Quick Query: Jeremy Hanks of Doba

Doba is a Utah-based product sourcing provider. We asked its president, Jeremy Hanks, to introduce the company and its benefits to ecommerce merchants.

Practical Ecommerce: Tell us about Doba.

Jeremy Hanks: Doba.com helps simplify product sourcing. That is, we streamline product sourcing for the emerging market of web-based entrepreneurs starting and growing a retail business. Our web-based platform empowers entrepreneurs to find and sell products, and suppliers to connect to retailers. By aggregating product distribution and purchasing power through a single connection point, Doba creates unique opportunities for suppliers and retailers.

Jeremy Hanks

PEC: How can it help smaller ecommerce sites?

Hanks: Every retail business needs a consistent and reliable source of products to sell. Finding that source of products is frequently the first roadblock that new entrepreneurs face.

PEC: What is drop shipping?

Hanks: Drop shipping is invaluable for ecommerce businesses. By drop shipping, the retailer ships product directly to the customer from the supplier’s warehouse. The retailer never touches the product. This process minimizes the risk to retailers because they do not need to buy the product until after it has sold.

With drop shipping, suppliers handle all warehousing, packaging, and shipping, thus saving the retailer a great deal of money. Doba has simplified the drop-shipping process even further by giving retailers instant access to 20 suppliers with over 150,000 products. With our simplified service, ecommerce retailers can:

• Choose a product to sell.
• Advertise the product via auction sites, an Internet store, or other channels.
• Sell the product and collect payment.
• Order the product on our site.
• Satisfy the customer and sell again. Never deal with the hassles of holding inventory or shipping orders.

PEC: Can an ecommerce operator with existing supplier relationships benefit from Doba’s service?

Hanks: Yes. Doba provides access to over 150,000 products. Retailers can quickly research and narrow product choices. Our advanced search capabilities, data export functionality, and training help retailers navigate the many product options available to them and quickly set up retail channels so they are selling new products almost immediately. It also helps ecommerce businesses stay abreast of market trends and emerging new products.