Selling your product/service online, part 1

Last week, Sarah blogged about mobile marketing and the role smartphones have in purchasing decisions. If you have explored or are already using mobile marketing, you are probably also interested in selling your product or service online. In a February article on openforum.com, author Gregory Go ("8 Financial Considerations of e-Commerce") discusses what you, the entrepreneur, will need to think about if you want to start selling online.

Your selling price is very is important in your online marketplace. Customers can comparison shop within seconds, especially with retail giants like Amazon. If you are unable to compete price-wise with other retailers, you aren't necessarily out of luck. Become a niche seller that specializes in one product category. Provide excellent customer service and customers will come back to your online store for your specialty. For example, a honey producer who sells her honey for $10/jar can't compete with Amazon who sells a 12 jar case for $30, but she can market her online store as a gourmet honey specialty shop. She can provide her customers with photos of the honey being harvested, and offer unique flavors like lavender and key lime. If you are able to compete with the prices of the retail giants and want to be selling in a large marketplace (Amazon and Ebay for example), you will need to budget for sales commissions which may be 10% or more.




I'll continue blogging about selling online next week!