Tips for Small E-Retailers

With the online marketplace booming the past decade, many small businesses are turning to the internet to help sell their products. There are many benefits for opting to open an online store: It is easier to set up, is more organized, offers higher potential for more customers and, therefore, higher sales. However, running an online business isn?t without its share of difficulties, the main one being competition from well-established e-commerce giants. Here are some things to ponder over when trying to make your business stand out against them.

Niche Market

What makes your business unique? Many people make the mistake of trying to sell merchandise that online shoppers can purchase for next to nothing at places like eBay or Wal-Mart online. You want to find a market that hasn?t been tapped into, or doesn?t offer much competition. It narrows the search down so that internet users who are looking for that specific item will more likely come upon your site and, hopefully, make their purchase there.

Marketing

Promote your business by buying ad space from search engines like Google or social networking sites like Facebook. They often offer a credit to start your business off and you are able to see how many visitors you get each day. It may cost a start-up investment, but it?s important to get your business out in the know.

Cost

There are online merchants for just about anything a person can dream of purchasing. That being said, whatever you decide your niche market on, you will have competition. It?s helpful to know what they are charging for similar products so that you can establish what is a reasonable cost for yours.

Shipping

It?s a small gesture, but internet shoppers are more likely to make a purchase when they know they don?t have to pocket out extra fees. Set a minimum limit for this, though, so that you don?t lose out. Shoppers are often enticed to close that gap by adding more to their shopping cart. If they purchase $75 worth of products, you should be able to profit enough so that covering the shipping and handling fees won?t set you back. Plus, carriers like the USPS have small business solutions that can help lower the cost of shipping. Ultimately, what you pay for in shipping costs will be recovered in what the customer pays for the merchandise.

Selling Platform

Sites like eBay and QuiBids have tapped into the auction-style of purchasing merchandise. They have a lot of success because they allow the potential buyer to engage in a different way of buying that saves them a lot of money in the end. Trying to imitate an auction site isn?t likely to boost your sales (there are too many of them already), but if you have a different method of selling, it?s worth it to try to capitalize on.

Running a small online business can be very intimidating, especially with highly successful competitors already on the market. To stay in the game, you must be able to distinguish your business to keep it from falling into the cracks with other similar ones. If you can turn a unique idea of selling into something that?s fun and engaging for online shoppers, it can certainly draw more visitors to your business and away from competitors.

Source: http://www.workathometruth.com/tips-for-small-e-retailers/

japan earthquake bosom buddies diplo rodney atkins fergie one republic michael dyer suspended