Ecommerce 101 - Choosing The Right Product
Filed under: Internet
More than likely if you found your way to this article you are already interested in setting up an ecommerce website. In fact, you may already have envisioned what you will be selling. The purpose here is not to make you back out of ecommerce. Rather, it is to make you take a realistic point of view of the product you have in mind.
First off, the most common mistake when someone first decides to get into ecommerce is that they overlook the concept of having simple goals. I cannot count how many people I have seen create a website with intentions of trying to compete with Wal-mart. Allow me to just be honest; it is not going to happen. There are maybe only a handful of people in the world that are capable of investing enough to be successful at it, and even then, it would be a major risk for them. Your goal should be to choose one or two products and market them. Or, at least have a commonality between your products that you wish to market. Do not approach ecommerce and have a website with fishing lures, ceramics, and new video cards all packed into one. They rarely, if ever, become successful. You should make sure you know your target audience.
Another common mistake is the uniqueness of the product you wish to sell. You should take a step back and take a realistic look at your product. Ask these questions:
Do the products I wish to sell solve a problem?
It was not long ago I was talking to some friends about “Get Rich Quick” schemes when I had one tell me that his mother always found herself in the middle of them. Apparently, one that she had recently got involved in was one where you buy small log cabin kits (decorations for homes, not homes themselves), build them, and resell them online. You may be thinking, “Why would anyone ever want a log cabin decoration for their home?” You would be extremely surprised at how many people find themselves in this same situation. Simply by asking yourself the above question, “Do products I wish to sell solve a problem?” will help you know if your product is good for sales. If it does not solve a problem, my advice would be to avoid it and think of a new product that has potential for online ecommerce.
Will people buy this product online?
As far as I know, there has never been a successful website that focused on selling toilet paper online. It has very little to do with how much you would actually pay for it at the local store. The problem is that why would anyone purchase something online and wait for it to be shipped when they know they could drive three minutes down the road and pickup a few rolls?
The secret to success in ecommerce is to have a product that someone cannot just go to almost any local store and buy. At the same time, your product should not be too unique where it does not offer a solution to a problem. Your goal is to be somewhere in the middle with a product that is practical for online business.
Travis Tracy is President of TT Enterprises: TravSolutions.com
TravSolutions.com provides Ecommerce Web Hosting and Web Development Solutions. Our experienced staff can be helpful at all stages in becoming successful or continuing a successful path in online business. TravSolutions has experience in Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, and other factors that play a major role in your businesses success.
Tags: ecommerce, ecommerce 101, ecommerce products, ecommerce web hosting, internet marketing
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