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Power Merchant Tips: Selling Books Online

Starting an online store today can be as easy as one-two-three. As a case in point, Shopster can help you set up your virtual storefront in just thirty minutes.  However, it is essential for you to remember that making money via an online store is not that simple.

So today, we’ve decided to star t our Power Merchant Tips series. We will tackle tips for selling specific products online at least once a month to help you get started on the right foot. After all, the key to successful selling online is finding the right niche for you.

Online bookstores are among the most popular niches to target for your first store. It has a wide market base and the level of entry is not that difficult. Of course, you have your usual competitions: Amazon and local bookstores with online presences. But people are always out to find the best deal online, so online booksellers still have a fighting chance in the market.

When starting your own online store for books, here are some tips you can follow:

1. Do proper categorization.  Start with the major categories, these can include the following: biography, business books, cook books, education, award winners, fiction, health, history, comics and graphic novels, Children’s books, magazines, technology, language, reference, music, religion, travel, science, sports and more.
2. Make sure all your books are tagged properly, this should include the title, the author, the date of publication, the publisher, the ISBN and a short description of the book.
3. Photos make a difference. Of course everyone knows that books are bought for their content, but give your sales a little push by making sure all your inventory have pictures of the book’s cover.
4. Add a book review section. Today’s savvy shoppers always look for reviews for any item they purchase and book’s are no exception. A book review section encourages visitor interaction and adds valuable content to your website.
5. Make book suggestions by posting your top sellers list as well as those known in the industry like the New York Times Best Sellers List. Display inventory that you have for items in the best sellers lists to take advantage of the particular item’s popularity.
6. Add a section featuring your newest products. This is a good technique to keep your return visitors interested. These are the people who may already be familiar with your site but have come back to it to check if you have anything fresh to offer.
7. Make sure popular items are always in stock. Even if you are working with dropship suppliers, order your items ahead of time before they run out.
8. Consider adding special services like a book buy back program. This a is useful tactic for reselling used books. If you notice that school books or text books are a taking up a huge chunk of your sales, you may be able to capitalize on this some more by offering to buy back old books from your customers at a fraction of their cost.
9. Add deals and promos.  Book buyers are always on the hunt for best prices, if you can offer this, the next best thing is offering bundle promos.  Put together your own set and price it for less than individual books.  Also works well for book series, for instance, you can sell all 7 Harry Potter books for a set price.
10.  Cross promote your items.  A subtle way of hinting more sales is to add a related items functionality to your product section. If your potential buyer is looking at a particular book, your product page can also suggest books by the same author or those that deal with a similar topic. Use encouraging words like: “You may also want to look at…” as the header of your related items feature.

There you have it, ten great tips to help you start your very own online bookstore.

Happy Selling!

Why Dropshipping Works

Business owners who aren’t familiar with drop shipping are missing out big time. Basically, this is a supply chain management technique that allows retailers to focus on more important aspects of their business.

If you’re thinking about building an online store an selling products online but don’t have the capital to start big, then consider this your best option.  First off, you don’t have to purchase any inventory upfront.  This also means saving a huge amount on the cost of storage. Second, it removes the hassles of shipping and handling from your end.

Dropshipping entails selling goods on behalf of a supplier. All the backend work involved in order fulfillment are handled by the said dropship supplier – this includes filling the order and shipping it out to the customer.

The trick to making money via a dropship business is finding a supplier with good pricing. Remember, dropship suppliers are not necessarily wholesalers. While there are those that offer items in bulk, some dropshippers are willing to supply to sellers looking for only a small amount of items.  You can make profit off the dropshipped items with the difference between the supplier’s price and yours – this is called the profit margin.

Essentially, dropshipping is a good way to enter the retail business because it removes overhead cost while still offering you profit.  Here’s a tip: choose items that are popular among young, internet savvy buyers. Plus points if the product is difficult to find in local stores. 

One of the most successful dropship items last year was the Nintendo WII.  Stocks were depleted in most local stores and the market – the younger audience – had no qualms about making purchases online. This combination made the Nintendo WII a huge seller in the dropship world.

So, whether you’re starting your own online store or using popular sales channels like eBay or Multiply, dropshipping can work for you.

Valentine’s Day Gifts: A Potential Big Seller

As the season of love rolls in, it would be a great idea for online sellers to jump in the everything-red-and-roses bandwagon by adding products that are just right for Valentine’s season.  Beef up your online store’s inventory by adding dropship items such as sweets, flowers and gift items for both men and women.

Cupcakes, chocolates and candy hearts are big seller in February.  You can also target high-ticket and bulk buyers with pre-packaged gift and food baskets. These are ideal for companies looking for corporate giveaways.

If you’re planning to make more money out of Valentine gifts, don’t forget the classic dropship ebay item:  flowers. Yes, business can definitely bloom this month (pun intended) with our collection of bouquets and flower arrangements that are ready for you to sell.  

Don’t forget to stock up on gifts like perfume, bath sets and lingerie for women.  Gifts for men like watches, shirts, ties should also be visible in your inventory.

The key to successfully using seasonal sales to your advantage is positioning.  Try a different tactic, such as highlighting the new products in your advertisements. You can also make a “gift ideas” section in your online store.

Happy selling!

10 Tips to Increase Sales via Twitter

Over the years, social networks have evolved from being a personal communication platform to a business tool. These have helped companies reach an untapped global market. The key to a successful social media marketing campaign is knowing how to use it properly.

In this blog post, we will be exploring the use of Twitter to help you increase sales. Here are our top 10 tips:

1. Use it to share useful content everyday. The character limitation -- in this case a max of 140 -- will teach you the art of saying more with less. Stick with what’s relevant to your market and be direct to the point about what you want to say to them.
2. Participate in conversations about your brand. With social media, managing your brand/product’s reputation online has become infinitely easier. Use the search functionality to find your brand name and see what people are saying about it. Be proactive and thank those that promote your brand. This is also a good venue to hear and interact with your detractors as well.
3. Conduct live Q&A sessions. Take the interaction further by scheduling tweet sessions to answer any questions your followers may have.  Creating buzz about the scheduled event beforehand is an additional way to get your brand noticed. 
4. Link your Twitter profile from your contact page. Twitter is a great way to communicate with a market that no longer believes in opt-in email newsletters. Give them other options by providing updates via twitter.
5. Post exclusive promos and special deals via Twitter. Give your followers a reason to continue following you. Having some unique tweets will encourage more people to keep checking back on your profile. “Exclusive” is the keyword for this tactic.
6. Reuse and repurpose testimonials on Twitter. Getting lots of love from customers lately? Give it more mileage by re-tweeting it on your profile. You could also ask permission from the owner to use it on your site’s testimonial page.
7. Announce your Facebook page. The fun part about social media marketing is synergy. Create an integrated approach to online advertising by linking and cross-marketing your social media profiles with each other. Tweet about your new Facebook page and tell people about your Twitter profile in Facebook.
8. Let the world know about your new products. There are no rules about direct advertising on Twitter. We don’t mean you should spam your followers on a daily basis, rather, use this tool to announce anything new about your company – including new products.
9. Use the direct messages function for a proper introduction. You can set up your account such that you receive an email every time you have a new follower. Engage them right away by sending a direct message that tells them who you, what your business is about and encouraging them to visit your website for more information.
10. Add a dash of personal touch. Let’s face it, being all about business can get boring. Post twitpics and make your tweets more engaging. This doesn’t only keep your followers interested, it also humanizes your brand.

That’s it folks. For more tips and tricks for increasing sales and advertising online, please stay tuned to ShopTalk.