Online sales are an essential (and highly effective) way for small businesses to increase their reach. New products can be launched with or without a brick-and-mortar store, and establishing an online presence is an imperative in today’s increasingly digital marketplace.
Selling online has obvious advantages such as accessibility, simplified sales channels, and analytics that inform future product development, sales and marketing strategies. Several tactics are key to optimizing a successful online sales program.
- Pics, Please! Online shoppers tend to not buy a product online if images are missing or poor-quality. Make sure the images used for online product listings are high-quality and configured to meet e-retailer specs. For example, a minimum image resolution will be specified to ensure optimal viewing on a monitor or mobile device. High-quality video and 360-degree photography takes it to the next level, helping push a consumer to purchase. Look at competitors’ product positioning and consider tweaking your product imagery to stand out. Plus, many ecommerce sellers have turned to the GS1 Mobile Ready Hero Image Guideline to optimize the presentation of product imagery on small screens.
- Details Matter. Be sure your product descriptions meet individual retailer requirements. Include as much relevant information as you can, such as measurements, weights, assembly requirements, ingredients and whatever may be applicable. Avoid using abbreviations, emojis, acronyms or vague terms to refer to the product or related information – the idea is to be as easily and completely understood as possible. This helps prevent shopper disappointment. Don’t neglect the opportunity to highlight differentiating attributes that set your product apart from the rest. Additionally, many sellers refer to the GS1 Attribute Definitions for Business to quickly develop their product descriptions before sending them to buyers.
- Anticipate demand. Do the homework to forecast and anticipate realistic demand for your product, especially leading up to a major sales event or period. Conduct diligent research and competitive analysis to inform your planning. Talk to your sourcing experts for help in forecasting and managing lead times. Ensure sufficient inventory and readiness to ship, fulfilling orders quickly. Low inventory, out-of-stocks and slow deliveries can be frustrating for buyers, in addition to hobbling your sales potential. Such miscalculations are a surefire way to sour the relationship between your company and retail platforms where it is sold.
“We order six to eight months in advance, so that we have excess inventory. We don’t want to be worried about running out of products,” said Jennifer Ash, director of MAX’IS Creations, a company started by her son, Max, when he thought of the idea for a sports-themed mug when he was just 8-years old. Today, their mugs are sold on Amazon, Uncommon Goods, and other e-commerce marketplaces.
- Have Authentic UPCs. Most online marketplaces require that UPC barcodes need to be associated with the seller’s company. They will not accept listings that have duplicate UPCs or barcodes that trigger a matching error in their verification processes.
“You start a business and someone tells you to get a UPC and you think “What? A UPC?” I was there. I didn’t know where to go. Quickly I learned you don’t take any shortcuts; you don’t get your UPC codes from eBay or some other place. Go straight to GS1. Make sure that you have all your ducks in a row,” said Ligel Lambert, founder of TAL WATCHES, who sells on Amazon, Google, and other online marketplaces that verify product listings using UPCs.
GS1 US offers two options to license UPC barcodes, depending on how many products you plan to list. The first option, a GS1 Company Prefix, allows you to assign UCPs to your products as you need them, as well as identify locations, mixed cases, create coupons, and create identifiers for higher levels of packaging like a case or pallet. The second option is to license the UPCs one-by-one, which could be the most cost-effective option if you have only a few products that need barcodes right now.
- Listen to Shoppers. Monitor reviews and answer questions promptly on all channels. The difference between 3 and 4 stars in a review can make or break a sale, especially as platforms allow filtering to show only 4-or 5-star products in search. One person’s question is probably another person’s question too!
Selling products online may seem daunting at first, but applying these best practices can take your business to the next level.
