July 6, 2007, Newsletter Issue #115: The Internet: A Global Selling Playground

Tip of the Week

Entrepreneur.com Tip: Many entrepreneurs who have storefront retail space find themselves struggling to stay afloat selling products to a community when the Internet has so many more affordable options for shoppers. If you can’t beat ‘em…

By creating a web presence for your storefront, you may have a viable international business opportunity that will help keep your retail store afloat. It may even help you lower your costs!

Here are some things to consider before delving into the online world of retail.

Who is your audience? If you sell beds and heavy furniture, you don’t need a website that sells to buyers all over the world; focus on your local customer and offer free delivery within a specific area. On the other hand, if you sell handmade quilts or dolls, your customers have no boundaries, as you can easily ship your product.How much inventory do you want to list online? If you have thousands of products, it will take quite some time to post photographs and descriptions, as well as set up purchase ability (should you choose that option) for each. You may want to select a handful of each product category and express that you have more inventory available on request.What kind of merchant services do you need? The average online retail site has a shopping cart and the ability to accept credit cards. Keep in mind, these services will cost more than your basic website, but they’re a sure-fire way to make purchases a breeze for online customers anywhere.Where will you advertise? Just creating a website won’t drive traffic. Consider putting a flyer with your website in each purchase you sell in your brick-and-mortar store, send emails to your contact list, and advertise on search engines like Google.

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