It's Not Too Early To Market for the 2013 Holiday Season

Is it too early to start thinking about the 2013 holiday season? I don't think so. The holiday seasons are one of the most crucial times for an online business that wants to obtain higher sales. It's not enough to send out a post every now and then, or to tweet a few things every couple of weeks. Bringing in the holiday sales through social media means being persistent and carefully guiding traffic towards the sales page or website and not just at the end of the year.

While major retail chains are bringing in the holiday dollars both online and offline, there's still plenty of room for businesses to wrap the rest of consumers in through social media outlets.
For those that plan to actively seek customers for this coming holiday season and want to put their best sales foot forward, or for those who are not sure where to get started, here are a couple of steps that can be taken to ensure your business receives the most profit:

Engage Your Customers As anyone whose put their business out there in the online world of social media already knows, it can take some serious time and effort to gain a loyal and consistent following. Be efficient by finding an online tool that allows you to send the same message through each social media outlet, maximizing marketing capabilities and minimizing time spent doing so. Be honest with each message that's put out there, and stay away from looking like a company that just wants the customers cash. If possible, try and promote or talk about other relevant ventures or topics, to appeal to a larger audience.

Build The List Building a list of emails and names should be the first thing on your mind considering the upcoming holidays. These emails and names could easily be converted into conversions, sales and returning customers. And because customers who have already purchased from your business are valuable resources, it can be a good idea to offer them generous discounts or savings.

Website Revamp A part of being well prepared for this busy time of year means making sure the website that is associated with the social media account, contains all the necessary elements to bring in the most sales. Try to add as much new content as possible. This is a great time seek out product reviews and recommendations. Later in the year, you can try to give the website a temporary holiday cheer by adding in Christmas colors and reminding everyone that Christmas is near. Meanwhile, make sure there's a designated spot on the website for the opt-in email box, and make sure it's clear and visible for everyone to see.

Go Mobile Many webmasters continue to underestimate mobile shopping, and it's causing them to lose out big. For those trying to squeeze in every possible sale, it's vital that their content be visible through mobile devices. Be sure to measure and track the performance of sales that come through mobile devices. If things turn out better than expected, then this would be an excellent indicator that it's time to stay just as focused on mobile devices and mobile optimization. eBay and Amazon have versions on their websites that are designed to be easily viewed on mobile devices. If you have another online store, check with your provider to see if it is mobile-device-friendly.

Building a customer base and successfully marketing your business is something that cannot be achieved during the last few months before the holiday season begins. Start now. Deploy a few of these tips or all to help build your customer base for the upcoming holiday season. Over the next few months, I will share more details and other tips to help you and your business be more successful!

Let's have an incredible 2013!

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Be Safe While Sourcing

In the recent days, I have seen reports of some sellers becoming victims of theft while out shopping during this holiday season. While it is a great time for finding bargains and stocking up on inventory, it is also a time when others may be looking for people to victimize. Here are a few tips to remember while out and about, not only during the holiday shopping season but every day:

• Shop during daylight hours whenever possible. If you must shop at night, go with a friend or family member.

• Dress casually and comfortably.

• Avoid wearing expensive jewelry.

• Do not carry a purse or wallet, if possible.

• Always carry your driver's license or identification along with necessary cash, checks and/or a credit card you expect to use.

• Even though you are rushed and thinking about a thousand things, stay alert to your surroundings.

• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash.

• Pay for purchases with a check or credit card when possible.

• Keep cash in your front pocket.

• Notify the credit card issuer immediately if your credit card is lost, stolen or misused.

• Keep a record of all of your credit card numbers in a safe place at home.

• Be extra careful if you do carry a wallet or purse.

• Avoid overloading yourself with packages. It is important to have clear visibility and freedom of motion to avoid mishaps.

• If you take packages to the car, move your vehicle. A thief could be watching and may break into your vehicle when you return to the store.

• Place items in your trunk before you get to your destination. Don’t put your packages in the trunk after you arrive because someone could be watching.

• Do not leave small electronics or personal items visible in your car. This includes money (even loose change), credit cards, cell phones, purses and GPS Units. Police advise you to remove the GPS unit and if necessary, take it with you. That includes even the suction cup, if that can be removed.

• Beware of strangers approaching you for any reason. At this time of year, con-artists may try various methods of distracting you with the intention of taking your money or belongings.

• Report any suspicious behavior.

Hopefully these tips will help keep you safe during your shopping trips. Feel free to add other tips you may have by leaving a comment below.

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Etsy Gets Ready For the Holiday Season

There are a few changes going on at Etsy that are in the working to make the Holiday season more successful for Etsy shop keepers.

Recently, Etsy began offering shopkeepers the option to accept credit cards (and not just PayPal) for purchases made in their shops. The direct checkout option is seen as a way of getting more customers to buy on Etsy by using a direct checkout that does not involve PayPal in any way. Many crafters are seeing increases in sales in the few weeks since the credit card option has been available.

With the credit card payments, the money is held in the shop’s account and is scheduled for disbursement to the shopkeeper’s bank account each Monday. Shopkeepers do have the option to schedule a deposit more quickly if they wish. The processing fee is 3% + $0.25 per order.

To help those who are looking to try out the direct checkout for their shop, Etsy is waiving all credit card processing fees for the month of September. To find out if your shop is eligible to sign up for direct checkout, please click here.

With direct checkout as an option, Etsy is bringing on a new selling tool. This fall, Etsy Gift Cards will become available in the US. The gift cards will only be available for use in shops that have the direct checkout option available. Etsy will also use the gift cards as promotional tools for the site this holiday season. The ability to accept gift cards is a feature Etsy sellers and buyers have been requesting for quite a while. The gift card will be a promotional code that can be emailed to the buyer.

In order to develop the system that would allow gift cards to be accepted at any store on its site, Etsy had to add the direct checkout option to its site. PayPal does not allow a central checkout. PayPal checkouts are unique to each seller and cannot accept gift cards. To see what experiences some Etsy sellers have had since adding direct checkout to their shops, click here.


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Selling Toys on Amazon - 2012 Holiday Season

Toys are a huge seller on Amazon. FBA Sellers usually prepare for the season during the summer. With that in mind, Amazon has released its restrictions and guidelines to gain the ability to sell in this category.

Effective November 13, 2012, only sellers who meet the following performance criteria will be eligible to sell in the Toys & Games category from November 13, 2012 through the first week in January 2013. Webstore sellers are also subject to these guidelines.

Your first sale on Amazon.com must be prior to September 17, 2012. The sale does not need to be specific to the Toys store.

You must have processed and shipped at least 25 orders during the 60 consecutive days preceding November 1, 2012. The orders do not need to be specific to the Toys store.

Your pre-fulfillment cancel rate must be no greater than 1.75% for the trailing 30 days preceding November 1, 2012.

Your late shipment rate must be no greater than 4% for the trailing 30 days preceding November 1, 2012.

Your order defect rate must be no greater than 1% short term as of November 1, 2012.

Your orders that use Fulfillment by Amazon will not be subject to the holiday season restrictions provided your account is in good standing.

If you currently sell on Amazon, can find your customer metrics in the Performance section of your seller account. If your performance does not meet the above criteria, you now have the opportunity to improve it before the holiday season begins.

Amazon will provide final notification about eligibility to sell in the Toys & Games store by the middle of November 2012. Then, beginning November 13, 2012, they will monitor the performance and listings of sellers who are approved to sell in Toys & Games during the holiday season. Amazon Services does reserve the right to cancel listings, remove selling privileges, and prohibit the sale of specific products to maintain a marketplace that is safe for buyers.

Here are some steps you can take to remain eligible to sell in Toys & Games throughout the holiday season:

Monitor your customer metrics and take corrective action when necessary.

Utilize Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to ship products to your customers.

Check your orders frequently in the Manage Orders section of your account.

Minimize order cancellations; don’t show more stock for sale than you have available to ship.

Ship orders and confirm shipment in a timely manner.

Ensure your seller policies are up to date.

If you work with outside drop-shippers, solidify their SLA commitments for providing prompt shipping confirmation.

If you are considering selling toys on Amazon this holiday season, you may want to review the guidelines above again and start preparing. Take action to make any improvement needed if that is necessary. There are many time-sensitive tasks that need to happen before Amazon will allow you to venture into selling toys in the 2012 holiday season.


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