by Sari Kimbell
Ecommerce is one of the areas I get asked a lot about when I work with food businesses. It is tempting to think that if you just build it they will come and then a month or two later they are wondering why product isn’t flying of the digital shelf.
I knew I wanted to dive into this topic more and go over the high-level ideas around setting up an ecommerce store and choosing the best platforms for your type of product. Since this presentation was part of Artup Week, my goal was to keep the presentation broad enough for artisans of all kinds making a physical product they wanted to sell online. I was so fortunate to connect with Ben McConnell of Blue Parable who specializes in helping clients set up and see success in the world of ecommerce. We got to work last December to map out the ideas and I quickly realized that I needed to take my own advice that I give to my clients and turn it over to an expert. I know a lot about ecommerce, at least enough to be dangerous, but Ben is THE expert.
With only 45 minutes, we broke it down to four big ideas we wanted everyone to come away with
- Myths of Ecommerce
- Opportunity is Big
- 4 Platforms to Know
- Your Business is Unique
My favorite part of the presentation is around the myths of ecommerce. I see clients fall into both of these a lot.
- An ECommerce business is cheaper to operate than a brick and mortar business
- An solopreneur can make millions of dollars selling online
The reality is that no one can really operate as a true solopreneur, doing everything well, at least not for very long. I thought this slide illustrated all of the things an ecommerce entrepreneur needs to do. This just reinforced the theme that came up for me throughout Startup Week is that you can’t, and shouldn’t, go it alone. Get expert help and focus your resources on doing what you are really good at.
The other takeaway is just how big the opportunity is. But you have to find your customers by being on the right platforms and investing in your business with some marketing initiatives.
We did record the presentation, but it isn’t “mic’ed” so it is a little hard to hear. You can also get the handout we gave out here or get the whole presentation here.
Following the presentation we had a panel discussion with Ben, Charity of TechKnow and also an ecommerce business owner and Lukas Matthews of Twin Scroll Marketing, an Amazon optimization service.
I am also including some links to articles I have read recently about selling on Amazon that may be of interest to you:
Pie Shell Blog here about selling on Amazon
Amazon pushes for more exclusive products here
