The business idea has been obtained, an online shop / marketplace has also been created. But often many people ask, “Why did it take so long for the egg to break? Is there a way to sell online sales quickly (and even sell well) even though the shop has just opened?”
The answer, “Yes, there is a way, really… simple, even.” In this content, you will learn simple, smart selling strategies, to have the opportunity to get your first order.
But before that, bookmark this page so that it can be used as a handle and you can access it when needed. If so, let’s start from the most basic: the requirements for selling online quickly.
Conditions for Selling Online Fast
Previously, we would like to thank , an online business practitioner who has given a new perspective on the initial steps before starting to sell online.
Yep, we’ve summarized interesting insights from Best entrepreneur person on how to increase the chances that the products you sell sell well in the market.
At least, there are 3 aspects that must be met:
Product market fit, the meeting point between the product and market demand.
Large market size, market demand is quite broad and large, not just a trend.
High customer retention, products can be purchased more than once in a short period of time.
Here’s a full explanation..
1. Product Market Fit
Best entrepreneur person explained, the product must meet at least the following 3 criteria:
- Needed
- Wanted
- Solve the problem
Therefore, before deciding to sell online, you must answer the question: “What does the target market need and want? Can this item solve their problem?”
But to get started, you don’t need massive research, it’s quite simple. For example, ask friends about their complaints, then what products are needed to overcome these complaints.
Or if you don’t want to bother, you can check out a series of ideas that we have curated below:
- Business Opportunity Ideas (for the public)
- Online Business Ideas (for those who like technology)
- Home Business Ideas (for housewives)
- Side Business Idea (for students/employees)
2. Large Market Size
Next is, the size of the market is quite large. It is marked by the number of buyers who order, the reviews are many, the suppliers are diverse, and people always talk about it.
How to measure it?
A simple step you can take is to pay attention to the current trend. You can use a tool called Google Trends. It’s easy:
1. Go to the following page: trends.google.co.id
2. Type the name (or category) of the product you are after after browsing through the business ideas we recommended earlier. For example, we chose the category “ornamental plants” and here are the results:
looking for a product niche for drop ship, ornamental plant niche
3. Pay attention to the rate of growth of interest shown in the table/graph above. If the rate continues to increase in the last 1 year, it can be concluded that the product has good prospects.
You can also set the graph display from the last 12 months to the last 5 years for clearer results. The result is like this:
ornamental plant graphic
Interesting right?
Even though it’s simple, it can at least give you an idea of the product category you want to sell. For more in-depth research, we will publish it in another post. Stay tuned, ok..
3. High Customer Retention
One more thing, Best entrepreneur person said, your product will sell much faster if the purchase retention is high.
What does it mean? He gave this example:
- Selling books, if you finish reading, don’t buy again (retention can be 12x/year)
- Selling property, usually people buy a house once in a lifetime
- Selling cosmetics, if they are used up, the customer will buy again (retention can be >2x/month)
So far, you understand what the difference is, right?
When selling books, people rarely buy the same book. If you sell property, what else, usually only once for a lifetime. Meanwhile, when selling cosmetics, customers tend to buy more when they are used up.
Well, if your product meets these criteria, then it is certain that it will be easy to sell and sell well.
Now, let’s move on to online selling strategies to speed up orders from customers. Scroll, yes..
How to make online sales selling well
You can easily practice the following steps. It will be very suitable if your place of sale is in the marketplace,
Summarized, the steps are quite simple:
- Setting up shop display
- Give promos & cashback
- Join the free shipping program
- Give a guarantee of return of goods
- Make different product photos
- Write cool product captions
- Start advertising on the marketplace
- Provide excellent service
Here’s a full explanation..
1. Set Store View
The assumption is, you open a store on the marketplaces. After completing the profile, the next important step is to beautify the appearance of your store.
You can start by creating a profile photo that contains the brand logo. If so, complete the shop banner which contains more complete information.
For example:
- Shop name
- Shop address
- Social media
- Tagline/slogan
- Brand illustration
2. Promos and Cashback
Both, both promo and cashback, both give positive results.
For promos, you can use these techniques:
Original price: $10
In-store price: $20 (50% off)
Although simple, it is very effective in giving the impression to buyers that they are making $10 profit. Yes, although it’s a bit manipulative, but it’s worth a try.
Likewise with cashback. You can also give change that can be used to buy your product again in the future.
3. Free Shipping Program
If you have the opportunity to sign up for the free shipping program, use it now. Why? Because… buyers tend to like stores that don’t charge postage, even though the price of the product is actually increased.
To make it clear what we mean, take a look at the following picture:
free shipping program
Have you ever experienced something similar?
If so, you can use this technique so that your product sells quickly. Usually, every store is given the opportunity to take part in the free shipping program held by the Marketplace
(We will update this section with posts about how to register for the free shipping program)
4. Give Warranty / Returns
If you make your own product, then provide a guarantee of returning or returning the product. This will make customers feel safe to shop at your store.
Meanwhile, if you are a drop shipper/reseller, look for a supplier that provides guarantees and returns. Learn the terms and conditions for the return or exchange of the item, then write it in the item description.
One of the most obvious benefits of guarantees and returns, buyers are more likely to choose your store even though the price next door is cheaper.
That way, you don’t need to join the price war and can have loyal customers through open transactions.
5. Different Product Photos
When selling on the marketplace, you will encounter a number of new problems:
Items sold are similar
Tend to have a price war
Price wars are a frightening specter for beginners who are just opening a shop. This happens because the items sold are too similar, especially for drop shippers.
The solution… you can change the product photo to be quite prominent and have its own characteristics.