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Ask me anything about eCommerce (Ongoing)

biophase

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How big of an impact do you expect the Trump tariffs to have on your business?

Yeah, it's going to suck. Just have to raise prices along with everyone else. I just see prices of everything going up a little.
 
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dkostadinov01

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All successfully people are people are saying bring value into people's life. In the real world is actually very difficult to execute and has a lot to do with luck. How would you go on about creating something of value, selling it through e-commerce and be profitable(to be least at least let go of business costs) in the first 3 months?

I know that this question can vary so many different things. Just the general structure of e-commerce in 2019.
 
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alekssiht

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Hey

So now, new ppc campagne, it delivers pretty decently. Yesterday got like 23 clicks which is pretty much for me.
My last campagne got 43 clicks with 3 weeks. Now 23 with a day. But I am not converting in sales. Any suggestions? Is there anything I could try to change pn my listing mabye? Pictures, bullets?

Peace
 

biophase

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All successfully people are people are saying bring value into people's life. In the real world is actually very difficult to execute and has a lot to do with luck. How would you go on about creating something of value, selling it through e-commerce and be profitable(to be least at least let go of business costs) in the first 3 months?

I know that this question can vary so many different things. Just the general structure of e-commerce in 2019.

I don't understand your question really. How do you lose money in your first 2 months?

Am I lucky that my businesses make money in the first 3 months? I don't see how bringing value has anything to do with luck.

Let's say I decide to sell a pocket knife. This knife has a super hard blade made of diamonds. I create this knife and make a website. People come and buy it because it's a great knife. Where was the luck involved during this time?
 
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biophase

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Hey

So now, new ppc campagne, it delivers pretty decently. Yesterday got like 23 clicks which is pretty much for me.
My last campagne got 43 clicks with 3 weeks. Now 23 with a day. But I am not converting in sales. Any suggestions? Is there anything I could try to change pn my listing mabye? Pictures, bullets?

Peace

You aren't converting because of your product page. People are going to it and not buying, so you need to figure out why that's the case. Could be everything on your listing, could be just price. You need to compare your listing to your competition.
 

alekssiht

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You aren't converting because of your product page. People are going to it and not buying, so you need to figure out why that's the case. Could be everything on your listing, could be just price. You need to compare your listing to your competition.
Okay, since I have my own made pictures and I am not a wizard with photo editing, the attempt to make all white screen may look bad a bit. Guess I should invest 50$ to amz and let them make me better photos.

One more question please, could it be that the keywords im targeting are too broad and the listing gets in front of "not pretty sure what I want" customers.
For example, customer going to look for a wristband. He only knows that he wants a wristband but not anything spesific and advertising to this kind of customer with a niche wristband(Lets say they are about biblical sayings) it wont resonate so much with those buyers so it wont convert.
Did I make sense?
 
D

Deleted58089

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Does anyone use TransferWise or Revolut instead of a normal business bank account?
What do you think of these services?
 
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biophase

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Okay, since I have my own made pictures and I am not a wizard with photo editing, the attempt to make all white screen may look bad a bit. Guess I should invest 50$ to amz and let them make me better photos.

Or you could learn how to do it.

One more question please, could it be that the keywords im targeting are too broad and the listing gets in front of "not pretty sure what I want" customers.
For example, customer going to look for a wristband. He only knows that he wants a wristband but not anything specific and advertising to this kind of customer with a niche wristband (Lets say they are about biblical sayings) it wont resonate so much with those buyers so it wont convert.
Did I make sense?

Yes, so negative out the words bible, biblical or religious if you don't have those.
 

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Is dropshipping really as lucrative (assuming you do it right) as ppl who promote it claim to be? E.g. 15k per month crowd.
 
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fastlanedoll

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They claim that number with 12 sites combined, lol.

1) Could the margins be improved if you modify the product a bit? I've noticed ppl even put their own 'brand' on it. Make a nice videmo and advertise the shit out of it and ppl seem to fall for it.

2) If dropshipping's not it, what's the best route to go if you're a beginner?
 
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Shri Kanase

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What do you mean you struggle with consistency? I think you mean seasonality? I think it's ok, you just have to plan for it. Or add in a complimentary product that is used during the other time of the year.
Yes that's what I meant.
One other question I wanted to ask you is do you think it's best to have 5-10 stores running and all bringing you revenue or focusing on just 1-2 main stores? I currently have 2 stores and 1 has the seasonality issue.

The concept of being monogamous with your business has always stopped me from opening more stores. What do you thinnk about this?
 
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Doctor.IM

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In %, how much leads (email/phone) do you succeed to "steal" from Amazon to have a direct access to them ?

Thank you so much!
 
D

DeletedUser0287

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Is there a reason that they choose not to add on Amazon, eBay, or Walmart as extra revenue streams?
The #1 reason is control.
I agree with everything you said.

The lack of control is very dangerous if it is your main source of revenue. But if it’s just another sales channel I don’t see a reason not to add it in as another revenue stream, you just never want it to be your main.

The main reason is actually the commoditizing effect of 3rd party sales platforms. Also, essentially zero brand building on 3rd party.

When somebody asks you where you got that product that you got on Amazon. You say I got it on Amazon, but never reference your actual brand. Most people will overlook this fact, but it literally kills any brand building. There is no brand building on 3rd party sales platforms, only labels. Most people that sell things on Amazon only have one value proposition: Function-based. Aka it is so easy to duplicate anyone’s product on amazon, but that is also the very reason you shouldn’t.

I sell on Shopify. The “ Where did you get it?” question all gets referenced to my website and brand name.

If you do see a big brand on Amazon, it is always their commodity products. Never ever their flagship stuff.

Also people don’t realize that if you are with amazon, you are starting with scale. Which is why so many people fail. I am pretty sure the majority of the people on this thread are going to have 100+ gizmos stuck in home. Import the stuff, get it to amazon, it ain’t selling, long term storage fees, ship it back home, liquidate. Invest in in-house production and refine the hell out of the product (not only it’s function).

I think people should focus OFF 3rd parties and add more value solely than the function of the product. Which is what I see so much of here.

You know you are doing it right when you are charging 700% markup and not fiddling with low markups.

Got one more thing, if you are doing little tweaks like optimizing your description page to squeeze out some extra sales, your product is thrash. Good products don’t have to compensate with these black hat tactics.
 
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ApparentHorizon

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The main reason is actually the commoditizing effect of 3rd party sales platforms. Also, essentially zero brand building on 3rd party.

When somebody asks you where you that product that you got on Amazon. You say I got it on Amazon, but never reference your actual brand. Most people will overlook this fact, but it literally kills any brand building. There is no brand building on 3rd party sales platforms, only labels. Most people that sell things on Amazon only have one value proposition: Function-based. Aka it is so easy to duplicate anyone’s product on amazon, but that is also the very reason you shouldn’t.

I sell on Shopify. The “ Where did you get it?” question all gets referenced to my website and brand name.

If you do see a big brand on Amazon, it is always their commodity products. Never ever their flagship stuff.

Also people don’t realize that if you are with amazon, you are starting with scale. Which is why so many people fail. I am pretty sure the majority of the people on this thread are going to have 100+ gizmos stuck in home. Import the stuff, get it to amazon, it ain’t selling, long term storage fees, ship it back home, liquidate. Invest in in-house production and refine the hell out of the product (not only it’s function).

I think people should focus OFF 3rd parties and add more value solely than the function of the product. Which is what I see so much of here.

You know you are doing it right when you are charging 700% markup and not fiddling with low markups.

Got one more thing, if you are doing little tweaks like optimizing your description page to squeeze out some extra sales, your product is thrash. Good products don’t have to compensate with these black hat tactics.

My main concern with AMZN is, you agree to let them copy your product. (If I'm reading their terms of service correctly) If it does well, of course they'll notice. Go around you, source from overseas and brand it as Amazon Basics, and slap it at the top of the SERPs.

Or am I paranoid?

What we do have over them is certifications. Which I haven't seen pushed by AMZN products.

We do have etched branding in some of our products, so we may post those up.

(@biophase also, since I know you have around half of your sales on there)
 
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D

DeletedUser0287

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My main concern with AMZN is, you agree to let them copy your product. (If I'm reading their terms of service correctly) If it does well, of course they'll notice. Go around you, source from overseas and brand it as Amazon Basics, and slap it at the top of the SERPs.

Or am I paranoid?

What we do have over them is certifications. Which I haven't seen pushed by AMZN products.

We do have etched branding in some of our products, so we may post those up.

(@biophase also, since I know you have around half of your sales on there)

It is a legitimate fear, even more reason to add a value skew that isn’t solely based on product function.

I believe the Amazon Basics Brand is primarily focused on the simple functionality of the product at lower cost. So if your product is just function based only on Amazon, you in serious trouble.

Like I said above, build a product off amazon so you actually brand for real.
 

biophase

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They claim that number with 12 sites combined, lol.

1) Could the margins be improved if you modify the product a bit? I've noticed ppl even put their own 'brand' on it. Make a nice videmo and advertise the shit out of it and ppl seem to fall for it.

2) If dropshipping's not it, what's the best route to go if you're a beginner?

1) Then you wouldn't be dropshipping would you? How do you modify someone else's product without actually paying for it ahead of time?

2) This is a tough question to answer. But basically you should be thinking long term about what you really would like to sell and how your brand will be.
 

biophase

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Yes that's what I meant.
One other question I wanted to ask you is do you think it's best to have 5-10 stores running and all bringing you revenue or focusing on just 1-2 main stores? I currently have 2 stores and 1 has the seasonality issue.

The concept of being monogamous with your business has always stopped me from opening more stores. What do you thinnk about this?

I used to have 4 stores and I found it tedious. I think it's better to concentrate on 1 store and make it the best possible. When you have 4 stores, you definitely favor one over the others and will work on that on more.
 
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biophase

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The main reason is actually the commoditizing effect of 3rd party sales platforms. Also, essentially zero brand building on 3rd party.

When somebody asks you where you that product that you got on Amazon. You say I got it on Amazon, but never reference your actual brand. Most people will overlook this fact, but it literally kills any brand building. There is no brand building on 3rd party sales platforms, only labels. Most people that sell things on Amazon only have one value proposition: Function-based. Aka it is so easy to duplicate anyone’s product on amazon, but that is also the very reason you shouldn’t.

I sell on Shopify. The “ Where did you get it?” question all gets referenced to my website and brand name.

If you do see a big brand on Amazon, it is always their commodity products. Never ever their flagship stuff.

Also people don’t realize that if you are with amazon, you are starting with scale. Which is why so many people fail. I am pretty sure the majority of the people on this thread are going to have 100+ gizmos stuck in home. Import the stuff, get it to amazon, it ain’t selling, long term storage fees, ship it back home, liquidate. Invest in in-house production and refine the hell out of the product (not only it’s function).

I think people should focus OFF 3rd parties and add more value solely than the function of the product. Which is what I see so much of here.

You know you are doing it right when you are charging 700% markup and not fiddling with low markups.

Got one more thing, if you are doing little tweaks like optimizing your description page to squeeze out some extra sales, your product is thrash. Good products don’t have to compensate with these black hat tactics.

Wow, I was thinking, is MoreValue really writing this? LOL I agree with what you wrote!

The only thing I have to add is that you can build a brand on Amazon if your product is not an "I bought it off of Amazon product". For example, when I buy light bulbs, I don't remember the brand of bulb. Although I actually do make sure I buy the same brand later if I like the bulb. When I buy batteries, I definitely choose Duracell or Energizer. It really depends on how that brand is positioned.

But with all that said, my last few ecommerce launches have all been off amazon, meaning on my own stores and not relying on Amazon.
 

biophase

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My main concern with AMZN is, you agree to let them copy your product. (If I'm reading their terms of service correctly) If it does well, of course they'll notice. Go around you, source from overseas and brand it as Amazon Basics, and slap it at the top of the SERPs.

Or am I paranoid?

What we do have over them is certifications. Which I haven't seen pushed by AMZN products.

We do have etched branding in some of our products, so we may post those up.

(@biophase also, since I know you have around half of your sales on there)

Quite simply, your plan needs to be that you view Amazon as another channel for sales, and not the main reason you will get sales. Just keep this in your mind and it will guide you to do the correct thing.

Imagine you want to sell bowling balls, then think, how do I sell this without using Amazon. If you can answer that question, you'll be good. After that is answered, go list them on Amazon and you'll do fine.
 
D

DeletedUser0287

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Wow, I was thinking, is MoreValue really writing this? LOL I agree with what you wrote!

The only thing I have to add is that you can build a brand on Amazon if your product is not an "I bought it off of Amazon product". For example, when I buy light bulbs, I don't remember the brand of bulb. Although I actually do make sure I buy the same brand later if I like the bulb. When I buy batteries, I definitely choose Duracell or Energizer. It really depends on how that brand is positioned.

But with all that said, my last few ecommerce launches have all been off amazon, meaning on my own stores and not relying on Amazon.

I am not sure if I am correct about this, but I believe Anker started on Amazon. They are one of the rare cases it seems to successfully brand it if they did start on Amazon.

“It was a long and painful process. After he quit his job at Google in July 2011, Anker took 12 months just to prototype its first laptop battery.”

“The challenge wasn’t selling products,” Yang says. “It was making products and making sure they were high-quality as well. That’s why we spent a majority of our effort on R&D and product development.”

This article:

Like you were saying about the light bulbs, I guess you can brand on amazon only if your product is stupidly good. While majority just import first thing they find on Alibaba.

What I’m doing now, invest heavy in product development.
 
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Walter Hay

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There is no brand building on 3rd party sales platforms, only labels. Most people that sell things on Amazon only have one value proposition: Function-based.
In that case they are listing, not selling. They obviously don't know that emotion outsells facts by a very high margin. Listing functions might have to be part of the equation, but if the functions can be made to appeal to the emotions and perceptions of the buyers, use those emotions. Understanding your potential buyers is the first step in developing a brand.
"only labels" sounds like the average Private Label "expert's" advice to slap on a label. All that does is tell people the product is being sold by supplier X, so it must be different to the one with supplier Y's label on it.
Like I said above, build a product off amazon so you actually brand for real.
I always advocate having your own eCommerce site right from the beginning. Listing on Amazon then adds another sales channel. You can harvest customer details by incorporating your URL in your label. Many people will view it out of curiosity. If your site is interesting or has some incentive for them to go back, you will gradually build your brand with the help of Amazon's platform.
I am not sure if I am correct about this, but I believe Anker started on Amazon. They are one of the rare cases it seems to successfully brand it if they did start on Amazon.
There are others. One is a best selling toy brand with massive sales.
Like you were saying about the light bulbs, I guess you can brand on amazon only if your product is stupidly good. While majority just import first thing they find on Alibaba.
There is no doubt that you are wasting time, effort, and money unless you have a quality product to sell. Persuasive labeling might work until buyers discover they have been sold trash. See: OFF-TOPIC Payless Prank

[/QUOTE="ApparentHorizon, post: 809397, member: 39036"]
We do have etched branding in some of our products, so we may post those up.
[/QUOTE]
Etching your brand is a good move, but try including your URL (See above). You want people to know how to find your branded products.

Walter
 

biophase

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I am not sure if I am correct about this, but I believe Anker started on Amazon. They are one of the rare cases it seems to successfully brand it if they did start on Amazon.

I wouldn't say one of the rare cases. I know personally at least 5 people that built brands on Amazon and have went on to be in regular stores. So if I know 5 and I don't know that many people, there must be hundreds if not thousands brands that were built on Amazon.
 

Shri Kanase

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I used to have 4 stores and I found it tedious. I think it's better to concentrate on 1 store and make it the best possible. When you have 4 stores, you definitely favor one over the others and will work on that on more.
How many stores do you have now? And how long did it take you to attain consistency with it?
 
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alekssiht

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  • Google Shopping is now at the top of your search results, so ranking #1 for a specific term is not as valuable as before. I don't do anymore SEO
  • What do you mean with that? SEO for the listing on amz?
 

biophase

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How many stores do you have now? And how long did it take you to attain consistency with it?

I really just have one main brand and two stores with this brand.

I have an additional store that I'm relaunching next year.
 

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