There are more shoppers than ever on the internet now. The volume of gift buying shoppers will only increase in the coming weeks.
With this huge increase of shopping comes an equally large amount of listed products on eBay, Etsy, Amazon and all the big online retailers.
How can a small Holiday online seller stand out amidst the crowd?
How Do You Stand Out?
1-Leverage your size.
For many smaller entrepreneurs, you are the chief bottle washer. When someone asks a question about your eBay, Etsy or Amazon item, it lands in your inbox. This is a HUGE plus. Large sellers often use auto-responders and or outsource their customer service. Buyers have YOU! Whatever the question, make it a point to respond quickly and accurately. Buyers often are shopping during short breaks of time. Answering quickly can get you the the sale. The same question if received by a large seller can take over 24 hours to get an answer.
2- You exceed expectations!
Give your shopper a free shipping upgrade!
Wow your online customers. When a shipping upgrade is only a small amount of money, upgrade your customer’s purchase at no additional cost to them. Put a note on their packing slip wishing them a wonderful Holiday, letting them know you upgraded their shipping for free! Is your normal handling time 1 business day? During the Holiday season ship the same day with a cut off time that works for your shipping schedule to move that purchase just that much faster.
I elaborate on this tip and the others listed here in my recent appearance on eBay Radio with Lee Mirabel and Jim “The Griff” Griffith. Click HERE to listen.
3- Offer Gift Messages and Cards!
When your customer messages you indicating that a purchase is a gift, offer to include a card or gift message. Customers will appreciate that your read and responded to their message quickly. Everyone appreciates thoughtfulness, especially during the hurly burly of the Holiday shopping season.
On their Facebook Business page eBay For Business has a card that sellers can download and use. The card wishes people Joy during the Holiday Season. Click HERE to access this free card.
4- Do Social Media that WORKS.
Social Media is essential to reach your customers where they are! Customers are on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Targeted, friendly social media can reap rich rewards for sellers.
What sets apart the great hotels and restaurants from the mediocre?
Yes it’s location and their luxurious and high quality offerings. It’s also their white glove service. Superb establishments offer their customers white glove service. Their attention is on their customer’s every need. During this frenetic time of year, how can you help your shoppers have an easy and pleasant time with you? Are your listings clear and easy to read? Do your pictures represent your product well? Are all the item’s measurements included so a potential buyer doesn’t have to message you for them? Think, how can I make shopping with me the BEST possible experience. Then do it.
This all takes time. Time is a small sellers most precious resource.
I’ve developed a Holiday Sales Success Tool Kit to help you use your time well!
My Holiday Sales Success Tool Kitwill equip you to maximize your sales NOW. The proven Tool Kit includes my video that will steer you week by week through the Holidays. You will know how and what to target for sales success. I give you worksheets so each day of the week to equip you to ignite your sales.
For a short time my Holiday Sales Success Tool Kit is 50% it’s regular price of 10$ and is ONLY $5. That’s right right now you can get access to this proven set of sales tools for $5.
Facebook has over 1 billion daily active users! Online eBay, Etsy and Amazon sellers often come to me scratching their heads and ask me,
“Kathy, how can I get more followers and likes on Facebook?”
My answer is simple, “Share food and recipes!” Want instant engagement with followers? Show them FOOD!
No matter what you sell online, let it baby clothes, antiques and collectible or auto parts, there is a food that your ideal customer loves and likes to see!
If you sell products for young children, how about healthy snack recipes for your social media followers on Facebook?
Post Healthy Snack Ideas If You Sell Kids Clothing!
Do you sell sports and fan gear? If yes, then you can feature food and recipe ideas for tailgating parties on your Facebook Business page!
Are housewares and serving dishes and flatware your product line? Holiday cooking offers a wide array of recipes for you to feature.
Share Holiday Foods!
You can share your own recipes and pictures of foods as your prepare them. There is an abundance of great food content on Facebook that you can easily share with your fans and followers.
Post food regularly and see what selections your followers like the most. Your Facebook Business page has insights so you can see which of your posts gets the most attention from Facebook users, As you learn what gets likes and follows you’ll then be able to search and find more of the same. This targeted strategy helps you gain followers and interaction with your Facebook followers.
Enjoy finding great food and recipe posts that you and your Facebook community will enjoy! Yum! Yum! Yum!
Online sellers are turning to me asking for my hot tips for 2016 Holiday sales success! Sellers want to know what are my insider tips to really sky rocket their sales on eBay, Etsy and Amazon! I give them my super duper insider tip. Want to know what it is?
Keep the customer first.
Some will respond to me, “Kathy that’s too simple.” “OK” I say, “Take a few minutes and think.”
When you pick inventory to sell, what are your major concerns? You consider cost and if the item will sell.
The bottom line for sellers is, you don’t make money if customers don’t buy what you’re offering.
Do Your Products Sell?
Discovering and then selling what shoppers want, that is keeping customers first.
When you list your product online on eBay, Etsy, Amazon and your own website, you take clear pictures to showcase your inventory. Your item’s title and description is crafted using carefully selected words ( keywords) that shoppers would use when searching for your product online.
You offer a generous and hassle free return policy to gain and maintain customer confidence in you and your products.
All of that is keeping your customer first. You are crafting a listing and business policies that keeps your shopper’s needs up front and center. The customer is first.
Once your item is sold, you carefully package the item with the intent of protecting your customer’s purchase so that it arrives safely.
The purchased item is then sent off quickly to satisfy the eager customer.
Doing all this, you are keeping the customer first. Should there be questions or concerns at anytime of the purchase or afterwards you quickly and politely respond.
It’s All About The Customer!
From start to finish it’s ALL ABOUT THE CUSTOMER.
With all the sourcing, listing and packing of product in addition to posting on social media, the primary focus of one’s business can get lost. The fundamental truth for any successful business is that it’s ALL about the customers.
Selling customers what they want, and wowing them with your care and speed of delivery gets you repeat business and profits.
So the number one key to Holiday selling success for 2016 ( and any year) is, all during the frenzy of the Holiday selling season, keep asking yourself one question.
I know, I know you’re thinking it’s Valentine’s Day in a few weeks and your inventory has nothing to offer gift shoppers!
You don’t sell candy, flowers, lingerie or smartphones and tablets. You sell clothes, books, automotive accessories, collectibles and/or media let’s say.
What is a savvy entrepreneur to do?
Rather than writing off the holiday ( no, no no Nanette!) a smart seller pulls out the list of their inventory and starts thinking to themself, “how can I re-purpose my items for Valentine’s Day shoppers?”
Do you sell collectibles?
If you do great! Now smart entrepreneur, which ones can be showcased for Valentines Day as collectible gifts? I feel a great Pinterest board coming on!
Do you sell clothing? Come on, who doesn’t want a great jacket, sweater or skirt for Valentine’s Day?
Are you an automotive accessories vendor? Terrific, now look at your inventory and ask yourself , “what would make that Mercedes Benz owner smile?”
Shoppers look for great and unique gifts to give their sweethearts on Valentine’s Day, so it’s time to step up and help them find what you’re offering.
Themed Pinterest boards are a great way to invite customers to browse and buy with you. If you sell on ebay using the free marketing tool of ebay collections is another awesome way to help your items get seen and sold!
So select your inventory for gift shopping customers and enjoy pinning them on Pinterest onto tightly niched boards and creating inviting collection on ebay!
Valentine’s Day is not all about chocolate!
Well, maybe some chocolate and a thoughtful gift to go with it!
The perfect Valentine’s Day gift is lurking in your inventory!
I did some hashtag browsing this morning December 31 New Year’s Eve on twitter and found so far the most used hashtags for this year’s New Year’s Eve are. 1- #Midnight 2 -#NYE 2015
Look at your inventory and see what products would be perfect to tweet about today.
Do you have products related to parties, celebrations and New Year’s Resolutions? If so now is a great time to feature them!
New Year’s Eve is also a great time to chat with your followers using #Midnight and #NYE2015. Do they have plans? Are they staying home? Are they going out on the town?
You can also look back on 2014 and tweet favorite moments and your favorite tweets and encourage followers to share theirs!
You can even run a contest today with your followers for them to share and or vote on your best tweet of 2014!
The end of the year is always a great time to say thank you and let your followers know they are appreciated!
If you find other great #NYE hashtags on twitter today please feel free to post them below in comments!
Thank you all enjoy your #midnight and Happy #NYE2015!
I just found the 2 best hashtags for online entrepreneurs to use for New Years Eve 2015!
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