Increasing sales for online retailers

[Kevin Lee]

To increase sales, I think online retailers should include a feature on their websites to display the remaining quantity of a product once it's down to 10 or less.

I've seen this done well on some online retailers and I find that it helps motivate buyers (including myself ) to take action. As a consumer when I see that an item is almost sold out, it tells me that’s a bestseller and in fashion. Moreover, there's also a sense of urgency created when you know that you might not be able to purchase that product at a later date.

Besides, if you have your eye on a certain item, you'd be greatly disappointed if it was in stock earlier and then suddenly "out of stock" when you refresh the page.

[Takuya]

It's probably more so easier with digital product as it can be automated. Not sure about physical inventory though, if it gets automated (for example as it does whenever Wal Mart sells DVDs), it will be a nice feature to have.

[GT Bulmer]

Hi, Kevin:

That's a great idea! And I agree, it would certainly motivate buyers.

As long as the retailer didn't use it as a gimmick and next week, a new "only 10 items left' of the exact same product appears on the site.

GT

[ideasuniversity]

Most of the times marketers online use it to create panic buying. I have seen many websites that says the product remain only 7 and that is the way you will continue to see the site even when you open it hundred times.

[litekepr]

Amazon does that with books when they get down to 2 or 3 copies. Now that they are stocking a minimum of 5 copies - they order more when they reach that level. They say "Only 3 copies left, more on order". I like that approach - order now or you might have to wait

Another concern is having a site that appears to have a counter and it gets the look of a "Going out of Business" sale that last for a long time. I added a "limited copies" comment on my website as I was selling out of one book - but there were only 4 left in existence and no more could be legally produced - so I knew it was "limited copies".

Shri

[GT Bulmer]

...(Amazon) say(s) "Only 3 copies left, more on order". I like that approach - order now or you might have to wait
Shri

I really like that approach, too! It serves the same purpose and sometimes gets the desired response, but it also respects the intellect of the visitor.

Here's something else I've seen a few times on Internet Marketing sites, and I don't know what the "technical" term is for the technique:

The price starts at, say $7 for an item, but it increases by ten cents (or whatever) with each sale of the item. So, you'd better buy it now, or later it's going to cost you more as more buyers buy the item. I do not like that approach and click away from sites like that immediately!

GT

[Kevin Lee]

It's probably more so easier with digital product as it can be automated. Not sure about physical inventory though, if it gets automated (for example as it does whenever Wal Mart sells DVDs), it will be a nice feature to have.

I've seen the in-store Canada Computers http://www.canadacomputers.com/ automate their list of inventory (on their website). It's a very useful feature to have because it saves consumers time from having to drive to one store location only to find they're all sold out of a particular item.

This is especially useful during the Boxing Day sales

[Kevin Lee]

Hi, Kevin:

That's a great idea! And I agree, it would certainly motivate buyers.

As long as the retailer didn't use it as a gimmick and next week, a new "only 10 items left' of the exact same product appears on the site.

GT

Well the online retailer TennisWarehouse.com that uses this automated inventory count occasionally backorders "sold out" items. But the truth is, you never know (and neither do they) if they can get more supply from the manufacturer. There was a time when a rare popular item I ordered was continually backordered for over two months (they kept listing a new estimated arrival date)! And eventually I got fed up and wrote in to check in on its status and apparently there was none left

So you either act now and buy the item that is selling out fast or you risk the chance of never being able to buy it again. It's a tough call. Personally, I'm the type of consumer who likes to buy on impulse and then possibly make returns later, hehe

[WebBizIdeas.com]

Hi,

I am sure many people do use an inventory manager for marketing purposes. Most of our clients take advantage of this feature for inventory management purposes. Where it gets really tricky is when an online retailer needs an online inventory management system integrated with an offline inventory management system.

If anyone knows any solutions please list.

[Kevin Lee]

Another suggestion to help online retailers earn more revenue would be to charge a fair "international" shipping cost.

I recently purchased 3 Nike DriFit tennis shirts from an online store in the UK. They charged me $25 GBP for shipping, but when I saw the actual cost of postage on the package I received, it was only about $9 GBP.

Can anyone explain why they overcharged me on shipping? Doesn't $50 Canadian seem a bit unreasonable for 3 lightweight shirts (I only paid this ridiculous cost because I couldn't find these rare tees anywhere else)?

Had this retailer charged less for delivery, I probably would have purchased more items.

[GT Bulmer]

Another suggestion to help online retailers earn more revenue would be to charge a fair "international" shipping cost.

I recently purchased 3 Nike DriFit tennis shirts from an online store in the UK. They charged me $25 GBP for shipping, but when I saw the actual cost of postage on the package I received, it was only about $9 GBP.

Can anyone explain why they overcharged me on shipping? Doesn't $50 Canadian seem a bit unreasonable for 3 lightweight shirts (I only paid this ridiculous cost because I couldn't find these rare tees anywhere else)?

Had this retailer charged less for delivery, I probably would have purchased more items.

Hi, Kevin:

I can't speak for the disparity between $9 and $25, but sometimes it's not just a shipping charge, but a shipping and handling charge. Meaning they are compensating for shipping materials used and the labour involved.

Sometimes, that is all built into the retail price, but often it is not. That's how some retailers can get away with low item prices - they make up for it in the shipping charges!

Even with that understanding about packing and labour, it's hard to understand and accept the shipping charges sometimes. But, if we really want the item, we're going to justify the cost and pay the piper.

GT

[litekepr]

Hi, Kevin:

I can't speak for the disparity between $9 and $25, but sometimes it's not just a shipping charge, but a shipping and handling charge. Meaning they are compensating for shipping materials used and the labour involved.

Sometimes, that is all built into the retail price, but often it is not. That's how some retailers can get away with low item prices - they make up for it in the shipping charges!

Even with that understanding about packing and labour, it's hard to understand and accept the shipping charges sometimes. But, if we really want the item, we're going to justify the cost and pay the piper.

GT

Higher shipping charges seems to be the norm on eBay. Most sites list the charge as Shipping & Handling and you are right on - its the packing material, the time etc. I figure in a bit extra for the trip to the post office - its all part of the cost of shipping. When I purchase anything online and especially on eBay, I just figure the cost and shipping as one total price and decide what the item is worth to me. I often pay more shipping than I like, but only when I can get a low actual cost - then it evens out to the amount I am willing to pay

Shri


Shri

[Kevin Lee]

Hi, Kevin:

I can't speak for the disparity between $9 and $25, but sometimes it's not just a shipping charge, but a shipping and handling charge. Meaning they are compensating for shipping materials used and the labour involved.

Sometimes, that is all built into the retail price, but often it is not. That's how some retailers can get away with low item prices - they make up for it in the shipping charges!

Even with that understanding about packing and labour, it's hard to understand and accept the shipping charges sometimes. But, if we really want the item, we're going to justify the cost and pay the piper.

GT

In this particular case, both UK vendors simply packed my tennis apparel (about the same size and weight) into lightweight plastic bags. Both packages came in exactly 5 business days from the time I made my online order... so that's why I'm struggling to understand why there was such a difference in shipping/handling price. I guess the only explanation I can think of is that the larger UK vendor has a discount with the post office/delivery service due to their bigger volume of international sales.

In the future, I'd also like to see an online retailer that allows you to type in your body measurements, weight and height to determine and display how different sizes of a clothing garment will actually look on you. For example, because I'm skinny, but 5'10, I'm typically in between a size small and medium... so I'd like to know which of the 2 I should buy. There are a lot of times I'll try on an outfit in a store in different sizes and then go online to buy it for the cheaper price.

[GT Bulmer]

... In the future, I'd also like to see an online retailer that allows you to type in your body measurements, weight and height to determine and display how different sizes of a clothing garment will actually look on you...

My first impression of this idea was, "Oh, yeah. As if that will ever happen," but you know? It makes sense and I think it could become a trend with higher end suppliers as online shopping heats up to compete with local stores.

Of course, eventually our web cams will be able to produce holographic, three-dimensional, accurately proportioned images of our physique and the online retailers' computer will match up our proportions with an exact fit before pricing it and shipping it.

Kevin, you're just a man ahead of your time on this!

GT

[litekepr]

I buy all my dress clothes from a retailer that I found through eBay. They offer a complete list of measurements for all their products. Its hard to find clothes that are long enough for a woman over 6' tall and all their clothes fit great. Having the list of dimensions is very helpful too

Shri