Building Success: Selling Your Products on the Web

Crystal Wells - Marketing

Vendio Services, Inc.

About Vendio

Leading Multi-Channel eCommerce platform

Solution for managing listings, inventory and sales across your own branded website, Amazon, eBay.  

Vendio is quick to get up-and-running without consultants or programmers.  Vendio is a compelling value for business owners that want to run their company, not their software.

Incorporated in 1999, headquartered in Silicon Valley

Acquired by Alibaba.com in July of 2010

Acquired SingleFeed in June 2011 – CSE data feed management company

Types of Planning

Typically, sellers start in one area and each has different requirements:

eBay/Amazon/Craigslist type markets requires Product-centric Planning

Your own eCommerce Website requires Business-centric Planning

Social Media and Marketing requires Marketing-centric Planning

Typical Selling Path

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Social Media

eBay

AmazonOwn Website

When you need “Product-centric Planning”

You’ll need “Product Planning” for the marketplace (s) when:– The Marketplace is the brand and people shop on the

Marketplace (i.e. Amazon/eBay) .– The main marketing contribution you make is a product

description and imaging.– You have little control over marketing.– Design is controlled by the marketplace.– UX (User experience) is dictated by the marketplace.– Customer communication is controlled or regulated by the

marketplace.

Pro’s and Con’s of the “Product-centric Planning”

Pro’s

Minimal Start-Up Costs

Easy to Get Started

Proven Format

Traffic provided by the Marketplace

Does not require design expertise

Does not require SEO knowledge

Does not require a large number of SKUs

Con’s

Fees can be expensive.

Growth is limited.

Very little opportunity for customer

relationship building.

Payment methods are controlled

Account is always at-risk

Competition from the Marketplace (Amazon) or from a large number

of sellers (eBay).

When you need “Business-centric Planning”

When you’ll need Business-centric Planning– When you are building your own website.– When you are responsible for customer traffic,

SEO and Content.– You control the policies.– You control the UX (User experience).– You control all customer communication.

Pro’s and Con’s of the “Business-Centric Planning”

Pro’sYour control everything

No account-risk

You can offer any payment method or

policies

Opportunity for customer relationship

building

Design is controlled by you

Content is controlled by you

Con’s

Unproven Format

Requires a volume of SKUS

Requires some SEO knowledge

Requires continual commitment

Requires basic design knowledge

Initial set up costs (design, logo) can be

expensive

When you need “Marketing-centric Planning”

When you’ll need Marketing-centric Planning.– You run your own website and want to increase

traffic.– You are selling on a marketplace, and want to

increase traffic.– You wish to engage and drive repeat customers.– You want to grow your existing business. – You have customers who can benefit from your

expertise.

Pro’s and Con’s of the “Marketing-centric Planning”

Pro’s

Minimal Start-Up Costs

Easy to Get Started

Inexpensive way to test buyer response

Free automation tools

Opportunity to build customer relationships

Con’s

Time Consuming

Hard to separate customers from lookers

Little opportunity to track actual results

Can be addictive and take away from core selling opportunities

Can provide little RIO (return on investment)

Segmenting Task Idea

The Components

Research

It doesn’t matter what type of eCommerce you want to be in, it requires research:

Product Research – What to you sell?– eBay Closed Items, Terapeak, Internet Product Reviews

Business Research – Where do you sell?– Costs, Marketplace Policy, Customer Relationships

Marketing Research – How do you sell?– Facebook? Twitter? Blog? Research the tools

“Sourcing” is where you get your product and likely what many of your are here to do.

It doesn’t matter if you are importing internationally or going to garage sales, you should look at your products objectively.

Is “sell what you love” the answer?

Sourcing

Don’t underestimate IMAGES for your Markets

If you can, use lamps/light bulbs that imitate natural light. Otherwise, your background will appear slightly yellow.

Always take the photos without flash

Use a light box

Use a white background. People do not want to see your couch (I promise)!

Images

Don’t make customers dizzy!

Don’t include clutter

Image Don’ts

KISS

Use Bullet Points

Important Details First

Avoid Negativity

Only put in product information

Spelling Counts

Don’t copy manufactures description

You are looking a lot of beautiful US Proof Sets in orginal cases. Many sellers are selling proof sets for over $15 for common date proof sets. We are selling them all for $11.95. Each buy it now = 1 Proof Set. This is a newer less expensive listing compared to our past buy it nows. We have hundreds sold but now we are lowering the price even more! We have hundreds of these sets available so take one or take them all. The dates range from the 1970s to the early 2000s. These are priced to sell. We bought in such a large quantity that we received a discount in which we are passing on to our eBay customers. You will receive a random set out of the bulk. Please do not ask for a specific set because it would simply take too much time to go through all of them for every sale.

They will ship out instantly after payment is received in a bubble wrap mailer with tracking.   

The Product Description

Easy Returns By placing an order on this web site, you indicate that you have read and agree to the following return policies and conditions. Click here to read our web site Terms and Conditions. Returns Must Meet ALL Applicable Criteria.  If your returned product does not match all applicable criteria listed below, it will be rejected by our Returns Warehouse and returned back to you at your cost. Consequently, your RMA will be nullified, any credit request will be denied, replacement orders will not be made, and you will be charged for all shipping to and from our Returns Warehouse that may be incurred by us. By requesting an RMA and/or shipping a return in violation of this policy you hereby agree to accept our shipment of the return back to you and to the payment of all shipping costs to and from our Returns Warehouse. Our arrangements with our suppliers and manufacturers allow us no room to make warehouse (regardless of when you actually took delivery of the product) to get a valid RMA from our website and get your product to a shipper to return back to us. It does not have to be back in our warehouse within 45 days, but it does have to be in the possession of the shipper (along with the valid RMA). RMAs must be valid, unexpired, and issued for the product being returned. Only one RMA is issued per return. When it expires, you may no longer return your product.   If you are ineligible for �an RMA, contact the manufacturer directly or check any applicable warranty you might have. See the Manufacturer Contact List at the bottom of this page.   Except as provided for verified defective products (See �Special Returns Policy for Defective Products below), you will be responsible for all shipping charges for returns sent to our Returns Warehouse.  Upon our acceptance of the merchandise in like new condition in strict conformance with the basic criteria and basic returns policy, the purchase price will be credited to the credit card used for the original purchase. For merchandise purchased with a gift card as the sole payment method, we will refund the balance due to you back to a new gift card unless the balance is less than $5 or prohibited by law.  Please allow up to fourteen days from shipment for your return to arrive at our Returns Warehouse, delivery times vary based on shipper selected. Your return will be processed within 5-7 business days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) after receipt of the item. Many of the items we sell have Special Return Policies. See the appropriate policy below to see if items you purchase are affected. The risk of loss for the product being returned shall be with you at all times during the shipment of such product to the returns center and with respect to any shipments from the returns center back to you, the original distributor or manufacturer, or any buyer through the liquidation process. Title to the product being returned will remain with you at all times and transfer from you to the original distributor, or a third party in the case of a liquidation of the return, only upon receipt of the products by such distributors or buyers. Special Return Policy

 Defective Products   -  Defective products can only be returned in exchange for the exact same product, the purchase price will be credited to the credit card used for the original purchase (or, if possible, through the original payment method such as PayPal). Defective products may only be returned within 45 days of the date your product left the warehouse (regardless of when you actually took delivery of the product). Once your return is processed, and is verified to meet the basic criteria above and to be defective, your replacement order will be sent to fulfillment. How quickly your replacement product ships after that depends on product availability.

For products that we verify to be defective, we will reimburse you for your original shipping expenses, provided that your defective return must be shipped via ground shipment only. If you return your product via a faster, more expensive shipper, you incur the expenses yourself and any request for reimbursement will be denied.

Policy Creep

STOP ME WHEN YOU THINK THIS

IS TOO LONG

Creating Policies

Keep it SHORT.

Keep your Policies Simple to Understand.

Don’t write a policy for one bad buyer.

Offer liberal return policies when possible (this is easier for a feather than a refrigerator).

Review all your policies and take out any negative statement and replace it with a positive.

Let the customer get to know you and your business by telling your story.

Many time humor falls flat or the customer will be put off. Unless your products are “funny” like gag gifts, it might be better to stay professional.

Use the About Us or Welcome page on your web store to your advantage –

– Use Images of your brick and mortar

– Tell a story about your background and interest in your product.

– If you have employees, a group photo shows “company strength”.

For the fearful…

My phone number is

650-293-3557

“About Us” Fear

Who are you?

What do you do?

When did you start?

Where are you?

How are you accomplishing what you say you do?

About Us – The Five W’s

We are a Lamp Seller

We have been in business since 2001

We work from our Bricks & Mortar Shop

We Strive for Excellent Customer Services

We believe in the quality of our products

About Us – How to Present YourselfThe Five W’s Summary

Facts from most interesting to least interesting

Other Details

Most Interesting

Least Interesting

Self-Shipping

Set up a shipping process and automate when possible.

Ship lightening-fast whenever you can. Customers have come to expect immediate shipping.

Use new boxes and materials. This saves time and pleases the buyer.

Your shipping area should have easy to find/use supplies

Automate tracking numbers and Buyer Communications.

Customer Relationships

Develop Repeat Customers by:– Including a flyer in with your packages– Providing excellent customer service– Consider using coupons to bring them back to your offerings. – Providing fast shipping– Providing accurate descriptions – Set the correct expectations. – Don’t hide product flaws– Capture buyer information and needs– Consider creating a regular newsletter– Employ Social Media– Use Email Marketing

It is all about Trust

Everything is Trust. A buyer MUST trust your site, must trust you, must trust your product, must trust your website or they will NOT purchase.

On average, the conversion rate for ecommerce websites is anywhere between 1-2%. If you’re converting at a less percentage, take an objective look at your offering from a customer perspective.

Would you buy from you?

Customer Expectations: Influencers in Buyer Purchase Decisions

Show Professionalism by displaying “trust” logos.

- Reputation (Better Business Bureau)- Privacy (Truste)- Security (SSL Certificates)

Trust Logos

Number of SKUs

If you have 4 $5.00 items, the store may lack credibility.

Would you buy from a store that had 10 items?

Determine the “norm” for your product line. For example, a baseball card seller is too small if he has 100 items, but a lamp seller can easily run a store with 100 products.

Mixed Pricing

If you have ONE $20,000 Rolex in your dollar store, it may make buyers uncomfortable.

Be careful when the very high with the very low priced items, buyers may think that it is a scam.

If you are selling high dollar items, surround those items with other higher dollar items.

Credible Product Selection

Some items are not suited to be sold together. (think: baby toys and knives).

Eclectic can work if it’s a sensible mix of products

New and Used can also work if it done correctly (careful separation)

If you have a product outside your theme, label it as a “special purchase”, vs. trying to fit your fishing caps in with your Tupperware.

Mixing Products

Automate Everything

Look for:Ability to manage products and inventory using one

service.

Ability to offer post sale support for multiple markets and your own website.

Automation

The Domain/Logo

Branding your business is important. – Having your own domain (not a sub-domain) is important

if you want to brand your business. Spend time finding a domain that fits your business. Don’t try and shortcut by using numbers or symbols. (MyAttic12, BestStore$$). Choose a memorable domain. If you are at a loss, try combining words like “FastLighting”, “ScanDisk”, etc).

Logo’s define your business– If you can, have a logo designed professionally. Logo design

services are not overly-expensive and the right logo builds trust and adds professionalism.

The Design

Your Website….Above the Fold Will set your buyers expectation or cause them to leave immediately

Use Hero images for sites that have a clear message. They work great for fashion, products or a single, strong brand.

Do’s and Don’t

Careful with animations!

Do not get overly complicated

Do highlight your benefits

Don’t overdo the text

Do use a logo

The Content

Unique Content that is updated frequently is loved by customers and is loved by search engines. When designing your website, leave room to:– Add unique product content that is added to or updated

frequently.– Consider the addition of Social Media (Blog, Facebook,

Twitter feeds and so on….)

SEO stands for search engine optimization and is critical for natural search. Optimize your store title and description:

Optimize: your content: – Provide UNIQUE content. Don’t copy from other sources– Use keywords in your content– Links count. Get others to link to you.

Optimize Keywords:– Use all lowercase – You can use plurals– Try not to repeat the same word more than three times– Pull in keywords from your titles and description– Use commas between your keywords– Limit your keywords to about 150 characters.

The SEO

The Social Media Ingredient

What is Social Media?– Social Media content is generated through social media

interactions done by the users through a social site such as Facebook, Twitter, Squidoo, etc.

– Social media is USER generated content. – Social media is where your customers are hanging out.

Social Media Stats

Social networking now accounts for 22% of all time spent online in the US.

A total of 234 million people age 13 and older in the U.S. used mobile devices in December 2009.

Twitter processed more than one billion tweets in December 2009 and averages almost 40 million tweets per day.

Over 25% of U.S. internet page views occurred at one of the top social networking sites in December 2009, up from 13.8% a year before.

The number of social media users age 65 and older grew 100 percent throughout 2010, so that one in four people in that age group are now part of a social networking site.

As of June 2011 Facebook has 750 Million users.

According to a report by Nielson:

“In the U.S. alone, total minutes spent on social networking sites has increased 83 percent year-over-year. In fact, total minutes spent on Facebook increased nearly 700 percent year-over-year, growing from 1.7 billion minutes in April 2008 to 13.9 billion in April 2009, making it the No. 1 social networking site for the month.”

Using Social Media for your Business

Get a Facebook Page– Put a Facebook link prominently on your Website and

invite user comments and “likes”– Link your products to your Facebook “store”

Get a Twitter Account– Put a twitter link or feed prominently on your Website and

invite user participation.– Learn the do’s and don’ts of twittering. – Update frequently– Automate “tweets”. There are a plethora of twitter tools– Pay attention to customers tweets and don’t ignore !

Using Social Media for your Business

Create a Blog– Link a Blog to your website, but only if you will be updating

frequently with relevant posts. – Invite customer comments and respond to every one!

Other Social Media– Investigate the other areas, such as Squidoo, YouTube and

many others where you can get your brand visible.

Pitfalls– Time consuming– Cannot measure– Requires a “good voice”

Shopping List

Create Your Own Plan

Every element is not needed when doing your planning.

Use a checklist to find if you are doing tasks from an area you are not using, if so, consider switching or expanding your business.

For example, if you sell on eBay, but are doing a lot of design and social media, you might wish to consider your own website. Or if you do not have a large product selection or desire to design, consider switching to a market like eBay or Amazon to sell.

THANKS FOR ATTENDINGIf you’d like a copy of this

presentation or want to attend a webinar on building your own Website - drop off your card or email address.

If you have ??? about Vendio or this presentation, please find me or grab my business card and please feel free to contact me after this event!

Questions?