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Selling Physical Products Online: 8 Basic Things To Know

by Tanya February 07, 2021

Want to start selling physical products online?

There are many factors to consider when running a successful eCommerce business.

Read about the 8 basics of selling online.

1. Sell products that people are actively buying

The most important thing is to have a great product that people are actively looking to buy.

The best products to sell online are the ones that many people want, but not many sell.

So make your business decisions based on FACTS, not ideas.

In order to find out if people are actively searching for your niche and products, you can utilise the following tools:

•  Google Trends, Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, Kickstarter, and Wish.com are fantastic resources for identifying current trends and volume for search terms related to your niche.

•  Amazon and eBay have a lot of product data available. The best place to start is with the search bar. For example, as you type a word into the eBay or Amazon search bar, you will be presented with a list of related keywords based on search frequency.

Look into how to do market research for business.

2. A system for order fulfillment

Order fulfillment is the process of taking orders and sending products to customers. It involves everything from card processing systems, storage, packaging, customer communications, shipping and post-purchase care.

Figure out whether you want to fulfill your orders yourself, or have a 3rd party company do that.

Many people who are just starting out, fulfill their orders themselves because it’s cheaper. You can store the items in your studio or a spare room at home and ship them yourself via a convenient and reliable shipping partner. Many UK businesses choose Royal Mail Click and Drop service. However, Royal Mail International operations are currently paused, so many businesses are looking for alternatives and realising that there are companies that are charging way less than Royal Mail. Google around to figure out how to get cheap shipping rates. NB! When picking the right shipping provider,  look at how much they are charging, and how quickly can they ship.

You should also have a process for handling returns and refunds. This will increase your orders as customers buying online want a piece of mind knowing that if they don’t like the item, they can return it and get their money back.

Don’t forget to list your shipping and returns policies prominently, so that customers know what to expect.

It’s also a good idea to offer free shipping if possible, as this is a major selling point for many customers.

3. Think of a storage solution

Storing your products doesn’t have to break the bank. Kiwi Storage offers affordable business storage solutions for different types of businesses.

Do you need a space to store your products securely? What about inventory management? International shipping and delivery services? Kiwi Storage does it all.

4. Invest in branded packaging

Branded custom-printed packaging is one of the most important aspects of building a successful eCommerce brand.

Your packaging is the first thing customers will see when they receive your product, so it must look professional and stylish.

There are many different ways to customise your packaging. There are plenty of resources available online that can help you design custom packaging for your products. For example, brands like www.carepac.com make their pouches and bags from scratch, so you can get an idea of what’s possible.

If you’re on a budget, you could also just buy plain packages and stamp your logo on them.

Once you have designed your packaging, make sure to order enough for all of your products. Buying packages in bulk is cheaper.

5. High-quality product photography

Whether you sell products on your own website or on marketplaces like Etsy, eBay, Depop, etc, high-quality product images are key.

Make sure to photograph your products in plenty of natural light at all the right angles using a professional camera (not a phone). The more customers see your product, the more likely they are to buy it there and then without any additional questions. Your goal is to minimise answering customer emails and have plenty of information on product pages.

6. Write helpful product descriptions

Your product description needs to accomplish 2 things:

a) show how well the product fits the needs of the customer
b) sell the product by showcasing the benefits to the user

The buyer is not necessarily interested in the mundane features of the product. Instead, they want to know how it can benefit them.

A product feature is a factual statement about the product that provides technical information. A product benefit, on the other hand, tells how the product can improve the buyer’s life.

NB! Include customer reviews on your product pages, as this will ensure that users stay on your website and don’t turn to 3rd party review sites.

7. A strong social media presence

Social media is a powerful tool that you can use to reach potential customers all over the world.

Post interesting content regularly, engage with your followers, and run ads if necessary.

There are plenty of social media marketing resources available online to learn from.

8. Great customer service

The modern buyer expects immediate responses across any channel – chat, social, email, phone.

I would always pick a service provider that offers real-time support and troubleshooting over a cheaper, but clunkier competitor. 61% of US Millennials will happily pay more for products and services with better customer service.

Simply because I happily pay for convenience & avoid unnecessary headaches.

Investing in customer relationships now means reaping the benefits of loyal repeat customers later.

Here are some ways you can achieve this:

Answer frequently asked questions (FAQ) and offer live chat for immediate problem-solving. Customers will always have questions about how things work or why it isn’t performing well. The last thing they want to do is wait around for you to answer.

Consider a 100% money-back guarantee. Offering a money-back guarantee makes it easier to shop online. Offering refunds will show your customers their satisfaction more than profits.
It will definitely increase your online sales.

Offer extras for loyal customers. It costs three times more to get a new customer than to sell something to an existing customer. Invest in a loyalty program to help retain existing customers.      

When customers are satisfied with their experience, they’re more likely to recommend your product or services to others.

Finally

Remember to take things one step at a time and don’t try to do everything all at once.

The eCommerce business model has lots of advantages over brick-and-mortar businesses.

Happy selling 😊

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Tanya

The first Millennial blogger in the UK. Twitter @_luckyattitude

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