Thanks to the modern method of working, it has become even easier to run a successful eCommerce business from anywhere. This is because the world is now set up for remote working—issues and teething problems that were experienced in the early days have pretty much been sorted out, and specialist software has been written and is available to any who requires it.
Although you won’t technically be remote working as it is likely that you will be your only employee and therefore carrying your workplace with you wherever you happen to decide to work from, you can utilize these benefits that have been put in place, as well as some others. Here is a guide on running a successful eCommerce business from anywhere.
1. Enlist the help of a virtual accountant
It is highly likely that you will require the services of an accountant who can advise you financially and ensure that you are complying with the tax laws of your state and country. Furthermore, enlisting the help of a virtual accountant means that you do not have to meet them face to face but can do everything over the internet. This is solely how virtual accountant Mike Savage New Canaan runs his highly successful accounting business.
This means that Mike Savage from New Canaan can organize his time better so that he can deal with the maximum number of clients without the stress and expense of traveling to and from client addresses; you will be able to book an appointment with your virtual accountant regardless of wherever in the world you happen to be without having the hassle of flying back just for the appointment.
2. Pick a product
You will have to pick a product to sell, and it is important that you do your research into what products sell and how much profit (that’s the figure after all costs are removed) is left to make your investment viable. There are, of course, additional product forms or methods of sending them out, which you may also want to take into account when selecting your perfect product ranges:
Digital products
Digital items, almost by definition, do not need to be a physical product and can therefore be, for the main part, downloadable. There are some benefits to providing these to your customers, such as they will be spontaneously available as soon as your customers pay, and you won’t have to store them or ship them out. The downside is that they tend to be low-ticket items, so you will have to sell a lot of them to get your profit margins up.
Dropshipping physical products
You can (as many have done and are still doing) decide to go the dropshipping route. This is when a manufacturer or supplier ships the products that you are selling straight from their warehouse to your customer. This sounds easy enough, and although you won’t be paying for storage and shipping costs, you will only be making a small profit on each sale.
Also, if there are any issues with packing or products making it to your customers, it is your reputation on the line and not the company that was actually responsible.
White label with dropshipping if you want to build your own brand
If you want to build your own brand, you can do so by going to a white-label company. They will build products and place your label or brand on them. Some white-label firms will even offer dropshipping services, but the same issue will apply to their level of service, and you will be held responsible.
However, all of this can happen at a distance without you having to lay a finger on your merchandise. This means that you will be able to continue to travel without the hassle of actually shipping a single item.
3. Pick a sales platform
Although you can purely sell from your own website, to make it far easier and boost your profits, you may want to at least start with the big selling platforms. There are indeed pros and cons for using any or all of these, but they will get your eCommerce business drawing a profit and making sales far faster than going it alone with your website and Shopify software:
eBay
eBay has been going for a long time now, and many customers immediately turn to this platform when they want to purchase an item. With a large mixture of new items as well as used items on sale, you will have to use every tactic in the book to make your listings stand out and catch your potential customer’s eye.
Good photos and lots of information are key. Where possible, try not to make your listings look too much like those of other sellers, as some buyers like to see that they are buying from a person or small business rather than a computer-generated listing that looks exactly the same as every other listing of the same item.
Amazon
Amazon is another very good selling platform to make use of. On Amazon, it is the new items and products that are showcased, with the second-hand versions taking a back seat. This is particularly good for sellers, although, again, there is a benefit in making your listings stand out among the crowd.
Unlike eBay, though, Amazon offers an FBA facility (fulfillment by Amazon). This is a service whereby you can ship your items to an Amazon fulfillment facility for them to store and ship to your customers (very much like dropshipping). This will certainly free up your time, and your products will be available to your customers in the super-quick time frames and economies of scale that Amazon offers their customers, as your stock will be under their roof.
4. Bring in marketing professionals
Regardless of which selling method you choose, you are going to require some additional help. There are marketing agencies that specialize in purely selling on these (and other) selling platforms. They will be able to advise you on your listing content, pictures, and graphics, as well as provide you with top-performing keywords to get your products in front of potential customers before your competitors. Having one of these agencies on your side will help boost your sales, improve your profits, and provide you with powerful analytic feedback so that you keep selling at the best possible vantage point on the platform in question. They may even be able to help you should you feel in the future that you would also like to sell from your own website as well.
