online sales Archives - Trade Ready https://tradeready.ca/tag/online-sales/ Blog for International Trade Experts Tue, 21 Jan 2020 17:43:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 How do I choose an e-commerce solution that fits my small business? https://tradeready.ca/2018/tradeelite-recap/how-choose-ecommerce-solution-small-business/ https://tradeready.ca/2018/tradeelite-recap/how-choose-ecommerce-solution-small-business/#respond Tue, 25 Sep 2018 18:02:00 +0000 http://test.tradeready.ca/?p=26940 Retail e-commerce continues to reach new levels of growth and is expected to surpass the global revenue mark of $4 trillion USD by 2021. As...

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Retail e-commerce continues to reach new levels of growth and is expected to surpass the global revenue mark of $4 trillion USD by 2021.

As a small business owner, you may wonder how to start small and scale from there. You need to choose a platform that can meet your business requirements but which features do you really need and how do you get the best value for money?

So, how do you choose the best e-commerce platform for your start-up or small business?

We put this question to the experts in a live #TradeElite Twitter chat and uncovered plenty of valuable insights:

  • the importance of having a realistic plan
  • be systematic about evaluating different solutions – get help if necessary
  • don’t forget about the internal resources you will need to be successful

Highlights of the chat are below, and you can scroll through the #TradeElite hashtag to follow the entire chat.

Moderator: Ewan Roy, Digital Marketing Specialist with FITT (@FITTNews)

Panelists:

Cathy Roberson (@cmroberson06), Founder/Head Analyst of @LogisticsTI, based in Atlanta, GA

Robb Collins (@robby_disco), E-Commerce Director at the Conference Board of Canada, based in Ottawa, ON

Isaiah Bollinger (@IsaiahBollinger), Founder and CEO of Trellis, based in Boston, MA

Patrick L. Perreault (@plperreault), Digital entrepreneur, global e-commerce expert, founder of SquareOne and Perimeter

Is e-commerce a good idea for any business? If not, how can businesses decide whether e-commerce makes sense for them?

Once a business decides to start selling online, what’s the best next step for them to take?

How should businesses decide which e-commerce features or requirements they want to have? What are some of the features that are most popular or trending right now?

In what situations are building a custom e-commerce platform a viable solution for a business? What are the biggest advantages and disadvantages of doing so that you must consider?

What factors should businesses prioritize when choosing between all the various e-commerce platform providers? And what are some of the biggest differences between major providers to think about?

What are some of the most common early problems companies make with their e-commerce, and how can they be avoided?

Any other final tips or advice for companies trying to choose a new e-commerce platform?

Read the rest of the chat and join future discussions by following the #TradeElite hashtag. And stay tuned for the next #TradeElite chat, coming up on October 20 at 2:30-3:30PM ET, and if you haven’t yet, join us on Twitter at @FITTNews.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the contributing participants, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forum for International Trade Training.

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]]> https://tradeready.ca/2018/tradeelite-recap/how-choose-ecommerce-solution-small-business/feed/ 0 https://tradeready.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/chat-recap-2-photo.png 6 steps to starting your online business https://tradeready.ca/2018/international-sales-marketing/6-steps-start-online-business/ https://tradeready.ca/2018/international-sales-marketing/6-steps-start-online-business/#respond Mon, 17 Sep 2018 18:19:19 +0000 http://test.tradeready.ca/?p=26877 In 2017, an estimated 1.66 billion people worldwide purchased goods online. During the same year, global e-retail sales amounted to 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars, according to Statista. Whether you...

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In 2017, an estimated 1.66 billion people worldwide purchased goods online. During the same year, global e-retail sales amounted to 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars, according to Statista.

Whether you have the perfect product in mind or you’re looking for a high-growth business opportunity, e-commerce provides an appealing marketplace.

If you’ve made the decision to get into e-commerce, you’re likely wondering: Now what? Here is your primer for getting started with your e-commerce business.

Step 1: Find your niche

In the vast world of e-commerce, it’s not enough to have a great product or great service. Your business has to have a niche market. Having too broad a business concept or too broad a product base will lead to getting lost in the expanse of the internet.

You might want to open an online candy shop, but just marketing yourself as a candy shop is too broad. Instead, you will want to think about opening an allergy-friendly candy store, or you might sell gourmet candies with unusual flavors and ingredients that can’t be found anywhere else.

As you contemplate your niche, do some market research to determine the competition within that niche. You don’t want to launch a new business in a market that’s already dominated by a leading brand or flooded with competing brands, but a niche with too few, or no companies represented can indicate that it isn’t a viable market.

Step 2: Create your customer persona

Once you know your niche, it’s time to develop a customer persona. Know who your products will appeal to. A well-developed customer persona includes your target customer’s gender, age range, income level, family status and geographic location. You absolutely have to know what problems you are solving for your target customer.

Once you understand your customer, you can start developing a brand that would appeal to that customer persona, pick out the ideal products and services for that customer and develop a marketing plan that will reach your target audience.

Step 3: Choose or refine your products and services

Understanding your niche, your customer and your value proposition will help you to choose the right products and services for your business.

Selecting your products before you understand your market and your target audience is premature. It’s best to launch an online business with a small, carefully selected group of products. As you see which products sell well with your customers, you can expand your offerings in line with what your customers are looking to buy.

Step 4: Select a business model

There are a host of online business models. If you already have a physical business that you’re expanding online, you might just be selling portions of your existing inventory online. The business model you choose will depend on your products and your market, and your preferences as a business owner.

4 common models for online business

  1. buy and hold inventory to resell
  2. run a drop-shipping business if you don’t want to physical handle inventory
  3. hire another company to manufacture and ship your unique line or products
  4. create an affiliate marketing site that offers appealing content around products sold by other retailers to draw traffic to their sites for a finder’s fee

Step 5: Find the right software or selling platform

The most intimidating part of launching an e-commerce business, for many, is the technology involved. Fortunately, there are a host of software, platforms and services designed to make setting up and operating an e-commerce site easier.

Cloud-based platforms with their own check-out services require nothing more than for you to choose a template and post pictures and descriptions of your products. There are firms who will operate the technical aspects of your e-commerce business for you.

The exact software, platform or service you choose for your e-commerce business will depend on your business’s individual needs, but your chosen service should ensure that your business is secure, that it’s easy for you and your customers to use, that it’s marketable and that it allows you to scale your business upward.

Step 6: Start marketing your e-commerce business

No e-commerce business can succeed without a strong marketing plan. Once you have all of the elements of your business in place, it’s time to start spreading the word about your business and building your brand. Because you’re marketing an online business, most of your marketing efforts should be online.

Fortunately, there are a host of online marketing options, so it’s easy to develop a marketing plan that fits your business’s budget. There are many online marketing strategies you can employ, but the important thing is to have a clear marketing plan and to tailor your marketing to your customer persona.

By focusing on these elements of starting a new e-commerce business, you will avoid many of the pitfalls and common mistakes that lead new e-commerce business to failure.

By finding your niche and thinking about your customers, you will develop a clear brand that speaks to your target audience.

As you perform market research in your niche and select your products and services, you will be better informed to price your products to avoid shortchanging your business.

By homing in on a business model and selecting your platform, you will gain a better understanding of your business’s operations and be better equipped to know where you need to seek supports from experts in the e-commerce field.

Through your marketing plan, you will reach out to customers and potential customers to grow your business.

There are a lot of considerations in starting your own e-commerce business. But with the right steps, and a strong business plan, you can be part of the lucrative e-commerce market.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the contributing author, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forum for International Trade Training.

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]]> https://tradeready.ca/2018/international-sales-marketing/6-steps-start-online-business/feed/ 0 https://tradeready.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Rev-Image-for-ecomm-article.jpg How to protect against 4 e-commerce security challenges https://tradeready.ca/2017/topics/marketingsales/how-protect-4-e-commerce-security-challenges/ https://tradeready.ca/2017/topics/marketingsales/how-protect-4-e-commerce-security-challenges/#respond Fri, 08 Sep 2017 15:51:48 +0000 http://test.tradeready.ca/?p=24537 The challenges of e-commerce are becoming easier to overcome, but there are still a few considerations when setting up an e-commerce operation.

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The challenges of e-commerce are becoming easier to overcome due to the increasing familiarity with it in many markets as well as advancements in the online shopping ecosystem. Be that as it may, there are still issues requiring research and thought when setting up an e-commerce operation.

Some of the challenges posed by e-commerce have been outlined in the updated 7th edition of the FITTskills International Sales and Marketing course.

1. Distrust in the security and privacy of online transactions

Companies that establish e-commerce operations face several security risks, including:

  • Denial of service: These attacks stop authorized users from accessing a website, resulting in reduced functioning of the website or its complete
  • Unauthorized access to sensitive information: Hackers can obtain intellectual property and alter it, destroy it, or steal it to sell to a competitor.
  • Malicious alterations to websites: Hackers have been known to alter website content to negatively impact a company’s reputation or to direct customers to competing websites when they click on a link.
  • Theft of customer information: Many cases have arisen where customer credit card details, addresses, and other personal information have been stolen for criminal
  • Damage to computer networks: Viruses and worm attacks can seriously affect a company’s
  • Creation of counterfeit sites: Fake websites can now be created easily and at little cost to the fraudsters. These sites look identical to the authentic versions and can cause serious damage to company valuations and reputations.

To deal with these risks, companies must establish various levels of e-commerce security.

Authentication systems, such as usernames and passwords, are a basic level of control to help ensure only authorized employees have access to the website or customer information. Firewalls prevent external users from gaining access to information held on company computers, while intrusion detection software can provide an early warning for hacking attacks.

2. Viruses, malware and online attacks

As well as the financial losses, companies can also suffer a loss of reputation or market share. Companies could also open themselves up to face criminal charges.  Companies must follow government guidelines as to the level of e-commerce security and privacy they must implement.

If an attack occurs, and these guidelines have not been adhered to, a company can be prosecuted.

Viruses, Trojan horses, and worms are malicious software programs designed to damage computers in some manner. Viruses and worms infect a computer, replicate, and spread. Trojan horses are malicious programs hidden in what appears to be reputable or helpful software downloaded onto a computer. Attacks by these types of malicious programs can have serious consequences, including:

  • Deletion of company data, or inability to access data
  • Recording of keystrokes made by an authorized user, enabling theft of passwords and usernames
  • Hijacking of the computer system
  • Forwarding viruses to customer and partner computers

Companies must ensure all computers have firewall and virus protection. Employees should also be advised to not download unauthorized programs or documents from the Internet. It is also advisable to avoid opening email attachments unless the employee is expecting the named attachment to be sent to them. Companies should also make backups of essential data and store them on external drives, in cloud storage, or with reputable data storage companies.

3. Payment options and reliability

While some customers still have concerns about security and the privacy of information over the Internet, the advancement of new privacy and financial e-commerce security technologies have calmed many such fears. In addition, the expansion of connectivity bandwidth and the availability of high-seed downloads is continuing to revolutionize the sales and distribution of digital products and services.

To gain the confidence of customers, companies offer alternative payment methods so customers can select the option which makes them feel most comfortable.

Numerous online payment mechanisms exist today. PayPal is a highly subscribed service, promising secure payment in multiple currencies. Wire transfers and pre-paid accounts are other secure payment methods often offered to customers.

Companies can use other approaches to instill trust in customers both during the early stages of the decision-making process and after a sale. Trust can be built by providing efficient and reliable services that meet customer needs. For example, Tesco (a U.K.-based food retailer) has an online food shopping service. Customers can log onto the Tesco website, select their groceries and when they would like the items delivered to their home. For working customers who have little free time, this convenience often outweighs the need to personally select fruit, vegetables, and meat. And if customers are satisfied with the quality of the products delivered, they will become repeat customers.

When e-commerce operations follow an omnichannel approach, they are wise to implement fraud management efforts across channels. In doing so, they can quickly detect and address suspicious activities, no matter where and how they occur. In so doing, they offer a more secure shopping experience.

4. Complexity, uncertainty, and fraud

The O.E.C.D. Observer published a spotlight on the digital economy in 2016. The article addresses the untapped potential of e-commerce. Across the 35-member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (O.E.C.D.), half of all consumers made an online purchase in 2014, but 75% of those consumers connect to the Internet daily.

This is reason to conclude there is untapped potential, particularly for cross-border e-commerce.

To illustrate, only 15% of consumers in the E.U. shop online from another E.U. Member States. The O.E.C.D. considers the reasons why the full capacity of digital consumption has still not been reached despite improved consumer access to goods and services at competitive prices due to the Internet and mobile technology.

The O.E.C.D. notes “online shoppers complain about complexity and uncertainty about delivery for instance, or dispute resolution, and can be victims of misleading or fraudulent business practices. And improvements in business transparency, such as who to contact when a problem occurs with a good or a service, don’t often extend to improved disclosures about how personal data may be collected and used by businesses online. Although consumers now have more tools to help police market conduct, the role of well-equipped consumer watchdog authorities, like the French D.G.C.C.R.F., remains essential to enhance trust in the digital marketplace.”

Has your organization had to overcome technical hurtles in order to offer a smooth e-commerce experience? Tell us about it in the comments down below.  

This content is an excerpt from the FITTskills International Sales and Marketing 7th edition textbook. Discover a new way to learn with our practical, flexible, leading edge global trade training.

Apply now

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]]> https://tradeready.ca/2017/topics/marketingsales/how-protect-4-e-commerce-security-challenges/feed/ 0 https://tradeready.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/4-ecommerce-security-challenges.jpg How to set up your global business for e-commerce success https://tradeready.ca/2017/topics/marketingsales/set-global-business-e-commerce-success/ https://tradeready.ca/2017/topics/marketingsales/set-global-business-e-commerce-success/#respond Tue, 18 Apr 2017 14:36:26 +0000 http://test.tradeready.ca/?p=22899 We asked some experts to share their thoughts in our latest #TradeElite chat about how to sell online and find your path to e-commerce success,

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E-commerce has evolved rapidly over the past decade or two, and it is more important than ever for companies looking to reach new customers in international markets. Whether you work for a major multi-billion dollar corporation or run your own small business, there are e-commerce solutions you can use to grow.

For companies who have never engaged in e-commerce before, getting started could understandably seem a little daunting. To explore these opportunities and help you understand how to start and succeed in e-commerce, we asked some of today’s leading experts to share their thoughts in this month’s #TradeElite Twitter chat. Here’s what they had to say.

Moderator: Doug Bruhnke (@GlobalChamber) is based in Arizona, and is CEO of Global Chamber, a community of CEOs, executives and leaders in hundreds of locations worldwide. His personal Twitter handle is @DougBruhnke.

Panelists:

Isaiah Bollinger (@IsaiahBollinger) is based in the Boston area, and is the co-founder and CEO of Trellis, a full service digital agency specializing in digital strategy, SEO, e-commerce, web design, web development, Magento, WordPress, and conversion optimization.

Casandra Campbell (@Casandra_Camp) is based in the Toronto area. She is a content marketing lead at Shopify and is the co-founder of @LibertyVilBeer.

Melody McKinnon (@MelodyMcKinnon), based out of British Columbia, is a digital marketing and media specialist who writes extensively about e-commerce for CanadiansInternet.com, the Huffington Post and several other companies and publications.

Cathy Roberson (@cmroberson06), located in the Atlanta area, is the founder and head analyst of Logistics Trends and Insights. She also writes about and works on projects related to e-commerce, market research and marketing.

Emil Stickland (@Thrive_Digi) is in Edinburgh, and serves as director for Thrive Digital, an agency specializing in helping companies to develop and improve their international e-commerce.

James Tobyne (@JamesTobyne) is in the San Francisco/Bay Area. He is working for an international localization tech startup, and previously worked in strategic partnership and business development for Alibaba.

Why do e-commerce? What types of businesses are ideal or not ideal for it?

Once a company decides to start selling via e-commerce, what should be the next step?

What kind of budget might you need to get your e-commerce started?

What are the best ways to set goals and evaluate success?

Is there a common approach? How would you summarize the main steps?

What are the biggest e-commerce mistakes companies make? How can you avoid them?

What special considerations do you need to make when considering specific target customers or countries?

Anything else important you want to share?

Read the rest of the chat and follow future discussions by following the #TradeElite hashtag. Stay tuned for the next #TradeElite chat, coming up Thursday, May 11 from 2:30-3:30PM ET.

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]]> https://tradeready.ca/2017/topics/marketingsales/set-global-business-e-commerce-success/feed/ 0 https://tradeready.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/E-commerce-success.jpg Maria Bofill, CITP|FIBP – Trade Commissioner – Oil and Gas https://tradeready.ca/2015/topics/citp_spotlight/maria-bofill-citpfibp-trade-commissioner-oil-gas/ https://tradeready.ca/2015/topics/citp_spotlight/maria-bofill-citpfibp-trade-commissioner-oil-gas/#respond Wed, 29 Apr 2015 14:52:27 +0000 http://test.tradeready.ca/?p=12723 Responsible for a crucial economic sector in one of North America’s most iconic oil and gas producing regions, Maria is excited to help Canadian businesses in the industry enter and succeed in the competitive South Central USA market.

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Earned her elite CITP®|FIBP® designation: March 2015

Maria Bofill, CITP®|FIBP®, is a Trade Commissioner – Oil and Gas for the Canadian government in Houston, Texas.

Responsible for a crucial economic sector in one of North America’s most iconic oil and gas producing regions, Maria is excited to help Canadian businesses in the industry enter and succeed in the competitive South Central USA market.

Early experience in international trade

Maria’s global business career began while she was in college in Mexico City, facilitating meetings between Mexican and foreign delegations during bi-lateral trade agreement negotiations for Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Affairs.

She continued her education with a MBA and then after completing a Masters in Computers, her next role took her career in another direction, working as the E-Commerce Manager for Gillman Services, the largest car dealership chain in Texas.

The position was a great chance for her to take on leadership responsibilities.

As E-Commerce Manager, she planned and coordinated the entire online sales strategy for the company. Maria managed and trained web development and call center staff, initiated over fifty different on-line marketing campaigns, and used new software to track various trends responding to them as needed.

Through her various efforts, Maria increased the productivity of the e-commerce department by 30% in less than two years. The marketing, planning and management experience she gained in the role was also crucial to her return to international trade.

Helping oil and gas companies excel in the competitive South Central USA market

In 2004, Maria took on a new challenge: the role of Program Coordinator with the Belgian Trade Commission in Houston.

The position was a perfect blend of her two previous roles. She was heavily engaged with Belgian companies interested in international trade with the US, but in ways that allowed her to best apply the IT, marketing and management experience she brought to the table.

Maria worked closely with Belgian businesses in the oil and gas, electric power and aerospace sectors to prepare marketing materials and take a leading role in their budget tracking.

She also maintained a database of contacts and contractors and used it to connect them with businesses she worked with. She facilitated meetings for business executives, and provided guidance to businesses to select the right trade shows and events to attend.

With greater experience in international trade, and specifically the oil and gas industry, Maria moved into her current role as a Canadian Trade Commissioner in 2006.

Building upon the skills she had developed in her previous roles, Maria now has greater responsibility than ever before.

She forms and develops relationships with senior business executives, government officials and non-profit organizations across the South Central USA to promote trade and investment opportunities in the oil and gas sector, and finds opportunities for partnerships between them.

Her contacts expand across the Oil and Gas sector, from service companies like NOV, Schlumberger, etc. to independent producers, national oil companies and exploration and production companies (E&Ps).

Maria promotes and provides support for Canadian companies participating in Trade Events in the USA, like OTC (largest oil and gas show in North America) and LAGCOE, and encourages American companies to participate in Canadian events, like GPS.

She also creates material for federal representatives of the region highlighting the accomplishments of Canadian businesses, such as Enbridge or Encana, and their positive impact on local economies.

Becoming a CITP®|FIBP®

Maria already had a strong business education – she completed her MBA on top of working as a Trade Commissioner, and raising her two year old while pregnant with her second child!

Even with all of that on her plate, she “jumped at the opportunity” to work towards the elite Certified International Trade Professional (CITP®|FIBP®) designation when approached by her supervisors, “because of its reputation and because it provided a great way to update and improve my knowledge.”

Maria had to find ways to balance completing her online courses with her work, but she enjoyed the courses, and said that she feels up to date on everything in international trade after taking them.

The material was very well presented. I think that has helped to have a better perspective of International Trade as a whole and also to help me understand the types of challenges that my clients face to penetrate foreign markets.

Now that she is a proud CITP®|FIBP®, she is excited to better serve her clients and help them excel in the southwestern US.

Want to connect with Maria?

LinkedIn_Logo60pxC.fw LinkedIn: Maria Bofill

Learn more about the CITP®|FIBP® designation

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CERTIFICATION—CITP®|FIBP®

Advance your career and build your professional credibility in the field of global business by earning the Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation.

Why Earn the Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) Designation?

The Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation is the world’s leading professional designation for the field of international business. So whether you’re new to global trade or have over a decade of direct experience, you’ll find the CITP designation can help advance your career and build your professional credibility.

The CITP designation sets you apart in the competitive international business industry because it’s proof you possess the competencies global business experts have identified as being essential for a successful career in international trade. It also recognizes your dedication to ethical business practices and ongoing professional development—both of which are desirable traits for today’s global business practitioners.

Click here to take the next steps to your CITP designation

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