When you are selling on marketplaces, you are facing tough competition. If you want to increase sales on Amazon, Flipkart & other marketplaces, you need to take your business seriously.
You need to be proactive and adopt strategies that can help you increase your sales, otherwise you will soon be frustrated and may leave the idea of selling online.
Anyone can become a top-rated seller on Amazon and other marketplaces as the opportunity is equal for everyone.
If you follow these guidelines, I can guarantee, you could rank among top 5% sellers who are making fortune by selling on leading marketplaces in India.
Following are the highly effective tips to increase sales on Amazon Flipkart & other marketplaces in India:
Fix Goals
Without specific goals, you can’t achieve anything in life. When launching your business, you need to fix your targets. Be crystal clear about your goal and make a solid plan of action according to that.
Choose The Right Product
Sell something unique. Study your competitors. See what they are selling and offer something unique and different. Do some research and find the killer product with high selling potential.
But, don’t try to be perfect and don’t waste too much time on researching. Just start with routine items and get going. You will keep learning and will know what to sell once you gain some experience.
Jungle Scout is an excellent resource to find profitable products to sell on Amazon.
READ: How To Find Amazon Product Ideas
Calculate Your Costs
Carefully calculate all the costs and charges you have to pay to marketplaces. Calculate costs like sourcing product, packaging material, marketplace commissions, GST etc.
Fix your selling price only after adding all these costs and your profit margin of course.
Good Product Descriptions
Good product descriptions and good quality images help customers to make quick decisions. Writing descriptions is an art you have to master if you want to increase sales on Amazon, Flipkart etc.
Don’t write briefly. Write everything like quality, any offers or freebie, warranty and after sales service etc. This can make a big difference.
Start With Low Investment
Always start with little investment and sell low-cost items before expanding. But, be sure before listing that you have enough inventory.
List only those products and mention the quantity you know you can sell. Regularly keep checking and updating your inventory.
Find Right Suppliers
While sourcing items for reselling online, you should be careful enough to find genuine suppliers who can offer goods at best possible rates.
Importing from China to resell on marketplaces is also a great idea to increase profitability.
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RELATED: How To Import From China To Sell Online In India For Big Profits
Customer Satisfaction
Cater to the needs of your target customers. Always exceed their expectations and don’t do any false promises.
Remember, you need good customer feedback which is most crucial to your success. Do your business honestly. You can’t afford to do illegal or unethical business.
Online reputation matters a lot. Don’t sell at a price that is more than MRP. It is illegal.
Moreover, amendments in ‘Legal Metrology Act‘ makes it mandatory for every seller to mention correct MRP in their listings. Violators are heavily penalized.
Marketplaces also take this seriously and your seller account may get cancelled if you don’t mention the correct MRP.
Be Consistent
Don’t give up even if you don’t get orders in the beginning. Just keep experimenting with different products or even different categories until you achieve your targets.
If lakhs of sellers are making money, you too can. Have faith and patience and you will be successful. Read motivational books like ‘Think & Grow Rich‘ to have a winners’ mindset.
Invest Time In Education
All successful people are good learners. There are so many things to learn about selling than you think. If you are willing to invest time in learning daily, you will build a big and long-term business.
Invest time in free resources like Amazon seller university. All leading marketplaces have seller tutorials. Amazon and Flipkart have YouTube channels as well. Smart sellers spend some time daily to learn tips and tricks about different aspects of selling.
Make Use Of Fulfillment Services
You should take advantage of fulfillment services like FBA which give a great boost to sales. Moreover, there is no headache about packaging, shipping and managing returns.
Your listings will get more visibility and more customer trust thereby leading to higher sales volume. Amazon fulfilled items are automatically eligible for Amazon Prime service. FBA is an amazing service to increase sales on Amazon.
These services are really helpful in avoiding disputes and to protect sellers from fraudulent buyers so you can concentrate on growing your business.
More SKUs (Stock keeping unit)
Try to list as many products as possible. It is highly recommended to list at least 10 products. This will help generate increased sales volume and is helpful for better SEO as well.
Advertise
As the competition is high in marketplaces, advertisements are one of the most effective ways to increase sales on Amazon, Flipkart etc. These ads are cheaper & affordable and can lead to higher sales especially for selling products with high profit margins.
‘Sponsored Products‘ feature by Amazon allows sellers to advertise their products to increase sales on Amazon in a short time.
Take Seller Help Advantage
Never hesitate to ask for help. Remember, when you are selling on marketplaces, its not only your business, it’s their business as well. The support staff is very helpful.
They will guide you through every step. Call them or send mail whenever you need any help or guidance. Marketplaces want you to be successful, so don’t hesitate to ask for help whenever required.
Deliver Fast
Be sure to ship every product as soon as possible after receiving the order. Choose shorter delivery time while listing for better ratings. Services like FBA should be preferred as there is faster, even ‘same day’ delivery of products.
If you are shipping yourself, dispatch the products same day or next day(max) after receiving the order.
Make It Sure To Deliver
The easiest way to spoil your seller score and to lower visibility of your products is not to deliver the product after receiving order.
Make it sure to check inventory shown to customers while listing. If the products are out of stock, mention it in your listings so you don’t receive any order.
Continuous indiscipline will ultimately lead to cancellation of your seller account.
Competitive Pricing
As competition is high, the major factor in generating more sales is pricing. Calculate your best price and give offers whenever you can. Participate in sales promotions and festive offers to increase sales on Amazon and other marketplaces.
Minimize Return Rates
Be prepared for the risks and don’t feel negative. You may feel discouraged by reading about high return rates in e-commerce. You can take steps to minimize the return rates.
Marketplaces have shipping partners. Use their services as they are experts in handling hiccups while delivering the products.
Also, make it sure to pack the products properly, so they don’t get damaged in transit. Delayed shipping also prompts buyers to cancel the order after you have dispatched it.
Don’t Break Rules
Carefully read all the rules & regulations of marketplaces you are selling on. All leading Marketplaces are quite strict with the sellers who are breaking rules. Continuous seller activities that are damaging their reputation lead to cancellation of seller accounts.
Obey Laws
Always obey local and national laws. At present GST number is mandatory for selling online but there are talks that Govt. may provide relaxation if you have not crossed the threshold limit.
Consult your CA or tax consultant about this. Also, check about any licenses you may require for selling particular products like surgical goods, food items, cosmetics, weighing machines etc.
Know About Brand authorization/Trademark
Be careful before listing items that there are no copyright issues. Check if you need permission from brand to sell online or not.
Most of the brands though don’t refuse to allow but some companies like Samsung (mobiles) had been making announcements that they will not offer after sale service to phones sold online.
Private Label
When you are selling branded products on marketplaces, the profit level is limited to a certain extent. Moreover, other sellers may sell same products at a lesser price leading to low profit margins.
Private label brands are the goods manufactured by third parties to sell under your own brand name.
Selling your own private brand is the most intelligent and a solid way to ensure success and to increase sales on Amazon and on other marketplaces.
If you think it is difficult, think again. Nowadays, it’s easier than ever. You can hire services of a CA or consultant to register your brand.
You have many advantages with private label brand like low competition, high profit margins, brand building etc. Amazon encourages private brands and protects them against misuse through ‘Brand Registry‘.
Share on Social Media
Promote your products on social media, which is a great way to increase customer interaction and to multiply sales.
Marketplaces like Amazon provide you with custom links to promote your listings on social media to increase sales on Amazon.
Sell on Multiple Marketplaces
After you have gained sufficient experience by selling on a particular marketplace, you should start selling on other marketplaces as well. If you find it difficult, there are companies that can help you mange sales on multiple marketplaces.
RELATED: How To Sell On Multiple Marketplaces In India Online
Join Forums, Facebook Groups etc.
It is always beneficial to stay updated about the latest trends and developments in e-commerce. Join relevant groups on Facebook where you can interact with other sellers and gain expertise.
Quora is a good resource for seeking answers. You can also ask questions on how to increase sales on Amazon, Flipkart & other marketplaces and read related content on Quora. Here, you will not only find answers related to marketplaces but about other topics related to e-commerce as well.
Omni Channel Selling
Though not directly related to increasing sales on Amazon etc., but offline sales channel will help you avoid holding stock of unsold inventory.
In e-commerce, you will have to face challenges like customer returns, unsold inventory and damaged items in transit. So these items can be sold offline at MRP or at a lesser rate.
Adopt omni-channel trading so that unsold items don’t get expired or blocked. If you don’t want to open shop, you can do direct marketing or sell to your friends, relatives etc.