Shopster's Dropshippers, eCommerce, and Selling Online Blog

Who’s in your Network?

So, you have picked the products you want to sell, you have built and customized your store, now what?  Now is the fun part – you get to market and promote your store.

Marketing can be complex, and your marketing efforts should include research, evaluation, and tones of rewrites. But it can also be simple.

The simplest marketing tactic is to tap into your network. Not just your favorite five that you have on your cell phone, but your whole network. Think family, friends, coworkers, your kids teachers, the guy that bags your groceries, and so on. Everyone and anyone you have contact with should be included in your network.

The next step is to take that network, and tell everyone in it about your store. Create business cards, or have pens with your store name on it made, and hand them out to everyone. If you have a friendly chat with a taxi driver while traveling give him your card.

Your network constitutes your hottest leads. These are people who probably genuinely want to see you succeed, and if they can be part of that success they will be happy. Even if they truly are not interested in purchasing your products, they will definitely tell someone who does want your product about your site.

Your network is also useful because the strongest referral is from a friend. Word of Mouth advertising is very powerful. People trust recommendations from their friends and acquaintances. Get your network to do some of the advertising for you and ask them to recommend your site to their friends.

Marketing does not have to be complex, it can be as simple as telling your neighbor about your new online venture.

Big Changes to Shopster

Shopster is constantly looking for areas to improve.  The most recent improvements have come with their in-site navigation.  After logging in, users (and visitors who sign up for a free trial) will notice some big changes to how things are laid out.

Matt Cox, Shopster's Chief Product Officer explains: "When we started building Shopster, we wanted to make sure that it was flexible.  We wanted to be able to deliver new features and improvements without having to overtly disrupt our users' day-to-day activity in-site.  Because Shopster has been built organically [ed. usually from user suggestions and needs], we've had some functionality that didn't quite fit the mold of our existing navigation.  When we introduced Shopster Product Source [ed. Shopster's non-storefront solution] a while back, we tried to fit it into our existing site.  It worked, but we started to get the impression it wasn't as good as it could be.  It created some friction for our users."

Shopster's newest release was aimed at tackling these in-site navigation issues.  To address this, Shopster's product strategy team tackled the root of the problem.

"We were trying to cram features into a space they didn't necessarily belong in.  We thought about it, threw around a couple ideas and models, and it came to us that we're dealing with a multi-channel system now," says Lori Stewart, Shopster's lead product strategist.  "Three years ago, Shopster was a storefront/product solution without the whole 'sell on eBay and other third party sites' side of it.  So, we broke down how our in-site features were connected and rebuilt how things were put together for our users."

With that, Shopster introduces three main "channels".
1.  Storefront Channel (included in Shopster e-Commerce only)
2.  eBay Channel (included in Shopster e-Commerce and Shopster Product Source)
3.  Product Export Channel (included in Shopster e-Commerce and Shopster Product Source)

Each Channel contains all of the functionality associated with that particular way of selling.  "Plus, it opens up the option to create brand-new features and 'channels' without the confines of existing navigation and functionality," adds Stewart.

With these new improvements, Shopster is looking to optimize their online business solutions from a users' perspective - continuing the trend of giving retailers the tools, products, and support they need to grow their business and find success on the Internet.

PS: Don't have an account, and want to see (and try) the changes?  Try it free for 7 days.

Technorati, ShopTalk, and SEO

Hey!

We're trying to get the word out there about ShopTalk (the Shopster blog).  To that end, we're scouring the web for best practices and other tips.  As we try them out, we're going to be commenting and passing on the helpful ones to you - our readers (or according to my review of our site stats - all those spiders and Shopster employees).

We just set up our Technorati account.  We found that pinging Technorati via pinging trackback (http://rpc.technorati.com/rpc/ping) wasn't getting our updates to show there.  We're trying out the actual account to see whether claiming a blog has any effect on the updates.

Shopster's Technorati Profile

As a visitor-generating tool, a blog is pretty useful.  It attaches keyword saturated content with your storefront or site.  A blog is basically spider food.  It's targeted content that (hopefully) is updated regularly.  It's what search engine spiders are looking for.  If you're able to update frequently and write about things related to your store (and the products you're selling), you stand to get some free visitor traffic.

Give it a try!

eBay Fee Update

Good news for eBay sellers! 

eBay has taken heed of the many outcries from its user base.  A number of eBay sellers expressed (rather vehemently) their disdain for the changes.  Which is understandable, I think.  eBay fees represent the cost of doing business... when those change, the business models of eBay sellers can be adversely affected if said changes run counter to the seller's previously followed practices (for structuring prices, profit margins, overhead spending, etc.).  eBay's February fee changes were supposed to decrease the upfront costs of listings, but wound up ruffling some feathers.  (Read about Feb's changes here.)

After six months, eBay is introducing some new changes.  According to eBay: "We're taking steps to give sellers the most dynamic marketplace on the Internet with reduced upfront cost and more sales through great exposure for your listings and a more consistent buyer experience."  Here's an overview of eBay fee updates for August 2008:

1. Lower upfront insertion fees for fixed price listings
   * $0.35 fixed price insertion fee
   * $0.15 fixed price insertion fees for select categories
   * no changes to auction-style listing insertion fees
2. Incentives for offering free shipping
   * improved search exposure
   * free listing subtitles
3. "Best Match" optimization for auction-style and fixed-price results
4. Important changes for Canadian sellers (selling on eBay.com - not eBay.ca)
   * maximum shipping charges for listings on eBay.com
   * minimum 4.3 DSR to sell on eBay.com

Read eBay's "Fees August 2008 Overview" for a full list and links to best practices and fee examples.

Happy selling!

PS: Interested in more about this topic?  Check out our past posts about eBay and eBay fees:
http://blog.shopster.com/shoptalk/ebay_selling/index.html

The Next Wii

Your business strategy for this Christmas season should be simple – stock, and sell a lot of the hottest, must have products in your Shopster Storefront.

For the last few years that product has been the Wii. If you stocked it, then you sold it and probably for more than the suggested retail price.

The key to having a successful Christmas this year is to find that “it” product and make sure you have a lot of it to sell. While I do not have crystal ball, and I cannot predict the future (trust me, if I could I would have been on the Wii gravy train two years ago) I do have a few indicators - like what the Shopster product source team is looking for - as to what products will be popular this Christmas.

One indicator is my fiancé. We went on vacation a few weeks ago and while on vacation his new iPhone was delivered to his office. Upon learning his iPhone had been received he seriously considered driving back home (about 8 hours away), picking it up and driving back. And by seriously I mean he had his keys in his hand and only my annoyed self in his way. Thankfully his rational side gained control and he patiently waited for our vacation to be over before he rushed back to his new prized possession.

Now, if my fiancé’s giddiness over his new toy is not enough to convince you that the iPhone will be huge this season, consider that it won multiple awards at the Engadget Reader’s Choice Awards  The awards include: Gadget of the Year, Most Anticipated Gadget for 2008, and Best Smartphone.

Apple products pretty much swept the Engadget Awards, so Ipods and the Itouch are also safe bets as hot products this Christmas.

If you can think of any products that will likely be hot this season, send me a comment or email.

Happy Selling!

High Gas Prices = More Online Shopping

Good news for online sellers:  More people are shopping online as gas prices keep climbing.  A recent post on eMarketer (Gas Prices Boost E-Commerce) talks about reasons consumers give for shopping online.  Increasingly, shoppers are moving to the Internet as a legitimate buying channel.  This is good news for you (and us, by extension).

Some highlights:
1. 11% of surveyed buyers indicated they were shopping more online in response to higher gas prices.
2. 54% of surveyed buyers indicated they would shop more online to cut back on gas expenses.
3. 33% of surveyed Internet buyers indicated they shop online because of higher gas prices.

Read the original article at: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1006436&src=article_head_sitesearch - it perked up Shopster's day a little.  (Any good news about rising gas prices helps, eh?)

Brave New World

(From Dan Rolfe on the front lines of Shopster)
Welcome to the world of tomorrow!

Shopster has moved to some sweet new digs and this is the first update from our new headquarters. With the wonders of technology available, I'm happy to offer a brief glimpse of the new building in the form of a cell-phone picture* tour! Yep, we are way ahead of the technology curve, melding cameras and mobile telephones into one single powerful beast. (*Disclaimer: my phone camera, and the skills to use it, are lackluster at best)

This is the outside of the building, known as the Ramsay Design Center (soon to be renamed Shopster Awesome Factory).

Once you enter, you are greeted by our Shopster Tradeshow Display which helpfully informs the clueless:

The space itself is top secret and contains a number of unreleased products (Fizzy Lifting Drink, Golden Eggs and Neverending Gobstoppers) but the gist of it is that it's a sweet open-concept office where employees can frolic and work without the oppressive wall of a cubicle crushing their spirit. The downside is that I don't have anywhere to pin my "Working in an Office RULES!" poster, but I will press on.

In addition to a gigantic open space with cool brick walls and frictionless chair-rolling floors, our office has a kitchen. Formerly a coffee shop, it's got a pretty cool look to it and affords us the space necessary for Shopster's backbone--the foosball table.

It's also got a gigantic blast door we can close in case of zombie invasion. Always thinking ahead, you know.

That's it for now! We'll have an update on the warehouse coming Friday, with some good news on our suppliers. For now it's back to work staring at monitors over peoples' shoulders and throwing foam soccer balls over their heads.

Matt Cox's Blog Post or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Dropshipping

Today: Guest post from Matt Cox, Shopster co-founder and Chief Product Guy

Matt Cox’s Blog Post or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Dropshipping

Hello all, this is the first of what I hope will be an ongoing series of posts speaking to the many problems in the dropshipping industry today.  My goal through these posts is to speak candidly about the challenges surrounding dropshipping as a supply-chain practice, and propose some solutions/best-practices, which will help you to address these concerns.  I will try to keep Shopster plugs to a minimum, but as I am a founder, employee, and all-around Shopster loving kind of guy, I make no promises.

Today’s Problem - Protecting your Brand.

Imagine this scenario: you walk into a McDonalds expecting an inexpensive, familiar and consistent meal delivered quickly in a clean environment.  You walk up to the smiling cashier (smiles are free!) and order a Big Mac.  The cashier cheerfully accepts your order, and enters it into her till.  The McDonalds kitchen staff then, rather than preparing your burger themselves, take your order over to “Generic Burger Joint” and re-order it, pick up the order, and deliver it back to you fully branded as a McDonalds Big Mac.

Now on initial review this scenario might seem like the ultimate in just-in-time supply chain.  McDonalds itself can focus on marketing their brand, while not having to carry any cost of inventory.  The problem with this example though is that McDonalds has spent considerable amount of effort (let alone billions in marketing) on its brand promise, which includes a consistent meal delivered quickly.  Yet by outsourcing the “fulfillment” of their food, they have lost all control over its production and delivery, and therefore have little ability to ensure delivery on this brand promise.

Now before anyone comments, I know this example is unrealistic, yet it highlights a major problem with using dropship fulfillment: how do I build an e-commerce brand promise around a supply-chain I do not control?  There is no simple solution to this problem, but based on our experience at Shopster, I provide you with the following tips:

Tip #1 – Research your supplier:
It is amazing how much information a simple Google search can provide.  If you are considering entering into a business arrangement with a dropship supplier, take at least five minutes and research their past performance.  RipOffReport (http://www.ripoffreport.com), BetterBusinessBureau (http://www.bbb.org), and Google are great resources for this.  Additionally ask the supplier for which other companies they are currently providing fulfillment.  This may not necessarily qualify them as a great supplier, but should hopefully disqualify them if they have a track-record of poor performance.

Tip #2 – Test order from your supplier:
This one seems obvious, yet it is remarkable how many would be e-tailers attempt to build their e-commerce brand without having tested their supply chain.  Pick at least one product and order it from your supplier as if the customer had ordered it from you.  Was the supplier’s inventory count correct?  Did the product ship out in a timely fashion?  Was the product shipped using the carrier preferences you submitted?  Was the package fully branded?  Did the supplier pack the item properly?  If you answered “no” to any of these questions then you may want to have further discussions with this supplier before you begin offering their product line.

Tip #3 – Integrate your supplier:
How frequently should you update your inventory numbers?  As frequently as possible!  Inventory and fulfillment will most likely be your biggest problems when dealing with a dropship supplier.  Find out how frequently your supplier updates their inventory numbers, and ensure that you are updating on the same schedule.  Additionally attempt to submit orders immediately after you have received them, as inventory numbers get stale quickly.  Even if the supplier only checks orders from 8:00AM – 4:00PM, having your order submitted will ensure you are front of the queue come the next morning.  If you do not have the technical expertise in-house to complete this integration, hire a contractor.  There is nothing worse then spending significant time & effort to attract a customer, only to have to cancel their order due to inventory shortage.

Tip #4 – Know your supplier:
Chances of getting personalized service from the Ingram Micro’s of the world are tough unless you are pushing through a very high volume of orders.  That being said, take the time to know your account manager.  It is your account manager who will help you when a product you ordered is out-of-stock, or when an item was damaged in delivery.  Additionally your account manager can keep you apprised of upcoming product promotions and specials.  If you happen to find yourself visiting the city where your supplier operates, stop by and visit.  Just because you don’t own or operate your supply-chain does not mean you shouldn’t understand it inside and out.

The old adage that a happy customer will tell one friend, whereas an unhappy customer will tell ten friends, is dead.  Vincent Ferrari (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Ferrari), among many others, has proved to us that an unhappy customer can easily reach thousands of potential customers.  Taking the time to properly evaluate, integrate, and understand your supply-chain will ensure you are able to deliver on your e-tail brand promise.

<ShamelessShopsterPlug>
What kind of employee/founder would I be if I did not promote my own company?  Shopster has had experiencing dealing with almost every dropship supplier currently in business.  Shopster has undertaken all of the above steps in order to provide you with products from suppliers who we know can provide the performance necessary to deliver on your brand promise.  In addition to providing access to over 1 million products, from 130+ suppliers, we provide comprehensive product data, sophisticated multi-channel sales tools, and real-time live customer support.
</ShamelessShopsterPlug>

Matt Cox, Chief Product Guy

Seasonal product marketing, part two

As a follow-up to last week's in-store product marketing post, I had Raymond Lau (a Shopster marketing teammate) write me up a quick blast on how to run an effective marketing campaign on a tiny budget (I told him to stay below about $100).  I think he did a pretty good job (for a non-writer).  Check out his super helpful tips here:

How to effectively market seasonal products to drive traffic to your store

Selling seasonal products is a great way to increase product sales. All of the major shopping department stores have already figured this out. That’s why when the season comes, they decorate the store around particular theme and push certain products: Christmas, Halloween, Back to school, etc…

The key to selling seasonal products is to give yourself plenty of time to plan, market and ship the products in advance of the seasonal event. A good suggestion is to give the seasonal products 2 full months advance notice. For example, Halloween is on Oct. 31. You should start planning and marketing Halloween costumes, makeup, and decorations sometime in late August. This will give you plenty of time to build an effective marketing campaign and allow enough shipping time for customers to receive their products in time.

Here are 3 simple and affordable ways to promote seasonal products in your store:

1. Community Forums

There are lots of dedicated forums on the internet that are focused around a particular niche. These forums are packed with active and loyal users. This is an excellent way to drive free targeted traffic to your store.

A majority of these community forums should have a section somewhere in the forum that will allow users to post and advertise a website or business for free. If not, you can either try to contact the forum administer and ask for permission, or look for relevant posts and find ways to subtly insert your store and product information. A great way to get their attention and gain some additional awareness is to offer them an exclusive discount on some of the products in your store. Please be very careful to not spam.

If one of these forums do not allow external users to advertise whatsoever, you can consider purchasing some banner space. Advertising on a Forum generally produces a good return on investment simply because banner space on most of these forums are fairly affordable and the traffic is very targeted.

Example:
The NFL season is coming up. We have a large selection of NFL products in our warehouse. Here are a couple sample dedicated NFL community forums:
http://www.footballsfuture.com/phpBB2/
http://www.footballboards.com/
http://www.nfltalk.com/

2. Pay-Per-Click

Purchasing some Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads on Google Adwords, Yahoo Overture can be an effective way to promote seasonal products in your store. If you have a tight marketing budget and are thinking about using this strategy, please be very careful because it is very easy to overspend and get no sales. The key here is to selected specific “long tail” keywords around the particular keywords you are targeting.

Example:

Halloween is coming up. If you use general keywords like Halloween costume, costumes, pirate costume, etc… you will probably go broke before you get any sales. This is because these keywords are too general (not targeted) and very competitive (expensive). These keywords will get a lot of clicks and little to no sales.

Long-tail keyword strategy:

Purchasing “long-tail” keywords is a much more cost effective way to get targeted traffic.

Here’s a couple example of some long tail keywords:

Captain Jack Sparrow Halloween costume, Transformer’s Optimus Prime costume, Casper the Friendly Ghost Halloween costume, etc… These keywords are a lot cheaper (less competitive) and more targeted.  While you will get fewer clicks, the clicks you do get will have higher conversion rates.

After you have selected a couple targeted long tail keywords, the next step is to write some relevant and attractive ad copy and link the specific long tail keyword directly to the product page in your store. You want the transition to flow smoothly for the potential customer. For example, click on Captain Jack Sparrow Halloween costume Ad and it should go directly to the Captain Jack Sparrow Halloween costume product page on your store so customers can easily find the product they were searching for and the checkout button is right there for them.

Also, it is important to remember to set a daily maximum spend budget in the campaign so you don’t accidentally overspend. The key here is to start small and test the keywords and Ad campaigns. Find out what’s working and what’s not. Stop the campaigns that are producing a bad conversion rate and use the money effectively by investing it in the campaigns that are driving sales.

3. Tell your friends

I can’t stress this enough. Word of mouth advertising is by far the most effective way to promote and market anything. Tell your friends and family about your store and seasonal products. Not only is it free, they are also more likely to buy from you.

This can even be more effective if you offer them an incentive. Give them a discount or offer them a small commission if they tell their friends. Word can spread quickly about you and your e-Commerce Business.

Well, hopefully everyone finds that helpful.  If you have questions or comments, please feel free to leave comments on this post.

Good luck and happy selling!

Supply-Side Week in Review

Heyo!

Welcome to August, friends! Formerly known as Sextilis, the sixth month of the calendar of Romulus, it is now the eighth month of the year and one of the few not named for a god or a number. Hooray!

Biggest news first: In an effort to build our company's reputation as nomadic, we are moving offices for the second time in as many years! While our last move saw us shift to offices an entire block from our old location, this time we're moving a whole two miles away. If this trend continues then the next time we move we'll end up a town over, then in the next province, and finally somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

As the move is effective at the end of next week this will be the last weekly update from our current location. Next Friday I will be too busy packing my computer and various desktop accessories (Stikfas and posters, mostly) so we'll have to skip the next update, to return August 15th.

Worry not, however, for there is enough content in this post to keep you going for a fortnight.

"Car Stereo & Alarms" - This supplier has undergone a massive update that sees their selection go from 1000 products to 4000. This is good news for you, as their existing products sell fairly well so an increase in options can only mean more cash-monies for everyone. And we all like cash-monies. Have a look and see if there are any new items that catch your eye.

"Musical Jewelry Boxes" - A new supplier has also joined the system, bringing a line of decorational music boxes featuring cartoon character Betty Boop. It sounds odd, but Betty Boop products have been a historical cash cow and we anticipate the same for this new batch of items. Additionally, this is just a first load and we hope for an even larger line from this supplier in the near future. Mosey on over here and take a gander.

"Sports Memorabilia 3" - Last but not least, we're seeing new products almost daily from these guys and they've just made available a new line of MLB ballpark collectible plaques, signed by players and officially licensed by MLB and the MLBPA. They're limited edition, too, so don't wait around.

That wraps it up. It is now time for me to fondly wander the halls, remembering the good times we had and looking hopefully forward to the future with a tear in my eye.

Adios!

Seasonal product marketing, part one

There are two major kinds of marketing you should be doing for your online storefront.  You should be trying to get:
  1.  General, year-round traffic.
  2.  Focused, seasonal traffic.

This article focuses on #2.  While your storefront needs to be configured to support year-round customers, you can give your sales a boost by targeting holidays, sporting events, and established sales trends.  By "targeting", I mean optimizing your featured products and content (like images and text) to take advantage of a well-known event that has customers searching for particular kinds of products.  You should be featuring products that relate to the event.  This is called "seasonal product marketing".

Let's break this down step-by-step.  There are two potentially huge seasonal marketing opportunities coming up.

A. The new NFL season starts September 4th.  The NFL enjoys the highest per game viewership of any sport in the US. Most games are near capacity, and millions of fans enjoy the games from home.  Fans need jerseys, helmets, beer fridges, comfy chairs, big TVs, bobble heads, and DVDs that replay the halcyon days of Super Bowl XX when the Bears' "46" defense allowed a record low 7 rushing yards against.

B. College starts up in September.  This September an estimated 17 million students will head off to college.  For many, this is their first time setting off on their own.  There are products they're going to need... Think: furniture, home decor (posters, lava lamps, and other kitschy stuff they weren't allowed to have in their rooms at home), small appliances (hot pot, anyone?), entertainment, electronics (XBox 360, calculators).  You should sell those products to them.  This is a web savvy demographic that has shown a strong online buying trend.

For simplicity's sake, let's create a real-world seasonal marketing campaign around the upcoming NFL season.  (If the NFL isn't your store's thing, feel free to follow along with "Back to College".)

In-store advertising.  Use some of your storefront real estate to let people know about the upcoming season.  This acts not only as a reminder to repeat visitors, but to let new visitors know you're stocking products related to football.

STEP ONE - Banners 

The best way to draw attention to a promo in-store is by using banners.
I had our graphic designer whip up some quick banners you can use if you want to run with the NFL seasonal promotion. 

1.  Right-click any of the following links.  (Left-click any of the links to preview the banner.)
2.  Click "Copy Shortcut" (Internet Explorer) or "Copy Link Location" (Firefox).  If you don’t see either option, highlight the URL, right click and copy.

NFL Banners:
 

http://www.shopster.com/images/seasonal/200x200_nfl.jpg (medium-sized square)
http://www.shopster.com/images/seasonal/468x60_nfl.jpg (long and skinny rectangle)
http://www.shopster.com/images/seasonal/468x200_nfl.jpg (long and wide rectangle)

Back to College Banners:

http://www.shopster.com/images/seasonal/200x200_college.gif (medium-sized square)
http://www.shopster.com/images/seasonal/468x60_college.gif (long and skinny rectangle)
http://www.shopster.com/images/seasonal/468x200_college.gif (long and wide rectangle)

For this example, I'm going to right-click the long and skinny NFL banner and copy it's location.

3.  Login to your Shopster account at:  http://service.shopster.com
4.  In the top, right-hand corner of the screen, click the "Edit RShop" link.
5.  In the left-hand column of the screen, click the "RShop Content" tab to expand it.
6.  Under the "RShop Content" tab is a list of options.  Click the "Feature Pages" link.
7.  i.  If you have already created a "Home Page" before, click the "Edit" link to the right of it.
7. ii.  If you have NOT already created a "Home Page", click "Create" to the right of it.
8.  What you're about to do is edit the contents of your online store's "home page".  Scroll down the page until you see "HTML Content".  We're going to place the banner at the top of the page.
9.  Click somewhere in the white space below the control panel so your mouse cursor blinks there.  The control panel is a bunch of buttons.  It looks like the one you use in Microsoft Word.
10.  Look for the "Image" button. It's on the second line of buttons, in the middle.  It is a picture of a mountain and the sun.  Click it.
11.  A new window opens. 
12.  There is a box below the text that says "URL".  This line for the location of the banner.
13.  Right click in this box.
14.  Click "Paste".
15.  This box should now contain the following text:
                http://www.shopster.com/images/seasonal/468x60_nfl.jpg
16.  In the box under the text "Alternative Text", type: NFL Season Starts September 4th
17.  Click the "OK" button to save your changes and close that new window.
18.  Click "Save Feature Page" to make your changes appear on your store.

You now have a banner on your storefront promoting the upcoming NFL season.

NOTE: If you want the medium-sized square banner to show up in a side column on your store, we've made it easier for you.  Do steps 1-4 above.  Then, instead of clicking "RShop Content", click "RShop Designer".  Then click "Columns".  Under "Select Blocks", use the first drop down menu to find the banner you're looking for (use a different drop down menu if you don't want the banner to be the topmost item in your column).  Click "Save Column".

STEP TWO - Featured Products 

Now, you want to show your visitors that you have products relevant to football.  Our team made a quick product list to speed up finding NFL-related products in our warehouse.  This is just a starting point, and is not an exhaustive list of available NFL-related products in our warehouse.

1.  If you're still logged in, click the "Home" link at the top of the page to go back to the first page you normally see after logging in.
2.  Under the "Featured Products" header, is a changing section that shows you the products, product lines, and suppliers we're featuring.  Wait for the NFL one to scroll by.
3.  Click "View Products". 
4.  You'll be brought to the warehouse.  Have a quick look through the products we've chosen (there are many more available, these are just the ones we've picked).  Check the boxes next to the products you would like to feature from this list.  What we're going to do is create a category on your store for these products called "NFL 2008".
5.  Once you've finished checking the boxes next to products, click the "Add Products" button directly above the first product listed.
6.  A new window opens.  Under the "Category" heading, click the drop down menu.
7.  Scroll to the bottom of the list of categories until you reach "Create New Category".  Click it.
8.  For the "Category Parent", click the drop down menu and scroll to the bottom.  Select "Top Level".
9.  For the "Category Name" type: NFL 2008
10.  Click the "Add Products" button to save your changes and close the new window.
11.  Repeat this for all pages of products in the NFL products list.  Except, when you get to step 7, just find the "NFL 2008" category - don't create a new one.
12.  NOTE: At some point, you will have to go to Edit RShop > Product Manager > Batch Edit Products to manage your product prices.
13.  Go to Edit RShop > RShop Content > Feature Pages like you did in STEP ONE.
14.  Use the drop down menu under the "Category" header to find "NFL 2008".  Click it.
15.  What you're going to do is create a basic feature page for your NFL products.  At the very top of the page is a header called "Featured Products".  Under it is an "Add Product" button.  Click it.
16.  A new window opens.  Use the "Search" drop down menu to find the "NFL 2008" listing.  Click it to show the products you just added to that category.
17.  Find the best product you would like to feature.  Click the product name to add it. 
18.  You will have to repeat 15-17 for each product.  I recommend only selecting 4-6 products.
19.  You should add some text to this page.  The text you write should be about either how excited everyone is about football starting up, or about the products you're featuring (or both).  Scroll down the page until you get to "HTML Content".
20.  In the white space below the control panel, type something along the lines of:

   I can't believe it's football season already!  This year I've got my money on [favorite team name],
   so hopefully they don't let me down like last year.

   Need a jersey?  Comfier chair?  Bigger TV?  We've got them.  Check out our awesome selection of
   NFL-related products.

21.  Click "Save Feature Page" to create the page on your store.

STEP THREE - Home Page link to NFL Page
1.  Now what you need to do is make the banner we added in STEP ONE link to this page.  In the top right-hand corner of your screen is a link called "View RShop".  Click it to open your store in a new window.
2.  Look for your "Browse Categories" menu on your store.  Right-click "NFL 2008".
3.  Click "Copy Shortcut" (Internet Explorer) or "Copy Link Location" (Firefox).
4.  Close the new window (NOT the one we've been editing stuff in).
5.  In the left-hand menu, click "Feature Pages".
6.  To the right of "Home Page" click the "Edit" link.
7.  Scroll down until you see the "HTML Content" stuff again.
8.  Click the banner we added in STEP ONE.
9.  In the control panel, click the button that looks like the world with a chain link in front of it.  This is the "hyperlink" button.  Click it to open a new window.
10.  In the new window, look for the text that says "URL".  Directly under it is a box.  Right-click this box and click "Paste".  It should now say something like: http://examplestore.secure2u.com/9052/feature.html
11.  Click "OK" to save and close the window.
12.  Click "Save Feature Page".  You're done!

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Wow.  That was a lot of steps, eh?  But, now you have the makings of an NFL promo.  Remember, those product lists are not exhaustive - they're just a starting point for you.  Complete your product offering by looking through the warehouse.  Likewise, while you've created basic promos on your home page and NFL page, don't stop there.  Round out your campaign by creating additional marketing resources.  Write some articles on your site, put up images, news, etc.

If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to comment.

Tune in on Tuesday to get step-by-step directions on how to advertise outside your store on a budget of $100.

Happy selling!