The large number of business sectors affected by the pandemic has increased the number of unemployed. This makes many people finally choose to open their own business. Even though many people think that opening a business in this day and age - where purchasing power is decreasing and people are more careful with how they use their money - is not the right choice, for entrepreneurial people like you, opportunities definitely still exist, whatever the conditions.
Among the many opportunities, online sales are often chosen. The main reason is because it is practical and does not require too much capital costs.
It's true. With online sales, at least, you don't have to think about the location of the shop to sell. That's all the savings. There are no rental fees, maintenance fees, security, etc. Not to mention, shipping and expedition services have recently become more advanced with many service options and affordable prices. This of course makes it easier for those who are involved in the online business world.
Whether you are still very new, or you have just switched from an offline shop to an online sales system, if you intend to start an online business and become an online boss, there are several things you must pay attention to before you start selling.
1. Research market needs
Before you start selling, you must first know where you are going to sell, who your target market is. Whether it is mothers who have just had babies, school children, fathers who work in private companies, elderly retirees, housewives, young people who have just started their careers, and so on.
By knowing who your market is, you can also find out what kind of product they want. Whether it is a product in the form of a need (basic), or a product in the form of a desire (non-basic). You can also find out what the competition map is like with other products that might be similar.
2. Define product
There is a term "Products with good quality will market themselves". This is true. That way, what you have to make sure is that you sell products of good quality, or at least, commensurate with the price that customers have to pay.
There are two things that online buyers really pay attention to, namely quality and price. For cheaper prices, customers are usually less willing to tolerate quality. However, we do not recommend that you sell products with poor quality. Because even though the price is cheap, people will easily turn away from your product once they find a similar product of higher quality, even though the price is more expensive.
You also need to pay attention to the availability of your product, how to refill product stock if it turns out that there is high demand for it. To test your product, you can ask people you know for help. Ask them to provide honest feedback.
3. Determine the sales system according to your conditions
There are several sales system options that you can choose according to your conditions. These include the pre-order system (production / purchase after the customer makes a transfer), the stock system (production / purchase even though there is no order yet), or dropship / reseller of other people's products.
Pre-Order System
With this system, you don't need to produce or buy large quantities of stock outside your customer's orders. That way you won't worry about how much product is left. This system also means you don't need to spend capital at the start, because the capital is obtained from funds transferred by the customer.
However, if your product is starting to gain a lot of interest, a system like this will be very inconvenient for you. Because there is no stock available, you have to make customers wait.
The pre-order system is suitable for products that are not mass products or products that require custom sizes, such as clothing, glasses, food with special requests, etc.
Stock System
With this system you only need to focus on selling existing goods. This will greatly shorten the time. Once an order is placed, the product just needs to be sent. However, this system also has weaknesses. For example, there are several types of products that are less popular than other products, so accumulation can occur.
Dropship and Reseller
If you don't have enough capital to make products or stock products, this system can be used as an alternative. Dropship means selling other people's goods in this way: when there is an order, you have to contact the seller. Later the seller will send it to the customer. Meanwhile, a reseller means you are the one who sells and sends other people's goods. To become a reseller you are also required to comply with the marketing rules that have been set.
4. Intensify promotions
No matter how good your product is, if no one knows about it, it will definitely be useless. This is the function of marketing. Marketing makes your product more widely known while building your brand according to the image you hope for. If the use of marketing is too heavy for your online business that is just starting out, let's call it promotion. Promotion can be done in various ways. The oldest but still very effective is Word of Mouth.
This system can also be implemented by utilizing currently developing technology. Some of them are:
Via social media
You can use several social media according to your marketing targets. Such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. For starters, you can use Facebook and Instagram to post your products. Not just product information, you can also create interesting content that has a common thread with the product you want to sell. This is important for building engagement with your target market. For example, if you sell mother and baby products, you can post content about mothers and children. You can also start creating a fanpage specifically for the brand and product you sell.
If you want to enjoy a wider audience reach, try using Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads or if necessary Google Ads.
Take advantage of forums and communities
Also intensify promotions through the community. Communities can be chat groups of family or old friends. If you want to market to a new community, never give the impression that you are joining for the sole purpose of selling. Be active first as a member, share useful posts, network interactions and get to know the character of community members. After that, you can start doing thin promotions while highlighting the value or benefits of your product.
Create marketing content
Marketing content can be in the form of informational articles, guide articles or tutorials, life hacks, or anything that is useful and has a correlation with the product you want to sell online.
For example, selling frozen meat, you can create marketing content in the form of how to make rendang or other processed meat. If you sell smartphone accessories, you can create content related to developments in smartphone technology. Good marketing content is one that provides benefits to readers. Increase knowledge and provide insight.
5. Register for marketplace
Because marketplaces such as bukalapak, tokopedia, and Shopee already have a very wide reach with a very large number of visitors, so there is no reason not to take advantage of this platform.
Marketplace functions to reach a wider market, increase sales, and build your online sales branding. You can even combine the two platforms: Your own business website as a landing page and brand info, but you can also include a marketplace link that makes it easier for your customers if they want to buy your product directly. This can be done if you use the Business Website feature from Qasir. A more detailed explanation is in the following point.
6. Have a special business website
A beginner's mistake in selling online is not having a website. They usually only rely on the marketplace or social media such as Facebook or Instagram as promotional media.
Even though this is a mistake. Why is that?
Social media and marketplaces can close your account at any time.
It's like, no matter how good your sales are, you are still picking up from other people's stalls. The site is not completely yours. The solution is to create a website as a medium for online promotion and product sales.
Don't think that creating a website is difficult. Not at all!!! You can have a website that is close to an online shop format, where buyers can order (add to chart) at your shop and order directly to your Whatsapp number. Most importantly, make the website a landing page.
You can enter a description of the product / service from your brand, product uniqueness, and price. A good website can also make it easier for customers to see your social media and your marketplace links.
That way, with just one link, customers can get to know your brand, find out what your products are, and can order directly. At Qasir, we call this the Business Website feature. This feature includes paid premium features with 3, 6 and 12 month package options at very affordable prices.
If you haven't used Qasir, you can download this application for free on Google Playstore. If you already use Qasir and want to subscribe to the Business Website, you can click here. To ask about Business Website features, please contact the Qasir Customer Happiness Team in the Help menu in the application or on Qasir Website.
Those are the tips for selling online that you can apply. The most important thing is, start now, don't wait too long for the right moment. Because opportunities are created, and success must be seized, not just waited for.