Newbie asks

[Yula]

I am a new one to your community! But I know that I can find the right answer here.
So now, I am planning to start an online store. And my products will be wood acessories (rings, key chains,bags, etc). As you understand I am holding my own products.
So I have a plan, but I’m stuck between the choice of platform, that will bring me sucess or failure. To choose the right one is so important now. So can you share with your experience or advices how to do that right?

 

[finleydesign]

Theres actually quite a lot of other considerations before a "platform" bring you success or failure.

The platforms tend to be of a similar style, but it would initially come down to budget too, thats where you need to start, how much do you have to spend??

 

[Mr D]

Amazon, ebay, etsy etc.
Tons of places you can sell. Look around where others sell the products, try there.

You can also set up your own site. Marketing will tend to cost you though.

 

[WebshopMechanic]

Congratulations on taking the jump Yula! It will be a great ride.

OK, any platform can deliver success or failure. Some are good and some are not so good, but it is not the platform that will decide on whether you succeed or not. It will be how good your marketing is.

You may have the best products in the world but if you have no way of reaching the right customer then you are 'dead in the water'.

My advice to you is to ensure you have a strategy in place before you do anything. For example:

Do some detailed market research

• Find out what product people like, need and want.
• Don't just sell wooden products because you think they are nice. I see people make this mistake all the time selling watches. There are millions of options and it's a ridiculously tough sell. Look at what else is selling in the marketing (Etsy, Amazon, Ebay) and read the reviews.
• The negative reviews are the best source of feedback because they tell you what people don't like. This then gives you the chance to create something better.

Focus on your target customer

• Don't just say anyone because this is not going to work.
• You need to create a profile of who this person is, their age, beliefs, interests, addictions, other brands they are interested in, etc.
• Draw a mind map of who they are
• Learn about their lifestyle and what motivates them to buy
• Don't worry about location or income if you do not have a luxury product.

Create a Unique Selling Proposition

• Why are you different? What is unique about your products or your brand?
• Why should people spend their hard-earned money on your products than somebody else's?
• What is your branding?
• What's your tone-of-voice and personality like?

Create a marketing plan to reach these people

• How are you going to get in front of them?
• What marketing channels are most appropriate for your customer?
• Where do they hang out? Don't just blast every social channel going because you'll be wasting your time.
• Do you have paid budget? If so, you need to learn to spend it wisely on a targeting campaign.

Choose your platform

• I always say to keep it simple. There are many options out there but I think Shopify is probably the easiest to get up and running with. It works well, it's fast, secure and most of the themes are mobile-friendly. It's not the cheapest but it's up there with the best for newbies.

Launch Your Store

• Make your proposition clear on your homepage
• Don't use your homepage to sell - this is just a hook / conversation-starter
• Create unique product photography that creates desire
• Write interesting product descriptions that really sell the product
• Make it interesting and create an experience to get people to come back.
• Use your blog to tell stories about you, your business, your products and your customers
• Collect data - give someone a reason to sign up to your newsletter. Your email list is where you will drive your easiest revenue from.
• Loyalty - Think about why someone would come back to buy again? Incentivise people to buy more.
• Referrals - Use a refer-a-friend app to get your customers to tell others.

Of course, you can also sell on Etsy, Ebay and Amazon too.

Sorry if that's overkill but I hope it helps.

Matt

 

[Nochexman]

I...I am planning to start an online store. And my products will be wood acessories (rings, key chains,bags, etc). As you understand I am holding my own products.

Sorry not to answer your question, but what research have you already done? Are you aware of others selling the same / similar products to you? Who are the market leaders? Where do they operate?

 

[www.promki24.com]

I am a new one to your community! But I know that I can find the right answer here.
So now, I am planning to start an online store. And my products will be wood acessories (rings, key chains,bags, etc). As you understand I am holding my own products.
So I have a plan, but I’m stuck between the choice of platform, that will bring me sucess or failure. To choose the right one is so important now. So can you share with your experience or advices how to do that right?

Dear Yula. The most important thing is to choose very easy and comfortable for you platform. I've decided to choose home.pl , because I've started do the ecommerce business in Poland. I reccomend You something really easy. The most important thing is marketing - I decided to use FB, Instagram, Youtube and of course ADS