If you know me, you know I’m passionate about many things. Ecommerce is at the top of my list. As an ecommerce seller you should never ever have your eggs in one basket. Even the farmer carries his eggs in at least three or four baskets right? So why should you sell your products in only one or two places. #selleverywhere
That brings me to passion number two: Diversification. You deserve to sell EVERYWHERE. PERIOD. In fact your tagline for the rest of 2020 and into 2021 should be “YOUR BRAND…EVERYWHERE”.
Agree with me?
Lets be honest – how often do you hear this from fellow ecommerce sellers? “I used to be doing so well on [channel name] but then they changed their algorithm and now my sales are stalled. I just don’t know what to do!” What do these sellers do? They cry, they complain, they bemoan their lack of luck and their anger with that selling channel.
You know what they don’t do? They don’t DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. If every single one of these sellers had diversified their selling channels they would have been able to pivot that much faster.
When I ask people about this clear lack in the ecommerce world they usually say “I don’t know where else to sell” or “I tried to get into other channels but they never answered me and I don’t have the time to deal with follow ups”. To that I say, THERE IS ANOTHER WAY.
The more I think about it the more I realize that there really is no alternative for retailers but to leverage their internet presence and their names over their brick and mortar stores.
For years we have seen the decline of retail coming. It’s been slowly building. Empty big box stores, the rise of the “experience store” (read: The Apple Store), the idea of “I’ll go to the store and look at it and then I’ll order it online”. Going to stores has become a chore. If I can get it online and get it to my door why do I want to hassle with buying it in a store, carrying it out to my car, loading, unloading etc etc??
Retail has one thing going for it that can’t be beat from a sales perspective. NAME RECOGNITION. Everyone know Best Buy. Everyone knows Bed Bath and Beyond. Everyone knows Home Depot. These names SELL PRODUCT. Why not let them sell yours? Because you don’t know how? Because you think its an exclusive club?
I think you and I need to have a talk then.
