3 New Years Resolutions for Online Retailers

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Don't have New Years resolutions? Don't expect this year to be better than the last! 

I know that New Year's resolutions can be corny and they don't always work out, but as a business owner, you always need to push forward by setting goals for yourself. Goals help you focus and they also help to measure your success, or see where you can improve. 

If you haven't come up with some goals for 2013, use these 3 no-brainer resolutions for online retailers. Are these too easy for you? Tell me what your 2013 resolutions are in the comments section below. 

1. Expand your product range

Expanding your product range is an obvious way to grow your business. If you don't have a lot of money to invest in a wholesale lot, or you want to test a market before you invest in it (always smart!) try drop shipping products to compliment your existing range. 

Even if you usually buy at wholesale, using a drop ship service is a fantastic way to test the market for new inventory. Have you ever thought about selling a new product, but worried it would flop or just cost you money? Well, using drop shipping, you can accurately determine whether the product will sell, without risking the price of a wholesale lot. 

Stuck on what to sell? You're not alone. We have a couple of great resources that will help you unearth hot niche items to sell online. One is the SaleHoo Research Lab which uses live and historic eBay data to tell you how much profit a product can make. 

We also post fresh new ideas here on the blog each week in Richelle's Monday Market blog posts. The first one for 2013 will be live on the blog on Monday so don't miss it! 

2. Get more traffic to your product listings or website

This is an ongoing persuit that will never really be "complete" for any online retailer. The way that Google and eBay rank websites and product listings is forever changing: One month you could be ranking well and milking all the sales, and the next month, you will be nowhere to be found! 

For this reason alone, it's important to make it part of your regular routine to keep optimising your listings and keep on top of what Google and eBay are up to.  The eBay Annoucements Page and the SEO blog by Matt Cutts, a Google employee, are good sources. 

If you are new to getting good rankings on eBay or Google, check out these simple-to-follow resources we created: 

Video blog: Optimizing your listings for eBay's Best Match

Video blog: Search engine optimization tips for online retailers

3. Improve your customer service (and get more repeat customers!) 

Providing exceptional customer service is imperative to any business, but this is especially true if you sell on eBay where you are instantly and publically rated for your customer service performance. 

On eBay, good customer service even helps you rank better in search results. How so? Well, eBay's sorting method, Best Match, gives preference to listings from sellers with high DSRs so a good feedback score will help to get your listings greater exposure. 

Furthermore, even in the world of global online retail, no one can deny the power of customer referals. If you give your customers good service, you give them every reason to refer you on when a friend or family member goes looking for an item you sell! 

Here are some awesome tips on how to provide top-notch customer service and get those repeat sales. 

What are your goals for 2013? Anything we can help with? Share below!

 
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Alice Delore

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2 Comments
  • Edward J Kujawa 16th of January
    Yes, I am new to this and I must say you people are very informative on what to do and what not to do on internet online business.
  • Alice Delore 16th of January
    Hi Edward,

    Welcome to SaleHoo. I'm glad you have found our advice useful so far. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us if you need anything. The forum is the best place to get help with anything.

    Cheers :)