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Growing up I always thought my friend Megan’s family must have a lot of money. It seemed like every time I went over to her house, her dad had a new toy – a big TV, the latest audio equipment…

Megan’s mom always wore beautiful leather jackets in colors like dusty pink and butterscotch yellow with fabulous jewelry to match.

And Megan and her family lived in a nice house adorned with dramatic decor.

But it was the day that her dad brought home the shiny, new red Bayliner speedboat that I was Continue Reading

For those living in the U.S. the 4th of July is a long holiday weekend – but for online sellers July 4th is a “Pivot Point” for your 2010 online sales.

In sports, a pivot point can set an athlete up to make the winning shot or run the distance for a touchdown. In business, “Pivot Points” are Continue Reading

You may think that the “holiday selling season” runs November-December, but take a look below and you’ll be surprised at all the selling opportunities you have for your online business coming up in the next few months. No matter what you sell or where you sell it, capitalizing on these HOT spring and summer selling seasons can make a huge difference in your income during the 2nd quarter of the year! From April to June there are 11 different selling holidays that you’ll want to ramp up for! Miss these and you’ll leave money on the table…

April

April may be the kickoff to spring, but in the world of online sales, there’s a whole lot of shopping goin’ on!

• Bathing suit season: It’s still too chilly to wear them but sales of bathing suits are skyrocketing now.  In fact, shoppers who wait much past May will find that all the best selection is gone! If you sell beachwear, it’s time to get it on your store homepage
• Prom wear: Online searches for prom wear are on the rise this month. Even though most proms don’ t happen until late May or early June, prom wear sales are increasing quickly with online searches up 60-80% from last month according to Google Insights
• Wedding season: Wedding season is in full swing as we approach June, one of the biggest wedding months of the year!
• April 4th: Easter: Easter is April 4th.  And there is still time to make last minute sales. According to BIGResearch the average amount Easter shoppers are expected to spend is $118.60, slightly up from the 2009 average of $116.59.
• April 22nd: Earth Day: Earth Day is April 22nd and sales of eco-friendly and green products abound during this time.  Don’t just look to sell traditionally “green” products. Look for the green in everything you sell. A bicycle is not only for entertainment and exercise, it is an eco-friendly way for your customers to commute to work or around town.

May

But that’s not all people are buying…

Bathing suit, prom wear and wedding season continue, but Mom boosts the sales this month!

• Sales of summer products ramp sharply in May (and June): Products for outdoor activities, clothing and outdoor living products for the home.  Don’t wait until June to feature these in your store or you’ll lose a lot of sales!
• May 4th: National Teachers Day. A week long celebration honoring teachers, if you sell gifts and decorative accessories your store should have a promotion around National Teacher’s Day.
• May 9th: Mother’s Day:  Mother’s Day is one of the biggest spending holidays of the year. Because it’s not just about buying a gift for your mom… there are grandmas, aunts, nieces, friends, co-workers and friends who are like a mom, who will all be getting gifts on this holiday too.  Recognize all the moms in your store promotions and you’re sure to increase sales!
• May 31st: Memorial Day: It vacation time, camping time, fun in the summer time and your last chance to make big inroads in summer product sales!

June

• June: Graduation. Grade school, middle-school, high-school, college and technical college – sales of graduation gifts increase in May and June! And don’t forget the little ones!  Pre-school graduation parties are all the rage.  What do you sell that would make a perfect gift for the graduate?
• June 20th: Father’s Day: Dad doesn’t fare quite as well as mom when it comes to Father’s Day spending but Father’s Day gift shoppers will be out in full force. Put together a Top 10 Father’s Day gift list and watch your sales of those products soar!
• June: 4th of July products: Remember the majority of product sales happen in advance of the holiday, so if you wait until July to pull out the red,white and blue – you’ve just lost sales to the savvy seller who merchandised their 4th of July products in June.  So get those 4th of July products out early, so your inventory is sold out come July.

As you can see there’s a whole lot of selling you can do from April through June! So it’s time to get out there and capitalize on these spring and summer holiday selling seasons. Looking for creative ideas on how to merchandise your products or source products for these selling seasons?  You’ll find them in the WhatDoISell Business Growth Center!

Spring has sprung and so have online sales!  For eBay sellers, spring also brought with it some major changes to the way business is transacted on eBay. With the end of the Store Inventory Listing Format, millions of items formerly nestled away in eBay stores, saw the dawn of a new day in eBay’s core search.

For many eBay sellers, the inclusion of “store in core” has been a boon for sales.  Many people are finding that inventory they’ve had sitting on their virtual store shelves for two years is now selling.

Other sellers who had enjoyed a  sole position in core, while their competitors left their listings in store, have seen their categories explode with many competing products alongside theirs where none were before.

But there’s no doubt about it.  No matter what changes you’ve seen in your sales on eBay over the past week or so, with the eBay changes and the arrival of spring, it’s time to refresh your strategy!

Today we’re going to look at 4 ways to get started doing just that!

4 Surefire Ways to Make More Money on eBay This Spring

Put Your Spring and Summer Merchandise Front and Center. Walk into any brick and mortar retailer these days and you’ll see the signs of spring.  Brightly colored signs, spring products in the hot new colors and a fresh array of merchandise to choose from. Spring is a time or renewal and rebirth, and people are wired for that.  They’re also very ready to make new purchases for spring and summer. And the eBay seller who actively markets their spring and summer products is the one who increases their sales!  Unfortunately, I see many eBay stores and listings that are not doing any spring marketing at all. Even worse, holiday messages and graphics remain. Fall and winter categories are featured in stores and spring merchandise is buried in sea of fall and winter products.

Mariya, is the owner of eBay Store Color Me Happy Boutique and also runs a  website under the same brand. Mariya’s business depends on keeping her inventory fresh and staying one step ahead of the seasons.  When you take a look at Mariya’s store, you’ll see that she even features a bright, colorful graphic reminder her customers that “Summer Starts in 75 days.”  Mariya is a community member in the  WhatDoISell Business Growth Center and she always puts her best merchandise front and center!

Take a look at your store and listings.  Will customers be excited by what they see when they land on your eBay pages?

“Top Up” Your Store Categories. If visitors to your eBay store can’t find your new merchandise, they won’t become buyers.  And part of putting your new spring merchandise front and center is rearranging your eBay store categories so that the new in-season categories are featured at the top. Many people list their categories in alphabetical order, but by doing that, you relegate your Spring and Summer merchandise to the bottom of your category list where no one will find it!

Keep in mind that a shopper’s focus is going to be “above the fold” which means you have to engage them with what’s on their screen BEFORE you can get them to scroll down to see what else you are offering. Always put your most popular 5 or so eBay store categories and in-season categories at the top of your store category list.  If you have a lot of categories, once you feature your top 5-7 categories you can continue your category list alphabetically.

Use Subtitles for Marketing not Product Details. eBay subtitles are the best marketing deal on the web IF you use them for the right purpose.  eBay listing subtitles should be used for one thing only – MARKETING.   Think of eBay listing subtitles as the banner you hang outside your store or the sign you place on a product that tells people what makes that product different, unique or special than everything else the customer is being offered.

The other day I was looking some forum posts on the eBay stores and noticed a thread where people were discussing a plan to remove ALL their listing subtitles since they were now using Item Specifics to further describe their products.

Two important things that every eBay seller must know.  eBay listing subtitle keywords are not included in core search, this means that if you are putting item specific keyword data into your subtitle in the hopes that it will help people find your products, it does not contribute at all to that purpose.

Item Specifics however, does exactly that.  So for search purposes, you always want to accurately complete the Item Specifics portion of your listing.

For marketing purposes you want to craft what we call in marketing a USP (Unique Selling Position) or a “headline”  – that will make people do ONE thing… and that is CLICK on your listing and go to your listing description page.

A listing subtitle has ONE purpose – to get a prospective buyer to CLICK on your listing and go to your listing description page where you then display the product information that will convert that browser into a buyer!

So what should go in your listing subtitle? Anything that showcases what’s different about your product or service.  The thing that sets you apart from every other seller.  Maybe, you’re selling a “Limited Edition Platinum Retro 60 Series”. Maybe your product is an “Exclusive Set.  Only Available on eBay”. Maybe you are fortunate to carry an item that is “In Stock with Same Day Shipping. Sold Out In Stores”.  Maybe your item is “Eligible for Bing Cashback”. Or the product your carry is “Winner of the Top 10 Toy Awards”.  In many categories these days “We Ship Worldwide” is a USP – there are a lot of eBay sellers who no longer ship worldwide. (Which is the subject for another blog post.)   Or your item is “100% Made in the USA”.

Whatever your USP is, don’t hide it in your listing description! Feature it in your sub-title and watch your click-throughs increase and your sales go up!

And speaking of click-through rates, you always want to test and track the strategies you use online…

Use eBay’s Search Visibility Analysis Tool to test and track your strategies. The most important key to success when running a business on eBay or anywhere else is to know what works for your business. Each business has so many variables to it, that you have to apply the strategies and then test them and track them to make sure that they are right for you.  eBay’s Search Visibility Analysis Tool will help you test and track changes you make to your listings as well as view the impact they have on your ranking in eBay’s Best Match.  For example, the tool will show you how many times your listing has been displayed to buyers and the number of times a buyer has clicked-through to view your listing description.  This information is critical to determining why your listings are or are not selling. If shoppers aren’t clicking on your listing, they definitely aren’t buying. With the Search Visibility Analysis Tool, you can pinpoint where the problem in the process is and make changes accordingly.

We’ll we’ve just covered four solid business strategies to increase your sales this spring.  There’s only one thing left to do now… apply what you’ve learned and implement!

If you liked these eBay tips and strategies, don’t miss my brand new e-series starting April 15th, “15 Ways to Make Money on eBay”.  Most people only know 2 or 3 ways to make money on eBay.  Starting April 15th, I’ll show you  15 ways to make money on today’s eBay!  Register here for this free ecourse.

-Lisa Suttora

Father’s Day is June 20th and it’s an important seasonal selling holiday for online sellers.

Increased web traffic and shoppers looking for that perfect gift for dad are an opportunity to not only sell Father’s Day related merchandise but also to sell that perfect item to the gift-giver who is doing the shopping!

This means increased sales across the board!

The key to making this a great selling season is to feature  in-season merchandise on your website on online store.

Whether you currently stock merchandise that will fit the Father’s Day bill, or if you plan on purchasing additional inventory, there are several selling strategies that you can use to  drive up those Father’s Day sales.

10 Ways to Turn Current Inventory into Father’s Day Sales

1. Go through all your existing inventory and identify what things might be suited to the Father’s Day buyer.

Think out of the box! Father’s Day sales are not just about polo shirts and neck ties.

For example, mens electric razors are a top seller, but other types of men’s grooming kits, skincare products and accessories are hot items as well.

Look at the items you already stock and determine which ones can be positioned for Father’s Day.

2. Reposition current inventory for Father’s Day. How you can market existing items for dad? If you sell gardening supplies, instead of ” a shovel” or “a lawn mower”  put together a “Father’s Day Weekend Gardener” kit with everything dad needs to enjoy a warm summer day outdoors in his new garden.

Popular kits for dad include:

• Photography
• Woodworking
• Wine and beer making
• Sewing and knitting
• Gardening

3. A great Father’s Day gift doesn’t have to be brand new. Now is the perfect time to list those vintage fishing lures. Or popular vinyl albums collecting dust in the basement. In recent years, pre-owned products have taken on an entirely new life as eco-friendly consumers like to give and receive gifts that don’t use up additional manufacturing resources.

4. A Father’s Day sale doesn’t have to be a product for dad. This is where leveraging that Father’s Day shopping traffic comes in. Once someone comes online in “gift shopping mode” they are more likely to buy something for themselves in the process. Is your store up-to-date?  Are you featuring the latest merchandise? Does your merchandising reflect the current season? If not, you’re missing a big opportunity to benefit from the extra sales traffic.

5. Use the keywords” and “gifts for dads” in your marketing copy and listing titles. In the last 90 days, searches for the keywords “father’s day” have skyrocketed. After you’ve identified your father’s day inventory, you must use the keywords related to this inventory to market your products.  Use Google Insights and the Google Keyword Tool to determine which keywords best represent the products you’re selling.

If you’re selling a Father’s Day related gift on eBay, you want to use the Father’s Day keywords in your listing titles.

6. Offer special services. Now is the time to offer free gift wrapping, enclose a gift card, emphasize your FAST shipping policy, and offer to ship directly to the gift’s recipient… or even run a special promotion on your merchandise or extend a free shipping option Customer service does matter and buyers do not shop on price ALONE.

They’re also looking for good customer service, trustworthy sellers and convenience. Providing value added customer services will help distinguish you from the competition and give your buyer a reason to buy from you!

Make sure that you highlight these special services in your listings – TELL your buyers how great your service is and exactly what you can do to make their lives easier and their gift buying experience better!

7. Provide a Father’s Day environment for shoppers. Now is the time to add a “Gift’s for Dad” graphic to your website.  Or a picture of a father and son.  Visual imagery is very important when  it comes to getting shoppers in the mood to buy. Offline stores spend billions of dollars a year on seasonal decor so that when a shopper walks into the store, they’re instantly put into the mood of the season. Your online shop should do the same.

8. Help your customers recognize great Father’s Day gifts! A quick scan of your eBay listing or web page  should tell your buyers not only what you are selling but why this is the perfect gift for the dad on their list.

It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just a simple:

“Dads love our new stainless steel grill utensil set!  Give the dad on your list the joy of outdoor cooking all summer long!”

A statement like this helps to plant in your visitors mind why this is the gift that they should buy.

9. Answer questions quickly. The biggest fear an online gift shopper has is that they won’t receive the gift on time for that special occasion. Answering questions quick instill confidence in your potential customer that their gift will arrive in the same manner. Be responsive, helpful and tell your customers why your product is the right choice for them with every customer question!

10. Offer “free shipping”. Free shipping is still the #1 favored promotion by online shoppers. Don’t even make shipping a question when it comes to Father’s Day gifts – offering free shipping will make a one-click purchase an easy choice for your customers.

With the Christmas holiday in sight, your holiday sales should be in full swing.

But if you’re late to the game, or need an extra boost to amp up the numbers, these 7 late-to-the-game strategies will stoke the fire in your holiday sales…

Speak Holiday.Go right now and look at your web pages, you eBay listings, your online store. How many places do you see holiday imagery, holiday messaging, holiday gift suggestions? If the answer is none or few then your products are not showing up for the party everyone else wants to be a part of.

You have to give your customers visual clues that you’re dialed-in to the holidays. Your store must be part of the fun and festivities. Even the smallest online sellers can add a few holiday graphics and use messaging on their their website to speak the language of holiday sales.

Run Different Holiday Promotions Each Week. If you want to capture the attention of holiday buyers this year, you must run new promotions on a weekly basis. While this year’s shoppers aren’t suffering from frugal fatigue, consumers are looking for a sale.

Unlike last year, they’re not hoping to find everything marked down to 50% off, but they are looking for somewhat of a “feel-good holiday special” so they walk away from the purchase feeling like they got something extra.

Sell Communication & Service. Prominent service messaging must be a part of your holiday game plan. Whether it’s strategically placed graphics on your site or you hop in front of a video camera, one of the key things shoppers should see when they come to your site is a message from you with a commitment to:

• Same day shipping
• Providing tracking numbers
• Customer service (how will they contact you if they have a question)
• Optional gift wrapping services

Free Shipping. If you’re late to the holiday selling game, one of the fastest ways to amp up your sales is by offering Free Shipping. Again this year, Free Shipping is the #1 thing that holiday shoppers are looking for.

Bundle it Spectacular. If your holiday sales haven’t yet made a blip on the radar, it’s time to pull out the big guns and get really creative with your product offerings. A necklace and matching bracelet sold separately becomes a spectacular gift set. Pair a warm fuzzy bathrobe with matching slippers and create a special Christmas morning promotion around it.

Offer Holiday Gift Suggestions. Holiday shoppers aren’t looking for the “same ‘ole, same ‘ole” when it comes to purchasing holiday gifts. They LOVE creative ideas and unique gifts. Just because the media doesn’t recognize your product line as a “holiday item” doesn’t mean you can’t!

Don’t wait for anyone to give you permission to present your products as a holiday gift. Be bold and step out and make gift suggestions!

Get in Front of the Video Camera. If there is one thing that etailers can do this year to get found in search without the use of costly PPC campaigns and lengthy traffic driving strategies, it’s to get in front of the video camera. There is not a person reading this blog post who sales can’t benefit by doing a video review of a product you sell.

Whether it increases conversion on your site or eBay listing or helps you make it to page one on Google, video product reviews are all the rage this year. And don’t think you have to have a Hollywood stage production video to make it useful. REAL sells. Take a look at this video review of a popular Nikon camera lens. A little humor, being real, to the point and educational. 11,000+ people have viewed it so far. (BTW, I came across it in Google search while shopping for, you guessed it! Nikon cameras.)

Even if you’re sales aren’t yet where you’d like them to be this holiday season, you’ve got 30+ more days to keep focused on selling more. Never give up! Keep doing the right things up until the very last holiday minute and you’ll start to see the results of your efforts!

How about you? What are your plans for increasing your sales over the next few weeks?

-Lisa