Your First Sale...

From my perspective the design of the website is OKAY, but it could use a few design upgrades (such as a more professional logo) to make it look more legitimate. You're using a local number instead of a toll-free number which also makes it look less legitimate. I would also add a LIVE CHAT solution to your website and an email opt-in that captures email addresses in exchange for a coupon which gives new customers a percentage off their first purchase. Once you have their email addresses send them additional offers to keep in touch.

But at the end of the day it all comes down to pricing. Even if you convince potential customers that you're a legitimate company you have to convince them that they're getting the absolute best prices. Most customers these days are pretty savvy when it comes to online shopping and they won't buy from you unless they know they're getting a great deal. Offering to meet or beat the prices of any competitor could get you some extra business, but you could lose a lot of money if your wholesale prices aren't low enough.

Getting the word out about your company is actually the trickiest part because you're in a very, very competitive niche. Ranking at the top of Google for relative keywords that only get a few dozen searches per month probably won't bring you results. And spamming people on forums and comment areas saying "Buy from me!" makes you look like a desperate scammer.

The first thing I would do is distribute coupons on websites such as RetailMeNot. Some people searching those sites might come across your coupon page and visit your website to check it out. If you're having a big sale you can promote your discount codes on Facebook and other forms of social media.

Some smaller e-commerce companies actually hire armies of "paid shills" to post on shopping forums, groups and comment areas asking others if they've heard about their company. Or they might pay bloggers and YouTubers in their niche to endorse their company. It's a little unscrupulous, but I'm sure many of the online companies you shop at started off by doing that (or they still do it).

Your first few customers will promote your company naturally if you offer great pricing, speedy shipping and superior customer service that actually cares. Offering an incentive (such as a discount on their next purchase) in exchange for sharing or posting a review about your company could speed up the process and make you look more legitimate. Some companies hold contests and offer rewards to the winners.

Don't forget that you can always sell on Ebay and Amazon. A family member of mine used to work for an e-commerce company that generated millions of dollars in sales every year. His main method of getting business was by ranking at the top of Google for relative keywords that had virtually no competition, but he sold on Ebay and Amazon to generate additional sales.

 

On a less optimistic note, I'm under the impression that you're promoting a turnkey dropship solution. Your wholesale prices are probably higher than what most retailers are offering which means you have virtually no chance of competing in that particular market. If you want to succeed in e-commerce you need to find a niche that has virtually no competition, and if there is a little competition you need to be able to offer better pricing. Start over and find a better opportunity even if it involves selling a single product. If you can have your own product that's even better. There are lots of companies in China offering private label opportunities for various products that might sell quite well on Amazon. Create a really nice logo and order a few thousand dollars worth from the manufacturer to get the lowest wholesale prices. Put your own marketing spin to the product to help it sell better.

 

And as good as your selections are, they are still rather skimpy. With 5-10 items per category, you'll be losing potential buyers. Granted, with some categories you may not have more than 10 items, but when comes to something so diverse as watches you should have hundreds of them listed.

 

I understand that my selection is a bit skimpy right now. I have some more products that I will be adding over the next month. Also i think the retailmenot idea is perfect.

I am marketing my business in Canada only for the time being. I am currently looking for and adding labeless products wich I can market as my own. I also compare my prices to Amazon and try and keep it relatively similar.

 

From my perspective I see you are selling Watches, Bags, and Jewelry. However, these are very inexpensive items that have the appearance of something more expensive. You should focus on branding your site to portray that. I am a watch collector so I immediately clicked on "Watches". I saw some nice looking watches that would appeal to someone who is looking for "the image" but not the price tag. Personally I wouldn't be interested. You should work on making a theme for your site. If it's selling "luxury" looking items for less it should be obvious because that's your targeted audience.

Once that is done it really wouldn't be difficult to think of a marketing strategy on social media. Personally I would consider reaching out to "IG" models (male or female) and have them promote your site in exchange for a fee and gifts. Send them a watch and bag to model and include a link to tag to your IG page or site. Their reach is large as some of these IG personalities have hundreds of thousands of engaged "fans".

You can also market on youtube by creating videos that show you don't need to drop thousands on Breitling watches or Louis bags to have a professional image. These are just ideas... Personally I would re-theme and brand then hit social media hard. It's actually a nice site and you have nice looking items. In fact, I like some of the bracelets and cases that I'd consider placing an order. You can do well on social media with this site.

As for the dimwit that told you to re-do your logo.. That won't drive sales which is what you need to do. I do agree with adding more items though but not so much that it becomes a warehouse catalog. If having a logo is important to you, you can go to the "Contests" section of this forum and create a thread asking for a logo for your web site and offer a $50 prize for the winner.

 

Yes, proper branding is what I am currently working on. I got a professional to help me with that few days ago. I will try something with "the image without the price tag". as far as the logo I can redesign it myself. I will most likely work on a proper emblem as opposed to the text.

 

would something like this work as an emblem. I am also thinking of trying something with a round circle.

 

Excellent foresight on your part. Imagine if you had also conned your family into buying from you. Then you'd have no one to help you out!

 

I have done quite a few shopify stores and ecom stores... if you ever want to talk message me

 

Also I wanted to say congrats

 

the conning my friends part, was a joke ... we all do it, get our friends to like our page etc.

 

Lol... I have been there done that... Your right its not conning

 

your mom will always be your biggest an lol.

I will probably PM you soon with more details on where I am at.

 

The logo says nothing about your website.... but regardless I don't think focusing on that will drive results....

 

Progress has been made. I am about 1/3 way through product descriptions, my google merchant account has been approved, and I am meeting with an SEO/social marketing person early next week.

 

Getting sales can all depend on what is being sold and where it is being marketed. It is a hard game to begin with because you have to experiment everything from pricing to shipping than take account to what customers are saying than I guess it will become easy but first sale is where it all starts.

 

Took me two months to make my first sale with an Amazon niche site.

 

How about a referral system? People that buy from you and refer a friend get a discount coupon. Or a discount applied over a certain order amount.
The products you are selling are universal gifts, as a lot of people wear them.

Also, why not look for niche communities (forums, groups, etc) and see what they would like from sellers like you? The customer's always right, after all