Jeff Johnson asked:
In this weekly edition, I will give you some basic insight on what to sell online and why.
Demand. Just as you would evaluate a product’s usability the old fashioned way, carefully examine its usefulness as a sales worthy item for sale on the Internet. If there is not a strong demand, you probably don’t want to stock it.
Known items. This is at the heart of most online sales. Most people will buy products on the web that have little to no surprise to them. For example, music is a known item. You already know the songs you are getting. You’ve heard them on the radio. In other words, there is no element of shock to them. Some other examples would be magazines, music, software, concert tickets, etc. An example of something that would be mysterious to a customer is a new television. Without owning it, they probably have no idea what to expect from it. For these items, they would usually want to go into a store to try them out first. For these "mysterious" items, consider implementing some form of online demonstration if you insist on selling them from your website.
Internet exclusive items. For the most part, there are items that are Internet only items, whether you want to try them out in person or not. For these products, you can easily sell them as long as the demand is there.
Convenience. To further enhance an item, offer convenience. An example of this would be software. You don’t need to go anywhere to purchase it. Simply buy it, and then download it.
Competetive pricing. The web has paved the way for very competitive pricing. In fact, many rely on the Internet for the savings they can find on it. If you can offer something at a rock bottom price, all the better.
Hard to find products and services. Because anyone with an Internet connection can tap into any website at any time of the day, they can now find some of the most unique offerings. In the olden days, you had to rely on companies sending out advertisements to learn about these unique offerings. Because of this, people also rely on the net for finding hard to find products and services.
Low investment. Because it is possible to shop a store online that you have never physically visited before, you may have a great degree of insecurity about the situation. You don’t want to shell out a big amount of money, unless the seller is of absolute reputation. Therefore, only sell low investment items if you are a new or ureputed company.
Rural shoppers. Take in to consideration, rural shoppers. I am talking about shoppers that live miles away from any large city. They just don’t have the immediate access to shopping like the city people do. Because of this, they are more willing to purchase via websites.
Last but not least, don’t forget to put your sales in the context of the situation. For example, during a weak economy people probably are not going to buy many fun "toys". Instead, offer business magazines that concentrate on what to sell in a down economy.
In this weekly edition, I will give you some basic insight on what to sell online and why.
Demand. Just as you would evaluate a product’s usability the old fashioned way, carefully examine its usefulness as a sales worthy item for sale on the Internet. If there is not a strong demand, you probably don’t want to stock it.
Known items. This is at the heart of most online sales. Most people will buy products on the web that have little to no surprise to them. For example, music is a known item. You already know the songs you are getting. You’ve heard them on the radio. In other words, there is no element of shock to them. Some other examples would be magazines, music, software, concert tickets, etc. An example of something that would be mysterious to a customer is a new television. Without owning it, they probably have no idea what to expect from it. For these items, they would usually want to go into a store to try them out first. For these "mysterious" items, consider implementing some form of online demonstration if you insist on selling them from your website.
Internet exclusive items. For the most part, there are items that are Internet only items, whether you want to try them out in person or not. For these products, you can easily sell them as long as the demand is there.
Convenience. To further enhance an item, offer convenience. An example of this would be software. You don’t need to go anywhere to purchase it. Simply buy it, and then download it.
Competetive pricing. The web has paved the way for very competitive pricing. In fact, many rely on the Internet for the savings they can find on it. If you can offer something at a rock bottom price, all the better.
Hard to find products and services. Because anyone with an Internet connection can tap into any website at any time of the day, they can now find some of the most unique offerings. In the olden days, you had to rely on companies sending out advertisements to learn about these unique offerings. Because of this, people also rely on the net for finding hard to find products and services.
Low investment. Because it is possible to shop a store online that you have never physically visited before, you may have a great degree of insecurity about the situation. You don’t want to shell out a big amount of money, unless the seller is of absolute reputation. Therefore, only sell low investment items if you are a new or ureputed company.
Rural shoppers. Take in to consideration, rural shoppers. I am talking about shoppers that live miles away from any large city. They just don’t have the immediate access to shopping like the city people do. Because of this, they are more willing to purchase via websites.
Last but not least, don’t forget to put your sales in the context of the situation. For example, during a weak economy people probably are not going to buy many fun "toys". Instead, offer business magazines that concentrate on what to sell in a down economy.
