The Ecomcrew Ecommerce Podcast

An ecommerce seller’s journey is rarely a smooth one. If you’ve been a regular podcast listener, you would have heard me talk about Amazon suspending one of our best selling products. In this episode, I’m going to share more about that particular experience. A couple of weeks ago, our ColorIt gel pens were randomly flagged as hazardous materials, even though we’ve sent the documentation well in advance to prevent this from happening. I won’t go into detail here about the events that followed (that would be giving too much away) but suffice it to say that they were maddeningly frustrating. Through this experience, I’ve come to reflect that there’s a greater need to balance our business off of Amazon. Because at the end of the day, we can’t expect them to lift a finger on problems like this (even if you’re a million-dollar seller) if it doesn’t affect their bottom line. Finally, I’d like to clarify that this is not me telling you that we’re hating on Amazon, but rather a cautionary tale to other ecommerce businesses disposing of their inventory on this platform.   Useful Resources: MyEcomcrew Importing From China Webinar  Thanks for listening to this episode! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

It’s the middle of July. Man, where did the year go? So much has happened since I last gave you guys an update in April so this one is due. The last couple of months have a been marred by struggles. However, our wins definitely rank higher than our struggles. As a company, I’d say we are in a good place and poised to be in an even better one before the year is out. So, let’s get to it. Here’s a status update for each of my 18 goals in 2018.   Develop 50 new products - on-track, have hit the halfway mark in terms of purchase orders Launch on Amazon Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, and eventually, Australia- we’re already on Amazon CA and UK, eyeing a launch in Germany & France by the end of the year Optimize our Amazon listings to increase sales by 50%on-track Optimize Amazon PPC - definitely ahead of the curve here, cost of advertising has gone way down for us while sales continue to go up Implement the concepts in the book Traction in our business - we’ve gotten more organized since implementing the concepts in this book; individual goals have been set out for employees prior to Q3 Reach $10 million in revenue with a 10% net profit - we’re frustratingly behind on this, problems in Q2 have set us back and currently, we are still at the $2.5-million mark Lose 12 lbs - have already lost 6.3 lbs Record 100 episodes of the podcast - on track to get this done; we’re at about 55 episodes right now Launch a new version of ecomcrew.com - we’ve already done this twice Launch 4 new courses - we’re on track here as well; expect new courses for Facebook Messenger and Facebook Advertising for Ecommerce to go live in August Speak at least 4 industry events - have already spoken at 3 events with several more lined up Hike 80 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail - will need to replace this with a new one as conditions in the PCT are no longer ideal for hiking at this time Take an epic 2-week vacation - might opt for a local destination where I can drive instead of having to get on a plane Visit the Philippines office at least once - visited the guys out there in April, might visit a second time in October   Read 4 books (I know, I know… 4 books aren’t a lot but I’m not really a book reader so please don’t laugh at me) - have read Traction and Ready Player One so far Hand off my Facebook ads to other people within the company - I’ve since hired a marketing person to take care of this Come up with at least one new tactic that no one else is doing - we have a lot of new ideas in the drawing board Never lose sight of the bigger picture: create 5-star products that people will truly love and continue to enjoy what I’m doing - have been getting positive feedback on our products and will work on raising employee satisfaction even further If you haven’t been keeping up with my previous updates, here are the other podcast episodes to listen to. My 2018 Goals 2018 Goals Quarterly Goals Other Useful Resources: MyEcomcrew Importing From China Webinar  Thanks for listening to this episode! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

Hey, it’s Dave filling in for Mike. In today’s podcast, I’m going to talk about my stint at Amazon last year. In January 2017, I got hired as a picker at one of their oversize FBA warehouses in Vancouver. I worked for 8 hours and was paid CA$13.75 an hour. I had originally intended to work there for two weeks but had to cut it short to a few days. Still, it was more than enough time to have a good idea of what goes on inside these warehouses and what it's like to work there. Here are 5 important takeaways from my time there.  1. Different sized items are sent to different warehouses.  Amazon has warehouses specifically for storing standard items and oversize items. If you’re importing products from a Chinese manufacturer, it’s best to ship only one-size items at a time. This prevents them from getting sent to different warehouses. 2. Amazon sells a lot of diapers and TVs.  There was a staggering amount of TV sets and Pampers boxes at the warehouse I worked in. 3. Amazon has the ability to handle any item you can throw at it.  Don’t worry about shipping your oversize products through Amazon. They’ll find a way to pack and ship to your customer securely. 4. There is no conspiracy to lose your stuff. Amazon doesn’t intentionally lose your orders. It's more likely that the warehouse it’s shipped from doesn’t have a reliable way of organizing all the products going in and out. At our warehouse, the apparent lack of this system caused an item or two getting misplaced ever so often. 5. Peak fees are a result of peak rates.  Amazon often has a harder time getting people to work in their warehouses during busy seasons like Christmas. So, they lure prospective employees with higher rates. This added expense is passed on to business owners, which explains why FBA fees are steeper at certain times of the year. For a more detailed chronicle of “Dave the Amazon Warehouse Picker”, check out my blog post here.  Useful Resources: MyEcomcrew  Thanks for listening to this episode! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

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!

Is email marketing dead? I certainly don’t think so. Email marketing is responsible for generating about half of our company’s revenue. Fortunately, my guest on today’s podcast shares the same sentiment. In this episode, I’m talking to Xiaohui or better known as “X”. He’s an industry expert, who along with his team of email marketing specialists, are helping ecommerce businesses reap the benefits of an expertly crafted email sequence. And email sequences are at the heart of this episode. X identified the top 3 types that ecommerce entrepreneurs should be aware of. We’ve listed them below. 1. Abandon Cart Sequence Email 1 - a reminder about the abandoned shopping cart; sent somewhere between 15 minutes to a couple of hours after a cart is supposedly abandoned. Email 2 - encourages the person who abandoned the cart to return to it and complete the purchase with a discount incentive; sent 24 hours after the first email Email 3 - introduces the sense of urgency (cart/discount expiring soon!); sent 24 hours after the first email 2. Prospect Nurture Sequence This sequence is defined as a welcome sequence specifically for prospects. When done properly, it has proven to be very effective for generating additional email addresses. It propels the prospect forward in the email sequence and eventually results in revenue.   The prospect nurture sequence often uses intelligent pop-ups that offer value to the recipient instead of just plain ‘hard selling’. Tried and true incentives tend to work best in this type of email sequence. A sequence is typically made up of 3-5 emails. Email 1 - deliver the incentive Email 2 - a reminder Email 3 - last chance to get the incentive 3. Post Purchase Sequence This email sequence targeted towards people who have become customers. Email 1 - Differentiated welcome emails (depending on whether it’s a first time or repeat customer) Email 2 - Transactional emails (e.g., order confirmation and shipping confirmation emails) Email 3 - Creating opportunities to cross-sell and upsell X also touched a bit on the win-back sequence and offered tips on how to use it to get customers back and still manage to make a conversion in the process. Other Resources Mentioned: Essence of Email MyEcomcrew Thanks for listening to this episode! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

Creating a great launch strategy is key to being successful on Amazon. I interview an experienced Amazon PPC specialist who grew his entreprise into a seven-figure business through an Amazon launch strategy that played to his strengths and utilized some of the most helpful resources found on the platform itself. Chris Nowak is the founder of My PPC Pal, a tool that helps ecommerce business owners get on top of their PPC campaigns. In this episode, he talks about his own Amazon launch strategy and how it can help put your brand and its specific products out there. Once the products have been ordered, he prepares the content that goes into his listings. He employs the services of a professional copywriter to write the titles and product descriptions. A professional photographer is also brought in to shoot high quality product images. Here are the specifics steps for Chris’s Amazon launch strategy: Build a great listing. Use the main keywords that appear on your product titles and descriptions. Set up Amazon Giveaway. Enable the feature on your product listings and promote giveaways on social media platforms. Tap into the Early Reviewer Program. Five reviews for $60. Craft your Amazon PPC campaign. Look for a ton of keywords and gradually prune them so you’re left with the best possible keyword combinations. Thanks for listening to this episode! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

Ah...contests and giveaways. We now know that these are brilliant ways to increase interest in the brand and consequently boost sales. I remember the first giveaway we did for ColorIt back in the day. It was $600 dollars worth of product costs plus a couple of thousand for running Facebook ads with a massive 400 percent return on ad spend. In today’s podcast, I’m joined by Steve Chou and Toni Anderson. Each one successful in their respective ecommerce businesses but are both involved in an annual ecommerce workshop called the Sellers Summit. I’ve spoken at this event on a number of occasions, sharing the tips and techniques, which have helped me to succeed in my own business, to people at various stages of their ecommerce journey. Steve and Toni’s latest joint venture aims to expand on the effectiveness of contests and giveaways as a marketing tool for ecommerce sellers. Go Brand Win is a free service that partners with ecommerce brands “to offer enticing giveaways and offers for unique products and services.”   Go Brand Win allows ecommerce businesses with the same vertical to collaborate in one massive giveaway and reap the benefits of having a fresh list of potential customers to add to their existing mailing lists. Here’s how you can participate. Go to the Go Brand Win website. From the homepage, click on the pink LEARN MORE button. You will automatically be redirected to a details page. Each brand is required to contribute a $200 gift card that will form part of a giant giveaway. Fill out the application form (Google Doc) and hit SUBMIT. Other resources mentioned: MyWifeQuitHerJob.com The Oil Collection ColorIt Tactical  Thanks for listening to this episode! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

“...I think under a million dollars, personally. I don’t think that you should be trying to ‘squeeze that lemon’ much harder until you’ve re ally optimized Amazon. I think once you get beyond a million dollars, give or take,  in sales that’s when you really need to start looking at other sales channels, whether its outside of Amazon.com and other marketplaces within Amazon or other sales channels totally outside of Amazon.”- Dave Bryant on evaluating when an ecommerce business should diversify and get sales off of Amazon US Amazon US is widely regarded as the ecommerce platform to be in for sellers online. However, an ecommerce business that’s growing at a steady pace will eventually be confronted with the need to expand and diversify outside of Amazon US. Dave and I both agree that ecommerce businesses below the million dollar mark should not jump into diversification too quickly. “I think under a million dollars, personally. I don’t think that you should be trying to ‘squeeze that lemon’ much harder until you’ve really optimized Amazon. I think once you get beyond a million dollars, give or take,  in sales that’s when you really need to start looking at other sales channels, whether its outside of Amazon.com and other marketplaces within Amazon, or other sales channels totally outside of Amazon.,” Dave says. However, that’s not to say that online entrepreneurs earning below seven figures should not do anything to boost their Amazon profile. List building off of Amazon and having an intuitive and user-friendly website can go a long way in increasing sales. If you have reached that threshold, however; then it’s time to rethink your strategy. Having all your eggs in the Amazon.com basket can be risky, especially since your account can easily be suspended for one reason or the other. If this happens, you will need to have another way to liquidate inventory. On that note, ecommerce businesses may also do well to explore one or two of the following verticals: Amazon Canada Ebay Niche type platforms like HOUZZ Amazon UK Amazon Europe (particularly Germany) The platforms above have been ranked according to a number of factors — dealing with taxes, ability to do Fulfillment by Amazon, cost of shipping. Other resources mentioned: How to Lose Money Chasing Champagne Dreams of Retail Distribution Thanks for listening to this episode! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. Happy selling!

Building a product brand is no easy task. When you don't have any experience selling physical products, where do you start? Richard Phillips is facing that dilemma. Richard has been in the affiliate marketing business and his shift into actually selling a physical product to make money has proven to be very challenging. Richard and I have a lot in common, one of which is the fact that we both got burned when Google dropped the hammer on affiliate marketing years ago. Just like me, he also realized that the way to make money sustainably is to actually offer something worthy of people's money, and his idea of building a brand selling quality products was born. In this episode Richard and I talk about how to best approach building a solid product brand. Some conversation highlights: How to handle physical inventory, i.e., how to accurately forecast how much inventory to order and avoiding running out of stock The pitfalls of relying on data from product research apps How to get market share in a very competitive niche Which one to focus on--product development or marketing How much money to allocate on product development and marketing Maximizing an email list and decreasing cost per email If you enjoyed listening to our conversation and would like to be featured in your own Under the Hood episode, just fill up an application form here. We will contact you for further details. Resources mentioned: EcomCrew Premium Under the Hood BuzzSumo Ask Us Anything! Thanks for listening! Until the next one, happy sellling.

Learn how to hire quality Filipino virtual assistants with John Jonas of OnlineJobs.ph. Discover why email interviews are more effective than Skype, how to build trust with your VAs, and the benefits of using OnlineJobs.ph for direct hiring. Hear about strategies for empowering Filipino workers and the importance of positive feedback and proactive communication.