Success Factors on Alphadiscounters.com

Images

Product Feature Bullets

Product Descriptions

Pricing and Shipping

Use research to increase sales

Browse for products

After a buyer finds your product, you need to present them with a compelling offer. Quality images and effective product details entice buyers to purchase your products.

Clear, high-quality images

Is the image clear, on a white background, and a good representation of the product you are selling?

Great product details and descriptions

Does the buyer have the information they need to confidently purchase this item from you?

Effective merchandising

Do your items show up in the appropriate areas of the catalog based on the information you provided?

Pricing and shipping

• Are your products priced competitively against comparable items?
• If your products are unique, collector, or designer items, does the buyer have enough information to justify the price?
• Can you offer shipping incentives to sweeten the deal?

Follow up with great customer service, an excellent buying experience, and (as a result) great feedback ratings for you as a seller.

Images

Effective product images stimulate a buyer’s imagination and inspire them to purchase your product. Evaluate your image quality based on these guidelines:

• Image matches the product description in size, color, and so on.
• Product is recognizable.
• Image is a photo and not a drawing.
• Photo is taken at a flattering angle.
• Image is focused and product is well-lit.
• Close-up shots are not obscured by highlights or shadows.
• Product occupies at least 80% of the image area.
• Entire product is shown in the image.
• Main images must have a pure white background.

Consider these title and branding guidelines when creating your listings:

• Product title should entice buyers to purchase your products.
• Use title case for product titles and brand names. Do not use ALL CAPS. Buyers are wary of products and pages that appear to be shouting at them.
• Product titles should contain only relevant information specific to the item. Shipping, promotional information, or seller name should not be included in the product title.
• If the item is a designer item, the designer name goes in the Brand field. If it is an unbranded item, the seller name goes in the Brand field.
• Brand names should be entered according to the manufacturer’s standard format. For example, TAG Heuer.

Product Feature Bullets

Testing shows that well-crafted bullet points increase sales. Buyers rely on them to understand key product features.

Use the following guidelines as you craft your bullet points:

• Highlight the key features you want buyers to consider, such as size/dimensions, age appropriateness, ideal conditions for the product, skill level, contents, country of origin, and so on.
• Maintain a consistent order. If your first bullet point is country of origin, keep that same order for all your products.
• Reiterate important information from the title and description.
• Begin each bullet point with a capital letter.
• Write with sentence fragments and do not include ending punctuation.
• Do not include promotional and pricing information.

The bulleted list below follows these guidelines in describing a set of rain gear:

• Made in European Union
• 100% waterproof
• 100% breathable
• Available in khaki, yellow, or green
• Money-back satisfaction guarantee

Product Descriptions

As you describe your product, you might want to include some key features listed in your bullet points. Well-written product descriptions help the buyer imagine the experience of owning or handling your product.

Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes. What do they want to feel, touch, think? How will their lifestyle be enhanced by your product? Incorporating information about the feel, usage, and benefits of your product can fire the buyer’s imagination. This is as close as you can come to creating an in-store experience.

Avoid overly simplistic descriptions, such as these:

• “A rugged microphone for sound professionals.”
• “Washable canvas pants with faux suede trim on the back.”

Instead, consider these solid, compelling descriptions:

• “In the tradition of the SM58®, the Beta 58A dynamic microphone has become a top choice among vocalists and touring sound professionals. The Shure Beta 58A is a high-output super cardioid dynamic vocal microphone designed for professional sound reinforcement and project studio recording. It maintains a true super cardioid pattern throughout its frequency range. This insures high gain-before-feedback, maximum isolation from other sound sources, and minimum off-axis tone coloration. The Beta 58A has a shaped frequency response that is ideal for close-up vocals. The superb performance of this microphone is not affected by rough handling, because of rugged construction, proven shock mount system, and hardened steel mesh grille help protect it from damage. Typical applications for the Beta 58A include lead vocals, backup vocals, and speech.”
• “Cut for active wear, these pure cotton canvas pants might be the most durable and comfortable trousers you’ll ever wear. Washable faux suede trim on back pockets and D-ring add durability and extended wear. Available in brown, green, khaki, or stone. Washable. Imported.”

Pricing and Shipping

Research the competition as you develop a compelling price point. Do not forget to take shipping costs into account as well. Buyers consistently see shipping costs as the main issue when deciding to make an online purchase. Offering free shipping can significantly increase your sales. In particular, think about inexpensive items. A 5 euro shipping charge on 5 euro to 10 euro worth of merchandise is not very compelling.

You also need to clearly communicate your shipping policy — both charges and delivery times. Use the “Your Info & Policies” feature to add to the information you provide in your “Shipping Settings”.

Use research to increase sales

Successful sellers take the time to:

Understand the categories in which they are selling

This includes exploring the breadth and depth of selection in each category and considering where their items would fit in the category’s structure.

Check out the competition

They identify the number of competitors, their size, selection, pricing, and promotions in order to plan compelling and competitive offers.

Compare their price position

Compare your product with similar products already selling on AlphaDiscounters.

Study the best-selling items in relevant categories and mimic common characteristics

For example, do customers appear to be buying based on price or brand? Do the best-selling products ship for free or reduced rates?

Browse for products

Customers can search for products by browsing or by using the search box. Most customers use a combination of browse and search.

To help customers find products, AlphaDiscounters developed a detailed product hierarchy, known as the browse-tree structure. Customers refine their search by category links until they narrow it down to the desired product.

AlphaDiscounters uses Item Type Keywords, Product Description, Bullet Points and other detail page elements to classify your products under the correct categories.

An example of the browse-tree category structure on AlphaDiscounters that is used for search navigation can be seen below.

Electronics > Electronics Bags & Cases > Laptop Computer Briefcases

Click here to download the category specific Browse Tree Guide, which will help you, find the correct Item Type Keyword or Browse node for your product.