Social networks are preparing to launch their online sales platforms and thus compete in the world of market places, encouraging the atomisation of digital sales. But it remains to be seen how this sales tool will be linked to a company account on social networks.
During the second and third quarter there has been an acceleration in digital business, driven by the voluntary or forced transition of companies and industries from the offline environment to the online environment, in some cases in order to survive. For all these companies, our platforms are playing a key role and are becoming true bridges for the mobile and digital transformation.
On average, a third of companies surveyed say that more than 25% of their sales in the last quarter have been digital.
Social networks will provide a very simple system for online sales on a platform where so many sales customers are already. But of course not all that glitters is gold. Because integrating your sales on Facebook, etc. allows these platforms to know even more about us, sales habits, star products, etc. If we use Amazon as a control model of these companies, we can see that they grow with product data, and generating income over other options of our competition and sponsored links that give you more margin.
In short, using these platforms as a sales system, where the brand is them, where the control of how the products are offered is them, where the advertisements that they can send to our clients are decided by them, is a simple option, but in the long run it is working for them.
The customer is the gold
There is a concept that is clear to any entrepreneur: the customer is the most important part of a company, the contacts, the way to get them and why they can be customers. If we let the “Big Data” of our clients do it, we will end up working for them. When we say “Big Data” we mean knowing the buying habits, recurring sales, cross-selling, etc.
Never give up the value of the customer, because once you lose control of it, it will never come back. That is the problem with working with Amazon. You will sell more until Amazon wants you to sell, and then your brand will be diluted among a thousand equal brands, with better sales conditions.
Selling and not giving up
We recommend using all available online and offline sales strategies. But above all, evaluate the pros and cons. If I sell in a giant market with thousands of products of direct competition, it is a perfect option for security reasons, since customers are confident to buy online in environments they know, where they have to put their card or paypal to make a transaction. Where they trust their money back if they are not satisfied, and where they can value a purchase. But my brand is diluted. In my own website or online shop, I can promote my brand, and I can keep my advertising efforts. There are no competing products on my website. I manage the transaction data, I can make newsletters, I can sell more to those same customers. If I use commercials, I will also have direct sales, with my clients. Of course I will have to make an effort to promote, but I will not lose control.
Do not compete. Differentiate yourself.
Competing with large companies that turnover 1 million every minute is a losing battle. Neither by price, nor promotions, nor options, etc… but use your size against them. It is very difficult to find what you are looking for in big markets. Sometimes we all have the feeling that they are offering us not what we want if they do not want to sell it to us. They have already decided that their algorithms are what we need, and sometimes we give in and buy it out. If it is more usual that we look for product references on the Internet about the best articles related to something in particular. That’s why we find blogs and affiliate websites that act as salespeople for us, evaluating and comparing products, and giving us closer and more specific information about something. It is difficult to understand how these blogs are more usable than the main website itself. Where we get lost. Where we get “bored” looking. There is a reason for this. If I am small, I have to take advantage of it. I can’t offer just anything or laughable prices. I have to offer information, products that cannot be found anywhere else: brand. Proximity: if I know that the shop is in my area, I can return it or pick it up nearby, even if I buy it online that will always be an advantage.
I have thousands of products: it will take me forever to upload them to an online shop. No, use spreadsheets and upload in seconds.
