Publishing Business Note: We invite one of our partners eComdash
[ [ 123] Share their views on the importance of multi -channel retail. They agreed generously, we are glad to share with you here. Everywhere you sell online is a sales channel: your website, Amazon, Instagram Checkout, and so on.
If you only sell on one channel, no matter how successful this channel is, you will miss the potential customers. Most online shoppers, including those in your target audience, have some of their favorite platforms, who spend most of their time (and money) on these platforms. If you are not there, they will never see you.
How do you make sure they see you? Once appeared in multiple places -in other words, multi -channel sales. In this guide, we have decomposed things you need to consider and how to maximize your time.
Five benefits of multi -channel sales
Supervision A sales channel is difficult enough. Why do you have to pay additional efforts? There are many reasons worth doing this:
1. Certain new friends
Some people will never leave their favorite online market to discover the new market. They will not come to you -you need to find them.
Rather than persuading customers to change their shopping habits, it is better to meet them where they are. As you open every new channel, you will come into contact with the new built -in audience.
2. Diversified income source
You may have heard of this sentence, \”Don’t put all eggs in a basket.\” If you drop that basket, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs. It’s broken, you have nothing. However, if you scatter the eggs in multiple baskets, one of them will be protected if something happens.
Operating enterprises are no exception. You may have income through a single channel, but if something happens, you will have to start from scratch. Even a slight inconvenience, such as the closure of the website, may have a significant impact on your bottom line.
Diversity -a variety of sources of income -is the best defense. 3. Test new products and strategies
There is a new idea, but do you not want to risk putting it on your main sales channel? Through multi -channel sales, you can test new products, pricing strategies or promotion activities on the secondary channels to understand their performance, and then bring you the greatest audience.
Using your auxiliary channels to understand which valids (which are not effective), and benefit from a wider customer type and site design pool for testing. This is particularly convenient when you redesigned the website or optimize the checkout to get more conversion.
4. Increasing brand awareness
The more people see your brand, the more likely they will remember it. Many shoppers use multiple platforms. Every time one of them sees your name or logo, it will strengthen your brand and help them remember you in the future. Being on multiple channels can make your brand look very successful -if they often see you, people think you are doing a lot of business.
5. A good return on investment Many online channels are from the sales of each sales time. High amounts of charge. However, although the profit margin is narrower than your WOOCOMERCE store, the startup costs are usually rare, and the income increase is worth it.
Your multi -channel list
Are you ready to start selling on multiple channels? Answer these questions will give you a good start.
Do you know where your target customers are shopping?
Multi -channel sales benefit from focusing and accurate -this is not to join as many channels as possible, but to add correct channels that are suitable for your business. Study which platforms your target shoppers like and join first. Similarly, see which niche market is best for your niche market. Self -made crafts are very suitable for ETSY, but the demand on Amazon may not be very high.
If you are not sure of the preferences of the target customer, we recommend that you create a buyer’s role to help fill the blank.
Have you checked the rules of the new channel and the seller policy?
Each channel has its own guidelines. Some are secondary, such as the specific format of product pictures, but others, such as the return policy, may have a significant impact on your procedures (and income). Check these contents in advance to avoid any accidents.
Do you adopt a standardized product identifier? It is best to use a standard method. Otherwise, you will eventually encounter logistical problems when trying to remember which channels you use. Your safest choice is the global trade project number (GTIN) supervised by GS1. GTIN includes universal product code (UPC) and European Commodity Number (EAN) popular in North America. Some channels have their own logo (Amazon has its asin), but for most people, GTIN is enough.
Are you using inventory management software?
The most daunting part of the multi -channel sales strategy is to manage all outlets at one time. Fortunately, the inventory management software automatically completes many of these tasks for you.
Every time you sell, the inventory software updates the inventory level of all channels. Without this, you will have to change the inventory level through each individual channel and take the risk of oversold.
Do you have enough announcement strategies? If you want to expand to other channels, you want your loyal customers to know. Compared with old channels, they may prefer one of your new channels, so that customers are more satisfied. Moreover, the announcement issued on social media is easy to share and spread to newcomers. Like physical stores, it is also helpful to carry out \”grand opening promotion\” when you need it most to attract new business at the beginning. If you follow the best practice of email marketing, you can even use the exclusive coupon code of the new channel to reward subscribers. The more the better!
Adding multiple sales channels can increase your influence and help you better serve customers. Be sure to use inventory management software to minimize the required work, and you will enjoy a more diversified and wider range of income sources.
Each channel has its own guidelines. Some are secondary, such as the specific format of product pictures, but others, such as the return policy, may have a significant impact on your procedures (and income). Check these contents in advance to avoid any accidents. 