Dropshipping to Profits
Time to open your online store!
by Denise Washington Entrepreneur
Denise Washington 
Entrepreneur
According to the government census, in the second quarter of 2011, eCommerce in the U.S. accounted for 47.5 BILLION dollars!! A 3% increase over the last quarter. Since 2002, its grown from 1.3% to 4.6% of total money spent in retail. That's a lot of money!!
That's the reason I moved from MLM to eCommerce, opening my own online retail store. I can't say for sure it's a lot easier, but it sure is a lot more fun. And the rush I get every time an order comes in is priceless.
I would say the biggest challenge is finding the right product to sell. To do that, I would suggest visiting Amazon or eBay to see what's selling. Electronics are always hot, but the competition is fierce. Security products are hot and the competition isn't that high. But just think about it, Walmart sells everything, yet there are eCommerce sites doing just fine selling some of the same items as Walmart. I think the secret is not to compete on price, but on great customer service, an awesome website and personalization.
http://sarongs4u.com
May 22nd 2012 19:09
EntrepreneurAccording to the government census, in the second quarter of 2011, eCommerce in the U.S. accounted for 47.5 BILLION dollars!! A 3% increase over the last quarter. Since 2002, its grown from 1.3% to 4.6% of total money spent in retail. That's a lot of money!!
That's the reason I moved from MLM to eCommerce, opening my own online retail store. I can't say for sure it's a lot easier, but it sure is a lot more fun. And the rush I get every time an order comes in is priceless.
I would say the biggest challenge is finding the right product to sell. To do that, I would suggest visiting Amazon or eBay to see what's selling. Electronics are always hot, but the competition is fierce. Security products are hot and the competition isn't that high. But just think about it, Walmart sells everything, yet there are eCommerce sites doing just fine selling some of the same items as Walmart. I think the secret is not to compete on price, but on great customer service, an awesome website and personalization.
http://sarongs4u.comMay 22nd 2012 19:09
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Comments
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Denise Washington
EntrepreneurYou are right David. Advertising can be a problem but it is doable on a small budget using the venues you stated. I also use IBO Toolbox and of course ApSense. It just takes a little work. I regularly submit my site to Google, Bing, Yahoo and smaller search engines and directories, which is free. Since Google places emphasis on backlinking, I have blogs on several social media sites about my business and products linking back to my store. Also free. I had thought about a Google Adword account but decided against it after learning that the percentage of people clicking on sponsored links was lower than those clicking on organic search results. I believe it is true. I never click on a sponsored link. As a result, I am finally in the top 10 for my main keyword on Google. Word of mouth and discount coupons are also a great way to get new customers. I have flyers posted in grocery stores and laundrymats with several photos of my sarongs along with a tear off bearing my URL. I purchased business cards from Vista Print (free, just paid shipping and handling) and ordered custom made post cards from them too. They were very inexpensive. So as you can see, my monthly advertising cost is very small, ink, paper and a little driving. It's paying off nicely. May 23rd 2012 13:41 |
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David Archibald
 PastorI did have an Adword account going but thought it was very ineffective. I too seldom click on sponsored links. What service do you use to submit your site to the search engines? I also use IBO Toolbox. May 24th 2012 07:48 |
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Great article. I think though, besides knowing what to sell, is the problem of advertizing. For those who have a big budget, it's not much of a problem: But for those who are on a small budget, it's a great hurdle to cross. I have used social media, traffic exchanges, safelists and so on, and it is still difficult without a budget.
May 23rd 2012 07:52