How does the "typical" multichannel retail business actually work? Interestingly enough, there isn't really a straightforward answer to that. This tends to surprise many due to the fact that using multiple channels for sales is a very popular way of building an online business. As a simple example: A business owner has their eCommerce store taking direct orders from clients, they have an Amazon store, they offer shopping on their Facebook page, and they use several other online channels such … [Read more...]

For far too long, online retailers have struggled with integrating shipping functions into their eCommerce websites, or even just into their business processes. Complex codes made it impossible for them to sync their functions directly with leading providers of shipping such as USPS. Though many found dedicated programs that worked around this particular challenge, few of them actually shortened or eased their workload. In fact, for many it just added another step. (Zimmerman, 2014) After … [Read more...]

Specialize and Let eBay Shipping Management Tools Help You Succeed One of the best ways to succeed as an online entrepreneur is to find a "niche" market. It doesn't really matter what market you are in (garments, electronics, toys, etc.), a major part of success is to specialize. This is even more important in the age of Internet shopping. After all, we are now being told that competition also means that product descriptions have to be SEO, that photos have to be artistic and appealing, and … [Read more...]

"Don't quit your day job." That is a bit of famous advice given to a lot of people, and for a lot of reasons. The aspiring actor or singer is warned against severing other sources of income by quitting their dependable day job; the ambitious business owner is told to take it slow and keep money flowing in from their usual day job; and the dedicated entrepreneur warned that they need their current job if they want to build their business. However, when you hold on to that day job, you often … [Read more...]

Entrepreneurs with a handful of sales channels know that they must find ways to use their time the most effectively. This can be a struggle when just beginning, and even as the enterprise stabilizes and gains strength. After all, with multichannel retail it is going to come down to the management of inventory, ordering, shipping, and service. There is also the marketing, the upkeep of the website and online presence, and even social media to consider. In the midst of it all, the entrepreneur … [Read more...]

How's this for a shocking fact: "According to Baymard Institute, a web research company in the UK, 67.45% of online shopping carts are abandoned." (Macdonald, 2013) That is an enormous amount of money that is lost, but it doesn't mean that the sales aren't happening elsewhere. It just indicates that people are abandoning a cart. They are more than likely making the purchase somewhere else, and this makes a lot of retailer wonder just what it was that forced the buyer to go. The most … [Read more...]

It can be mind-numbing and downright boring to scan sales reports. You can generate them around so many criteria that it could end up seeming like the data is unable to give you any sort of accurate picture. In other words, it can sometimes feel as if you can adjust the reports to get the outcome you hope to see. Naturally, this is not the smartest way to do business, and many kinds of management resources don't actually make the most useful reports available. These would include real time … [Read more...]

A successful entrepreneur had this to say about her company's success on Amazon: It "is about traffic...you need something unique that will show up in their searches, so...build up respectable SEO (search engine optimization).” (Konrad, 2013) SEO, of course, is something that happens outside of Amazon and is the result of many things that culminate in your site, or your sales channel listings, ranking high in any set of search engine results. This is a very difficult thing to achieve due to … [Read more...]