Inventory
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Conversion
9 Tips to Manage Out-of-stock Inventory
May 28, 2018 • Armando Roggio
Sometimes even the most-prepared retailers sell out of popular items. How these inventory shortages are communicated on an ecommerce website may impact shopper experience, search engine optimization, and sales. Although not ...
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Conversion
Tips for Selling and Buying on B2B Exchanges
January 9, 2018 • Gagan Mehra
In "20 Leading Global B2B Exchanges," my previous post, I shared B2B marketplace options for buying and selling products. In this post, I'll offer pointers on using those exchanges. Selling on a B2B exchange is an easy and inexpensive way for suppliers to get started with ecommerce. A supplier does not typically need its own website to list products on exchanges.
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9 Startups That Are Disrupting Inventory Management
November 7, 2017 • Gagan Mehra
The sweet spot for inventory management is to spend the minimum amount to have adequate stock for customer orders. There is no shortage of software to help with this. But ...
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Conversion
Navigating Drop Shipping and Sales Taxes
April 14, 2017 • Jeremy Hanks
I’ve written a lot about the fact that drop shipping isn’t just another distribution method. It’s a new way of doing business that has unique operational and logistical challenges. The ...
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Merchant Voice
Deleting slow-moving inventory
March 27, 2017 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth
My Wedding Décor will celebrate its second birthday next month. When the website launched in April 2015, it began with 80 products, which had grown to almost 500 products at the ...
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Conversion
5 More Reasons to Consider Drop Shipping for Ecommerce
February 28, 2017 • Armando Roggio
Drop shipping is a fulfillment model wherein online retailers market products and take orders from shoppers, but third-party suppliers (drop shippers), which are often product distributors or brokers, fulfill those ...
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Conversion
Monitor Inventory Sell-through Rates to Boost Performance
January 5, 2017 • Armando Roggio
Sell-through rate is a retail inventory key performance indicator that can help stores track product sales, strike a good inventory balance, and, ultimately, earn relatively more profit. For many retail businesses, inventory ...
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Conversion
Free Shipping, Free Returns Critical for Online Shoppers
December 21, 2016 • Armando Roggio
Online shoppers want free shipping, free returns, on-time delivery, and accuracy. Internet retailers that deliver on these consumer desires may earn loyal customers and gain a competitive advantage. Order fulfillment —
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Conversion
Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 3: Suppliers vs. Retailers
September 17, 2014 • Jeremy Hanks
In “Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 1: Supply Chain History,” my first article, I addressed basic supply chain evolution inside of ecommerce. Last month, in “Part 2: The Basics,” I ...
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Conversion
Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 2: The Basics
August 15, 2014 • Jeremy Hanks
My article last month, “Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 1: Supply Chain History,” was the first in a series about drop shipping as an ecommerce supply management technique. What Is Drop ...
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Conversion
Drop Shipping for Ecommerce, Part 1: Supply Chain History
July 24, 2014 • Jeremy Hanks
To fully address the good and the bad of drop shipping as a supply management technique, I'm going to start with the history and current state of the retail supply chain.
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Merchant Voice
Trials and tribulations of inventory management
January 15, 2014 • David Sasson
Holding inventory can be an advantage and a disadvantage. It can be both a competitive edge and an incredible headache. Some retailers choose to only drop ship and others sell ...
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Conversion
4 Tips for Better Ecommerce Returns and Exchanges
December 19, 2013 • Armando Roggio
More than 60 percent of online shoppers returned or exchanged at least one item in 2013, up from about 51 percent in 2012. Importantly, about 95 percent of customers will ...
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Conversion
eCommerce Business Valuation Case Studies : Effect of Inventory on Valuation Multiple
August 12, 2013 • Manish Shah
In this series, I will share my experiences selling online businesses for my clients and lessons learned. Effect of Inventory on eCommerce Business Valuation Multiple Some time ago I was selling an eCommerce business that had a large amount of inventory that needed to be sold with the...
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Conversion
Reducing Excess Inventory to Free-up Capital
February 20, 2013 • Armando Roggio
Reducing excess inventory, even at a loss, can free-up capital and help a small online retailer grow. Slow selling products sitting in a warehouse — or, for very small retailers, a garage — tie up cash and may make it hard to invest in marketing, new product lines, or site improvements...
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Conversion
10 Drop Shipping Resources
December 24, 2012 • Sig Ueland
Drop shipping is an order fulfillment technique in which merchandise is shipped to the customer directly from the warehouse or supplier, rather than from the retailer. The merchant can offer a greater selection of products and test new markets, without the cost and risk of excessive inv...
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Conversion
3 Tips for Holiday Returns and Exchanges
November 28, 2012 • Armando Roggio
When the giddy days of holiday sales end, online retailers frequently need to deal with the inevitable returns and exchanges barrage. But when customer contacts are seen as opportunities, even returns can be a tool to improve an ecommerce business. Online returns and exchanges are a po...
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Conversion
Inventory Rules Are Changing, Says Dropship.com CEO
May 9, 2012 • PEC Staff
Drop shipping is the process of selling an item that is then shipped by a manufacturer or wholesaler. Many ecommerce merchants utilize drop shipping, at least in part, to reduce inventory costs and to expand their product offerings. But drop shipping can be complicated. We addressed s...
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Conversion
Drop Shipping: The Good and The Bad
May 8, 2012 • Armando Roggio
Drop shipping may help online retailers increase sales and profits. But the strategy is not without problems — ranging from gathering product information, managing orders, providing good customer service, and removing poor-performing items. As a business model, drop shipping has online...
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Conversion
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Merchant Voice
How to reduce customer returns, refunds and resentment
March 4, 2012 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth
If you can reduce returns and refunds, you make more money! Here are my tips from my business and personal consumer experience. 1. 100% money-back guarantee When you shop online, you probably don’t buy products from unfamiliar companies, without a 100% money-back guarantee. You might ...
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Conversion
The Pros and Cons of Drop Shipping
February 21, 2012 • Rob Snell
When I spoke at a conference a couple of years ago, and I made the mistake of referring to two types of online retailers: "real retailers" (like me) who stock what they sell and then those other folks that drop ship. Whoops! I have never gotten so much hate mail.
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Conversion
5 Reasons to Consider Drop Shipping
November 21, 2011 • Armando Roggio
Drop shipping is an order fulfillment strategy where the retailer does not keep products in inventory, but relies on wholesalers or manufacturers to actually ship orders to customers. This arrangement has several advantages that make it attractive to online merchants. When a customer p...
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Conversion
Best Policy for Inventory Stock Status? Be Transparent
September 20, 2011 • Pamela Hazelton
Most customers can deal with miniscule shipping mistakes. The majority are forgiving when damaged shipments are quickly addressed or replaced, and most will even return shop if their issues are fixed expeditiously. But what if the order is never fulfilled due to lack of inventory? Las...
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Conversion
10 Ways to Save Money on Inventory
April 26, 2011 • PEC Staff
Online retailers purchase and manage inventory. The prices they pay for the inventory, the quantities they carry, and the inventory commitments they make can drastically affect their profits. We recently asked three seasoned ecommerce merchants for money saving inventory tips. The merc...
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Conversion
Tips for Improving Drop Shipping and Inventory Management
October 21, 2010 • PEC Staff
Autumn provides a not-so-subtle reminder that the holiday season is in swing. I recently moderated "Manage Inventory and Drop Shipping for the Holiday Rush," a Practical eCommerce webinar, on this very subject. It featured Anne Pingree, senior sales engineer with Infopia, the hosted s...
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Conversion
Increase Holiday Profits with Drop Shipping, Better Inventory Management
September 9, 2010 • PEC Staff
Holiday sales are vital for most ecommerce merchants. But the selling process can be a management headache when a merchant is juggling many different suppliers, sales channels, and stocking requirements. Couple those challenges with trying to decide which products to promote, and what t...
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Conversion
Ecommerce Know-How: Alternative Sources to Acquire Inventory
March 18, 2009 • Armando Roggio
While many ecommerce businesses trade only in new merchandise, there is a booming market for used, refurbished, and surplus items. Savvy ecommerce merchants can identify niche markets and use public auctions, websites, and classified ads to source valuable inventory for resale. In thi...
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Conversion
Distribution Decisions: Drop-Shipping vs. Inventory vs. Fulfillment House
June 3, 2000 • Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
"Internet product sales are easy," said Bob Simple, when he first set up Bob Simple's Online Shoes. Now he's not so sure. He had found three quality shoe manufacturers who agreed to ship shoes to his customers as soon as he faxed them the order."