E160: Under the Hood with David Wilson Part 3 - Taking a Plateauing Business to the Next Level

This one definitely made my day.

It is really rewarding to be able to help someone grow and improve their ecommerce business. And in this episode, I got to experience just that!

I recently caught up with David Wilson to see how his ecommerce business is doing. If you guys can recall, David was struggling with a plateauing business when we talked to him last year. In parts 1 and 2 of this Under the Hood series, we discussed a couple of strategies that could help his online enterprise get out of that slump.

It’s been six months and, I’m happy to report that his situation has definitely improved. From steady revenue of $10k month after month, David’s ecommerce business is now inching closer to that $20k goal.

Here are the things that helped bring about this upward turn.

1.Improving Amazon listings by adding these elements:

• More product images to his listings that have better quality
• Lifestyle photos to highlight the product’s versatility and usefulness
• Diagrams to highlight noteworthy features like a specially designed buckle (David sells a wide variety of belts)

2. Remove barriers to purchasing

• David added a size chart to help customers make an easier decision when buying his product.

3. International expansion

• David sold a few of his products in the UK and Canada. He also ventured out to other EU countries like Germany, France and Italy. Today, at least 10% of his total revenue is generated by international sales.

4. Diversifying the product line

• David has added some new products to his catalog and promoted them via Amazon’s Early Reviewer Program, products all have 4-star ratings

We also had a good discussion about what David can do to continue on this trajectory. Here’s what we covered.

• A cohesive product line is always better than lumping unrelated products that sell well individually
• Kickstarter and Indiegogo are great platforms for launching new niche products
• Profit vs growth: It’s a personal choice. But making a decision on which direction to take should be based upon hard facts.

 

Other Resources Mentioned:

Under the Hood

MyEcomcrew

July 18 Webinar: Importing from China Like a Pro

Amazon Early Reviewer Program

 

Thanks for listening to this episode! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!