This is going to be a bit of a mixed bag, so lots of interesting stuff.
First off - the Amazon to ecommere shop fail.
Which is something that came up in my mastermind, as 2 people are very, very successful on Amazon 7 to 8 figure sellers, yet when it came to diversifying from Amazon to their own stores..
crickets...
Yes, even with google shopping campaigns, one store was seeing 0.02 conversion rates.
Which shows that there really is not much of a carry over from Amazon to having your own store. We do well on both, but that's because of the small bets approach.
And what we learned is that some products do well in our store, but not on Amazon and vice versa. There's a different way to deal with returns and customers as well.
So I had to trouble shoot to help this guy out.
Here's what I recommended:
Start asking questions
If you have read any of my previous posts, you know that my current advice is to make small bets.
And that's because there's no guarantee something will work.
So step one is to implement questionnaires on the site.
it should be a 1 question form which hits them as soon as they land on the site. Just ask why people didn't buy. No drop down or multiple choice. Open question so you get a nonpdirected response.
Something like "hey, we noticed you didn't buy anything today. Would you mind sharing why? You'd be really helping us out."
We did that as part of a strategy when we worked with a very good company that specialises in this.
Another one you could do is a pop up as soon as they land on the site. Basic question is: what's the purpose of your visit today?
Again, open question so you get honest answers.
One difference is that we only had organic traffic, so not sure how the campaign would influence the results.
Main goal is to figure out what the potential customers want and what's holding them back from buying.
To every new customer, you are unknown
On Amazon, people think they are buying from Amazon, even if it comes from you. And even when they know it comes from you, they know:
- they get it fast
- it's in stock, or a back-in-stock date is indicated
- shipping costs next to nothing or is free
So you have to clearly indicate all these things on your site.
Like when will it be delivered, do you have stock and what's the warranty when something goes wrong
Making a big deal of all these things will remove hurdles for customers.
you can't assume that what works for Amazon, works for you.
Once we get results back from the questionnaires, we'll also have a better insight into what the customers want.
Soap
I helped out another guy who wanted to start his own ecom business selling soap in the US (and import them from Europe).
Here's what I told him:
"soaps are great.
- consumable
- easy to ship
- great margins
I buy soaps everywhere. Have them from countries as far as Iceland. Always a nice souvenir and I prefer them to the liquid soaps that most people have.
Even made them myself twice. Just for fun. But the batch size doesn't make sense for just personal use.
So here are some thoughts:
- No need IMO to import from europe. Authentic is key. So handmade. On top of that, there are many people that want to buy from their own country. And I would go granular in that aspect, so not just "American made" but town and state.
- Try a subscription service where people get a box with a few different ones every 1-2-3 months. This gives you some recurring income that you know you'll have
- soaps last a long time, so experiment with the right size in terms of use and perception and how long it will last.
- Lush have done really well here and started with soaps but expanded to a lot more. It's all about pampering, so with the boxes (subscription) and your shop selection, make sure to include those items.
- Go beyond daily use. Think about the role your product can have:
* as a gift for someone's mum
* as a batchelorette package where they have a relaxing prewedding look-your-best event before with your products (spa@home experience)
* as a thank-you for someone who has helped you
Make those events the name of the packages you offer (selection of soaps etc to fit the occasion)
- have a brand story. It should be a story that people buy into. So it's more about them than about you. It should tell them how they can reach their goals through your company
- soaps have a recipe. Try to get some exclusives for you only. And limited editions. So there is some scarcity.
- Think of something you can give away for free to get people on board. Like on a mailing list. Ideally something like this - get someone to nominate someone else for a free gift. Like a small thank-you or surprise basket that they think someone else deserves.
People love to brighten up someone else's day. Plus this will build a habit of gifting your products.
There's a viral element as well, as people would have to tag people on facebook for example, which would pop up in a lot of people's timeline."
So he's got some great ideas to work with.
This should be a nice business if he actually commits, puts in the work and adjusts acording to market response.
But this is the thing, right. Lot of dreamers out there. That get the business virtually handed on a platter to them, but it all ends there. And they'll still be talking about it.
Which is why wakeboarder's thread is one I like so much. No fluff, all action...
And lastly..
As for myself, I am trying a little side project in the food business. More for fun, but I can imagine it being something commercially sucessful as well.
The motivation here is not money, but exposure to a market and as such get experiences that are otherwise not possible.
To be more specific: meet and talk to interesting people in the industry ( Michelin star chefs), getting a behind-the-scenes look of the creation process of artisanal chocolates for example, go truffel hunting etc.
When you use your affiliate / ecom / marketing skills to get awareness in the market, a lot of doors open...
The domain has been bought, logo / brand identity is in the hands of the designer, so a start has been made.
That's it for this week. enjoy your Sunday and see you next week!