Springing ahead with Shopify e-Commerce Platform March 22, 2021 bizadmin Springing ahead… Today is the first day of spring Normally, this is the time of year when youâd expect shoppers to tepidly begin looking for hot-weather apparel, start stocking-up on travel supplies, or wrestling with the urge to update their backyard barbecue setupâ âall in preparation for the upcoming summer. Normally. But there is a slight difference this yearâ âweâre playing catch-up. Last yearâs spring was unlike any other. Simple purchases came with added complications, and alongside fluctuating travel restrictions, just didnât seem worth the effort. But this week’s trends make it clear that last year was an anomaly. Each product featured this week had experienced years of growth prior to 2020 and each of them looked to be consigned to the dustbin of history by the end of the summer. But looks can be deceiving. These trends never stopped growing, they were just put on hold for a bit. With spring underway, interest is rising again, and after a year of disruption, it’s rising faster than ever before. Are we in for the biggest spring shopping season in years? Itâs starting to look that way… Here’s what’s trending: Sandals Sandals are a staple of summer footwear, but last year, with fewer beach parties and summer gatherings, their popularity hit a low point. Sales and searches were the lowest theyâd been in years, with its highest point lower than the year previous for the first time in a decade. via Google Trends This year, numbers look to be bouncing back. Month-to-month searches are unsurprisingly higher than in 2020, but theyâre also higher than in 2019, meaning last yearâs low was likely an outlier. With its biggest months still ahead, sandals are set to see huge sales this year. Marketing tip: Related searches like âorthopedic sandalsâ, âflat sandalsâ, and âoff-white sandalsâ are also trending. Additional keyword research would likely reveal even more insights about what styles are in high demand, and help to guide your product curation. Start selling sandals on Shopify Electric bicycle Electric bicycles work just like their analog counterpart, the only difference being a rechargeable, battery-operated motor thatâs ready to take over pedaling whenever the riderâs legs get tired. E-bikes have a ton of accompanying gear and maintenance products, making them a great launching point for a brand. via Google Trends E-bikes have grown in popularity over the years, posting their biggest sales last Summer. Since then, search interest hasnât abated. Numbers are currently higher than theyâve ever been in March, and with its busiest months ahead, 2021 is set to be a stand-out year for e-bike sales. Marketing tip: New e-bike enthusiasts will need a lot of equipment, providing an opportunity to boost the value of your transactions. Try upselling or cross-selling similar products, and retargetting customers who might still be in the market for new equipment. Start selling electric bicycles on Shopify Pressure washer Pressure washers are outdoor cleaning tools that use a motorized compression system to blast high-powered streams of water. Theyâre especially good at removing loose paint, rust, and hardened mud from surfaces like wood and concrete. via Google Trends Search interest in pressure washers typically peaks in late May, with a higher and higher peak each year for the last five years. This March, search interest is nearly twice as high as in March 2020, meaning this yearâs peak looks on track to be its biggest yet. Marketing tip: Pressure-washing has inspired mountains of online contentâ âthereâs even a whole subreddit dedicated to pressure-washing videos. Active participation in these communities is a great way to find audiences that are likely to have a higher interest in your product. Start selling pressure washers on Shopify Magnetic lashes Artificial eyelashes are traditionally applied with glue, but this can be messy and doesnât always result in the best placement. Magnetic lashes have two layers that attract each other and âsandwichâ the userâs real lashes in place for cleaner, more precise placement. via Google Trends Search interest in magnetic lashes has been growing since June of 2019. This year, early March numbers are higher than theyâve ever been. Given that the product typically peaks in April and sustains interest throughout the summer, we expect even bigger numbers in 2021. Marketing tip: Makeup tutorials are one of the most popular genres of video content on social media. Partnering with influencers from Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube could be a great way to promote your product and build awareness of your brand. Start selling magnetic lashes on Shopify
Katy Weighted Blanket Review October 17, 2020 bizadmin I confirm that this is a sponsored post that adheres to FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 255 of the USA. After a day of hard work, a restful sleep is so sweet. This is where choosing the weighted blanket and duvet is so pivotal. It could mean a sweet slumber or a sleepless night. In the meantime, do check out Katy Weighted Blanket, which is the very definition of affordable luxury as it offers an all seasons comfort for an extremely reasonable price. From Wikipedia, a duvet is defined as a type of bedding consisting of a soft flat bag filled with down, feathers, wool, silk or a synthetic alternative, and typically protected with a removable cover, analogous to a pillow and pillow case. The blanket comes in 2 color options and there are 2 duvet covers. One is a 100% cotton for the warm summer and the other is a puppy like mink duvet for the cold winter. These materials are almost exclusively used in much more expensive weighted blankets. This weighted blanket is highly valued because it has helped thousands of customers with their sleep disorders and anxiety. Since this is a review for Katy Weighted Blanket, you can check out my coupon code below with the link given. As loyal readers of this blog, click on the tracking link >> https://dealspotr.com/getcode/3GbY8 and use my referral code PHILIN1 to save 5% for Katy Weighted Blanket! You will get 2 duvets – 1 warming and 1 cooling and a weighted blanket as shown in the picture below: The features are as below: Ships within 1-3 business days 100% Cotton Blanket Free Delivery & Return 5-Year Warranty 50 Night Trial The colors are either white or gray. Don’t you find the above picture very enticing? The duvets are 100% cotton, with even distribution, and long-lasting. Hence, you are paying for quality here. There are options to pay by instalments or over time using Klarna. Retailing at $114, you only pay $79.80 with a further 5% discount using my code PHILIN1, thus saving you $3.99. The net total after using my discount code PHILIN1 is only $75.81 for queen size. Simply click on the tracking link here >> https://dealspotr.com/getcode/3GbY8 Now I am a always on the lookout for deals and coupons to save money. Who doesn’t, in this pandemic? So many people are either retrenched or jobless and going out is certainly a risk without wearing your mask, in this Covid-19 outbreak. Hence, e-Commerce sites using Shopify platform abounds and thrives. Many people are jumping on the bandwagon to shop online, right in the comfort of their home, while others are setting up Shopify sites like Katy Mattress with a robust payment gateway, that is safe and secure. Your details will not be shared and your credit or debit card details will be encrypted for further security. I have been a Shopify user before and also a seller on this platform. Therefore, I can attest that this is a very secure and robust system that was developed in Canada. The Benefits The Katy Weighted Blanket simulates the feeling of being hugged (scientifically known as Deep Touch Pressure) and its benefits are: – Reduces restlessness and helps with anxiety. – Helps with Insomnia and improves sleep quality. – Helps to increase focus for ADHD and manage symptoms of Autism. – Reduces Fibromyalgia Pain. – Improves mood and gives a feeling of calmness. – Reduces symptoms of PTSD and Panic Disorder. – Acts as a drug-free pain killer. MORE DEALS For more deals, do check out this merchant, Katy Mattress at https://dealspotr.com/promo-codes/katymattress.com One will be spoilt for choice with so many deals on Amazon, Macys, Walmart, and such. As now is autumn, I use the gray velvet duvet for the coming cold winter. And I must admit that the velvet duvet cover with weighted blanket is very comfortable and cozy in this cold weather. For a long time, I could sleep soundly, like a baby in deep slumber! Thanks to Katy, I get to review these splendid products which were sent to my home for a blog post like this. Katy only offers quality and premium bedding for a restful sleep after working hard to save up and put food on the table for the family. You will certainly deserve a luxury sleep using Katy weighted blanket and wrapped up like a hamster or puppy with luxe blankets that are designed for summer time and also winter time. Main Features are: – Natural Cotton blanket cover – 2 duvets. One for winter & one for summer – Even Weight Distribution – Temperature Regulation – Safe For Kids & Adults – Free Shipping and return – 100 Night Risk-Free Trial – 5-year Warranty Check out more awesome pictures below for your interest in these amazing products. The Benefits of Duvet (Weighted Blanket) and Duvet Covers The advantage of duvets has everything to do with the cover. The cover is easily removed and it protects the duvet itself; this allows you to remove the cover and throw it in the laundry with the rest of your clothes. When you have a duvet and duvet cover, it takes the place of a top sheet on your bed. As my silk duvet cover is 8 years of age and tearing at the sides, this free sample of duvet (weighted blanket) and duvet cover comes in handy and at the right time. Thanks again, Katy! Here, again I summarize the Benefits for your easy reading · Protect Comforters: When you invest in a comforter, you should also take a few steps to prolong its lifespan. Using a duvet cover is an excellent way to achieve this goal. The cover is going to protect it from stains and dirt that can cause damage over time. · Ease of Maintenance: It is more convenient to clean and maintain a duvet cover than the comforter itself. Comforters are mostly recommended to be dry-cleaned, which means increased maintenance costs. However, a duvet cover can be cleaned in your washing machine. · Warmth Control: The choice of Bed Linen Duvet Covers can also affect the warmth provided by the comforter. The warmth received depends on the cover material. Cotton is perfect for a cooler effect. If you want more warmth, you should choose flannel. · Add Stylish Looks: Duvet covers are more affordable than comforters. This allows you to choose from a wide range of design and color options to update your bedroom. You can update the roomsâ dĂ©cor based on the season without having to worry about spending a lot. Experiment with your preferred themes as and when desired. · Ease of Storage: It is also easy to fold and store the covers. Whether you are replacing the covers after laundry or changing the roomâs theme, you can easily fold and put it away. It doesnât require much room to store. Reminder To repeat and as a reminder for my dear readers, do note the following: Retailing at $114, you only pay $79.80 with a further 5% discount using my code PHILIN1, thus saving you $3.99. The net total after using my discount code PHILIN1 is only $75.81 for queen size. Simply click on the tracking link here >> https://dealspotr.com/getcode/3GbY8 About the Merchant Managed by: @hadi_sh dealspotr.com/promo-codes/katymattress.com katymattress.com Customer Service Page Shipping & Returns Policy If you can spare the time, also do check out the links above for more information. This is a needful product and must-have in this pandemic where everyone is house-bound and what more do we want? A comfortable bed to sleep and to take power naps while working in your home office, with broadband internet connectivity, computer or laptop and you are good to go!
Getting Unstuck: What to Do When You Don’t Know What to Do October 16, 2020 bizadmin Once they start, entrepreneurs have a hard time stopping. But that doesnât mean they never get stuck. For many business owners, it’s a familiar feeling. When youâre strapped for cash and have to build your business on a budget. When once-frequent sales suddenly become scarce. When a pandemic forces you to shutter your doors. When you feel like youâve exhausted all your options and are running in one place. Building a business is like navigating a maze without a map. And every once in a while you are bound to hit a wall. The good news is that “feeling stuck” doesn’t mean staying stuck. In many ways, itâs what entrepreneurs do in these moments when they donât know what to doâtheir resourcefulnessâthat defines them. What does âbeing resourcefulâ really mean? Everyone has their own personal definition of what it means to be resourceful, as we found when we asked what it meant to all of you. For many, resourcefulness means some version of making do with what’s available. But thereâs a concept psychologists call âlearned resourcefulnessâ, which refers to resourcefulness as a set of attainable skills and behaviors that help us control how we respond internally to adversity to put us in the right mind to find solutions. Early research into learned resourcefulness focused largely on forms of self-control: Engaging in positive self-talk. Negative self-talk leads to defeat before we even try. Many entrepreneurs you’ll meet are relentlessly optimistic people when it comes to their ambitions. Viewing problem solving as a process. The steps include clearly defining the problem, exploring potential solutions, evaluating and prioritizing each solution, and executing the best one. We often do this intuitively, but it’s a process we can also consciously invoke whenever we feel stuck. The willingness to delay gratification. Working towards a larger goal, like a profitable business, often requires you to put in a lot of work before you can taste the fruits of your labor. Depending on the scope of your vision, it can be months or even years before it materializes. That doesnât mean you canât celebrate the little wins and major milestones along the way. Self-efficacy. The belief that we have the ability to control ourselves, our environment, and our outcomes. Learned resourcefulness has since evolved to include âsocial resourcefulnessâ ânot just our capacity to help ourselves when we’re stuck, but our ability to make connections and seek out help from others. From speaking to a dozen entrepreneurs about this topic, each of whom had at least one story about feeling stuck, getting unstuck meant embracing both of these forms of resourcefulness to find solutions. Strategies for when youâre feeling stuck, from entrepreneurs whoâve been there 1. Pause, zoom out, and find your north star đ Many business owners find themselves in their first rut not when theyâre building their business, but when they hit a ceiling on their sales. Hitting up against what feels like a limit can be frustrating, especially when youâre nowhere near where you would like to be. While action is one antidote during these moments, you may also need to take time to pause and look up from the work to take stock of what youâre doing and what you’ve done so far. Or, as Adam of N/A Stock Company puts it: Sometimes you need to spin your wheels in circles for a bit before you can figure out how to build a well-oiled machine. Getting stuck During the early stages, my business partner and I were pretty much planning on the fly for the first couple of years. We were making sales, creating new products, getting new opportunities, but on a very small scale. Eventually, it felt like we hit a wall. We had months with no new products and weeks with no salesâalmost to a point where we thought that offering huge discounts was the only way for us to make sales. Getting unstuck It wasnât until we set up goals for the entire year where we saw the biggest difference. We needed to go through that first phase so we could actually have a benchmark. This gave us time to look at what our customers wanted, what wasnât working, what could be improved, and what a realistic sales goal was. We took our year goal and started project planning around those goals 6 weeks at a time. This change helped us take the business more seriously. We went from having too much inventory to having to do more restocks! Our sales tripled, our chemistry got better, the process got easier, and we started to have fun with it again. We were like a well-oiled machine. âAdam Libunao, N/A Stock Company Adam says that slowing down and rewriting his business plan, based on everything heâd learned, helped him gather his thoughts, focus his time and effort, and see the way forward through product launches. If this feels familiar, you can use our business plan template to think through every aspect of your business, from your mission to your place in the market, set ambitious-but-attainable goals, and work backwards on how to get there. Download business plan template Entrepreneurs may be known for bravely leaping first and âbuilding the airplane on the way downâ, but going through the process of planningâgetting your thoughts on paperâcan help you clarify your goals and prioritize the best path towards meeting themâwhether it’s creating a more profitable pricing strategy, outsourcing to free up your time or securing new capital to grow. 2. Get good at Googling (problems are rarely unique) đ”ïžââïž When you think about it, in a world of over 7 billion people (more than a million building with Shopify), many of the obstacles we encounter are probably not one-of-a-kind. That can be reassuring. Our questions have likely been asked before and our obstacles have likely been overcome before. Answers and solutions are often a free Google search away. The worldâs most popular search engine is a good place to start your quest for answers, but there are a few tricks that can help entrepreneurs in particular: Add â â around your query to force Google to filter for only exact matches of that keyword phrase (e.g. âholiday gift guide 2019â wellness to find out-of-date gift guides to pitch for your wellness products). Add site: before a URL to search for a topic or question on a specific site. You can use this to quickly search forums like Reddit or Quora for answers (site:reddit.com influencer marketing ecommerce). Donât forget about YouTube, especially if youâre a visual learner. It’s not just a place for music videos and entertainment. “How to” and educational videos are some of the most popular videos on the platform. Certain keywords can enrich your search results, such as case study to find real examples to learn from (e.g. facebook ads case study beauty brand -facebook.com) or vs. to compare two solutions youâre unsure about (e.g. sms marketing vs email marketing). If your search is turning up irrelevant results, you can add a – before a specific keyword to exclude it from your search results. Search the Shopify app store for solutions. The Shopify app store is home to over a thousand solutions built specifically for entrepreneurs building on Shopify. For little challenges, like how to make a good-looking sizing chart, to larger problems, like improving your conversion rate, chances are there’s a free or paid Shopify app to solve it. 3. Find inspiration in your competition đ Comparison doesnât have to be the thief of joy. It can also be a teacher. Looking at your competitors or at what others are doing in your market can inspire ideas for your own business, such as how to drive traffic, how to price your products, and how you can position your brand to stand out. Thereâs only so much you can glean from visiting a competitorâs website, however, so here are three ways you can peel back the curtain and see into the inner workings of other businesses for free. 1. Analyze their marketing strategy with Similar Web There are hundreds of ways to market a business and the best approaches will depend on your context. But one of the better places to start is by analyzing your competitors. SimilarWeb is a free tool that lets you plug in an established competitorâs website and see how theyâre driving their traffic: what sources theyâre relying on, what sites are linking to them, and other companies in the same space. All of this can be useful information for making your own decisions about where to invest your effort. 2. See what ads theyâre running with Facebook Ad Library Coming up with ads you feel confident betting on can be tough if copywriting, marketing, and design aren’t your main strengths. Luckily, you can look up other companies using Facebook Ad Library to peak at what ads theyâre currently running, for design and copywriting inspiration, or angles to help you differentiate yourself from your competition. 3. Peak at other email marketing strategies with MailCharts Email marketing is indispensable for most ecommerce businesses. But setting up your own email campaigns can come with a lot of questions. Beyond one-off promotional emails and newsletters, you can set up automated emails, like abandoned cart reminders and welcome emails for new subscribers, to drive value for your business in the background while you work on bringing in more traffic, subscribers, and customers. But because emails are restricted to the inbox, email marketing strategies can be pretty opaque. With MailCharts (free plan) you can actually see what emails a brand is sending to customers, along with the frequency, subject lines, and promotional mix to help inspire your own strategy. Thereâs also a gallery where you can filter by specific email types instead (order confirmation, Black Friday Cyber Monday, etc.), which are even graded based on effectiveness. A thorough competitive analysis can make comparison your friend, helping you get the lay of the land so you can chart your own way forward. You can get started with your own using our free competitive analysis template, which includes key points of comparison, from price to target audience, to note down while researching your competition. Get competitive analysis template 4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help đ Being resourceful may mean figuring it out, but it doesnât mean figuring it out alone. Social resourcefulness is an often forgotten option because of the pressure to stand on our own. But seeking advice or support from others is a form of resourcefulness, not weakness. There are countless communities and resources online, many of them free, where you can connect with other entrepreneurs or helpful advisors. You can even form your own mastermind group comprised of like-minded friends embarking on similar journeys ready to support each other. Here are some ways you can embrace social resourcefulness for the moments when you get stuck: Take advantage of customer support. Most of the tools you use to run your business will have customer support reps who might be able to help you navigate your issues. Support calls for technical issues can end with solid business advice on what to do next. It doesnât hurt to ask. Shopify Support Advisors are available 24/7 to talk about your business and selling with Shopify. Attend virtual meet-ups. Networking with other entrepreneurs can lead to some of the most valuable connections youâll make in life. These are people like you who âget itâ. Some of them have even been where you are now, or vice versa. Shopify Meetups regularly hosts virtual events that you can attend and connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs. Hire an expert. If you’re struggling with a critical area of your business, such as store design or paid marketing, you can hire an experienced Shopify Expert to help. You can also look for freelance help on platforms like Upwork. Ask around in forums for answers. People gather together in forums like Reddit and Quora around common interests and questions, making them a great place to find answers. Search to see if your question has already been asked. If not, you can pose it and hopefully find an answer. Shopify Community is our official forum for all things Shopify. Participate in online communities. There are dozens of engaged online communities you can join. Even if you mostly lurk, thereâs value to be had in listening in. And whenever you have a question or want feedback on an idea, you can pose it to the group. Try searching through Facebook groups for a group that’s relevant to you. Community can be a lifelong resource for entrepreneurs if they can find it. For Lina, owner of Sooala, she found hers through an entrepreneurship bootcamp. Getting stuck The first time I felt really stuck, I was selling at my second flea market. My first attempt didnât go that well, but this one was just before Christmas and I had high hopes for it. It ended with me making one sale, whereas the girl next to me selling jewelry was making hundreds of sales. I just completely shut down after that. I spent the next two weeks wondering, “Why am I even doing this?” It’s really harsh when you get this kind of feedback from customers so early on. Getting unstuck What got me unstuck was a shift in my mindset. I talked myself out of abandoning everything. “This is something that you really want to do. Two tries arenât enough for you to say that you want to stop.” I needed to do something that would move me forward. So that was when I enrolled in this business bootcamp. I thought to myself, I need to be surrounded by my peers, by like-minded people. In that environment, I was able to learn and pivot my business idea into the business I am running today. I also connected with incredible entrepreneurs, some of whom I have even partnered with. We support each other in the down moments but also cheer each other on, and that just changed the whole journey for me and added to what keeps me going. âLina Ravelojaona, Sooala Mentorship doesnât need to come in the form of a wise mentor who takes you under their wing and teaches you how to fly. It can be found in a community of your peers, all of you figuring it out together. 5. Consider pivoting your business Things donât always go according to plan. Sometimes a newer, better opportunity emerges that your business isnât equipped to act on. Or, a key pillar that once supported your business vanishes overnight, leaving you teetering, trying to keep your balance. A pivot occurs when you make the decision to alter the very DNA of your business to help it thrive better in these circumstances. Some examples of pivots include: Turning your companyâs attention to a different audience or opportunity to find new customers (e.g. Pizza Pilgrim, a pizza restaurant forced to close their doors, started selling pizza kits online). Changing your product or positioning to resonate more with a specific type of customer (e.g. PopSockets started as a headphone management accessory for smartphones before pivoting to stand out as a phone stand thatâs fun to fidget with) Overhauling the technology powering your business to keep pace with your customers’ needs (e.g. Old World Kitchen switched from selling through a marketplace to selling in their own online store) Think of your favorite companies. Chances are theyâve undergone a significant pivot at least once in their history. Shopify started off selling snowboards and pivoted into a solution to help people sell their own “snowboards”. Such a drastic change to a business can be risky without the right market insight to back it. But for Lily of Lovelee Designs, a pivot was just what she needed when COVID-19 cancelled what would have been a big summer for her business. Getting stuck At the beginning of the pandemic, I was completely stuck. As a fashion designer who focuses on making custom designs for special occasions and events, I didnât know how I would be able to continue making sales when the whole world was going to be on lockdown. With several fashion shows booked (even one overseas), I had planned for it to be a summer of opportunities. Unfortunately, because of the effects of COVID-19, I was not able to attend any of these events. I was actually questioning if I should go back to the corporate world and just work a regular 9-to-5, if being an entrepreneur was something I could actually maintain and sustain for the rest of my life. Getting unstuck I got unstuck when I realized that I should focus on the things that my market actually needed at that moment. With news that face masks would soon be mandatory I decided to learn how to make them. I was then able to focus on bringing new customers through my âfashionably safe face masksâ and a new online store. And as a result I was able to start pulling in sales again and bringing many more new customers to my brand. âLea-Asha âLilyâ Hibbert, Lovelee Designs Where thereâs a will âThereâs always a wayâ is the entrepreneurâs default when confronted with setbacks and challenges. But some obstacles can really throw you off your path. Feeling stuck sucks. But it can also be immensely fulfilling when you figure out how to move forward. These moments when you’re reaching for your goals and your resourcefulness is stretched can even serve as inspiration the next time you get stuck. About the author Braveen Kumar is part of the content team at Shopify where he develops resources to help aspiring entrepreneurs start and grow their own businesses. Visual Elves – Your One-Stop eCommerce Site for Ladies’ Makeup June 24, 2020 bizadmin I confirm that this is a sponsored post that adheres to FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 255 of the USA. In exchange for this blog post, I get to review Visual Elves – Your One-Stop eCommerce Site for Ladies’ Makeup and use the free faux eye-lashes for the first time in my life đ These makeup accessories are necessary for the ladies to look pretty and professional, complete with a suitcase or handbag and heeled shoes to clinch that interview meeting for prospecting executive jobs and such. Visual Elves is the One-stop accessories and make-up that you can purchase to beautify yourself for your first date or even after several dates to a marriage and more. There are many types of pretty make-up accessories to function individually according to your needs. Examples include faux eye-lashes, lipstick, eye shadow, facial foundation and more to choose from the Shopify eCommerce site, which is a very niche site for the young and even ladies in their golden years, to look perpetually youthful and attractive to their spouse. As part of the deal and my loyal readers, you get to discounts off any purchase using the code 7URCU5ZX at this site >> https://dealspotr.com/getcode/tfjKh The key features above are for: Face Eyes Lips Brushes and Tools Offers Subscription As part of the deal to my loyal readers, you get to save further from any purchases using this site with more codes >> https://dealspotr.com/promo-codes/visualelves.com Note that there is free shipping in the U.S. Now who doesn’t like deals and free shipping together? I am a sucker for anything free and this is my weak point or rather shopping mode that turns me on to buy more and hit the benchmark price for the FREE gift. Normally I will give my free gifts to my mum to pamper her in her golden years at 82 this year of the mouse zodiac, which is 2020. In this Covid-19 pandemic that has caused mayhem around the world with millions displaced from their jobs, hospitality tourism closed down and social distancing to encourage people to stay safe at home, the world economy has been badly affected and it could be in global recession now. I can only pray for a better USA president with tack and sense not to bash China into submission, as it will not repeat what happened to Japan. Anyway, back to Visual Elves, from politics, I think online shopping is cathartic compared to reading the negative news worldwide with this Covid-19 outbreak. Therefore, Shopify stores like Visual Elves have increased like mushrooms sprouting after a rainfall or downpour. It is better to pamper yourself with disposable cash than to play games or gamble away the money or to read negative news in the press and watch television, which bombards your brain with all the negativity. In summary, I would like to tell you my readers, to stay safe and stay happy at home. Don’t go out partying or clubbing in crowded places. How Tokyobike Synced Their Storefronts and Doubled Sales February 1, 2020 bizadmin With shopping moving online, itâs not unusual to see brick-and-mortar retailers moving into the eCommerce space. But not all brands have been able to move online and boast a 100% increase in sales in less than six months. Meet tokyobike. The independent bicycle company was founded in 2002 in the quiet suburb of Yanaka, Japan, and first made its way to the United States in 2014. The company is now headquartered in Los Angeles, which is where we sat down with Juliana Di Simone, tokyobikeâs Partner in America, to discuss their journey to selling online. The ethos behind the in-store experience The tokyobike brand is inspired by the clean, minimalist aesthetic of Japanese design and pays homage to the âTokyo Slowâ movementâan emphasis on comfort over speed and a nod to simpler times. Their stores are designed to reflect this sentiment. With the open space, subdued colors, and thoughtfully-curated merchandising, customers are invited to explore the store at their leisure. Buying a bicycle is very personal, explains Juliana. She adds, â[Theyâve] traditionally been purchased in person. You want to see them, touch them, ride them. See if what you’re buying will actually fit your needs.â In fact, tokyobikeâs commitment to their in-store experience is so integral to the brandâs ethos that the founders originally had no intention of selling onlineâthey didnât think theyâd be able to mirror the experience or the high-touch service. Up until 2015, tokyobike operated as a brick-and-mortar, exclusively. But when their staff could no longer support the influx of foot traffic in their bustling SoHo shop in New York City, they knew they had to offer an alternative for their customers. Compounding this shift was a challenge specific to its flagship product: tokyobikeâs purchase journey was longer than is typical for most direct-to-consumer brands. At $900 apiece, their bicycles arenât an impulse buy. Bikes are a long-term investment and often an expression of oneâs personal taste, so people take their time exploring their options before making a purchase. This wasnât a problem for local shoppers, who could return to the store once theyâd made up their mind. But out-of-towners and tourists didnât have the same luxury. Instead, they would typically test-ride a few bikes in-store, come across one they loved, only to return home without an easy way to finalize their purchase. All roads lead to eCommerce [abc] At first, tokyobike’s sales associates tried to solve this problem by writing names and emails on the back of business cards for shoppers to take home. This allowed tokybikeâs staff to then follow up with an invoice and credit card authorization form via email and gave would-be customers the chance to buy the product. But this manual process was time-consuming, fraught with error, and introduced the joys of paperwork into what should be an exciting purchase. âWhen you’re a small team, time really matters…If your team is taken away from things that grow the business to do small, laborious things, you need to find tools that make it easier…If you’re looking to scale, you really have to find platforms and systems that can help you do those things,â Juliana tells us. Launching an online store was the clear next step for the retailer. But not all platforms are created equal, and in three years, the cracks were beginning to show. âWe knew there were things we wanted to do that we couldn’t, and that’s mostly because of the way we fulfill our orders and the way we wanted the online experience to be. We thought somewhere in there we were probably losing customers,â says Juliana. They needed something more robust. According to Juliana, the ease of Shopifyâs mobile POS system was a big selling point. tokyobike Taking Shopify for a test ride In early 2019, just six months after moving onto Shopify, online sales would surpass tokyobikeâs brick-and-mortar sales, with the physical locations increasingly being used for test-rides only. For Juliana, the synergy between their storefrontsâand the role tokyobikeâs physical spaces would come to play in driving online salesâwas an unexpected, but a welcome shift in the companyâs business model. And the relationship is a two-way street. Juliana shares a typical scenario where a customer buys a bike online and opts to pick it up in-store. Once theyâre in the store, they might realize they need a lock, and a helmet, and maybe a bell. All of a sudden, an online purchase has driven in-store sales, too. The idea that each channel should complement and influence the other to nurture customers through the sales cycle is the foundation of a unified commerce strategy, and ultimately, the goal for every retailer. Switching from Lightspeed to Shopify POS The journey toward a harmonized online and offline experience wasnât without hiccups. âUntil recently, we’ve always had different point-of-sales and a different platform for our online store,â admits Juliana. [abc] When they switched to Shopifyâs eCommerce solution, they decided to switch their Lightspeed point-of-sale (POS) systems to Shopify POS, as well. The separate systems were creating a messy experienceâfrom minor frustrations, like not being able to redeem gift cards across sales channels, to bigger issues, like the inability to see inventory across locations. Switching to Shopifyâs POS allowed tokyobike to sync their online store with their physical stores, and manage the entire business from one backend. “There are very few steps with Shopify. It’s a one-click kind of thing.” âWe integrated everything, it just made more sense logistically to have everything in the same place. Especially because sometimes, we’ll have customers who are interested in things that we only have in-store. So if you need a new set of wheels, we don’t have those on the website…but we can easily email a cart to a customer with items that are only in the store and they can complete that purchase as if it was an online sale,â explains Juliana. For multi-location retailers like tokyobike, having an up-to-date inventory that could be moved on demand, with flexible payment and fulfillment options is often a turning point. When asked about her staffâs experience with Shopifyâs retail technology, Juliana says the platformâs ease-of-use was a big selling point. âIn terms of our team, I think everyone thought it was way easier. The transition was actually really, really easy for us. There are very few steps with Shopify. It’s a one-click kind of thing.â Free Webinar: Introduction to Shopify POS Get a step-by-step demo of Shopify POS and hear success stories from fast-growing retailers. The team has also benefited from a faster checkout experience since moving to Shopify POS. âOur transaction times are way quicker now. From the moment you decide which bicycle you’re going to purchase, to actually inserting your card or tapping your phone, is a much shorter period of time than it used to be before,â adds Juliana. Beyond ease-of-use, Shopifyâs unified platform allowed tokyobike to provide its customers with a consistently delightful experience across every touchpoint, staying true to the brandâs origins, and their commitment to white-glove service. The future of commerce is unified Itâs impossible to think of retail as separate…this idea of unified retail is the future. Today, customers can begin and complete their journey with tokyobike wherever and whenever they want. “Itâs impossible to think of retail as separate. You have to be able to bring the physical into the digital, and the digital into the physical. From an experience perspective, but also in terms of systems. Connecting the two is important…this idea of unified retail is the future,â says Juliana. The company continues to use its brick-and-mortar locations as a showroom for its productsâan opportunity to get in front of new customers who are intrigued by their beautiful storefronts, and to give potential customers the option of experiencing their unique products in-person before ordering online. For the folks who arenât ready to purchase on the spot, tokyobikeâs sales associates can keep the conversation going by re-engaging these shoppers online with cart reminders and e-gift card offers. Across the board, this strategy has helped them boost sales and scale across the United States. Since switching over to Shopify, tokyobike doubled their online sales in under six months, and shrunk their sales cycle from 14-30 days, down to a single week. Their brick-and-mortar presence is growing too, with 13 flagship locations around the world, including stores in London, Berlin, Bangkok, and Mexico City. You could say theyâre moving at a pretty good clip. Photography courtesy of tokyobike [abc] How to Choose the Perfect Name for Your Store January 27, 2020 bizadmin [abc] Coming up with a name for your online business might seem like a pretty simple task, but trust us, it isnât always easy. In fact, it can take days to come up with a name for your business. Thatâs because most entrepreneurs have high expectations for their businesses. They want their business name to be instantly recognizable, and to leave a lasting memory on their shoppers. Essentially, they want their business name to be perfect. And perfection is rarely simple. But, seriously, choosing a name for your business is a lot easier when youâve got some tips & tricks from experienced entrepreneurs who can guide you in the right direction. And thatâs exactly why weâve created this post â weâre going to show you exactly how to come up with the perfect name for your store. So grab your thinking hat and read through our list of the most important things to consider when youâre choosing a name for your online business. Letâs dive in. [abc] What Goes Into a Great Business Name? When it comes to naming your business, we canât stress one thing enough; there isnât an exact science or formula that you can use to come up with a great name. Itâs a creative process, so you need to give yourself some time to think. That said, there are some pretty important points that you should take into consideration when youâre at the drawing board thatâll help you to avoid choosing a bad business name. And believe us, you can choose a bad business name. So, letâs take a look at how you can make sure that youâre choosing a stellar name for your business. Keep it Simple and Straightforward [abc] Generally speaking, when it comes to starting a business keeping things simple and straightforward is key. And thatâs true when it comes to naming your business, too. Why? Well, when youâre looking for a memorable name for your business, you need to make it easy for people to remember. Thatâs especially true when you consider that it normally takes up to seven impressions â thatâs seven times when shoppers see or interact with a brand â to actually remember your business name. Thatâs quite a lot. Thatâd be seven Facebook ads youâd need to run or seven Instagram posts. And, using a long, or complex business name in the first place is going to make it even tougher for your audience to recognize your brand in the first place. So, itâs no surprise that the names of some of the biggest brands in the world are usually just one word long. They keep it simple because they want to be remembered. Choose a Future Proof Name When youâre starting your business, youâre probably thinking about hitting milestones like launching your store, getting your first sale, or making your first $1,000. Now, thereâs no doubt that those are pretty big, impressive milestones for somebody who is just starting their business. But, the idea is that youâll hopefully be hitting much bigger milestones than that eventually â think $1,000+ in sales every single month. And thatâs why you need to think big when youâre naming your business. You need to think of a business name thatâll work in the future as you grow, too. You could opt for a name like âDog Bowl Emporiumâ â that might work while youâre running a small business. But, you could also opt for something like âPremium Pet Suppliesâ thatâd offer you a business name that you can grow into. You might want to add more products to your business in the future as it grows, so keep your options open when youâre choosing a name for your business. Choose a Name Thatâs Available When youâre looking for a name for your business, itâs essential that you check your ideas are available. And when we say available, weâre talking about domain names specifically. We always recommend trying to secure the .com domain name for your brand â especially if youâre targeting your products to an English-speaking audience. Why? Itâs simple, â.comâ domains are trusted so much more by the typical shopper. Itâs because of the â.comâ domain is familiar. Itâs been around since the start of the Internet, and most professional brands use this type of domain as well. If youâre looking for a tool to check domain names, you can do it on Shopify. You can search for domain names, check how much they cost, and buy/install them to your store too. And donât forget to check that you can find social media handles related to your business name, too. Always try to secure a Facebook and Instagram account to go with your â.comâ domain too. BONUS: We recommend checking your business name on the U.S. Patent Searcher as well, itâs another great resource that you can use to check if your business name has already been taken by another company. Convey Meaning [abc] Once youâve got your creative juices flowing, we recommend trying to convey meaning with your business name. Now, weâre not saying that you need to go super abstract with your business name, because most people probably wonât make the connection if you do that. Seriously, think about it. Most people donât think about the Greek goddess of victory when they see the Nike logo, even though thatâs the inspiration for the companies name. Equally, you can bet the average person doesnât look at Nivea skin cream and think âOh thatâs white because itâs named after the Latin word Niveus, which means âsnow whiteââ. Weâre not saying you should dive down the rabbit hole of trying to find a deep meaning for your business name. But, try not to be super generic. Try to avoid business names like âAndrewâs Sports Storeâ. Instead, you could use words that are related to working out, like âPower Sportsâ or âReflex Apparelâ. These business names simply have more meaning â they evoke more emotion, which is going to go a long way in helping shoppers to remember your business. 5 Examples of Great Business Names Okay, now that weâve gone through our top tips for coming up with a name for your business, itâs time to highlight some of our favorite store names. These are real-world examples of companies whoâve nailed their store names and hit on the points that we mentioned above. Weâll dive into the meanings behind these store names, so you can get a better idea of how successful brands think about naming their businesses. Bulletproof One of the first things that you see when you land on Bulletproof âs homepage is âHealth Upgradesâ. And that copy is totally aligned with their brand message â Bulletproof sells products that are designed to make you feel bulletproof. They blend butter into their best-selling coffee products, which are meant to work to elongate the effects of their products and help you to avoid the usual crash that comes from caffeine. Essentially, theyâre selling coffee products that are âmore than your average latte.â And we love their business name. Itâs simple yet effective. Every shopper has a clear idea of what they can expect from this business from the get-go, and itâs memorable too because most shoppers typically donât associate the word âbulletproofâ with coffee. Theyâve been able to branch out from their initial offerings of coffee too and expand into other health supplements, which underlines the beauty of coming up with a future proof business name. Colourpop Ultra successful makeup brand, Colourpop, landed on a fantastic name for their business. The LA-based beauty outfit is offering high-quality makeup products to shoppers who are looking to add a âpop of colorâ to their routine at drug store prices. Theyâve got a simple, straightforward business name that is undoubtedly futureproofed â under the Colourpop umbrella they could move into clothing or jewelry as well, and itâs fit perfectly into their brand. Itâs a fun, playful business name, too, which is aligned with what their audience prefers. KITH Lifestyle brand KITH has quite the backstory for their business name. According to the founder of KITH, Ronnie Fieg, the business name originates from the term âKith and Kinâ, which is an old saying that means âFriends and Familyâ. And, according to Ronnie, he always wanted to build products for people like his friends, so he dropped the âKinâ part and named his business âKithâ. All in all, KITH is a unique business name with a lot of thought behind it. Itâs clear, simple to remember, and works well to convey meaning. SuitSupply SuitSupply is a tailoring brand that prides itself on being âstraight to the pointâ, which is definitely evident in their business name. This business name does a fantastic job of conveying exactly what theyâre selling â suits. We love that this brand has used alliteration in their business name. Both of the words in their name start with the same letter, and this is a clever marketing tactic that can actually help people to remember your brand. If you can add some alliteration to your brand name, donât hesitate â it can really work well, as shown by SuitSupply. Gymshark If youâre looking for inspiration when youâre naming your own fitness brand, Gymshark is a great example. The successful clothing & apparel brand came up with their name by cleverly blending two common words together. First off they used âGymâ, which is the bread and butter of their business. They exclusively create fitness apparel targeted towards gym-goers. [abc] Then, they added âSharkâ, which is an animal that is often associated with power, and strength. Honestly, itâs a pretty simple name, but itâs also quite unique. Its simplicity is key here though â itâs super easy to remember, which is exactly what you want when youâre starting a new brand. Still, Stuck? Use a Business Name Generator If youâre still struggling to come up with a name for your business, worry not. You can always use a business name generator to point you in the right direction. If youâre wondering what a business name generator is, itâs pretty simple, actually. You can enter a word, or term, that you like into a business name generator, and itâll provide you with dozens of examples that you can use for your business. Take a look at what happens when we enter ârunningâ into a business name generator: Pretty neat, right? Of course, thereâs no guarantee that all of the names that the business name generator comes up with are available â youâll need to check that yourself â but theyâre great tools if youâre still struggling for ideas. Interested in using a business name generator?  Weâve got just the thing for you â Oberloâs Business Name Generator. Itâs free, so take advantage of it when youâre naming your business. Now Itâs Over to You Okay, now youâve got all the tips, tricks, and tools that you need to come up with a great name for your online business. Now itâs time to use all the information that youâve gleaned from this post and come up with the best name for your business Oh, and if youâve got any questions about naming your business, or if you want feedback on your business name, leave it in the comments section below â we read them all! Andrew Roach Andrew Roach is a Content Marketer at Oberlo. He is passionate about eCommerce and creating insightful content to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. [abc]
Visual Elves – Your One-Stop eCommerce Site for Ladies’ Makeup June 24, 2020 bizadmin I confirm that this is a sponsored post that adheres to FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 255 of the USA. In exchange for this blog post, I get to review Visual Elves – Your One-Stop eCommerce Site for Ladies’ Makeup and use the free faux eye-lashes for the first time in my life đ These makeup accessories are necessary for the ladies to look pretty and professional, complete with a suitcase or handbag and heeled shoes to clinch that interview meeting for prospecting executive jobs and such. Visual Elves is the One-stop accessories and make-up that you can purchase to beautify yourself for your first date or even after several dates to a marriage and more. There are many types of pretty make-up accessories to function individually according to your needs. Examples include faux eye-lashes, lipstick, eye shadow, facial foundation and more to choose from the Shopify eCommerce site, which is a very niche site for the young and even ladies in their golden years, to look perpetually youthful and attractive to their spouse. As part of the deal and my loyal readers, you get to discounts off any purchase using the code 7URCU5ZX at this site >> https://dealspotr.com/getcode/tfjKh The key features above are for: Face Eyes Lips Brushes and Tools Offers Subscription As part of the deal to my loyal readers, you get to save further from any purchases using this site with more codes >> https://dealspotr.com/promo-codes/visualelves.com Note that there is free shipping in the U.S. Now who doesn’t like deals and free shipping together? I am a sucker for anything free and this is my weak point or rather shopping mode that turns me on to buy more and hit the benchmark price for the FREE gift. Normally I will give my free gifts to my mum to pamper her in her golden years at 82 this year of the mouse zodiac, which is 2020. In this Covid-19 pandemic that has caused mayhem around the world with millions displaced from their jobs, hospitality tourism closed down and social distancing to encourage people to stay safe at home, the world economy has been badly affected and it could be in global recession now. I can only pray for a better USA president with tack and sense not to bash China into submission, as it will not repeat what happened to Japan. Anyway, back to Visual Elves, from politics, I think online shopping is cathartic compared to reading the negative news worldwide with this Covid-19 outbreak. Therefore, Shopify stores like Visual Elves have increased like mushrooms sprouting after a rainfall or downpour. It is better to pamper yourself with disposable cash than to play games or gamble away the money or to read negative news in the press and watch television, which bombards your brain with all the negativity. In summary, I would like to tell you my readers, to stay safe and stay happy at home. Don’t go out partying or clubbing in crowded places.
How Tokyobike Synced Their Storefronts and Doubled Sales February 1, 2020 bizadmin With shopping moving online, itâs not unusual to see brick-and-mortar retailers moving into the eCommerce space. But not all brands have been able to move online and boast a 100% increase in sales in less than six months. Meet tokyobike. The independent bicycle company was founded in 2002 in the quiet suburb of Yanaka, Japan, and first made its way to the United States in 2014. The company is now headquartered in Los Angeles, which is where we sat down with Juliana Di Simone, tokyobikeâs Partner in America, to discuss their journey to selling online. The ethos behind the in-store experience The tokyobike brand is inspired by the clean, minimalist aesthetic of Japanese design and pays homage to the âTokyo Slowâ movementâan emphasis on comfort over speed and a nod to simpler times. Their stores are designed to reflect this sentiment. With the open space, subdued colors, and thoughtfully-curated merchandising, customers are invited to explore the store at their leisure. Buying a bicycle is very personal, explains Juliana. She adds, â[Theyâve] traditionally been purchased in person. You want to see them, touch them, ride them. See if what you’re buying will actually fit your needs.â In fact, tokyobikeâs commitment to their in-store experience is so integral to the brandâs ethos that the founders originally had no intention of selling onlineâthey didnât think theyâd be able to mirror the experience or the high-touch service. Up until 2015, tokyobike operated as a brick-and-mortar, exclusively. But when their staff could no longer support the influx of foot traffic in their bustling SoHo shop in New York City, they knew they had to offer an alternative for their customers. Compounding this shift was a challenge specific to its flagship product: tokyobikeâs purchase journey was longer than is typical for most direct-to-consumer brands. At $900 apiece, their bicycles arenât an impulse buy. Bikes are a long-term investment and often an expression of oneâs personal taste, so people take their time exploring their options before making a purchase. This wasnât a problem for local shoppers, who could return to the store once theyâd made up their mind. But out-of-towners and tourists didnât have the same luxury. Instead, they would typically test-ride a few bikes in-store, come across one they loved, only to return home without an easy way to finalize their purchase. All roads lead to eCommerce [abc] At first, tokyobike’s sales associates tried to solve this problem by writing names and emails on the back of business cards for shoppers to take home. This allowed tokybikeâs staff to then follow up with an invoice and credit card authorization form via email and gave would-be customers the chance to buy the product. But this manual process was time-consuming, fraught with error, and introduced the joys of paperwork into what should be an exciting purchase. âWhen you’re a small team, time really matters…If your team is taken away from things that grow the business to do small, laborious things, you need to find tools that make it easier…If you’re looking to scale, you really have to find platforms and systems that can help you do those things,â Juliana tells us. Launching an online store was the clear next step for the retailer. But not all platforms are created equal, and in three years, the cracks were beginning to show. âWe knew there were things we wanted to do that we couldn’t, and that’s mostly because of the way we fulfill our orders and the way we wanted the online experience to be. We thought somewhere in there we were probably losing customers,â says Juliana. They needed something more robust. According to Juliana, the ease of Shopifyâs mobile POS system was a big selling point. tokyobike Taking Shopify for a test ride In early 2019, just six months after moving onto Shopify, online sales would surpass tokyobikeâs brick-and-mortar sales, with the physical locations increasingly being used for test-rides only. For Juliana, the synergy between their storefrontsâand the role tokyobikeâs physical spaces would come to play in driving online salesâwas an unexpected, but a welcome shift in the companyâs business model. And the relationship is a two-way street. Juliana shares a typical scenario where a customer buys a bike online and opts to pick it up in-store. Once theyâre in the store, they might realize they need a lock, and a helmet, and maybe a bell. All of a sudden, an online purchase has driven in-store sales, too. The idea that each channel should complement and influence the other to nurture customers through the sales cycle is the foundation of a unified commerce strategy, and ultimately, the goal for every retailer. Switching from Lightspeed to Shopify POS The journey toward a harmonized online and offline experience wasnât without hiccups. âUntil recently, we’ve always had different point-of-sales and a different platform for our online store,â admits Juliana. [abc] When they switched to Shopifyâs eCommerce solution, they decided to switch their Lightspeed point-of-sale (POS) systems to Shopify POS, as well. The separate systems were creating a messy experienceâfrom minor frustrations, like not being able to redeem gift cards across sales channels, to bigger issues, like the inability to see inventory across locations. Switching to Shopifyâs POS allowed tokyobike to sync their online store with their physical stores, and manage the entire business from one backend. “There are very few steps with Shopify. It’s a one-click kind of thing.” âWe integrated everything, it just made more sense logistically to have everything in the same place. Especially because sometimes, we’ll have customers who are interested in things that we only have in-store. So if you need a new set of wheels, we don’t have those on the website…but we can easily email a cart to a customer with items that are only in the store and they can complete that purchase as if it was an online sale,â explains Juliana. For multi-location retailers like tokyobike, having an up-to-date inventory that could be moved on demand, with flexible payment and fulfillment options is often a turning point. When asked about her staffâs experience with Shopifyâs retail technology, Juliana says the platformâs ease-of-use was a big selling point. âIn terms of our team, I think everyone thought it was way easier. The transition was actually really, really easy for us. There are very few steps with Shopify. It’s a one-click kind of thing.â Free Webinar: Introduction to Shopify POS Get a step-by-step demo of Shopify POS and hear success stories from fast-growing retailers. The team has also benefited from a faster checkout experience since moving to Shopify POS. âOur transaction times are way quicker now. From the moment you decide which bicycle you’re going to purchase, to actually inserting your card or tapping your phone, is a much shorter period of time than it used to be before,â adds Juliana. Beyond ease-of-use, Shopifyâs unified platform allowed tokyobike to provide its customers with a consistently delightful experience across every touchpoint, staying true to the brandâs origins, and their commitment to white-glove service. The future of commerce is unified Itâs impossible to think of retail as separate…this idea of unified retail is the future. Today, customers can begin and complete their journey with tokyobike wherever and whenever they want. “Itâs impossible to think of retail as separate. You have to be able to bring the physical into the digital, and the digital into the physical. From an experience perspective, but also in terms of systems. Connecting the two is important…this idea of unified retail is the future,â says Juliana. The company continues to use its brick-and-mortar locations as a showroom for its productsâan opportunity to get in front of new customers who are intrigued by their beautiful storefronts, and to give potential customers the option of experiencing their unique products in-person before ordering online. For the folks who arenât ready to purchase on the spot, tokyobikeâs sales associates can keep the conversation going by re-engaging these shoppers online with cart reminders and e-gift card offers. Across the board, this strategy has helped them boost sales and scale across the United States. Since switching over to Shopify, tokyobike doubled their online sales in under six months, and shrunk their sales cycle from 14-30 days, down to a single week. Their brick-and-mortar presence is growing too, with 13 flagship locations around the world, including stores in London, Berlin, Bangkok, and Mexico City. You could say theyâre moving at a pretty good clip. Photography courtesy of tokyobike [abc]
How to Choose the Perfect Name for Your Store January 27, 2020 bizadmin [abc] Coming up with a name for your online business might seem like a pretty simple task, but trust us, it isnât always easy. In fact, it can take days to come up with a name for your business. Thatâs because most entrepreneurs have high expectations for their businesses. They want their business name to be instantly recognizable, and to leave a lasting memory on their shoppers. Essentially, they want their business name to be perfect. And perfection is rarely simple. But, seriously, choosing a name for your business is a lot easier when youâve got some tips & tricks from experienced entrepreneurs who can guide you in the right direction. And thatâs exactly why weâve created this post â weâre going to show you exactly how to come up with the perfect name for your store. So grab your thinking hat and read through our list of the most important things to consider when youâre choosing a name for your online business. Letâs dive in. [abc] What Goes Into a Great Business Name? When it comes to naming your business, we canât stress one thing enough; there isnât an exact science or formula that you can use to come up with a great name. Itâs a creative process, so you need to give yourself some time to think. That said, there are some pretty important points that you should take into consideration when youâre at the drawing board thatâll help you to avoid choosing a bad business name. And believe us, you can choose a bad business name. So, letâs take a look at how you can make sure that youâre choosing a stellar name for your business. Keep it Simple and Straightforward [abc] Generally speaking, when it comes to starting a business keeping things simple and straightforward is key. And thatâs true when it comes to naming your business, too. Why? Well, when youâre looking for a memorable name for your business, you need to make it easy for people to remember. Thatâs especially true when you consider that it normally takes up to seven impressions â thatâs seven times when shoppers see or interact with a brand â to actually remember your business name. Thatâs quite a lot. Thatâd be seven Facebook ads youâd need to run or seven Instagram posts. And, using a long, or complex business name in the first place is going to make it even tougher for your audience to recognize your brand in the first place. So, itâs no surprise that the names of some of the biggest brands in the world are usually just one word long. They keep it simple because they want to be remembered. Choose a Future Proof Name When youâre starting your business, youâre probably thinking about hitting milestones like launching your store, getting your first sale, or making your first $1,000. Now, thereâs no doubt that those are pretty big, impressive milestones for somebody who is just starting their business. But, the idea is that youâll hopefully be hitting much bigger milestones than that eventually â think $1,000+ in sales every single month. And thatâs why you need to think big when youâre naming your business. You need to think of a business name thatâll work in the future as you grow, too. You could opt for a name like âDog Bowl Emporiumâ â that might work while youâre running a small business. But, you could also opt for something like âPremium Pet Suppliesâ thatâd offer you a business name that you can grow into. You might want to add more products to your business in the future as it grows, so keep your options open when youâre choosing a name for your business. Choose a Name Thatâs Available When youâre looking for a name for your business, itâs essential that you check your ideas are available. And when we say available, weâre talking about domain names specifically. We always recommend trying to secure the .com domain name for your brand â especially if youâre targeting your products to an English-speaking audience. Why? Itâs simple, â.comâ domains are trusted so much more by the typical shopper. Itâs because of the â.comâ domain is familiar. Itâs been around since the start of the Internet, and most professional brands use this type of domain as well. If youâre looking for a tool to check domain names, you can do it on Shopify. You can search for domain names, check how much they cost, and buy/install them to your store too. And donât forget to check that you can find social media handles related to your business name, too. Always try to secure a Facebook and Instagram account to go with your â.comâ domain too. BONUS: We recommend checking your business name on the U.S. Patent Searcher as well, itâs another great resource that you can use to check if your business name has already been taken by another company. Convey Meaning [abc] Once youâve got your creative juices flowing, we recommend trying to convey meaning with your business name. Now, weâre not saying that you need to go super abstract with your business name, because most people probably wonât make the connection if you do that. Seriously, think about it. Most people donât think about the Greek goddess of victory when they see the Nike logo, even though thatâs the inspiration for the companies name. Equally, you can bet the average person doesnât look at Nivea skin cream and think âOh thatâs white because itâs named after the Latin word Niveus, which means âsnow whiteââ. Weâre not saying you should dive down the rabbit hole of trying to find a deep meaning for your business name. But, try not to be super generic. Try to avoid business names like âAndrewâs Sports Storeâ. Instead, you could use words that are related to working out, like âPower Sportsâ or âReflex Apparelâ. These business names simply have more meaning â they evoke more emotion, which is going to go a long way in helping shoppers to remember your business. 5 Examples of Great Business Names Okay, now that weâve gone through our top tips for coming up with a name for your business, itâs time to highlight some of our favorite store names. These are real-world examples of companies whoâve nailed their store names and hit on the points that we mentioned above. Weâll dive into the meanings behind these store names, so you can get a better idea of how successful brands think about naming their businesses. Bulletproof One of the first things that you see when you land on Bulletproof âs homepage is âHealth Upgradesâ. And that copy is totally aligned with their brand message â Bulletproof sells products that are designed to make you feel bulletproof. They blend butter into their best-selling coffee products, which are meant to work to elongate the effects of their products and help you to avoid the usual crash that comes from caffeine. Essentially, theyâre selling coffee products that are âmore than your average latte.â And we love their business name. Itâs simple yet effective. Every shopper has a clear idea of what they can expect from this business from the get-go, and itâs memorable too because most shoppers typically donât associate the word âbulletproofâ with coffee. Theyâve been able to branch out from their initial offerings of coffee too and expand into other health supplements, which underlines the beauty of coming up with a future proof business name. Colourpop Ultra successful makeup brand, Colourpop, landed on a fantastic name for their business. The LA-based beauty outfit is offering high-quality makeup products to shoppers who are looking to add a âpop of colorâ to their routine at drug store prices. Theyâve got a simple, straightforward business name that is undoubtedly futureproofed â under the Colourpop umbrella they could move into clothing or jewelry as well, and itâs fit perfectly into their brand. Itâs a fun, playful business name, too, which is aligned with what their audience prefers. KITH Lifestyle brand KITH has quite the backstory for their business name. According to the founder of KITH, Ronnie Fieg, the business name originates from the term âKith and Kinâ, which is an old saying that means âFriends and Familyâ. And, according to Ronnie, he always wanted to build products for people like his friends, so he dropped the âKinâ part and named his business âKithâ. All in all, KITH is a unique business name with a lot of thought behind it. Itâs clear, simple to remember, and works well to convey meaning. SuitSupply SuitSupply is a tailoring brand that prides itself on being âstraight to the pointâ, which is definitely evident in their business name. This business name does a fantastic job of conveying exactly what theyâre selling â suits. We love that this brand has used alliteration in their business name. Both of the words in their name start with the same letter, and this is a clever marketing tactic that can actually help people to remember your brand. If you can add some alliteration to your brand name, donât hesitate â it can really work well, as shown by SuitSupply. Gymshark If youâre looking for inspiration when youâre naming your own fitness brand, Gymshark is a great example. The successful clothing & apparel brand came up with their name by cleverly blending two common words together. First off they used âGymâ, which is the bread and butter of their business. They exclusively create fitness apparel targeted towards gym-goers. [abc] Then, they added âSharkâ, which is an animal that is often associated with power, and strength. Honestly, itâs a pretty simple name, but itâs also quite unique. Its simplicity is key here though â itâs super easy to remember, which is exactly what you want when youâre starting a new brand. Still, Stuck? Use a Business Name Generator If youâre still struggling to come up with a name for your business, worry not. You can always use a business name generator to point you in the right direction. If youâre wondering what a business name generator is, itâs pretty simple, actually. You can enter a word, or term, that you like into a business name generator, and itâll provide you with dozens of examples that you can use for your business. Take a look at what happens when we enter ârunningâ into a business name generator: Pretty neat, right? Of course, thereâs no guarantee that all of the names that the business name generator comes up with are available â youâll need to check that yourself â but theyâre great tools if youâre still struggling for ideas. Interested in using a business name generator?  Weâve got just the thing for you â Oberloâs Business Name Generator. Itâs free, so take advantage of it when youâre naming your business. Now Itâs Over to You Okay, now youâve got all the tips, tricks, and tools that you need to come up with a great name for your online business. Now itâs time to use all the information that youâve gleaned from this post and come up with the best name for your business Oh, and if youâve got any questions about naming your business, or if you want feedback on your business name, leave it in the comments section below â we read them all! Andrew Roach Andrew Roach is a Content Marketer at Oberlo. He is passionate about eCommerce and creating insightful content to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. [abc]