How to Kickstart a Successful Online Store

Making good fortune with a brick-and-mortar business doesn’t give you an instant luck in the e-
commerce industry. It is a whole new different world where you need to know many brand-new things.
It does not only require taking immediate action but also making wise decisions at the right time.
Here we will discuss the different stages that a business must undergo along the way before it goes
smooth sailing. The goal of this article is to give you some tips on how to plan, operate, and grow your
ecommerce business into a profitable one.
Planning Stage
The first part in building an e-commerce business is to know what sells best to people. Finding the right
products is challenging especially know that almost everything is already being sold online. So, you have
to think differently and see how you can stand out from your future rivals. Once you have a product idea
and potential market in mind, you should go and see if your idea has a big chance to sell.

Finally, once you are sure that your product idea will stand, what you have to do next is to determine
where and how you’re going to obtain your products look for a channel and find a supplier because the
bottom line is, these people and their services will help ensure that orders will arrive at your customer’s
doorsteps.
Preparation of Business Plan
Before proceeding to writing your business plan, make sure you finish your competitive research first
because it plays a big part in setting up a competitive business. It is valuable for you to check on your
competitors and see the flaws on how they approach the market. Looking into reviews might also help
as it can help you use their weakness to your advantage. Your business plan will then become your guide
in knowing your priorities and making strategies to effectively reach new customers.
Setting Up and Launching Your Online Store
To start setting up your business, you have to decide what brand name and logo you will use. You also
have to choose an appropriate and available domain name. Just like in a brick-and-mortar business, your
brand name and logo should be unique so your customers can easily distinguish you from other
businesses and it should also be easy to remember. These will represent your business so you have to
think it over thoroughly.
Your brand name and logo will be the face of your brand and it will be put on your products, packaging
and they will also be used as thumbnail if you have an app or if you plan to use posters and other online
publicity materials.
Existing online also requires at least a basic understanding of search engine optimization (SEO). This
helps you to properly structure your site and pages for Google and other search engines so it will be
easier for your customers to find your store. In doing this, you have to find and make use of the right
keywords. But that doesn’t have to be so hard especially because there is many available software that
can help you.

After having a clear understanding of search engines, you can now start building your store. Make use of
enticing product pages and captivating product descriptions combined with beautifully shot product
images, plus an ecommerce color palette of your choosing. These and more will help you be in your way.
From here, you can go straight to dealing with shipping and fulfillment where you have to make sure
everything is 100% okay. These elements are crucial because the quality of services that you will
outsource will have a great impact on how customers will perceive your brand.
Launching is ideal whenever you are confident that you have already prepared enough. Just take note
that this is only the beginning because this is where the bloody process of marketing your products
starts. Check on your products’ viability and see how you can drive more traffic to your online store on
your after your first months. Being focused will allow you to learn a lot more along the way.

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Point of Purchase Marketing and How It Attracts Impulse Buyers

Point of sale or point of purchase marketing is an appeal to the impulsive buyer within people. It is
about strategically placing low-priced products near a store’s point of sale such as its cash registers or
any other location where transactions are completed. It is the final plea of retailers to their customers
for any additional purchases. These should be low-investment products as it is only a matter of seconds
for the shoppers to decide if they want to grab the item or not.
The POINT of POP marketing
Point of purchase displays capitalize on the fact that customers are more likely to make additional purchases when they are already decided to buy something less expensive. It takes advantage on the time that the customers are on the line to persuade by showcasing these low-cost items near the store’s checkout or point of sale.
A point of sale display is a great add up to the overall sales as it increases the total number of items
purchased by a customer. POS displays can also be used by retailers to promote other items such as
accessories which customers do not originally intend to buy.
It is also a space-utilization strategy that seeks to put attention to products that are not that popular to
customers. Products that must be sold as soon as possible or with promos such as buy 1 take 1 can also
be put best in these places.
Main Considerations for POP displays
To know what would work as an effective POP display, retailers must look into a product’s features,
location and design.
The features and the location where a POP display will be placed are connected and it should be though
of carefully. It would be best if POP displays are put beside its complementary products as it gives
customers an idea that it is needed so they will be more urged to buy it.
The design of the point of purchase display should also blend it to the overall store appearance. It is
ideal to base the concept of its design to something that appeals to the customer’s five senses.
It has to be very convincing given the fact that each customer only has an inch of a time to make the
decision and they don’t even know it (because they don’t intend to look at your POP displays at the first
place). That’s why retails should think carefully on how to make it an outstanding part of their overall
visual merchandising.
With an effective POP marketing strategy, the issues with a store’s limited space would be easier to
resolve because now the retailers will know how to utilize shelves and corners more. It is also a strong
shot at driving in more sales while there’s no need to annoy customers and shove products to their
faces. After all, sales people shouldn’t be seen as living pop up ads because in this case, any offer is just
going to be automatically turned down.

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How Businesses Can Defy Physical Distancing and Make Communities Socially Close

In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak where countless people around the world fell ill or died,
businesses barely survive. In fact, many have already closed or declared bankruptcy. But for some, the
fight is not yet over. Many businesses and individuals are still up for the challenge and are eager to make
it through this crisis.
While this tragic event is pushing others to shut down, some were being pushed out of their comfort
zones into new horizons. Their adjustments include migrating from offline to online in order for their
logistics to adapt and meet new sets of limitations.
Strengthening the use of a direct ‘seller-to-buyer’ business approach where distributors, resellers, and
retailers are no longer needed is needed now more than ever. Cutting the process on which a product
has to go through before it arrives to the hands of the customer, is not only convenient compared to just doing the common practice, applying business strategies that will encourage the community to take part on something is seen as more vital during these times.

Regardless whether it’s through a design making challenge or through utilization of social media to share stories, experiences, and even tips related to the business or their product, what’s important is that it serves the purpose of inspiring solidarity and promoting resilience. Businesses can also help relieve stress and ease worries of the people through appealing visuals, approachable storytelling, editorialized content, and many more.
Even during these rough times, sharing of knowledge and raising awareness is still as good and effective.
It is a plus for businesses to spare some time promoting not only history, heritage, and culture but also
personalities and even other business that are related to the industry they are working in. They can also
team up with other brand to offer complementary goods and services.
Businesses that bring hope and exists for a cause are always appreciated as well. Offering income,
health care, education, and a sense of community through their products and services. Also, among the
activities or campaigns that businesses can do are fundraisers and employing of people in need. Social
media can also be used to bring people together by allowing them to send in messages about their
experiences with physical distancing and encouraging them to be positive.
Building networks that will keep the conversations going is also what’s needed to give people hope
during this time. Remember that hope is what will give them hope to go on with their daily lives. This
means it is more likely for businesses to keep having customers if people are kept motivated and not
give up despite what’s going around the globe.
Seems like at this point in time, going online is the best path to take if you want to pursue your business.
But as we go farther away from one another due to physical distancing, we should still encourage
people to unite and become closer in mind and spirit.

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Income Generating Hobbies that You Should Start to Monetize

‘Anything worth doing is worth overdoing’ – Mick Jagger

When we look for a job or a source of income, many of us are torn between choosing what we love to do or what pays well. So those who are in dire need, are usually no choice but to set aside hobbies and interests for high paying professions. But, our hobbies which we commonly do for fun and pleasure can also offer significant financial gains. This is proven by an increasing number of people who found a steady source of income in doing these things they love to do.

Here’s a list of common profitable hobbies that you can do if you have what it takes.

1. Gaming

Gaming and Streaming are so hot right now especially because everyone spends most of their time at home. Plus several huge games were recently released while more are coming so it adds up to the excitement.

There’s no denying that gaming is now one of the hobbies where you can make the most earnings. Just like on YouTube, you can monetize gaming either by sharing ad revenue or by getting one-time and subscription donations from a large community of viewers. This means the amount you earn through live streaming will vary greatly, but that it’s relatively easy to start at least making residual income.

For you to make some significant income, you have to develop exemplary gaming skills and popularity. It is important that you not only enjoy the game you are playing but it would also be better if you choose to stream a game you love, are good at it, and bring out your personality.

Due to the fast growth of the gaming industry, there are a lot of opportunities especially for avid gamers who understand the needs of the market. They can easily develop products and services that will sell to their fellow gamers or to developers and other clients that are involved in the industry.

2. Photography

If you are good at taking photographs, regardless of whether using your phone or a digital camera, you would have several ways to earn good money from it. Combine it with some basic editing skills and boom! You’ll be a one-man team who will be ready for projects that could bring you some good fortune.

Aside from shooting at events and gigs as a freelance photographer, you can also make money from your shots by selling them as stock photos or prints. You can also use your skills to grow a massive Instagram following that you can monetize especially now that professional photography accounts are second-most lucrative on Instagram in terms of how much brands are willing to pay for a sponsored post. You don’t even need hundreds of thousands of followers to be qualified.

3. Writing

Writing is a good hobby but publishing your works could help you build a career and establish yourself as an expert on certain topics. It could also bring in good income later. If you have a platform like a site where your crafts and ideas are visible, clients who would want to rent our your skills can easily see if you interest them and if you have a potential of working with them.  As a freelancer you can also reach out to blogs or talk with clients through referrals for paid gigs.  Another option for you is to create your own blog-based business by picking a niche and building an audience over time. This is good if you know how to write blog posts well.

Most of the time, our biggest break in business can be found on the things we tend do for fun and for free. We just have to know what we are good at or passionate about. Once you know what you want to do and how to do it excellently, you must then determine if it has a potential to be something more.

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