The Art of Reinvention: How One Founder Found Her Purpose in the Middle of a Pandemic April 19, 2020 bizadmin So far this year, Moorea Seal left her long-term relationship, moved into a temporary home, closed her retail and online stores, and let go of her entire staff—and it’s only April. Like many small business owners around the world, Moorea is scrambling to answer the question “What now?”. For her, this collective global grief is compounded by personal loss. But she’s been here before. And she is ready. Moorea is a published author, small business founder, maker, and community connector. She’s also been an influencer since before influencers were even influencers. She is a magnetic, spiritual being with a natural inclination to help and guide others. Above all, she is a master of reinvention—and many of her successes were born during times of crisis. Moorea Seal built her business to help support other makers and small brands. (Kara Meloy) Moorea taught herself to make jewelry and sold it on Etsy before launching her Shopify store. (Kara Meloy) When she was eight, Moorea’s parents announced, without notice, that she would be moving from the UK to the US, and she would have to sell all of her toys. “I set up my playroom as a shop,” she says. “My first shop.” She was bullied in her new American school and recounts a childhood punctuated by death and family trauma, relationships with abuse, and the tension of leaving her religion. “There have been points in my life that have been truly, truly tragic,” she says. “Extreme loss and extreme pain.” College was a struggle for Moorea, too. “I thought at the time it meant I would not be successful in life,” she says. She nonetheless graduated from a college illustration program—in the middle of a recession. Working as a live-in nanny to pay the bills, Moorea was isolated from her friends and family. She taught herself to make jewelry from her tiny bedroom and sold it on Etsy. She started blogging as a way to work through isolation. Her blog connected her to a community—and that community resonated with her story. [abc] The accidental influencer Moorea was an early adopter of Pinterest where she built a following quite by accident. Her influence on the platform eventually landed her partnerships with brands such as Nordstrom, Anthropologie, and L’Oreal, and she would appear alongside the likes of Martha Stewart and Dr. Oz on Pinterest tastemaker lists. But Moorea was wary of the influencer world. “After a year or two, I thought, ‘There’s no way that the world of influencing is going to last,’” she says. “‘I can’t rely on this for my income.’” In 2013, she built a safety net and launched her online store on Shopify, leveraging her existing follower base. Her namesake brand, Moorea Seal, became an extension of her Pinterest account—a place to curate her favorite things. She sold goods from over 40 makers, including herself, and focused on handmade and sustainability. “No one was really talking about the ethics of shopping,” she says, “and so my site was very unique at that time.” Six months after launching the store, Moorea received a call from a Pinterest rep, who told her that affiliate links were being removed—the next day. “For me, that meant an income of about $3,000, $4,000 a month just stopping,” she says. I was paying myself nothing for the first two years. [abc] Moorea poured herself into her store to make up for the lost income. “I was paying myself nothing for the first two years,” she says. She had a partner and one staff member and they bootstrapped the business from a small room in a church community center. “The irony of being a priest’s daughter who left religion and is building her business from a children’s playroom at a church was crazy,” she says. The trio outgrew the space and, in looking for new digs, Moorea thought, “What if we try and find a space that was also a storefront, kind of a pop-up situation?” Bricks and book deals In 2014, the team signed a lease on an affordable space that was on a main Seattle bus line. “I just put my name on the window really huge and made sure the logo looked the same as on Pinterest,” Moorea says. It worked. She gained customers from passersby who recognized her from her online presence, and the business grew, eventually expanding into the space next door. “I was like the sales girl for six days a week,” Moorea says, “in addition to running it and building our team and selling online.” Moorea bootstrapped, reinvesting her book income into her business, eventually growing into a larger space. (Moorea Seal) Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Moorea closed the door on her Seattle retail space in March. (Kara Meloy) But Moorea was still nurturing her online community. She landed a book deal based on an online self-care venture and, in 2015, published The 52 Lists Project, the first in a series of a journal-style workbook aimed at encouraging self-discovery and increasing mindfulness through weekly list-making challenges. Soon after, her business began outgrowing its retail space. Moorea’s team invested in a new, larger location that better represented the brand. “I put everything I made from my books into my business,” she says. “It was an expensive space to build out.” The pivot In March 2020, the spread of COVID-19 was ramping up in the US and the entire country started shutting down. In Seattle, Moorea responded quickly, communicating her precautionary measures and offering her customers and followers advice for staying safe. But soon, the local government mandated the closure of non-essential businesses, and Moorea was forced to shut her doors. My staff can’t leave their homes. I have one person who lives on an island, and they have to take a ferry into Seattle. Luckily, Moorea already had a solid eCommerce business to supplement the retail space, and she diverted attention to her online store. She bundled books from her 52 Lists series with other self-care lifestyle products—candles, pens for journaling, personalized handwritten notes of hope—into care packages that quickly sold out. But with no staff left to help her fulfill orders, Moorea ended up closing her online store, too. “My staff can’t leave their homes,” she says. “I have one person who lives on an island, and they have to take a ferry into Seattle.” Moorea’s 52 Lists project landed her a publishing deal and she wrote several books within the series. (Moorea Seal) Moorea’s store became an extension of her work on Pinterest—curating the things she loves. (Moorea Seal) Moorea talks to me from her Airbnb, where she planned to stay only briefly after leaving her relationship. She was ready to look for a new permanent home when Seattle implemented shelter in place, requiring all residents to stay at home. Now, she’s stuck in limbo. Moorea says she finds herself at a crossroads in every aspect of her life—work, home, relationships. “I’m experiencing a lot of loss,” she says. But Moorea has a remarkably positive outlook—it was from a place of loss that many of the successes in her life have manifested. With many others in isolation seeking community and connection, Moorea sees an opportunity for her next reinvention. She hopes to amplify her story of overcoming various forms of isolation in her own life and be an example to others. “It literally feels like, OK, Moorea, here’s why you did all the things you did for the last 10 years,’” she says. Support independent business owners like Moorea Seal [abc] Finding her purpose Before COVID-19 forced Moorea to rethink her strategy, her heart was already pushing for a change. The retail store was a dream come true, but she found it difficult to separate herself from her brand. “Having your name on a business, you can lose your identity very easily,” she says. In the fall of 2019, Moorea already had started to explore what else her retail space could be. She imagined hosting restorative and healing events, music video dance-along, and tattoo pop-ups. “I can’t unlink it from my identity, so let’s just make it a true reflection of my identity,” she says. I need to make sure my business is more about what I care about on a deep, deep level—more than just selling products. In-person events currently are out of the question while her city is on lockdown. But the brainstorming exercise was helpful in planning her next move. “I need to make sure my business is more about what I care about on a deep, deep level,” she says. “More than just selling products.” With the store closed, Moorea has found the space to explore those things: writing, spirituality, and being a guide to others. “My purpose,” Moorea says, “is to use my own experiences with isolation, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder and be a resource to people.” Lately, she’s been taking to Instagram to offer messages of inspiration and hope to others. Maybe it will spin into a podcast, she says, and probably more books. Moorea plans to rethink her business while the store is shut down, and focus on writing more books. (Moorea Seal) As she has always done, Moorea is staying open and springing into survival mode. She’s offering tarot readings to her Instagram followers, which is helping her generate enough income to meet her basic needs. And she’s looking ahead. “Seattle’s not going to be shut down for two weeks,” Moorea says. “My storefront’s going to be shut down for a couple months or permanently. I have to accept that.” With this new reality, Moorea’s vision for her retail store has taken on a new life. Her Shopify site, in its future form, will be a virtual manifestation of her original plan. She says she might still sell products, but they’ll reflect her overarching goal of creating community and safe space. And anything she builds next will involve bringing back her staff. “They really are like family.” Sometimes the greatest learning you do in life is uncomfortable. Whatever post-pandemic life looks like for Moorea, she’s optimistic it will be a chance for a much-needed career rebirth. Until then, she’s focused on her basic necessities: finding a place to live, learning to cook for herself, and navigating a grocery store. “I’m learning some basic things in a weird time,” she says. Her message to others struggling? You can come out of this OK on the other side, she says—she’s living proof—and you may even be better for it. “Sometimes the greatest learning you do in life is uncomfortable.” About the author Dayna Winter Dayna Winter is a Storyteller at Shopify, curious about the humans behind the brands and the moments that motivate them to create. She follows more dogs than humans on Instagram and isn’t a real redhead. [abc]
How This Direct to Consumer Brand Disrupted the Handcrafted Footwear Industry April 1, 2020 bizadmin Made in Italy and with handcrafted leather shoes seem to be a synonymous pair. Consumers covet this segment of footwear and accept its steeper price tag—the result of an industry layered with distributors, agents, resellers, and retailers. In walks, Velasca, a Milanese startup born in 2013, set out to disrupt the industry by connecting consumers directly to shoemakers. The concept for Velasca sprouted from a casual conversation between co-founders Enrico Casati and Jacopo Sebastio in the back of a taxi. It has since grown into a direct-to-consumer company selling hundreds of thousands of shoes in over 30 countries. We were keen to learn more about Velasca’s story, so during a trip to Milan in late 2019, I visited the company’s headquarters to speak with Enrico about how the brand first stepped foot into the industry and where it’s headed from here. You can listen to Velasca’s story on this special episode of Shopify Masters: [abc] Tailoring a business idea to solve a personal need Velasca’s office, a converted sugar factory that counts Armani and Fendi as neighbors, is located in a veritable sweet spot in Milan’s Tortona neighborhood—the fashion and design heart of the city, and a district that’s the epitome of “Made in Italy.” Enrico and I sat down in the company’s buzzing space to discuss how the brand is simultaneously disrupting and fitting into the fashion industry. Co-founders Enrico Castai (left) and Jacopo Sebastio (right) in the Tortona district of Milan, where Velasca is headquartered. Velasca In 2012, Enrico was working as a banker in Singapore. “I had this personal need for buying a pair of shoes for my job—a simple pair of loafers,” he says. “I was 25 at the time and was earning enough to live well in Singapore, but I didn’t want to overspend.” Enrico’s brother was visiting him at the time, along with a friend—Jacopo. Enrico and Jacopo started discussing the gap between designer and fast-fashion shoes, and a creative spark was ignited. They quickly brainstormed ways they might be able to bring handcrafted leather footwear to the everyday consumer. By cutting out layers of distribution, Velasca was able to deliver the same product as the big shoe players for a fraction of the price, like this pair of double monk straps. Velasca Their idea was simple on the surface—build their brand online. “We wanted to connect these craftsmen in Italy that are good at making the products with people that love Italian design and quality around the world.” Like their headquarters, their business model found a sweet spot. “We bet our company on being direct-to-consumer, which brings about a competitive advantage in terms of pricing,” Enrico says. “You make the same products from the same factories using the same materials as the famous brands. But you’re able to sell them at half the price of comparable products.” [abc] Finding an opportunity during an economic downturn In 2012, Italy was suffering an economic collapse— while many founders understandably believe a recession is not the time to start a business, Enrico and Jacopo saw it as an opportunity. Production companies lose money when they don’t produce. The local shoemakers’ lack of business during this downturn helped convince them to take a chance on Velasco. “It’s out of these economic crises and times of depression that there are more opportunities than there would be in times of economic boom,” Enrico says. So Enrico and Jacopo visited the mountainous region of Marche, where families of shoemakers stretch back generations. Working through different dialects, they were able to convince the makers to take on much smaller orders of a couple of hundred pairs, compared to the usual fashion houses orders of hundreds of thousands. “Size is not the only thing that matters—trust also is important,” says Enrico. The Velasca team built this trust by following through on their promise to pay shoemakers within 30 days of delivery. Enrico stresses that, from the very beginning, Velasca has always treated its relationship with shoemakers as a partnership, as opposed to a strictly transactional exchange with a supplier. The role of sleek, yet approachable storytelling With production relationships now established, Velsca shifted gears and focused on a “media as marketing” approach to reach new customers. “The first three years were just focused on marketing and sales,” Enrico says. “Once we established a good relationship with the makers, we didn’t get too involved in the production side, because we trusted them and their expertise.” Enrico says, “We focused on storytelling, making sure that the consumer understood that this was not just a discount website,” Enrico says. The direct-to-consumer model was still relatively new to Europe at the time, and the Velasca team had to pave the way, similar to the pivotal role Bonobos and Warby Parker played on the other side of the Atlantic. Visuals that perfectly balance editorial and everyday moments are a key component of how Velasca shared its stories. Velasca “We made sure that through video, photos, and interviews, the concept of Italian craft machine came through,” Enrico says. Ludovico Bertè, one of Velasca’s first employees and the company’s creative director today, played an instrumental role in capturing images that commanded attention and aided customers through the purchase journey. By being digitally native, Velasca was able to rely on smaller budgets and market through social media, email, SEO, and Google Ads. “We found our channel on Facebook, and then later on Instagram, because it’s picture-based, it’s emotions coming through a digital channel,” says Enrico. [abc] Velasca also elevated its marketing efforts by publishing a magazine called A Million Steps, which showcases the Italian way of life through interviews and stories on pop culture, sports, food, and more. There’s no mention of Velasca’s shoes or promotions to be found—it’s a separate editorial effort meant to accompany fans’ journey through life. Whether you’re putting a classic negroni recipe to good use or getting to know how the Mona Lisa gained popularity when reading A Million Steps, “you will feel like it’s a different entity,” Enrico says. “But Velasca and A Million Steps are different sides of the same coin.” The journey from online to offline with retail expansion While the direct-to-consumer model played an essential role in Velasca’s early success, the team knew there were channels they needed to explore to further scale their business. “We realized over time that we were not tapping into the full potential of the brand by being online only,” says Enrico. “We started seeing a lot of people emailing us and saying, ‘I love your products, but I don’t buy shoes online. Can I stop by your office and try them on, touch the leather, see the quality, and then order online?’” By listening to customers’ feedback, Velasca decided to start its in-person sales through pop-ups. Velasca Experimentation is embedded in Velasca’s culture. So it started by hitting the streets in ape cars and setting up temporary pop-ups next to bars during aperitivo (happy hour). This on-the-ground hustle is something Enrico remembers fondly. “Six months before this, I was in a suit and a tie every day, working on Excel and PowerPoint,” he says. “Six months later, I’m showing my products with our brand, with the name that I chose, to potential customers. It was a lot of fun.” Temporary pop-ups proved successful, and, in 2014, Velasca opened a temporary retail location. “I remember the rent for that place, for a month, was €3,500, which sounds small now, but it wasn’t at the time,” Enrico says. The team was cautious and created projections that outlined best- and worst-case financial scenarios. To their surprise, their investment in the retail storefront was made back in just two days—over opening weekend. From temporary pop-ups to over ten stores, Velasca now has a retail presence in Italy, France, and England. Velasca After opening its first permanent storefront in Milan in 2015, Velasca began scaling its physical presence with a new location in Rome the following year. In 2017, after 18 months of honing its retail strategy and execution, the company established seven new stores across Europe. Each expansion continues to result in significant sales growth—from London to Paris to Rome, Velasca consistently sees up to a six-fold increase in sales in respective cities whenever a new store opens. [abc] Steps for Velasca’s future Velasca’s team has grown, too, from just Enrico and Jacopo to over 35 people who look after the day-to-day operations. Velasca’s production supports ten families of shoemakers in Marche, along with five people who look after shipping and fulfillment. Their success has not gone unnoticed by investors: the team raised €4.5 million in their third round of funding in late 2019, bringing their total amount raised to over €8 million. Some of the team members of Velasca, who help to bring handcrafted shoes from the cobblers benches of Marche to customers all around the world. Velasca Swift year-over-year growth has brought about a whirlwind of changes for the business, but Enrico and the team remain dedicated to the simple things that keep them connected to customers. “Some daily activities that I make time for are responding to customers’ emails, and I’ll go to the store at least once a week and spend time there,” Enrico says. This unwavering commitment to customers is Velasca’s heartbeat, and Enrico believes the reason for the company’s success today—and for the years to come. It’s a time of ever-changing circumstances when all businesses are trying to adapt, pivot, and find new ways to grow. This conversation with Velasca’s founder took place in December 2019, and, much like everything else it does, the company’s response and way of connecting to its community during this challenging time are made beautifully. You can check out some of its initiatives on its Instagram feed. About the author Shuang Esther Shan Shuang is a storyteller at Shopify, fascinated by how change is created through commerce. When she’s not obsessively researching or glued to hearing the stories of merchants, she’s discovering new places—with a camera in hand. [abc]
12 Trending Products to Sell in 2020 (And Ideas for How to Market Them) March 3, 2020 bizadmin To succeed in e-commerce, you need three things: in-demand products to sell, the skills to market them, and the drive to succeed. You already have the winner’s mindset—you’re continually learning, researching, and preparing for success. But finding popular products to sell can be a challenge. That’s why we update this list every year to help you uncover new trending product ideas. In this list, you’ll find 12 trending products in 2020 that will activate new business ideas—or, you may find an in-demand product to add to your existing store. Since each trending product is meant for a distinct audience, we’re also sharing niche-specific tips for reaching new customers. The trending products on this list are a handful of products with the highest Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and a total number of orders sourced from Oberlo and AliExpress. Additionally, each of these trending products can be found on Oberlo, which is available for free to all Shopify store owners. If you find a product that piques your interest, you can add it to your Shopify store in a few clicks. Trending products to sell in 2020 1. Pet bed Looking for the purrfect popular product to sell to pet owners? This pet bed has been clawing its way to the top of the sales charts. According to Google Trends, “dog bed” has seen some strong growth in search volume. The search keyword “dog bed” gets 234,000 monthly searches, and “cat bed” also has a sizable amount of search demand, with 60,500 monthly searches. If you own a pet store, you can market this pet bed on visual platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. On Pinterest, you can join pet group boards, which allow you to promote your products to a bigger audience. On Instagram, you can partner with pet-related fan pages to get a shoutout in a post or in an Instagram Story. By partnering with a fan page, your product can be seen by a much larger audience, especially if you’re just starting out. 2. One size fits all sofa and couch covers This sofa and couch cover is a popular product for homes with pets or children, as well as property owners who rent out their spaces on platforms like AirBnB. Sofa and couch covers are a popular product for hosts as they help keep furniture in pristine condition for all guests, and replacing a cover is significantly cheaper than replacing an entire three-piece set. Not only has Google Trends shown a noticeable rise in searches for the product, but Statista also estimates the sofa and seat industry to be a US $44,706m market in 2020. Last but not least, data from Statista predicts the market will grow 0.6% annually until 2023, which makes sofa and couch covers an ideal trending product you can sell for at least the next few years. When marketing to customers that have pets or children, your best bets are wide-reaching channels such as Facebook and Google. But if you’re looking to acquire AirBnB hosts as your customers, you should consider geolocation in your acquisition strategy. According to AllTheRooms Analytics, there are 30 cities in the US with the highest occupancy rate, and 23 are in either California, Hawaii, or Florida. This data should give you a great insight into the type of Facebook Custom Audience you can build and target if you choose to appeal to AirBnB hosts. 3. Minimalist jewelry Many people prefer the finer things in life. Evidently, it’s minimalist jewelry that has seen some of the strongest sales growth for retailers in recent years. Google Trends shows there are many frequent, high-volume searches from consumers for this more modest style of jewelry. Despite an expected annual growth rate of 2% until 2023, there has actually been an overall decline in the number of jewelry businesses available. Since the demand for the product is there, but the competition is not, a jewelry store could be a lucrative venture for any new or existing entrepreneur. When it comes to marketing trending products like these necklaces, the ideal platforms are typically Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. A simple way to elevate your jewelry store’s presence is to create videos featuring your products. Videos get more visible slots in Instagram’s Search and Explore pages, which will in turn create more visibility for your posts. Also, most jewelry retailers tend to post pictures, giving you a competitive advantage if you’re willing to put in a bit more work. 4. Beard straightener Men’s grooming is quickly turning into one of the lucrative markets available. In 2018, Statista valued the industry at $60.6 billion USD, and it’s now expected to rise to $81.2 billion USD by 2024. As a whole, the men’s grooming industry is full of opportunities, but one item, in particular, has caught our attention: beard straighteners. Not only does Google Trends show the growth in search demand for this item, but there are also 37,000 monthly searches for beard straighteners. This is definitely one of the hot trending products to sell. To turn this men’s beard straightener into a top-selling product on your store, consider using a mix of Google ads to target keywords with high purchase intent (e.g. “buy men’s beard straightener”), along with SEO-focused content to go after more informational terms (e.g. “how to straighten a beard”). Or, if you’re not a writer, instructional videos also work. Dropshipping is an excellent way to sell a trending product without needing to hold inventory. In this episode of Shopify Masters, we interview a dropshipper who spotted an up-and-coming product and managed to generate $8,872 in sales in 4 weeks. Educational content performs well in this product category because as the market demand grows, so do the needs of customers looking for tips on how to take care of their beards with these tools. Try to use content to solve common questions like, “what kind of comb is best for beards” and you’ll frequently be rewarded with search traffic. 5. Shapewear Shapewear is shaping up to be one of the best evergreen niches to pursue—for the third year in a row, this product category has made our list. By 2022, the shapewear market is expected to skyrocket to about $5.6 billion in sales. What started as an undergarment has evolved into a piece of everyday wear. Fashion retailers are also stocking their stores with bodysuits that help create a slimming silhouette. Though shapewear is still popular within the lingerie industry where it first emerged, the shapewear niche offers women a variety of different styles that can either be worn under clothing with different cuts or as a top. What makes shapewear a product worth considering is that it offers retailers a lot of versatility: whether you sell lingerie, women’s fashion, or want to add this category to an existing general apparel store, you’ll be able to find shapewear in different colors, styles, and sizes to meet the needs of your diverse customer base. You can sell trending products like this high-waist shapewear, which has generated over 6,000 sales in January of 2020. It has a seamless design and creates a visibly slimmer figure for your customers. 6. Backpacks Backpacks have been a popular item to sell. But recently, the data shows they’re a clear frontrunner as one of the best products to sell online—in particular, this backpack has been surging in sales recently. As Google Trends shows below, search demand has grown year over year with consistent spikes around August. Statista estimates that backpack sales will rise from $19.1 billion USD in 2020 to $22.5 billion USD in 2023, ensuring this will be a top trending product for years to come. Targeting your ideal customer depends on who it is; backpacks for children, college or university students, or adults. If you’re looking to sell backpacks for children, then your marketing will need to target parents. The best place to target parents is through Facebook ads, Instagram ads, and Pinterest. One thing to consider is that competing with other “back to school” marketing campaigns will result in inflated prices on ads. But, if you time your store and product launch before the schools reopen, you could see a surge in sales. However, if you’re selling to college kids or adults, then you’ll need to reach them directly with Instagram ads, potentially by sourcing partnerships with Instagram influencers. Backpacks for adults that aren’t in college aren’t as susceptible to seasonal ups and downs, so if you’re looking for an all year-round product trend, this market could be a hit. 7. Post-workout massage guns Massage guns are hand-held massage devices intended to be used after a workout to unwind and relax tense muscles. Massage guns are still relatively new, but consumer interest in them has been climbing since last summer. Interest is still high post-Christmas, and massage guns show clear signs of becoming a top trending product to sell in 2020. To tap into the best-selling product potential of massage guns, look to video marketing and interactive ads on Instagram as your best distribution channel. Targeting your ads around particular Instagram hashtags or influencer’s handles could be your best customer acquisition method. Here’s why: It’s a growing trend among fitness gurus and enthusiasts to share anything from workout tips, routine videos, and what’s in their gym bag—their followers want to see their routine and what equipment they find essential for their workouts. Working with influencers directly on Instagram could be another lucrative channel for sales. Getting a shoutout in their story or a reciprocal comment on one of their posts could be enough to drive new sales. For instance, there are certain niches in the fitness industry you can pick to focus on, from runners to CrossFit athletes, there is ample opportunity to showcase the benefits of massaging sore muscles with this item and turn it into a best selling product online. 8. Plaid hoodie The plaid clothing pattern has evolved from a flash in the pan fad to a timeless and consistently popular style. Despite the clothing market being a particularly competitive niche, these products niche are still a potentially lucrative option for ambitious entrepreneurs who want to build an apparel business. Google Trends shows a steady increase in interest over the past few years. With 1,900 monthly searches for “plaid hoodie,” there’s clear evidence that this is a robust niche market. To turn to sell plaid hoodies into a lucrative venture, it’s best to have your marketing target its niche market. The low search volume shouldn’t put you off from relying on organic search to drive sales. The keyword difficulty for this term is also quite low, leaving ample room for newcomers in the market to drive sales from organic search and create a top trending product for your business. 9. Smartwatches Around 1.2 billion watches are sold each year globally. And the number keeps rising. Last year we saw the rise of minimalist watches. In 2020, smartwatches will likely continue trending upward. December tends to be the peak month for watch sales, but it would be wise to include a relevant summer accessory to ensure higher profits year-round. Facebook and Instagram tend to be the most popular channels for growing a watch store. Many watch retailers have influencers take lifestyle shots set wherever they travel, for outdoorsy and luxurious images that are perfect for social media. Entrepreneur Tim Kock launched a watch store and was able to make $6,667 in roughly eight weeks by using this approach. You can start your first watch store by selling this Bluetooth smartwatch, which includes a built-in camera, sound recorder, step counter, sleep monitor, calendar, and more. 10. Infant and baby carrier One recent product trending with new parents is the baby carrier. Since strollers are big and bulky, some parents are opting for smaller, compact harnesses to carry their newborn for a few hours. Google Trends shows we’re close to hitting peak interest for this product, so if you’re looking for a top-selling product with validated demand, consider acting fast. To reach new parents with this item, you’ll once again turn to advertise on Facebook and Instagram. If you’re looking to explore other sales channels, consider selling on Amazon or listing your product on Google Shopping, although it’s worth noting that these marketplaces will take a fee from your sale. Another experiment to try is to market to a local group with flyers. Create discount codes and distribute them among new parent meetup groups in your town. 11. Athleisure In fashion, trends are the only constant. However, athleisure is one fashion trend that has some staying power. No wonder, then, that it’s a trending item that’s made our list two years in a row. Athleisure is active wear worn as an everyday look rather than for athletic purposes like going to the gym. Within this category, you can sell everything from sweatshirts, sweatpants, leggings, sports bras, tank tops, headbands, capris, and shoes—all in countless colors and styles. Plus, you can take this niche in several directions: with a dedicated store, a product collection within a broader fashion store, or you can market your products to one of the many fitness sub-niches. Depending on how you position your brand, there could be an opportunity to expand into other product verticals, such as fashion accessories and jewelry or fitness accessories like yoga mats. Since millennial women are often the target market for athleisure, visual platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are ideal channels to grow your brand, whether you pursue organic growth or use their advertising options. You can also look into driving growth with influencer marketing. One place to begin is seeking out fitness influencers within your niche using Instagram search tools. Influencers can model your apparel and give your brand a shout out for a fee or a commission of sales. You can start your athleisure store by selling these yoga leggings, which have been converting well for Shopify store owners using Oberlo. 12. Mesh shoes We’ve seen the rise of mesh shoes primarily as running shoes, but now they’re another item that’s moved from workout wear and into the athleisure category. Mesh shoes for women and men have also been a best-selling product for the last two years and show signs of being a trending item in 2020. These trending items are best sold through visuals platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook, though a channel you may want to experiment with is Google Ads. At the time of writing, the average bidding cost for mesh shoes is low at $1.20. If you choose to use the same kind of millennial-focused marketing as athleisure, be sure to partner with influencers as it’s the easiest way to get a new brand’s products in front of this audience. Mesh shoes typically have a bigger addressable market than most athleisure products. For example, your target market could be as niche as focusing on generation X or Baby Boomers who are seeking comfier shoes to walk in while touring on vacation. Or, you can target the staff in the food and service industries where folks are on their feet all day. Point being, there are many potential audiences you can explore with mesh shoes. Conduct a competitive analysis or SWOT analysis of the market and decide what route is best for you. Time to get selling These are some of the trending products to sell in 2020, but there are so many more to choose from. Finding product trends is only one part of the equation. The real secret is figuring out how to market them. Check out 50 Ways to Get Sales with Dropshipping to learn how I personally grew my online store’s sales using the marketing tactics that the best performing stores use. If you’re interested in hands-on training that walks you through the process of starting an online store around a profitable niche, be sure to watch our free webinar series. During the webinar, one of our team members will share how they grew one of their online business ideas to over 8,000 sales per year, along with the marketing tactics that worked (and the ones that flopped). Illustration by Albert Tercero About the author Nicole Martins Ferreira Nicole Martins Ferreira is an e-commerce entrepreneur and content marketer at Oberlo. She’s been building online stores for over five years.
Dates and Events to Use in Your 2020 E-commerce Ad Campaigns January 22, 2020 bizadmin With 2020 already well underway, it’s time to start thinking about all of the fantastic campaigns you can run throughout the year to get customers spending. When you think of days when consumers are willing to buy, your mind probably jumps to the big end-of-year holidays. But why wait until November to start all your big campaigns when you have so many other days you could capitalize on throughout the year. To get your 2020 marketing calendar started, we’ve put together a massive list of days and events that you could use for your store and get those sales happening. And, we’ve even included a downloadable calendar at the bottom of this article that will help you keep track of your dates. [abc] Spending Holidays We’re going to ease into things with a bunch of holidays that you should already have on your calendar – the big ones that are proven to generate sales. Although these shopping holidays are when most online stores run sales, because there’s so much money to spend during this time, there’s no reason they can’t be profitable for your store as well. Black Friday and Cyber Monday These two days bookend a massive weekend for commerce – and eCommerce in particular. In the US alone, shoppers spent over $7.4 billion online during Black Friday 2019 and went on to spend $9.4 billion on Cyber Monday. With that much cash changing hands, you’d be silly for not planning for a BFCM sale. This year Black Friday will be on November 27 and Cyber Monday on November 30. Singles’ Day Celebrated on November 11, Singles’ Day is an unofficial Chinese holiday for single people – but it has also become the most essential day for shipping in the world. In 2019 shoppers spent over $30 billion on Singles’ Day, and due to its popularity, Singles’ Day has become more internationally recognized in recent years – much like Black Friday. Because of this, it could be well worth jumping on the trend and adding Singles’ Day to your calendar. Halloween and Valentine’s Day These are two holidays that people love to spend on, so if you sell items in a complementary niche – think along the lines of decorations, costumes, supplies, and gifts – these are two days that should certainly go on your calendar. However, bear in mind that these are holidays can also be regional. While Halloween is enormous in the United States and Canada, it’s not as popular in Australia and New Zealand. Researching on local holidays will help you see where campaigns might have more impact. For example, for Commonwealth countries, December 26 – or Boxing Day – is a big shopping day. And, in Australia, June 30 is also a big shopping day, as it’s the end of the financial year. Weird Days and Months Did you know that January is Get Organized Month? Or that February 20 is Love Your Pet Day? What about International Plant Appreciation Day on April 13? If it seems like there’s a day or month for everything, it might be because there is. With so many fun, weird, and wacky dates, there are bound to be a few you could use as the basis for an excellent campaign for your products or store. [abc] For example, if you’re in the pet niche and selling products for dogs, you could run sales on March 23 for National Puppy Day. Or if you’re in the jewelry niche, Jewel Day on March 13 is for you. Although you can only use these campaigns for a short amount of time, tying your product to a relevant day will add urgency, stop potential customers in their tracks, and ideally lead to impulse purchases. Websites such as Holiday Insights and Days of the Year will help you find the perfect day or month for your campaign, and from there, you only need to write some snappy ad copy that will entice buyers to celebrate with a purchase from your store. And if you can’t find a day that suits your store or products? Well, you could always invent your own. Back in 2005, UK holiday company Sky Travel sent a press release designating the third Monday of January to be Blue Monday – a.k.a the most depressing day of the year. While they claimed academics calculated the day by taking into account Northern hemisphere weather conditions, in reality, it was all pseudoscience. Despite this, 15 years later, Blue Monday is still an annual event in the UK, so why not take a chance by creating a store-relevant day? Astrological Signs I know this might seem a little kooky or strange, but stick with me! You only need to make a quick search on Twitter or Instagram to see that astrology is enormous at the moment. Pinterest’s recent trend report even mentioned that space and astrology are going to be significant trends in 2020. With astrology so popular, it makes total sense to seize on the chance to use this in your campaigns. And with 12 different star signs, there’s the opportunity to target 12 different groups throughout the whole year. Looking at Facebook Audience Insights, the group that shows the most interest in astrology is overwhelming women, who make up 65 percent of the worldwide audience. And, diving even more in-depth, we can see that women between 25-34 (31 percent) and 35-44 (20 percent) are particularly interested. The best thing about using astrological signs as the basis for a campaign is that people who are interested in astrology love to feel as though they genuinely relate to their sign. You can use this to your advantage in the images and copy you use in your ads. For example, Scorpios are often described as brave, passionate, and loyal, while Pisces is intuitive, gentle, and wise. Incorporating these traits into your ads could be a fantastic way to appeal to potential buyers even further. And, because each astrological sign has a season of around 30 days, it gives you plenty of time to tinker with refining audiences, changing images, and copy to try and hook as many star sign enthusiasts as possible. Seasonal Changes Seasonal changes are a time of the year that businesses have been using in their sales campaigns forever, so really, you’d be silly not to use it as well. No matter what you’re selling, there’s a way that you can tie your product to a seasonal sale – even if it’s something as the classic “the temperature is dropping, and so are our prices!” You could even make it as simple as promoting free shipping for a season; this is ideal for a store selling more seasonal products like bikinis, Halloween costumes, or outdoor sportswear. Or why not add new products to that perfectly complement the season. However, seasonal sales come with a few things to think about, for example, targeting northern and southern hemisphere countries for different seasons. After all, there’s no point advertising summer sales to Australians in June or July when they’re in the middle of winter. It could also be worth researching when certain countries consider the season to have changed. For many countries, the seasons change on equinoxes and solstices – around the 20th of March, June, September, and December. However, Australia and New Zealand prefer to use meteorological seasons, so seasons begin on the 1st of March, June, September, and December. It’s a small detail, but it’s worth considering all the same. Sporting Events [abc] Everyone knows majoring sports events are big business, so why not try to grab some of that business for yourself by running campaigns during some of the notable competitions in 2020. Below we’ve named some of the bigger tournaments and games planned for 2020, but don’t limit yourself to the ones we’ve listed. Different sports are accessible in different parts of the world, so depending on the countries you’re targeting, you could find a whole different event that would be perfect to base a campaign around. Tokyo Olympics The Olympic games will captivate the world for more than two weeks this year as elite athletes descend on Tokyo to show off their skills. While the Olympics will officially run from July 24 until August 9, the hype will start weeks before the event, so it gives you plenty of time to run a campaign. Because the summer Olympics only come around every four years, this allows you to run campaigns that bounce off this idea. For example, you could create gigantic “once in four years” discounts, or promise free shipping for the duration of the games. Or, why not get super savvy and offer discounts based on the results of athletes or sports teams. Perhaps you could offer 1 percent off for each gold medal a country adds to their medal count – all it takes is some discount codes and geo-targeting to make this super-localized campaign a reality. Superbowl LIV [abc] The Superbowl has become so massive in recent years that it’s no longer just a big deal in the United States, it’s very much a worldwide event. The Superbowl is an incredibly commercial competition, with advertising airtime worth millions for mere seconds. Luckily it won’t cost you quite as much to run a Superbowl-centric ad, but you could score big. A flash sale for Superbowl day could be a fantastic way to catch the eye of potential customers, or why not target fans of the two teams playing and offer special discount codes. And depending on the products you sell, you could even start advertising well before the big game. For example, if your store has food or kitchen-related items, why not try and sell these items the month before the game, pitching them as the ideal products for a Superbowl party. Euro 2020 From one ball sport to another, the European football championship is also happening in 2020 in a tournament that will last from June 12 to July 12. With 12 countries competing in this event, it offers anyone targeting European countries the opportunity to create localized ads and woo customers. Or, if you’d prefer not to have to translate your ads into different languages, focus on advertising to the younger demographic who are more likely to speak English. Cultural Events If your store or products don’t exactly chime with sporting events, perhaps something in the cultural sphere could be more suited. This idea is a vast category, and I’ve used it to encompass things like entertainment, art, and music. But, as with sport, don’t take this list as an exhaustive one – there are thousands more big events out there. And, perhaps even more so than games, there will be cultural events that are huge news in some countries but might be relatively unheard of on an international scale. That said, as always, some things definitely have worldwide appeal, and you can very much use this to your advantage in your campaigns. Awards Season [abc] The glitz and glamor of awards season kick-off in January with the Golden Globes, Grammys, Academy Awards, and BAFTAs, to name just a few. If your store is related to entertainment, clothing, or jewelry, this could be the perfect time to target audiences already focussed on who’s attending the ceremonies and what they’re wearing. San Diego Comic-Con From July 23-26, over 130,000 people descend on the San Diego Convention Center to hear from their favorite TV and movie stars and to watch much-anticipated trailers for the first time. And aside from the thousands who gather in San Diego, millions more all over the world who follow the event on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube, waiting for exclusive SDCC footage and interviews to be released. If you sell items that are in any way related to fandoms or entertainment – projectors, wigs, costumes, accessories – comic con is the time to target these fans. TV Series, Game, and Movie Releases Piggybacking off of Comic-Con, TV, game, and movie releases are also great times for sales – especially for niche stores. If you sell products that complement TV shows – for instance, medieval-themed items work well with shows like The Witcher or Vikings – then be sure to keep track of when those series return. You can also think about when trailers are released when finales are to be scheduled, and when major plot points might send fans racing to the internet. These are all the perfect times for you to advertise your store. Music Festivals Festivals and concerts are incredibly location-dependent, but they can be smart to target if your store has items that would appeal to the festival-going crowd. Think jewelry, clothing, bags, sunglasses, and other accessories. Depending on the countries you’re targeting, you could advertise to the enormous crowds headed to mega-festivals like Coachella, Burning Man, or Glastonbury. Or maybe do some more research on festivals that are more locally known. Festivals aren’t cheap to attend, and most festival-goers will spend time planning their trip ahead of time. This idea gives you the chance to start advertising from the time of lineup announcements and early ticket sales. Wrapping Up and Things to Keep in Mind So there you have some of the most significant events and dates in 2020 that you could potentially use in your ads and campaigns. However, this is only a starting point, there is so much more happening than what is listed here, and that’s important to bear in mind when you plan your big sales in 2020. Find Your Opportunities [abc] Even though we’ve covered a lot of holidays, dates, and events, there will undoubtedly be a ton more that we could never predict, but would be great for campaigns – this is especially true for stores that sell very niche products. However, staying alert and seizing the opportunities when you see them will help. For example, if you enjoy the internet and pop culture, don’t be afraid to jump on trends or memes and use them in ads. While you can’t necessarily foresee what will become popular, if you’re willing to try new ads when you notice trends, it could yield significant returns. It could be something as simple as a word or phrase (think 2019’s “OK boomer” or the evolution of DoggoLingo) or a suitable meme format. Whatever it is, if it’s relevant to your products, why not try it out in an ad. Don’t Try and Force Something If It Doesn’t Fit Before you go off and start planning your eCommerce campaigns for 2020, staying mindful of your audience and product is critical. While it might be tempting to try and take advantage of certain days or events with sales and marketing, if it doesn’t fit with your products, then don’t try to force it. If you’re struggling to connect your items with the day, then your customers probably will too, and you’ll lose the wow factor in your campaign. Besides, with so many days out there, you’re bound to find some super relevant ones – concentrate on making those great. Design Your 2020 Calendar With all the inspiration on this list, you’re probably bursting with plenty of campaign ideas for your store. Take the opportunity to download our 2020 e-commerce calendar to help you remember some of the more significant dates as well as adding your store-relevant dates. We recommend printing it off and keeping it nearby, so you have it for reference for the whole year. What events are you planning to incorporate into your advertising, and why? Tell us in the comments below. Allanah Faherty Allanah Faherty is a content marketer at Oberlo. Allanah is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs through useful and engaging content, as well as movie trivia and cats. [abc]
How to Deal With Returns and Refunds in 2020 | Oberlo Dropshipping January 18, 2020 bizadmin [abc] This is Jessica from Oberlo 101 that links to Shopify and AliExpress to source your winning product in a jiffy. Here she talks on how to deal with returns and refunds in 2020 as a drop shipper. Mind you, e-commerce is not easy, you have to blog, attract paid traffic via Facebook, Instagram social influencers, handle complaints and wait for sales in the beginning. It is tough work and you are hearing from someone who has tried and been there before. Since I cannot allocate my full attention to Shopify that charges USD 29 per month and only 2 sales for 8 long months, I decided to quit and cut my losses while continuing with my full-time job as an IT executive. But after all these precautions, if you think you have what it takes to start an e-commerce platform, then I would suggest using the free WooCommerce like WordPress. You need to experiment around and play with the main features available on WooCommerce. Al I know is that it is like WordPress and that is it. [abc] So good luck to any of you who are reading this article on the said video. There are many ways to make money, but you have to choose which method is most suitable for you to leverage the hard work you put in. As for me, I love writing and blogging, so I am going to concentrate on these. [abc]