Running an online business is all about what you are selling. An online business can be run from the Arctic circle if there is internet and delivery is organized, but the product is king, and if it’s something mundane and uninteresting then it won’t compete successfully in the myriad of products that are advertised on the internet. Self Storage Penrith.
Of course, you may choose to be one of those privileged enough to live in Cumbria, or even in the Penrith area. This is a perfect place to run an online business from. You’d have the best of both worlds: no noisy cities, and natural beauty all around you.
Which is why we at Stop & Store Penrith storage chose this lovely area to offer our self-storage facilities. We have many online businesses making use of our self-storage units as a place to store and distribute stock.
The entrepreneurs making use of Stop & Store to stock, package, and distribute products do so because it’s cheap storage, safe and easy to use, for short term or long-term storage. Having said that, let’s take a closer look at what we mean when we say the product you choose to sell online is the main consideration in your marketing mix.
Also let’s investigate how remote online businesses become so successful when they don’t have access to major cities for their stock?
It’s about winning products- selling your own, or someone else’s.
How do you find products to sell?
In a world full of products competing how do you find winning products? As you are up against it to find unique products to sell, this part of online marketing requires a lot of effort. In fact, your online business depends on them. It’s not about anything else, not the packaging not the delivery just the winning product.
Sometimes you can come across scenarios when that is not possible. For example – If you are selling St. Patrick’s Day t-shirts. You are selling the same t-shirt almost anyone else can. You are relying on your design to carry the product and make the sale. You just must make that tee look special. That is if you are up for the competition! Self Storage Penrith.
Remember – the barrier to entry is low with items like tee shirts, in other words, everyone has access to this product through print on demand (POD) companies.
This is a really great example of turning products everyone could have access to into a something a little more special. Create a smart USP that seems to be working for them. It may be a product that can be sold for £5 but because of how you’ve positioned it they go for £20. Get a lot of reviews, this will work for your product. You must turn the ordinary into awesome.
If they sold these on their own platform the back-end potential is enormous (just look at how many tees are out there).
A great example of how to find unique products to sell is:
- Find white label supplements and beauty products that you never have to touch to sell from your store.
- Little known sites like Etsy that is our absolute gold mine for cool stuff to sell.
- Coin a 3-word phrase you can use in Google that pulls tons of untouched companies who want you to sell their products.
And just remember it’s the product you’re focusing on, not the method of production and delivery.
Then if you don’t want to do your own delivery use drop shipping. Drop shipping is often maligned for the wrong reason. It is an efficient way to get your product to your customer. You are selling another company’s product and getting them to ship it to your customers using your marketing efforts for a commission.
Where drop shipping gets a bad reputation is when the product is a cheap plastic toy, or it breaks after two uses or it looks completely different from what they thought they’d bought. Or it takes months to get to your customer (causing HIGH refunds). So if you get the product part right, it makes the entire selling process that much easier.
Developing your own Product Range
Trending online product categories include the following niches:
Interior design brands, mobile accessories, pet accessories, travel accessories, skin care, health products, hobby ideas, to name a few. Online business face stiff competition, so your product must stand out.
Personalized products are more profitable generally and offer the online business an opportunity to add value through extra touches to products most often that are sold as gifts. Mostly your buyer and recipient are different people, it’s for a special occasion, something unique, to be remembered for a special occasion.
Keep on researching for new ones to add to your online store, though, as these niches change.
Setting up Your Online Business
Online businesses make it easy to purchase goods without having to go to a store. This last year has shown the biggest increase in online shopping over previous years, and the trend is here to stay. Imagine being able to buy from a range of goods without leaving the house. It’s so easy. That’s why reviews are important, because it’s one of the first things would-be buyers look at. Once you get bad reviews, you are on the backfoot.
Starting out is easy, there are many reasonably priced service providers that can help set you up. What you need to focus on is your product range. Get that right and you are away!
Get the content together for your website and a platform like Shopify, and think carefully about your product descriptions, making them sound and look as mouth-watering as you can.
Once the website is complete, and after inclusion of product pictures, start a marketing campaign, and voila: You can store, pack, and ship your products.
Some steps getting there:
- The name for your business should describe what you do
- Register your Domain and install WordPress as a platform for your website
- Install an e-commerce platform like Shopify
- Choose a secure Payment Gateway like PayPal
. - Load your products on the site, making them look great
- Complete your website with all details in place, do some blogs with SEO key words.
When you need to store your stock, finding a self storage unit for rent is quick. We register you online from your office or home. We keep your goods safe and save time and money in the process. Provide us with your information, and we send a contract by email. From there you can sign it online, and it comes back to us automatically. Our contracts are month to month, you can choose long or short-term self storage, as you desire.
Give us a call today for a no obligation quotation on 01768 800291 and speak to a Stop & Store Penrith storage member of staff. Or contact us online. Self Storage Penrith.