or fans) do it for you at no cost?!!! So aim to trigger word-of-mouth marketing; be it by offering remarkable additional services or being excitingly engaging with your audience on social media platforms.  

3.Start blogging- 

Blogging is one of the cheapest forms of marketing that, if done correctly, vouches for high conversion (both immediate and long-term sales) with at no additional cost. So start writing blog posts. Either go with self-hosted blogs like Wordpress.org or the free platforms like Blogger. 

4.Signup to e-commerce solution- 

Multi-channel e-commerce solution helps indirectly improve your sales. With seamless integration of marketplaces, webstores and comparison search engines, including Shopify Amazon, it helps you handle everything from real-time inventory to Google product feed to store optimization. This significantly improves your efficiency, indirectly boosting your sales.

These are 4 smart ways to make more sales with no acquisition cost. Of course, they are easier said than done. And it might take some time and lots of patience. But in the long-run, these ways can significantly improve your return by a big margin.  

7 Critical mistakes online sellers make when choosing e-commerce solution

While as important as it is for the online vendors to have a reliable e-commerce solution provider by their side, the task by itself isn’t easy. There exist many solution providers; screening them – their features, market reputation and pricing – and then picking one that suits your individual needs and requirements is time-consuming and stressful. And there’s a big room for sellers to commit mistakes. 

Is Amazon selling your thing? Are you, too, looking for a good solution provider? 

Here are 5 critical mistakes online sellers make when choosing e-commerce solution provider—7 mistakes that you should avoid for a smooth journey ahead- 

1. Listening to others - 

Of course you must ask for others’ opinions; but you shouldn’t blindly follow them. Different sellers have different needs. What’s good for them might not necessarily be good for you. So stop prioritizing others’ words more than you should.  

2. Not putting your own need at the top - 

Like mentioned, you have your own distinct needs. Put them at the top instead of following someone else or getting bogged down with all the features of these e-commerce solutions that is of no use to you. 

3. Thinking high price synonyms “best” - 

There’s a common perception everywhere that high price always means the best. While it might be true to an extent, but not always. So stop assuming that the e-commerce solution who’s charging you the most is offering the best of everything.  

4. Running after the cheapest price - 

Sure you’re limited on your budget and you’re supposed to be careful in you spending. However, you should refrain from running after the e-commerce solution that claims to be the “cheapest”. Remember, there’s often a trade off between quality and price. 

5. Not looking for more - 

So you want just BigCommerce eBay integration for now and a company is offering you exactly that. But what if you want to sync-up more of marketplaces, webstores in the future? Is the company offering more features? So you must always a long-term perspective and look for features that you might not need now, but will in the future. 

6. Agreeing for a revenue share - 

There are e-commerce solution providers who ask for revenue share from the sellers. Agreeing to any such deals is a mistake, given if your business expands and you start making more, you’ll end up paying more than what’s justified. Settle for someone who charges a flat rate with no revenue share and no commission demands. 

7. Thinking you won’t need additional help - 

Maybe right now you can handle everything of your storefront easily. But down the line, when you’re growing and the burden is too much, you’re going to need additional help. So better be prepared for such scenario from early on. There are few e-commerce solution providers who, these days, also offer managed services. Go with them.

These are 7 critical mistakes many online sellers make when choosing their e-commerce solution provider. Don’t be one of them. Be smart and choose wisely. 

Save time and money with these 6 online multi-channel inventory management tips

While there lays a host of challenges for the online sellers, managing inventory tops that list. Even more difficult when selling on multiple channels, there’s a lot at stake if things get screwed up with inventory metrics, including financial loss and damaged stores’ credibility. So if you’re an online vendor, it is essential you pay special attention to stock management.

Here are 6 pro tips to help you save time and money when managing inventory online-

1. Identify top-selling items- Often the top selling items are the part of every confusion in inventory management. So it is important that you identify your top selling products and handle them with more care.
2. Communicate with your employees- If you employ more people – or outsource others – you should be in constant touch with them; exchange with them the information to ensure everyone is on the same page and that there’s no confusion.
3. Plan regular audits- The surest way to not to screw up with your inventory management is to conduct regular audits—sometimes planned, other time totally random. Don’t wait till the moment you start seeing your warehouse a bit empty. Stock immediately when needed.
4. Sign up to e-commerce solution- Mentioned already, multi-channel inventory management is difficult. However with e-commerce software solution that offers seamless integration of marketplaces, webstores and comparison search engines – from Shopify to Amazon to eBay-Netsuite – things get much easier. So sign up to one of these reliable solutions and handle your stock of various storefronts from a centralized interface quickly and conveniently.
5. Track inventory in real-time- Few of the top multi-channel e-commerce solution today provides centralized platform to handle your inventories in real-time. And this helps a great deal in avoiding overselling. So pick a leading solution provider that offers real-time stock management facility.
6. Have a damage control measure ready- You’re doing all you can to ensure perfect inventory management. However there will be times when you would screw things up—especially during sale seasons. So for such moments, you must have a contingency plan to fix the wrong and get your stores back on track with minimal impact on your credibility and financial standing.

These are 6 pro tips for online vendors to help them save money and time while handling their large inventory. So whether Amazon selling is your thing or you have multiple storefronts, say goodbye to all the confusions when managing your stock.  

5 Myths about selling on Amazon… that you believe to be true

5 Myths about selling on Amazon… that you believe to be true

Amazon has emerged to be a default product search engine for thousands of online buyers. In fact, in a recent survey of 2,000 US consumers, 44 percent said they go directly to Amazon to start their product searches as opposed to 34 percent, who said they use search engines like Google and Yahoo to look for products; remaining head directly to the retailers’ stores. This finding is quite huge for Amazon sellers who prioritize the SEO-end of their storefront a little less, and have end up believing some myths that significantly affects their sane decision making abilities.

Do you sell on Amazon?

Here are 5 popular myths about selling on Amazon that many still believe to be true, including you-

1.       Selling on Amazon is difficult- This was true years back when Amazon wasn’t the biggest marketplace in the world, its services was still at initial stages and internet wasn’t filled with tips and tutorials. But not today! Handling Amazon sellercentral has become relatively easier and so is managing your various other storefronts, webstore software, and comparison search engines – including MagentoGoogle Shopping data feed – with good multi-channel e-commerce solution by your side.

2.       There are ways to trick Amazon search engine- Chances are that you probably have read multiple Amazon SEO guides already, teaching you tips and “tricks”. But the fact is that Amazon is too smart and advanced to be tricked. So it’s search result ranking can’t be rused. You must follow legitimate practices to enjoy higher product visibility on Amazon in the longer run.

3.       Lowest price always win Buy Box- Over 80 percent of Amazon sales is made through Buy Box. No wonder everyone is after winning this winning-box. However, the thing is, it’s easier said than done. Lowest price doesn’t guarantee Buy Box; it is just one of the many factors. So if you’re selling at the cheapest, hoping you might get the Buy Box, you are in for a big surprise.

4.       Getting reviews is most important- Majority of online buyers today read reviews and feedbacks before deciding whether to purchase the products or not. No wonder so many Amazon sellers are into buying fake product reviews these days. Sadly, as important as it is, it’s not the “most important” selling factor. So have you been obsessively worrying about getting reviews, spending all your energy and resources in this area, stop now!

5.       It takes time for new sellers to enjoy decent return- Mentioned already that selling on Amazon is relatively easier today; so is enjoying a decent revenue. Sure there exist a host of challenges, including high entry level competition, highly demanding customers and the hassle of handling “everything technical”. But they are all solvable with right strategies and e-commerce solution.

These are 5 very common myths about selling on Amazon that many newbies still believe to be true. But now you know, get your information, facts and ideas fixed, and map a perfect Amazon selling strategy like a pro right away. 

eBay Amazon Softwares That Will Rule 2017

2017 can be a tough year for ecommerce sellers that are not equipped with the right set of tools and software solutions that are dedicated to more than just the operational basics. This is mainly because the rising pace and competition levels in these marketplaces cannot be handled without the assistance of advanced strategic support systems which can be available only through evolved, sophisticated, comprehensive and feature rich eBay Amazon softwares.

Here is a short list of some software solutions that are a must for all sellers to consider from the very first day of their venture…

• Review management – Both eBay and Amazon are taking reviews very seriously and buyers in each of these marketplaces can now conduct intensive searches on the basis of top reviews. Therefore, if you don’t have the right set of reviews in your favor; it is possible that your listing will never see the light of visibility. Using review generation and management softwares can help seller gain and maintain healthy reviews and ratings without having to slog for hours every day in the process.
• Optimization / pricing – Basic optimization and pricing support usually comes with marketplace shopping cart integration service like synched performance of Magento Amazon eBay etc. However, it is imperative this year to rise above the basics and embrace more sophisticated optimization and pricing assistance for more intensive and productive outcomes.
• Fee calculators – This is one of the best ways to gain a comprehensive grasp of the otherwise convoluted fee structures of both platforms. This year, you cannot lose a penny to careless calculations so as to make the most of the possible profits that come in after the sale of every individual unit of listed product.

Softwares and tools for eBay and Amazon are usually available very easily and affordably these days with reputed ecommerce solution developers.