In fact, Amazon was the first to introduce a customer review section on an eCommerce website in addition to their extensive, multichannel customer service approach.
Automate your order management and product distribution processes as much as you can. The key value of automation is that it streamlines complex fulfillment processes and reduces the need for manual labor, enabling you to provide better, more efficient customer service from ordering to payment and shipping. In addition, the company nearly doubled its revenues during the six-year period following the automation of its operations Business owners that run their own companies efficiently expect the same from their suppliers.
That means the onus is on you to maximize operational efficiencies at your own business. Integrating inventory, finance, shipping, logistics, etc. For example, Essendant , a supplier of workplace essentials, provides their customers with one-day shipping on all products.
By developing systems to streamline the company's order processing, they are able to ship customer orders within hours of receiving them. In fact, you may want to suggest additional merchandise based on the order placed by the retailer, a process that can either be automated or handled by a live customer service representative.
This is the equivalent of selling add-ons in retail sales. They happen to be killing the game in this field as well. They offer customers related merchandise during checkout, as well as on every product page. This not only makes it easier for the customer to find related items if desired, but it also increases the likelihood of cross-selling or upselling, which puts more money in Amazon's pocket. To top off their strategy, Amazon offers free shipping on orders with a relatively low total cost.
No wonder so many customers end up buying more than they originally planned. Just getting started with wholesaling? Download free eBook. Aesthetics are just as important as content. Use color, contrast, and other professional design elements to attract the attention of new B2B customers with an engaging digital marketing campaign , following up with sharp copy and a clear call to action.
The app also has a built-in marketing feature that can be used to incentivize customers to buy more in order to get a larger discount. Volume-based discounts can be given to wholesale customers based on cart total and item quantity. With Wholesale Club, only customers who have approved retailer accounts and are logged in will get access to wholesale pricing.
This lets you create a secure wholesale channel in addition to your direct-to-consumer one, without needing to set up a separate store or product catalog. Excited about starting a business, but not sure where to start? This free, comprehensive guide will teach you how to find great, newly trending products with high sales potential.
We'll also send you updates on new educational guides and success stories from the Shopify newsletter. We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe. Get started. One way wholesale differs from direct-to-consumer transactions is in the payment terms usually expected from your retail partners. If a retailer is asking for these preferred payment terms, it means they want to be able to pay you, as a vendor, within a certain number of days of receiving their order.
This is why it is often suggested that you ask for references and perform some due diligence before agreeing to these terms. Limiting payment options to either immediate or invoice-only can hurt sales.
Offering a finance option where you outsource the risk is an effective way of increasing conversions and, perhaps more importantly, raising average order sizes and repeat business. But offering a variety of options is a must. Both of the Shopify apps Wholesaler and Wholesale Club allow you to offer customers net payment terms. Customers can be tagged according to the payment terms agreed upon with them, and when they shop on your store they can place unpaid orders.
When it comes to actually collecting a later payment, there are a few options for businesses managing their wholesale channel online. One is to record wholesale orders as draft orders on your Shopify store, which lets you email invoices to your customers through Shopify for them to pay by credit card at a later date. With draft orders, you can also record a payment via cheque by marking an order as paid once the payment is received.
Under Drafts, store owners can create orders and send customers invoices to be paid at a later date. Afterpay is another potential solution to taking late payments. The app is usually used for direct-to-consumer sales, letting stores offer customers the ability to pay for their purchases in installments. Allowing customers to use Afterpay at checkout lets them pay for their order later, in installments. This same feature could be used for a wholesale channel or store, letting you collect payment information from your retail customers and only charge them later in installments.
An app like Afterpay would let you automate the payment collection process, without the need to track and check up manually on unpaid invoices. But where do you find these retailers, and how can you increase sales? Retailers today can find and order products from wholesale marketplaces. Aside from selling wholesale to retailers in your own ecommerce store, you can also join a popular marketplace to build brand awareness and reach new buyers.
Do research on prospective marketplaces to make sure they are the right fit. You want the marketplace to integrate with your store easily. For example, Handshake is a great marketplace for Shopify store owners who want to sell wholesale. Handshake connects retailers and suppliers to create lasting, scalable relationships in wholesale.
It works inside the Shopify ecosystem, so your inventory management, billing, and wholesale orders are in your admin dashboard. Shopify will never take a commission. Oftentimes, a retail customer will actually find you first. When you are advertising to consumers online, you are also reaching other business owners who might be interested in carrying your product.
This is why it is important to keep a link in your website footer for wholesale inquiries. This provides an easy way for anyone browsing your website to contact you about potential opportunities.
Rockwell Razors keeps an easily accessible link to a wholesale inquiry form on its website footer. Trade shows are one of the most traditional places a wholesale business will go to make connections and find retail partners. There are specialty trade shows for nearly every category of retail, from baby apparel and athletic leisure clothing to furniture and home decor. There are even trade show directories that list top trade shows according to categories. You have to go out there and hustle: on the phone, at trade shows, and in person at stores.
Trade shows, however, can be expensive. They often require traveling to the location where the show is taking place and a substantial fee for a booth if you want to exhibit there.
If you have a handful of high-quality retailers who are successful at selling your product, they can come back and continue to place larger orders again and again. To find these select partners, it's worth reaching out personally over social media, phone, or email to a company that you believe would be a great fit.
A business that sells complementary products would be a good place to start. One example of a wholesale collaboration between two complementary brands can be found with Pehr and Stokke :. Stokke creates and sells a line of cribs and baby furniture for design-minded families.
Some of the best wholesale partnerships are made through personal contact and establishing trust and rapport in real life. Incentives work for wholesale buyers just like everyday consumers do. Of course, you should be focusing on getting repeat orders from your current customers; this will build customer loyalty and give you consistent sales.
But acquiring new customers is just as important if you want to grow your wholesale business. Another way to increase wholesale sales is to offer special deals to retailers. Offering deals and special pricing is an effective way to move your merchandise quickly and easily. For example, you can offer B2B buyers quantity-based discounts: The more merchandise they order, the bigger discount they receive. This is an easy way to encourage your customers to make large bulk purchases.
You can also run promotions and offer discounts just like business-to-consumer B2C companies do. Here are a few examples:. By running special deals and promotions periodically, you can delight your current customers and attract new ones to your business. According to studies, it can cost five times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. One of the easiest ways to do this is by providing superior customer service. To provide customers with the best service, you have to be professional, courteous and attentive, of course.
But aside from treating your customers well, there are other things you can do to provide amazing customer service.
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