SELL ONLINE
Accelerate your business with these expert tips on "Selling on the internet". Check it out and discover this TIP!
SELL ONLINE
Selling on the internet, also known as e-commerce or e-commerce, refers to the sale of products or services through online platforms, such as websites, mobile apps or social media. This form of selling has become increasingly popular in recent years, as it allows businesses to reach a wider audience and offer a more convenient and personalised shopping experience.
There are several strategies that companies can use to sell on the internet.
Some of these include:
- Create an online shop: This involves the creation of an e-commerce website where customers can order and pay online. It is important that the website is easy to navigate and provides clear information about the products and services offered.
- Use marketplaces: Marketplaces are online platforms that allow businesses to sell their products through a third-party website. Examples of popular marketplaces are Amazon, eBay and Etsy.
- Online advertising: online advertising, such as Google AdWords ads or social media ads, can be an effective way to attract potential customers to an e-commerce website.
- Content marketing: Content marketing involves creating useful and relevant content, such as blogs, videos or infographics, to attract and retain potential customers. This can help increase a company's online visibility and drive more traffic to its website.
- Personalisation of the customer experience: Offering a personalised shopping experience through product recommendations and special offers can help increase customer loyalty and encourage repeat purchases.
Some of the advantages of selling on the internet include:
- Reach a wider audience: companies can reach potential customers all over the world, allowing them to expand their customer base and increase sales.
- Cost reduction: Selling online can be cheaper than having a physical shop, as there is no need to rent retail space and maintenance costs are lower.
- Comfort and convenience: customers can place orders at any time and from anywhere, providing them with a more convenient and comfortable shopping experience.
- Personalisation of the customer experience: companies can collect data on customer preferences and shopping behaviour to deliver a more personalised and relevant shopping experience.
However, There are also some drawbacks to selling on the internet, such as the need to maintain a constant and up-to-date online presence, competition with other online businesses and the risk of online fraud and scams. It is therefore important for companies to carefully assess whether online selling is appropriate for their business model and to implement effective strategies to mitigate the risks associated with online selling.
How to start selling online?
To start selling online, follow the steps below:
- Identify your niche market and your target audience: define what products or services you want to sell and who you want to reach. Conduct market research to determine the needs and preferences of your potential customers.
- Create a website or online shop: Once you have defined your niche market, it is important to create a website or online shop to offer your products or services. You can hire a professional or use platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce to create your own online shop.
- Optimise your website or online shop: make sure your website or online shop is optimised for SEO, so that users can easily find your site in search engines. It is also important that the site is user-friendly, fast and secure.
- Create relevant content: create relevant and useful content to attract potential customers. You can create a blog or post content on social media to increase your online presence.
- Promote your products or services: use online advertising tools such as Google Ads or Facebook Ads to reach your target audience. You can also use social media to promote your products or services organically.
- It offers excellent customer service: it is important that you provide excellent customer service, as this can make the difference between a sale and a cart abandonment. Respond quickly to customers' questions and solve their problems efficiently.
- Measure and analyse the results: Use analytics tools such as Google Analytics to measure the performance of your website or online shop. Analyse the data to identify areas for improvement and make adjustments to your marketing strategy.
It is not good to sell online in the following cases:
- Complex products: If the product or service you offer is complicated and requires detailed explanation, it may be difficult to sell it over the internet. In these cases, it is best if potential customers can see the product in person and talk to a sales representative to get a full understanding of the product.
- High value products: If the product or service being offered has a very high value, customers may not feel comfortable buying it online. In these cases, they may want to speak to a sales representative to get more information and make sure they are making the right purchase.
- Local market: If your target market is local and you do not have an established online presence, you may not have much success selling online. In these cases, you may want to focus on advertising in local media and building relationships with customers in person.
- Saturated markets: If your market is already saturated with competitors offering similar products or services, it can be difficult to stand out online and gain traffic to your website. In these cases, you may want to consider alternative ways of marketing and selling.
There are numerous companies that have been successful in selling online. Some examples include:
- Amazon: The e-commerce giant, founded in 1994, has revolutionised the way people buy and sell products online. Amazon started out selling books, but now offers a wide variety of products, from electronics to clothing to food.
- Alibaba: This Chinese e-commerce company, founded in 1999, is one of the largest in the world. Alibaba connects buyers and sellers from all over the world and offers a wide range of products, from electronics to heavy machinery.
- eBay: Founded in 1995, eBay was one of the first companies to enable users to buy and sell products securely online. Today, eBay is a global platform offering a wide variety of products, from collectibles to clothing and jewellery.
- Zappos: This online shoe retailer, founded in 1999, has earned a reputation for excellent customer service and a wide selection of products. Zappos is now owned by Amazon, but continues to operate as an independent brand.
- Etsy: This e-commerce platform, founded in 2005, focuses on handmade and vintage products. Etsy has gained popularity among shoppers looking for unique and customised products.
These are just a few examples of successful companies that have found their niche in the world of e-commerce.
Selling on the internet is not a question of technology.
So how to select e-Commerce technology B2B, B2C?
In these days, when people are starting to talk about the post-coronavirus, many are beginning to consider what to do in order to have an e-Commerce and thus be able to sell on the Internet, have an online presence and sell their products and services on the Internet. Even those who have already set up an online shop value now whether the technology used is the right one and whether it will help it to emerge from the current crisis. It is clear to all of us that having a business on the internet is no longer an option, but rather a mandatory requirement for any business (B2B), or for any retail (B2C). It may seem that having an e-Commerce is a question centred on deciding which technology to use so that the online shop "fits well" to one's company/business. But no, the problem is not a question of technology, but of "adapting well". Y, is that e-Commerce technologies can be used in almost any situation.
A priori, any of them could be useful, and the truth is that there are many to choose from: Woocommerce+Wordpress, Prestashop, Zencart, Opencart, osCommerceand a very long etc. To which we must add the cloud platform: Shopify, Palbin, Etsy... Therefore. What criteria should we set for selecting one or the other option? All technologies will do more or less the same, they will allow you to present a product catalogue with images and a rich description to cater for the famous SEO. The products will be organised by categories and subcategories (families and subfamilies). They will also allow you to have a homepage of the shop, which you can customise. Another common function is the payment method, or transport, etc. But do they allow you to make the digital marketing what do you need? And orders, collections, or cybersecurity, ...
Which platform to choose is simple: the one that best suits your business.
The selection of one technology or another is a function of 3 processes that will make up your online sales system:
- The list of functional requirements you should make to assess platforms.
- The learning curve for efficient use of the selected platform.
- The local technical support provided by the platform of your choice.
#1. THE LIST OF FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE E-COMMERCE PLATFORM
If what you are assessing is that you need to greater flexibility and have "ownership" yourself and the control of the technological platform on its own hosting, then, before selecting one or the other option, ask yourself what your sales process is like and what business procedures you have in place.
DO AN EXERCISE
Think about your own sales process. Imagine you have everything in place and you make your first sale:
- How do you receive the money?
- How do you find out about the order quickly?
- How do you prepare the shipment?
- How are you going to deliver it to the buyer?
- How do you deliver the invoice?
- How do you notify the carrier?
- How do you integrate it with accounting?
- How will you follow up with the customer?
In industries dealing with B2B eCommerce, customised payment terms for each customer, or discounts depending on the customer and his annual consumption, partial deliveries, etc. are also very common. There are many questions that you need to have answers to before tackling one technology or another.
#2 THE LEARNING CURVE FOR EFFICIENT USE OF THE SELECTED PLATFORM
It is the effort and time you will have to invest to master the backend of the platform you choose. It is easier to master the backend of cloud platforms than the platforms you install on your own hosting. Although for the most popular ones you will find a huge amount of manuals, tips, online courses that will help you to train and get the most out of it. Finally, bear in mind that some platforms, which are more complex, require IT knowledge to operate them properly.
#3 THE LOCAL TECHNICAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY THE PLATFORM OF YOUR CHOICE
Find your local suppliers for the platform of your choice. Unfortunately, a provider is not forever. There are infinite circumstances that can lead you to break up with your provider, so if that is the case, you need to know which other providers of the same technology are in your city. In short, to sell on the Internet, make your own list of the main functionalities that will be necessary for your e-Commerce. With the list in hand, consult with your IT providers. Don't rely on the opinion of just one supplier, consult with several. Talk to other e-Commerce owners and share your experience and you will learn a lot. For my part, I leave you with a couple of examples that I made for my own online shop and that I use regularly as a tool to advise clients and entrepreneurs.
(Source: Txus Santos, own elaboration)
Comparison that might be useful for you. This table is the one I use as a tool for the "good fit" and adjust as much as possible the eCommerce of my clients.
(Source: Txus Santos -2016-. Own elaboration). In the image you can see some functionalities with double marking. They indicate that the platform can support the functionality partially and always by adding modules programmed by third parties.
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TASK
Now that you have read this TIP, answer the questions:
- How are you going to leverage the internet to make sales?
- How are you going to sell through the internet?
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