Features of eCommerce Product – easy to Manage and Sell
The first step to opening an eCommerce store is to pick a product.
Coming up with the product idea is difficult, but I hope you have a list of products because I am here to help you weed out the product that could be difficult to sell.
I am listing the feature that if the product has, it will be easy to manage and sell that product.
So here we go.
Features of eCom Product – easy to Manage and Sell:
- Not Fragile
- Not Bulky
- Timeless Appeal
- $15 – $200 price
- Good Repeat Purchase
- Great Cross-Sell
- Easy and Fun to use/look at
- Can be Fulfilled Easily
- Not Many Variants
#1 Not Fragile
Fragility is a disadvantage. It increases the shipping cost.
You have to have proper quality packing for the fragile products, or they will break during shipping.
Products like China cutlery, glass vases, and mirrors are not suitable products to sell.
In shipping, you also have to be careful in inventory and operation.
Customers may break it and blame it on the shipping. You have to pay for a refund.
Delivery guys may damage it, doing harsh deliveries.
So, having easily breakable products is not a good idea.
#2 Not Bulky
Bulky products are also a NO.
Shipping a 10 KG T-Iron is not easier than sending Glass Vase.
Though T-Iron is unbreakable, it could break the bones of people handling it.
Inventory is also tricky, as you will need machinery to move those items. Also, you will need robots for packing.
Shopping cost typically goes by weight so that it will be higher.
So selling doors, beds, sofas, large tables, etc., are not easy to manage if you are a small team.
The margin is good, but still, you may not break even if you are not making good sales.
#3 Timeless Appeal
Trending products sell fast, but they stop selling once people move over to the next trend.
You cannot build an eCommerce business around trending products (except if selling trending products is your business – then it’s okay).
I mean, once the PUBG craze is over, no one is going to buy the PUBG triggers.
Timing is critical. Seasonal products are okay, but the product should have an appeal that does not depend on time.
Typically, eCommerce stores get better sales several months a year, but it does not mean sales should be ZERO the rest of the year.
#4 $15 – $200 Price
Pricing is another significant factor.
If you are not much into marketing and reviews, stay away from selling expensive products. People research before spending money, and if your store is not that popular, they may not throw money on you.
Having low-priced product remove any resistance, and they can do guilty shopping or stress shopping.
Learn low involvement and high involvement decisions.
#5 Good Repeat Purchase
A product should have a good repeat purchase.
I mean, most of the eCommerce product sales comes only in few month a year, but it does not mean the sales go ZERO rest of the year.
For example: a person buy a book only once. If he is a reader, he will buy the book, but the title is only bought once. But on the other hand, stationary is something that a person buys every month.
Similarly with Jeans and Tshirt. Jeans are for years, but Tshirt is every month.
Think if you can sell the product to the same person again and again.
#6 Great Cross-Sell
Having cross-sells opens doors to repeat purchases. It is easy to sell to the same customers than acquire a new one.
If the product has a variety of related products, it is a plus point.
For example, a person buying sunscreen will also purchase face serum and toners. Likewise, purchasing the Harry Potter series will also be like reading the Percy Jackson series.
Check Amazon products and then related products to see how cross-selling works. For example, such products could be promoted with email marketing with coupons.
#7 Easy and Fun to use/look at
It’s the social media age, and aesthetics matter.
If it looks pretty on Instagram and goes with the consumer’s vibe, they will buy it, if only to click the pics.
I mean, there are people with kitty I Phone back cover – only because cats and dogs are cute evergreen animals. And there is some kind of fashion to like them.
You can check Etsy stores to see how sellers show their products beautifully, as they know the importance of the product’s attractiveness.
Moreover, you can also check the #Bookstagrammers and how book covers are impacting book sales. Even if you don’t read books, you will buy them because they look good in the background.
#8 Can be Fulfilled Easily
Another aspect of selling is getting the product. If you are not getting the product on time, you will not fulfil the delivery.
You do not want to get the order and then delay the shipping. The order will be cancelled, and you may end up getting a negative review, which will eventually hurt your sales and brand in the long term.
Some products are rare and can only be bought from 1 or 2 suppliers. And you do not want to end up in the trade where you do not have control over the supplier side.
Then there are products with many suppliers – they bring the market down as anyone can get in touch with them and start selling the product. Sometimes the supplier starts their separate chain to sell that product.
So having a product that you can find conveniently, but not that conveniently that anyone can discover it conveniently, is the way to go.
#9 Not Many Variants
Products should not have too many variants. The customer may buy one, but he will prefer to go to that store that keeps all the variants.
For example, mobile cover.
A person would prefer to go to that store that keeps 100 colours of the mobile body instead of the one that keeps only 1.
Moreover, having variant also increases the customer’s decision-making, as now he has to decide among multiple products.
All this does not matter.
You can choose the product in any way you like.
It helps to pick the product that could be relatively easy to manage and sell due to these features.
But they are not rules. Although, every rule is meant to be broken.
I hope it helps. 🙂
