Nowadays, customers are much more likely to purchase products online than from a traditional brick and mortar store. So, it’s not all too surprising that the majority of small business owners have taken to developing and setting up their own websites where consumers can shop. However, this is an extremely costly and time consuming process, and it’s important to bear in mind that it’s not the only option out there. Here are a couple of alternative online platforms that you might like to consider selling your products on instead!
Amazon
Amazon is an online retail giant. If you’re looking to buy anything, you can probably find it on Amazon. While the company started out selling books, they now provide a seemingly endless catalogue of products. The best news? You can add your items to these ranks bu selling your own products through this site. You just need to set up an account, upload your listings, then deliver any products that are purchased. It’s as simple as that! Considering the sheer volume of items available on Amazon, however, you’re going to want to ensure that yours appear as highly in search results as possible. This will give you a better chance of catching customers’ attention before they make a purchase with a competitor. But how do you do this? Well, you should consider making use of services from WordTree. This company uses keyword tools to help your products rank on the first page of Amazon search results!
eBay
Ebay is an online auction and shopping website where you can purchase pretty much any consumer products that you could image. The majority of people tend to associate this site with personal sales. People tend to auction off their second hand, used goods or unwanted gifts to others who will make better use of them and make a decent profit in the process. There are, however, various individuals and small businesses who have experienced profound success from selling products on eBay alone. Some of the top online traders make up to £17 million a year through this site. The most surprising part? You don’t necessarily have to sell anything innovative or particularly interesting or out of the ordinary to succeed. Users worldofbooks solely sell secondhand and older books and generate an income of around £547,000 a year! As you can see, you should take eBay’s potential seriously! So, how should you start out? Well, first you need to make an account. Make your username your business name or ensure it gives buyers a good idea of what you will be selling. Next, make your listings. This takes time and can be a bit dull, but the more effort you put into your listings, the more likely your products are to sell. Think of this as your advertising space. Once products are listed, people can start bidding (on auction style listings) or buying directly (on buy-it-now listings). Remember that eBay do charge a fee for their services (usually 10%), but this is more than worth it when you open your items up for sale to a worldwide audience!
These are just two platforms that you might like to consider, but they are perhaps the best known and hold the most potential for your small business. So, consider engaging with them sooner rather than later!