It would be safe to say that Ecommerce is not one of the hottest trends in Asia. According to eMarketer.com,' B2C e-commerce growth is slow through much of the region, B2B e-commerce is already rapidly expanding in most Asian countries. Total B2B e-commerce revenues are expected to grow from $36.2 billion in 2000 to over $300 billion in 2004. '
In fact, Asia is ahead on the user technology front and is rapidly adapting Mcommerce (Mobile Commerce) as there is a burst of mobile phone users in the Asian Subcontinent and it boasts of growth rates never seen in any other part of the world. IDC reports that Asian Mobile phone sales were at 366 million units in 2007 and are likely to increase at the rate of 10% in the coming couple of years. With India and China leading the race for the largest democracy with the highest number of mobile phones, Mcommerce is likely to become a way of life rather than an exception.
Ecommerce cannot be completely ruled out though. Many Mcommerce services are being supported by full fledged ecommerce environments and though bandwidth continues to be a stumbling block in some Asian countries, ecommerce is managing to survive due to the ease-factor which is being demanded by the corporate sector. Japan has been a leading force in the Mcommerce bandwagon and now offers eWallet services to NTT DoCoMo users where they can make payments for utilities as well as on-the-spot purchases via their mobile phones.
China has limited ecommerce penetration due to non-availability of internet services in the semi-rural areas but it comes as no surprise to see a Chinese farmer checking out the latest commodity pricing on his mobile phone via an SMS Gateway! Ecommerce might become a way of time with the West, but in Asia, it is Mcommerce which has really taken off in spite of a couple of false starts.
Developed Asian economies like Singapore, Korea and Taiwan are involving the government in Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) which will help create Mcommerce gateways for important utilities thus making it a valuable service for the entire population. Industry watchers also feel, that the new devices where mobile telephony services and internet access are easily available will result in a merger of Ecommerce and Mcommerce.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
How to advertise your online shop and attract buyers?
Online buyers can be fickle as they can flit from one shop to another at a mouse click and you need to attract them enough for them to complete a transaction on your site. Some of the advertisement tips which you should follow for good returns on your online shop are:
1) Search Engine Optimize (SEO) your web site so that you manage to capture a percentage of online search results. SEO includes giving the web site the right tags, meta-tags and titles and including keywords on each page. Research online for SEO tips as this is a list which gets updated regularly by web masters.
2) Use Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising campaigns. These might cost you a pretty penny, but are worth it if you are looking for serious buyers. Google Adwords and MSN AdCenter are some excellent tools that can help you run an effective PPC campaigns.
3) Create an online buzz by using Web 2.0 techniques such as blogs, message board posting and the best tactic is to get some customers to talk about the product in favorable terms.
4) Don’t miss out on print ads even if you are just selling online. Strategic print ads help deliver serious customers to the web site and can be done even in small sizes since you need to advertise the basic product details and a web address.
5) Don’t ignore the web site. Apart from online advertising via PPC and banners, you need to have an excellent web site as well to keep the users from moving on to another web site. Uncluttered look and feel, high quality content and an easy to use product catalogue can help in retention of users and conversion to sales.
6) Online directories are like search engines for online shops and thus an excellent place to list your web site. Most online directories do not charge you to list and even if they do, it is a nominal charge to incur. Ensure that your profile is updated and the web site address is listed correctly.
Advertising online is only limited by creativity (and the product mix of course) and the more creative you get with your advertisements, the higher level of sales can be achieved.
1) Search Engine Optimize (SEO) your web site so that you manage to capture a percentage of online search results. SEO includes giving the web site the right tags, meta-tags and titles and including keywords on each page. Research online for SEO tips as this is a list which gets updated regularly by web masters.
2) Use Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising campaigns. These might cost you a pretty penny, but are worth it if you are looking for serious buyers. Google Adwords and MSN AdCenter are some excellent tools that can help you run an effective PPC campaigns.
3) Create an online buzz by using Web 2.0 techniques such as blogs, message board posting and the best tactic is to get some customers to talk about the product in favorable terms.
4) Don’t miss out on print ads even if you are just selling online. Strategic print ads help deliver serious customers to the web site and can be done even in small sizes since you need to advertise the basic product details and a web address.
5) Don’t ignore the web site. Apart from online advertising via PPC and banners, you need to have an excellent web site as well to keep the users from moving on to another web site. Uncluttered look and feel, high quality content and an easy to use product catalogue can help in retention of users and conversion to sales.
6) Online directories are like search engines for online shops and thus an excellent place to list your web site. Most online directories do not charge you to list and even if they do, it is a nominal charge to incur. Ensure that your profile is updated and the web site address is listed correctly.
Advertising online is only limited by creativity (and the product mix of course) and the more creative you get with your advertisements, the higher level of sales can be achieved.
How to select (what) to sell online?
Ecommerce is no longer a fad. People have begun using web sites to make purchases and ecommerce is pretty much a mainstay phenomenon these days. If you are a new e-tailer and looking at creating an interesting product mix, then you should consider the following parameters which can help you decide what to sell online:
1) Standardized products have a good market online. For example, you don’t really need to examine a book or CD in order to ensure it is in good condition. Such pre-packaged products which can easily be categorized are an easy bet to sell online. The downside of course is that there are many people already selling these products on the internet!
2) Fairly easy to package and deliver is also something which you would need to consider when choosing what to sell online. Complicated delivery processes of perishable items can result in a touch-and-go situation where you might incur business losses due to faulty delivery. Items which can be sent by standard post are one of the main areas to consider which choosing the products you will sell.
3) Unique but necessary. This might sound like an oxymoron but with the internet, the entire retailing experience is different. It is recommended that your product should be UNIQUE so that it can stand out in a crowded marketplace but also should serve a purpose so that people consider it important enough to buy it online.
4) Touch-and-feel products are difficult to sell online so avoid them as far as possible. Garments, food items or anything that requires the TOUCH factor may not sell easily.
5) GO digital. One of the easiest things to sell online are digital goods such as software, e-books etc. If you have a niche product in this category, you eliminate all the hassles of shipping and storage and can enjoy a growing market as well.
Whatever you choose to sell, you must ensure that the product has a demand and you stand to make some good profits!
1) Standardized products have a good market online. For example, you don’t really need to examine a book or CD in order to ensure it is in good condition. Such pre-packaged products which can easily be categorized are an easy bet to sell online. The downside of course is that there are many people already selling these products on the internet!
2) Fairly easy to package and deliver is also something which you would need to consider when choosing what to sell online. Complicated delivery processes of perishable items can result in a touch-and-go situation where you might incur business losses due to faulty delivery. Items which can be sent by standard post are one of the main areas to consider which choosing the products you will sell.
3) Unique but necessary. This might sound like an oxymoron but with the internet, the entire retailing experience is different. It is recommended that your product should be UNIQUE so that it can stand out in a crowded marketplace but also should serve a purpose so that people consider it important enough to buy it online.
4) Touch-and-feel products are difficult to sell online so avoid them as far as possible. Garments, food items or anything that requires the TOUCH factor may not sell easily.
5) GO digital. One of the easiest things to sell online are digital goods such as software, e-books etc. If you have a niche product in this category, you eliminate all the hassles of shipping and storage and can enjoy a growing market as well.
Whatever you choose to sell, you must ensure that the product has a demand and you stand to make some good profits!
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