From Physical Product Sales to Online Product Sales With Ease

If you’re making most of your product sales through your brick and mortar shop, market stalls or through pop-ups but you want to finally start making more sales online and reach even more customers, this blog post is for you!

Today We’ll be covering actionable strategies to help you transition smoothly and effectively into the online marketplace. Keep reading because this blog is packed with tips that can take your business to the next level!

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So, I’ve been speaking to a few people recently who have said similar things… They have been making sales through their physical shop, market stalls or pop ups but they want to start reaching more people.

They know that their customers love what they have to sell and now it’s time to turn it up a level and start making more sales without having to be there personally… and this has bought me to creating this post especially for you!

Why You Should Sell Online 

First, if you haven’t considered taking your physical shop online yet and having a hybrid approach to making sales let’s talk about why you should consider expanding your sales online. Because when you are able to successfully translate as much of the experience as possible as you are giving your customers in person… selling online opens up a world of opportunities:

• Wider Audience Reach: Instead of limiting your customer base to your local area and having to physically show up to make a sale, you can reach customers nationwide or even globally…. 24/7! That’s making money literally while you sleep!

• Convenience for Customers: Online shopping is becoming even more convenient for customers as they can browse and purchase your products at any time, from anywhere. And have it delivered directly to them!

• Lower Overhead Costs: Operating an online store often has lower overhead costs compared to a physical store or renting a booth at a market or renting pop-ups, and that’s including the advertising and marketing that goes in to getting noticed online too!

• Data and Analytics: Through your website you can get valuable data and insights into customer behaviour, their preferences, and trends that emerge from where customers tend to gravitate to on your website, helping you make better business decisions based on what your customers are drawn to or not

I want to stress that transitioning to making sales online doesn’t mean you have to give up in-person sales—it’s about complementing and expanding your existing business model and reaching even more of your perfect customers that just can’t access you in-person!

Building Your Online Presence

Let's go over some of the basics that every product based business needs to know when it comes to creating an online presence that is a smash hit and then I’m going to give you some strategies to help you capture the attention of more customers and drives sales through your online store!

So, lets start at the start…

1. Well the first is to have a User-Friendly Website:

• There are so many drag and drop platforms now that are fairly simple to understand yourself if you don’t have the budget to get someone to make a site for you…
• But just like your in-person sales your online store has to be easy to navigate, simple to use and easy to make a purchase!... and I'm talking from finding their product to making a sale within 4 clicks!
• Theres a reason why amazon has a 1click buy and that’s because it reduces the friction that people go through with every button they have to click. 
• So, Invest in a professional, easy-to-navigate website. Platforms like Shopify, Wix, or Squarespace offer user-friendly templates perfect for small businesses.
• Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as a significant portion of online shopping is done on mobile devices.
• And please, even though it is now more simple than ever to create a site on your own… remember that you will always have to pay with your time or with money, so consider if you want to (of have) the time to work out how to make a highly functioning website or if you can spend the money and get someone else to create one for you.
•  

Once you have decided on the platform you want to host your site on it’s now time to...

• Put together High-Quality Product Photos and Descriptions:

• And I’m not talking about those boring, forgettable images that your supplier send you. Use high-quality images that show your products from multiple angles, use people in your images that represent your perfect customer.
• Show your future customers exactly what your products will be like in their life.
• Write detailed, engaging product descriptions that highlight the benefits of your products instead of just writing a list of features.
• Share with your customer what makes each product special, why you personally made it or curated it and share your passion for what you sell.

Next up you need to...

• Ensure your website’s homepage is appealing and speaks directly to your perfect customer… 
  • Think about your perfect customer landing on your websites homepage and seeing a headline that speaks directly to how they want to feel, who they want to be once they have used your products… make it aspirational and show them just how much you understand them and their needs.
  • Use imagery or a video that showcases the feeling you want to give your customers, think of this as your introduction in to your world… just like your shop, your stall or your pop-up is styled in a certain way, your products are displayed in a certain way and ensures your customers feel welcome you want your website to create that same feeling so that your future customer feels welcome!

So those are some of the bare minimum basics that you’ll need to organise now we want to start driving traffic to your brand, engaging website!

Let’s start by focusing on your existing customer base and get them to be aware of what’s coming…

I would have a launch date and a countdown to the opening of your new or revamped online store.

This should feel exciting and share with your customers that something exciting is coming soon! Think of this as the most exciting product that you have ever launched, you want as many eyes on it as possible when the time comes for it to land...

So have at least a 30 day countdown and use :

• Flyers to give to your customers that visit your store or market stall with a QR code that directs your existing customers to a holding page on your new website, have a form on there that collects their name and email address to be the first in line when the doors open – this will make them feel special plus you’ll be collecting their email address so you can stay front of mind with your regular e-newsletters!

• You will want to use your social media to get excitement, talk about what’s coming and in your stories direct people to the same page This is all about getting your new or revamped website in-front of as many people as possible when doors open and collecting those all important emails!

• Now we want to start using those Email addresses you’ve been collecting! They should get an auto response that thanks them for signing up and share your excitement with them and the benefits of having your online store as well as your physical location like the extra convenience!

• At this point you could also put together something that drives urgency, so you could drop your newest collection or product on your website first before you have it in person, you could give the first people who purchase a special gift or promotion to encourage sales and get more hits on your site.

Now, once you have worked on your existing customer base to raise awareness you can focus on driving new customers to your site…

This is where you have to really understand where your new perfect customers are spending their time so that you can get in-front of them!

So lets take a look at 3 ways in which you can get your new website in-front of new customers…

• Joint ventures - Are they already shopping with another business that works complimentary to yours? They sell something similar but not the same but their customers could benefit from what you sell to? – You could approach these businesses to offer their customers an incentive to visit your store too! With the backing of a business that they already trust they will be more likely to visit your website and get an understanding of who you are and how you can benefit their lives. (this is why your homepage is so important!)

• Ads - You can run adverts to get your products and your website in-front of new customers. You don’t just have to run ads on social media but if you do please make sure you use the platforms that your customers are actually spending their time on and not the ones you like to use! You can advertise on podcasts, youtube, search engines, as well as social media so think carefully about the best use of your money and the type of adverts you can create or have created for you that will engage and excite new customers to get them to want to know more about you, your brand and the products you sell.

• Market places – And you can add your products on to marketplaces like amazon, ebay, etsy, numonday or the many others that exist depending on what you sell! Now, this might seem counter intuitive as you have just set up your brand new website but this is about creating brand awareness on these sites so that your products start appearing on searches so that customers can see you… 
• When they start to buy in with every order that you post include a thank you slip with the details of your website and include an incentive to ensure that they first of all buy again and secondly head to your website instead of the marketplace next time! With every order through the marketplace you will have to pay a % to them to consider what you can do to influence that customers decision to shop directly and feel like they are getting  abetter price on their next purchase as you wont have to give that % to the marketplace!

Remember!
I know that Transitioning to online sales can seem daunting, but here are some practical steps to make it smoother sailing for you:

1. Start Small:

• You can begin with a limited product range on your website and gradually expand as you become more comfortable with the platform, The experience your customers are getting and how you are managing orders and deliveries.

2. Offer Incentives:

• To start with you can provide special promotions or free shipping for online purchases to encourage your existing customers to buy online. (as long as you know and understand your profit margins now that you’re selling through your website)

• You can (and should!) create a loyalty program that rewards repeat customers both in-store and online. Customers who belong to loyalty schemes have been proven to spend more, more often!

3. Integrate In-Person and Online Sales:

• You could offer options like in-store pickup for online orders to drive traffic to your physical location. Should they find it convenient to place an order online so that they know it will be waiting for them when they come by your shop, market stall or pop-up. This will help to integrate the entire experience for your customers and remove any postage costs should they be applicable.

4. Customer Support:

• And please provide excellent customer service through your online shop by offering multiple contact methods such as chat, email, and phone support that are easy to see and understand. And make it clear when they are likely to get a response – one of the worst things customers complain about with online orders is the customer service so consider how you can implement a system that works for you and allows customers to know where they stand should they have a question or a complaint.

• Also make sure your return and refund policies are clear and customer-friendly and also in a prominent position on your site… after all we all just want to know where we stand and the easier you make this for your customers the more they will trust you and want to buy from you.

The transition to online sales is a journey, not a sprint. Start small, test different strategies, and adapt based on what works, what doesn’t and understand why!

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