7 tips on making digital communications the cornerstone of your online sales strategy
1. Create Loyal Brand Relationships
You need to consider customer service — how it is a part of your brand and what interactivity you need to provide to assist customers pre- and post-purchase.
When buyers make a purchase online directly, companies can learn a lot about an individual’s profile and preferences. You can make a deeper and meaningful relationship online with your consumers — and now, with the general availability of content management, email, e-commerce and social commerce technologies, you can easily maintain and control the brand experience.
2. Incorporate Loyalty Programs
Building your online e-commerce capability means you have more control over promotions and loyalty programs that can benefit your customers and your brand.
3. Focus on the Entire Brand
Let your customers access your whole product range. Your website is the online equivalent to your “brand store” — think Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Store or NikeTown.
Here you can expose visitors to your full offering, and cross-sell or upsell in ways that e-retailers can’t or won’t. In general, e-retailers are brand-agnostic. This means a customer choosing to buy a Samsung television online might be offered a Panasonic DVD player or a Sony (NYSE: SNE) surround sound system as other items to complement and complete their purchase.
So perhaps it’s not surprising that companies are choosing to become e-retailers in their own right (where they can cross-sell and upsell products) in addition to selling their goods and services through third parties.
4. Give Customers What They Want
Use personalization. This is your opportunity to tailor the online experience for your visitors. The more information you can collect about them, whether implicitly or explicitly gathered, the better you can tailor information and promotions presented to meet their needs. This may not only help conversions, but also can build the value perception of your brand. Ask yourself — what do visitors really want out of the site?
Maybe it’s just more-detailed product information than they might find on an e-retailer’s site, or the ability to know which retail outlet to choose. Consider presenting links to all your e-retailers with their pricing, so the price-sensitive shopper can find the easiest way to convert.
5. Manage the channel
You need to consider your retailers and e-retailers, and plan how to manage any channel conflict. This can be done either through technology or negotiation.
You may choose to direct traffic to your channel, allowing customers to choose based on location or price, or you may have obligations to direct more volume to new or established channels based on retention or growth strategies.
6. Performance Metrics
Taking the proper measurements of the traffic and behavior on your site can not only help boost conversions, but also help you better understand visitor behavior so you can adjust the messaging about your brand or products.
Determining what is not working might be more important than measuring what already is working. The ability to adapt and change content easily and test out different messaging or promotions will quickly improve your bottom line.
7. Socialize Within Your Community
Using social media may help bring traffic in, but if you control the equivalent of the brand store, why not keep the conversations going with your own community?
Branded communities tend to give more-specific value to the brand owner and the members, allowing for greater communication and collaboration around the brand. Your branded community can associate customers with others of similar interest (for example, how your product is used) to give ideas or inspiration, even letting community members become involved in product feedback and innovation cycles.
It will not only give your audience an integrated experience, but also give you credible references that go beyond what your marketing writers can do.
This entry was posted on Thursday, September 16th, 2010 at 4:05 am and is filed under Experience. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed.View the original article here
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An Emerging Market in eBay Consignments: The eBay Trading Post (Part II In A Series)
May 21, 2011 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
In 2002, the eBay consignments business was born, referred to by eBay as the Trading Assistant Program.
It’s possible that eBay didn’t foresee just how much they would benefit form their eBay consignments program. Designed to unite experienced eBay sellers with people who want heir merchandise sold on eBay without having to do it themselves, the Trading Assistant program has enjoyed enormous success.
As big as eBay had become — larger than all other online auction venues combined — they were still missing out on a large segment of the population; the technophobes. These people would sell goods on eBay if they had access to a computer and a digital camera, and had the time and inclination to learn how to run an auction. But they either don’t have the technology or they lack the desire to become auctioneers, or both. Since they’re not on line, they’re not likely to learn about Trading Assistants who advertise primarily through eBay. And even if they saw the ads, they probably wouldn’t trust them.
You see, people active in the online community are already comfortable with the environment, which has an element of anonymity. But a non-computer person is more likely to want to deal with a real, brick-and-mortar retail business. They may not trust someone who runs auctions out of their home.
How to reach these people? Introducing the concept of the “Trading Post”…
A Trading post is to eBay consignments what the typical consignment shop is to the average community. It’s a drop off location that allows consumers to drop their stuff off and have it sold for them as a service. It’s a retail location that markets itself to consumers as a local, experienced ebay consignments seller — a Trading Assistant with a brick-and-mortar store.
While any ebay trading assistant can establish an ebay consignments service out of a retail location, only a Trading Post can put the eBay brand on their physical storefront.
(A trading assistant can only advertise inside their store). With this privilege comes a higher standard, ie, eBay has “raised the bar” on their requirements.
A Trading Post must meet the following additional requirements:
-Offers a staffed drop-off location or storefront with regular drop-in hours, so that clients can visit the location without calling ahead.
-Has a feedback score of 500 or higher
-Has at least 98% positive feedback
-Has sales of at least $25,000 on eBay each month
Online, clients can search for Trading Posts specifically, and Trading Posts may receive priority placement in search results. (Yes, even some online clients prefer the retail setting). Also, Trading Posts are displayed with a special icon next to their User ID. If you’re a Trading Assistant who also meets the requirements, you automatically qualify as a Trading Post and do not need to take additional steps.
Walt Duflock, Director of the eBay Trading Assistant Program and a real life trading assistant, has announced eBay’s intention of having “secret shoppers” and “customer satisfaction surveys” to see if there are certain Trading Post locations eBay would like to support more than others.
Regardless of your status on ebay, there are tools that everyone can use to build their success as TAs, available on the ebay site. I’ve found many of them quite valuable. For example, among their efficiency tools, they recommend using contact management software. eBay regards this as a great tool for getting “a better understanding of how many prospects it takes to actually create one new client and how long it takes for a client to go from initial contact to hiring you as a TA.”
And as far as support, some of the Trading Posts have become so large that they no longer rely on eBay for help. Some have developed their own proprietary systems for tracking customers and inventory, and managing their auctions. The largest and most successful ebay consignment business will even get you started with your own franchise which includes the use of their proprietary systems. All you need to come up with is $55 K plus operating expenses.
But, never fear. You can start your ebay consignment business on a shoestring, and this is how the majority begin. Since 1998, eBay and similar auction sites have been growing by leaps and bounds. eBay consignments are still in their infancy, but I predict a very bright future!
© Copyright 2004 Carolyn Schweitzer DDS. Dr. Schweitzer was a family dentist for 20 years and is now owner and editor of several websites. You can learn more about where to find specific links to the Trading Assistant and Trading Post programs by visiting her website at [http://www.netbrainer.com/site/500041/page/449460].
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This is the product for the month. We will be showcasing more products each month. Stay tuned for more. | |
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This is the product for the month. We will be showcasing more products each month. Stay tuned for more. | |
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