Merchant Voice
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Amazon & Marketplaces
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Merchant Voice
Accessing Amazon’s and eBay’s delivery services
September 12, 2018 • Richard Stubbings
As far as Amazon is concerned, a parcel is tracked only if a seller uses a delivery service that Amazon approves of — one it can interface with to confirm the tracking number and delivery. Any other service is not tracked as far as Amazon is concerned. This has consequences if you use a service that does not integrate with Amazon.
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Business
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Merchant Voice
Teaching sales and marketing with Girl Scout cookies
September 11, 2018 • Peter Keller
When Girl Scout cookie time rolls around, it's our time to shine. I teach sales techniques from Sandler Training. Before we approach a door, I ask them what they're going to say. They have their script ready. I teach them how to overcome objections.
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Business
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Merchant Voice
5 common communication errors with shoppers
August 27, 2018 • Richard Stubbings
Smaller ecommerce retailers should offer more value than the big box shifters. This includes helpful communication. In this post, I'll address often-overlooked communication errors that can affect a shopper's experience.
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Business
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Merchant Voice
Event management contest helps students (and my business)
August 14, 2018 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth
I have been slow to adopt videos to showcase my decór products. But I had a brainstorm: I would create a competition for three event management students to produce nine themed events for three stylists in three hours — while being videoed and photographed.
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Business
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Merchant Voice
Lessons from Ikea’s negative reviews
August 8, 2018 • Richard Stubbings
Those of us who sell on Amazon tend to believe that reviews are all important and that negative reviews can dampen sales, in part, because Amazon likely includes an element ...
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Business
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Merchant Voice
The ‘why’ of my company
August 5, 2018 • Peter Keller
Here's the story of FringeSport's why and how it has evolved. When I started Fringe, my why was focused on me. I desired to assist customers, but, really, I wanted something. I wanted to start a business so that I could be an entrepreneur.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
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Merchant Voice
Using Amazon to wind down a retail business
July 13, 2018 • Richard Stubbings
There are many blogs on how to improve sales on Amazon. In this post, I’ll address the opposite: how to wind down and stop selling on Amazon entirely. It is becoming ...
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Business
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Merchant Voice
4 ecommerce-related businesses to start right now
July 5, 2018 • Peter Keller
I’m often approached by many would-be entrepreneurs who want to start a business as soon as possible. They are usually in their early 20s, living in the U.S., and working a job where they are unfulfilled and (possibly) underpaid. In this post, I'll offer four low-risk ways to start a side hustle that can grow into a full-time business.
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Cross-border Selling
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Merchant Voice
How to sell alcohol online in Russia (or not)
June 27, 2018 • Maksim Komonov
The most popular niche for online Russian buyers is apparel and footwear. That is according to East-West Digital News, which covers technology and innovation in Central and Eastern Europe. But ...
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Business
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Merchant Voice
What not to sell on an ecommerce site
June 14, 2018 • Richard Stubbings
There is no shortage of advice on what to sell on an ecommerce site. In this post, however, I will describe what not to sell. Ecommerce should be about making money.
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Business
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Merchant Voice
Magento sold, again
June 5, 2018 • Richard Stubbings
With the acquisition by Adobe, the future of Magento is raising questions. Magento merchants naturally wonder whether Adobe will support the open source version and, indeed, if it will remain free.
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Business
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Merchant Voice
The elements of a (successful) ecommerce strategy
May 30, 2018 • David Sasson
The importance of an ecommerce strategy is clear. What is not clear is how to develop a good one. Some strategy statements do not provide a lot of direction, such ...
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Business
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Merchant Voice
10 ways to offer shoppers a discount
May 29, 2018 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth
Many online retailers unintentionally train consumers to expect discounts. Clothing stores are amongst the worst offenders. Constant discounting makes full-price shoppers believe they’re being overcharged. They often won’t shop until the next sale, which leads to a vicious cycle. It is a rare company that doesn’t get asked for discounts. In this post, I'll review 10 ways to offer clients a discount.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
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Merchant Voice
Has Amazon altered A-Z claims process to help sellers?
May 17, 2018 • Richard Stubbings
I recently took a break from selling on Amazon whilst reorganizing my stock. When I returned I noticed a difference in the A-Z claim process. First, I found that customers are ...
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Business
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Merchant Voice
Why sell barbells?
May 3, 2018 • Peter Keller
I’m often asked why I started FringeSport. People inquire, “Of all the things to do, why sell barbells?” I tell them that if I wanted only to make money, I ...
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Business
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Merchant Voice
Merging 2 ecommerce sites
April 25, 2018 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth
On April 23, 2018, the third anniversary of the launch of My Wedding Décor, I decided to merge that website into My Event Décor. I need to focus my energy ...
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Business
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Merchant Voice
Europe-based merchant accesses GDPR
April 23, 2018 • Richard Stubbings
The E.U.'s new data protection law goes into effect on May 25. Many businesses here in Europe and elsewhere have ignored it. That is a mistake. Failure to comply could result in an eye-watering fine of $20 million. If your company does business or communicates with any consumer in Europe, you should comply, or at least take steps to comply.
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Business
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Merchant Voice
Pros and cons of meeting with suppliers
April 4, 2018 • Peter Keller
The primary reason to not visit my suppliers is I do not care about them. For example, if I am drop shipping from a supplier that is significantly larger than FringeSport, there may be no need to cultivate a relationship. The main reason, however, to visit suppliers is to build relationships. If you treat suppliers like you're doing one-time deals, they're going to treat you in the same way.
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Marketing & Advertising
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Merchant Voice
Newsletter frustrations result in new target audience
March 27, 2018 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth
Last month I noticed declining subscriptions across my three email newsletters. To offset the reduction, I decided to revise my signup popup box. I've used popup discount offers on other retailers’ websites. So I decided to do the same on mine: offering a discount to new email subscribers. I asked my developer to revise my existing newsletter popups on both websites — My Wedding Décor and My Event Décor — to include a 15 percent discount for subscribers’ first orders.
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Cross-border Selling
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Merchant Voice
Yandex.Market, in new joint venture, seeks non-Russian sellers
March 27, 2018 • Maksim Komonov
A leading Russian bank and the largest online Russian marketplace have announced a joint venture that will likely improve cross-border ecommerce. Sberbank is the largest and most trusted saving bank in ...
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Business
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Merchant Voice
Entrepreneurs fool themselves about productivity
March 5, 2018 • Peter Keller
There is no shortage of advice on how entrepreneurs can be more productive and more effective. Over the years, I have become better at both. But I sometimes believe that I’m being productive when, in fact, I’m wasting time. Here are three ways that entrepreneurs often fool themselves about productivity.
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Business
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Merchant Voice
Comparing KPIs for 2 websites in first year of trading
February 19, 2018 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth
Now that My Event Décor has been live for just over 12 months, it’s time to check its metrics and compare its growth against the first year of My Wedding Décor. Both My Event Décor and My Wedding Décor took several weeks to make the first online sale — the former recorded its first online sale within 37 days of launch, the latter within 21 days.
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Cross-border Selling
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Merchant Voice
4 payment aggregators to use in Russia
February 18, 2018 • Maksim Komonov
In this post, I'll list four major payments aggregators in Russia. There are many more, but these four are trusted by Russian consumers and businesses, as well as international companies. When choosing a payment aggregator, consider these key points.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
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Merchant Voice
3 hooks to lure shoppers away from Amazon
February 14, 2018 • Richard Stubbings
In 2017 nearly 50 percent of all U.S. ecommerce sales went through Amazon. In the run-up to Thanksgiving, the rate was even higher. It is thus difficult to ignore Amazon if you want to succeed in selling online. But that is not to say that you have to follow other Amazon sellers and chase the price to the bottom. Instead, look carefully at the behavior of your target customers and determine how best to profit from them.
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Business
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Merchant Voice
My experience with product reviews
February 6, 2018 • Peter Keller
I'm a huge believer in product reviews for ecommerce sites. I have been for years — since the start of online reviews. I remember when Amazon first utilized reviews, in the early 2000s. I was working for LivingDirect, a retailer of home products. We marveled at reviews. What a strange innovation. A customer could post a review on the site — any review, any customer.
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Amazon & Marketplaces
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Merchant Voice
Dissecting Amazon’s new ‘Pay by Invoice’ method
January 10, 2018 • Richard Stubbings
The new payment method is "Pay by Invoice." It is an attempt to entice new customers to Amazon that prefer to pay after receiving the goods. It is presumably based on the assumption that there are organizations — libraries, public bodies, larger companies — who do not let their staff pay in advance for an item. On the face of it, it seemed like a good idea.
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Business
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Merchant Voice
Would relocating damage my ecommerce business?
January 6, 2018 • Elizabeth Hollingsworth
When I met my English husband-to-be seven years ago, he had relocated to Melbourne, Australia. At the time, I lived in Sydney, roughly 540 miles (870 km) north of Melbourne. My mother lived on the Gold Coast, in Queensland, 540 miles (840 km) north of Sydney. On moving to Melbourne, I was easily able to relocate my ecommerce business, which sold hardbound and emailed astrology reports, boxed gift certificates, and telephone consultations.
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Cross-border Selling
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Merchant Voice
5 Russian fulfillment companies for cross-border ecommerce
January 5, 2018 • Maksim Komonov
In this article, I will profile five Russian companies that provide fulfillment services to foreign manufacturers and retailers, including customs clearance, returns, and marketing support. The market in Russia, according to the WBR Report, is number nine in the list of top expansion markets by U.S. brands. But small and midsized ecommerce merchants can expand into Russia, too, provided they master the local fulfillment and delivery challenges.
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Business
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Merchant Voice
9 innovative ecommerce companies, for inspiration
December 28, 2017 • Peter Keller
2017 has been a good year for FringeSport. 2018 looks to be even better. Many ecommerce brands inspire my work. In this post, I will list several of them. I am a friend of the owners of some of these companies. Others I have no connection to. All of the companies are innovative.
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Cross-border Selling
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Merchant Voice
Made in Russia: 8 brands for cross-border consumers
December 6, 2017 • Maksim Komonov
Exports from Russia consist mostly of natural resources — oil, gas, wood, gems, uranium. Russian consumer goods such as apparel, jewelry, and electronics do not have strong positions on the ...
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