El día de hoy la invitada dueña de Sketch-Inc Becky, la cual crea diseños super divertidos y pintados a mano además de originales afiches que vende en su shop en línea nos da unos consejos de como empezar una tienda en línea exitosa. Sin más...
Todays guest post owner at Sketch-Inc Becky, which creates super fun designs hand painted and also unique prints that sales on her web shop gives us some tips on how to start a successful online shop. Without much ado...

Whether you are creating and selling your own products or a retailer selling multiple brands these 5 beginners tips are universally true.
With so many people now selling online the need to standout is ever more important. Before taking the leap into the world of online selling here are a few tips to get you started. NB: You may want to grab a coffee first! My attempts to keep this short were an epic fail! 

How are you different?

Celebrate how unique your shop is. Try researching the products you plan to sell.
Are they unique? What makes them different from similar brands? Are they Organic? Handmade? Made locally? Are you the exclusive retailer of a brand in your country? Why have you created your shop and what are you offering?...
Example 1: ‘ SHOP NAME ’ sources only the best Nordic inspired design from the world’s most inspiring creatives straight to your doorstep.’
Example 2: ‘SHOP NAME’ is home to ‘YOUR NAME’ imaginative handmade world . Where illustration jumps from the page and reimagined as lovingly designed soft toys for kids and grown-ups alike’                                            Identify your brand!
The easiest way to be remembered or found on a marketplace site is through photography and styling. Bright beautifully styled or simply shot photos will always standout in a google image search or even Etsy. If you are creating your own stand alone web shop simply sketch up some ideas on how you would like your shop to appear (Logo, fonts, imagery, category names, graphics) and ask yourself if it reflects the style of your brand and what you are trying to say.
One of my favorite web shops stocks products you can find at many other online stores. Their layout and overall design is very simple but every product is photographed in their own particular style and they never use the brand’s stock images. Their product descriptions are informed and tell you why they love them. As a result the mixture of brands feels like one person has selected them and gives you examples of how they can look together in your home.

Who will your customers be…

What does he/she do for a living? Their annual wage? Where do they shop? What are their interests? Do they have children? Are they students? What is their expendable income every month? Which social networks would they use?….etc?
This is true of any salesman. Once you have your ideal customer in mind and the type and price of products they are likely to purchase you can research how those products are displayed online and learn from your competitors, improve on what is already available or introduce something completely new to a hungry audience.

Creating your first online shop is a risk, and although mistakes can be a valuable learning curve it’s much easier to minimize them where you can.
By starting with a small range of products you can reduce the risk and focus on perfecting those products for sale. Discovering what works well takes time and will take at least a year before you know your sales trends.

If you are a MAKER don’t underestimate your workmanship!. If a product is unique to you and can not be found elsewhere you hold the cards on pricing you are only restricted by how much your customer is prepared to spend.
If you are a RETAILER know your competition online.
We’ve all done it! I’ve found a fantastic product in one shop and then googled it to find the lowest price elsewhere.
There are two ways to combat the window shopper.
1. Exclude the brand’s name in your listing. This will hinder shoppers searching for a cheaper offer.
2. Offer a better deal / service / free gift wrapping etc.
But wait!...there is one more pricing strategy in your arsenal!!!!
Many customers will search online for the cheapest price only to find that the shipping costs are higher than the savings they were hoping for.
I would never suggest under pricing your shipping costs but they should be as accurate as possible and not additional revenue to the order.
Business accounts with shipping companies can offer fantastic discounts both at home and worldwide.

The cheapest form of advertising is…word of mouth!
This is where social networking becomes the life blood of any small business and particularly the web shop. If someone is prepared to shop online they are far more likely to actively use social networks.
Social networking is the perfect tool to celebrate your unique shoppers experience.
Instagram is perhaps the best example of this where happy customers can tag you with an image of their well-received product and advertise their purchase to their friends (the modern day word of mouth). Your photo feed can show the creative process in action, stylized products, snaps of home life with your products and even promote your brand image in your photography style.
Social networks offer customers the chance to ask questions and interact with the people behind the brand they love and thus create a loyal following.
I hope these tips have been helpful and have inspired those entrepreneurs amongst you. Selling online is hugely satisfying and the flexible hours aren’t bad either. I now find it hard to imagine working anywhere else.

Thank you so much Carol for inviting me.

2 coments:

  1. Very helpful points. My sister and I have both been wanting to start our own web shop for years now. This comes in handy.

    1. So glad this blog post could help, hope you get it working soon. Best wishes Dagny.


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