How To Sell Your Own Products Online: A Comprehensive 5 Step Guide!

With websites like Etsy and Shopify providing a platform for small businesses to thrive online, it is easier than ever to create an income from your unique products, whatever it is you want to produce and sell.

An ecommerce site will allow you to sell, regardless of time or distance barriers. Here, we have put together a quick guide on how to make a success of your online business. Today we have teamed up with the Leeds Ecommerce Website Design company, SEO Yorkshire, to bring you the top tips and tricks to sell your own products online.

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Decide what to sell

Whatever you produce, whether it is handmade or sourced from elsewhere, it needs to have a strong USP (unique selling point) in order to succeed.  They need to be the best in their field and offer something no one else online does. Whether that USP is homemade charm, sleek design or innovation, make sure your products stand out against the rest. You also need to ensure that the products you decide to sell can be profitable. They must be time and cost effective, selling at a price which consumers are willing to pay whilst simultaneously creating enough profit. When choosing what you are going to sell online, you should also consider tax and shipping costs. For example, if you are producing a large product, there may be sizable shipping costs incurred, a factor you must consider. Finally, when deciding what you are going to sell, thinking about your sanity is a must! You need to choose something which won’t become tiresome if you get an overload of orders, if you are producing your own handmade products make sure it is something you thoroughly love.

Create suitable branding

Designing appropriate branding is really important when selling your product online. For example, if you are selling handcrafted baby blankets, you are unlikely to choose a swish monochrome design for your branding as this would not communicate your product well. The branding you choose should be reflective of the products you sell, allowing customers to see the ethos of your company. Don’t forget to keep your packaging on brand too. Design digital labels for your products that match your brand’s style and choose packing materials that match your company’s ethos – for example, sustainable packaging choices.

Identify a target market

Identifying a target market is essential for online selling success. By tailoring your products to a specific demographic of people you can cater for their specific desires, allowing you to identify what your target audience want and how much they would be willing to spend. This enables you to build an initial marketing strategy, figuring out what should sell best. Furthermore, different target audiences will have different interests. This is called customer motivation, something you should research to guarantee online success. There is little point in creating a band targeting a product at the wrong audience, as sales will not be high enough, therefore, being aware of the desires of your audience is key. It is also important to think about who your target market is when coming up with a pricing strategy. You must be sensitive to the wealth of your target audience, for example, your typical teenager isn’t likely to be able to afford the same amount as an adult.

Advertise effectively

Selling products online is unique because you can reach an infinite number of consumers, However, this increases the amount of competition from other websites fighting for the attention of your potential buyers. You will consequently need to put a lot of time and effort into promoting your online store. Optimising your site for search engines and users through organic SEO (search engine optimisation), ensuring that your site appears at the top of google searches so that your clients access your products first.  PPC (pay per click) advertising can also be a way of increasing revenue and making a success of your online business. Creating social media platforms is a great way of connecting with your customers, introducing them to new products, showing off your best goods and tempting new clients to visit your website and make a purchase. Utilising these more technical aspects can really make the difference when building your site.

Offer great customer service

When a customer is looking to buy a product online, they need to know that they can trust the retailer. To be successful, the people visiting your site need to be able to purchase with confidence. One way to advocate this is by displaying positive customer reviews, allowing new visitors to see happy and satisfied buyers, instilling a sense of trust in the products and services you provide. Sadly, in today’s world, negative comments have a much larger impact on our willingness to buy. You can minimise the impact of this by addressing negativity as quickly as possible, letting new customers see that you have worked hard to rectify any issues previous clients have incurred. If you are able to offer refunds to unsatisfied customers, people will trust your service and be more willing to buy. People do not expect your business to be perfect, simply to see that you work hard at providing the best you can and rectifying any problems that occur.