Ecommerce Tips and Tricks Part1 (Actionable!)
Starting a business is an awesome experience.
There’s nothing like waking up to a new sales alert, or getting an email from a satisfied
customer.
So what are the most important steps to building, launching and growing your store?
Hey guys, I’m Jessica Guzik with Oberlo, and today we’re going to look at 10 steps
you can take right now to optimize your store for immediate sales and long-term growth.
[#1 - Set SMART goals.]
Whether you want to have a nice little side hustle or a monster seven-figure store, make
sure that you have S-M-A-R-T SMART goals.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timed, and it’s important
to keep these factors in mind when setting your goals.
For example, instead of setting a goal like “Become a successful ecommerce merchant,”
go for something like, “Sell one product within one month of launching my online store.”
Well-defined targets make success easier to attain - and replicate.
And don’t go easy on yourself either.
Set tight deadlines for ambitious goals.
It’s a little counterintuitive lesson in psychology: You’ll be more motivated to
achieve big goals than small ones.
[#2 - Don’t pocket the profits just yet]
It can be tempting to pocket your first profits.
But if you want your business to grow, you’ll need to reinvest that money.
You know how the saying goes -- you have to spend money to make money.
The most successful store owners out there will tell you to reinvest your first profits
in advertising.
So create several small-budget ads -- at about 50 bucks a pop or 5 bucks a pop -- to see
which products customers respond to best.
Once you’ve found your winning ad, start spending more on ads to really ramp up sales.
[#3 - Don’t hide behind books.]
Procrastination is a funny thing.
Sometimes people don’t even realize they’re doing it.
Yes, it’s great to be active in ecommerce communities, read blogs, and take the occasional
online course.
But you’re not going to get your first sale if all you do is listen to business podcasts.
You need to PUT IN THE WORK.
Pick your products.
Launch your store.
Create your first ads.
I promise you, you’re going to learn so much more by DOING than by Googling.
And if you mess up?
Don’t worry about it.
Mistakes are learning opportunities.
Commit to figuring things out as you go along, be patient with yourself, and keep working
at your business until you hit those SMART goals.
I believe you can succeed, and if you need a little encouragement, just drop a comment.
[#4: Pick a popular but reliable niche]
Launching a store based on a trend can be risky.
For starters, most people discover a trend when it peaks.
At that point, it might be too late to make a big profit.
It’s also hard to know whether or not today’s hot items will still be hot in a month.
For example, fidget spinners exploded in popularity and then kinda disappeared.
On the other hand, when leggings first emerged, no one was really sure if they would last.
Years later, we know that they did indeed last.
You want something that you can count on for years to come.
You can capitalize on trending products related to your niche, but don’t base your entire
store on a short-term trend.
Focus on evergreen niches that stand the test of time – products related to fashion, fitness,
pets, phone accessories, beauty or jewelry.
Your business is more likely to survive year one, two, and five if you stick to popular,
stable niches, with trendy pieces thrown in only now and then.
[#5: Make sure customers have access to relevant information.]
You’ll want to make sure your customers have access to all the information they need
to make an informed purchase.
That includes any relevant info about product sizes, colors and materials, as well as details
on shipping and return policies.
Getting these details to your customers straight away will help set expectations and put the
them at ease.
Make a dedicated page for shipping and return policies, and consider creating a Frequently
Asked Questions page as well.
Make sure you also include a contact page on your site’s navigation, so that customers
know they can reach out with specific questions that might pop up.
[#6 - Put thought into your copy.]
Some Oberlo merchants make the mistake of importing supplier product descriptions along
with their products.
While it’s great to keep the essential information in those descriptions, writing original, informative
descriptions about your products will help you get more sales.
After all, people will read the copy if they’re on the fence about a purchase.
For example, if you sell dresses at your store, you might mention how great your shoppers
will look at their next event, or how the cut of the dress will flatter their figure.
When writing product copy, talk about the best features of the product.
Explain how easy the product is to use.
Help customers visualize how your product will improve their life or help them solve
a problem.
That will turn your store’s browsers into buyers.
[#7: Add a flash sale section]
Urgency can help increase sales.
And one of the easiest ways to create a sense of urgency is by adding a flash sale section
to your store.
Apps like Hurrify and Countdown Timer Bar display a timer next to all of your flash
sale products, letting your shoppers know that there’s no time like the present.
Be sure to rotate the products you feature in this section at least once a week so that
customers keep coming back to see what’s on sale.
And make sure you add your Flash Sale section to your top navigation, so that customers
can easily find your sale products.
[#8: Start building relationships with relevant influencers.]
Influencer marketing can be a great way to broadcast your brand far and wide.
However, it can take a few months to build relationships with high-quality influencers
in your niche.
While you’re just getting started, make an effort to find and engage with those top
influencers.
If you need help tracking down the best influencers for your brand, try checking out an influencer
platform like Hey Influencers, FameBit.
There, you’ll get an overview of the most influential people in your niche, how much
noise they could make about your store, and how much it’ll cost you to make that noise.
[#9 - Give out discounts]
Shoppers love a good price, and if there’s a discount on top of that good price -- hey,
all the better.
There are lots of ways to give away discount codes.
For example, you can have a popup on your homepage where you offer 15% off in exchange
for a visitor’s email address.
You can post temporary discount codes on social media.
You can also feature an offers page in your site’s header.
No matter which tactic you choose, make sure you do the math and keep your profit margins
safe.
Discount codes should be a win-win for you and your customers.
[#10: Find an ecommerce brand to look up to.]
In eCommerce, you really don’t need to find a mentor to hold your hand.
Instead, identify a couple successful eCommerce stores you love, and study them closely.
What do they do that works?
What tactics do they avoid that you see in other eCommerce stores?
What is it about these stores that you find so engaging?
You don’t need to copy these stores to succeed.
You just need to take notes.
Every time your favorite eCommerce store sends you an email, jot down that email’s headline.
Every time you’re compelled to look at their products, write down what caught your eye.
And every time you make an online purchase, ask yourself why.
After all, you’re a customer too--learn from your own impulses!
Alright guys, we think these steps are huge for launching an ecommerce store, but we'd
love to know what you think.
Drop us a line in the comments.
And if you’re looking for more ecommerce tips, look for Part II of our ecommerce tips
series next week.
To get notified when that video comes out, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Thanks so much for watching, I’ll see you next week, and in the meantime: Learn often,
market better, sell more.