Do you want to start a profitable online business? If yes, here is a complete guide on how to sell women’s shoes online.
One reason why you should consider selling shoes online is that it’s a high-profit margin business and it can be done with great ease. Many platforms have partnered with online sellers to help simplify online reselling startup process and increase sales.
If you do not want to fall in a trap, you need to learn some tricks from the experts. According to the reports, the footwear industry is more than $54 billion annually and consumers in India spend as much as $29 on shoes alone. There’s a wide range of styles available for women – from loafers to heels, wedges, pumps, boots, etc.
As with any online business – trends are always changing. What sells today may be old-fashioned tomorrow. That is why it is important that you stay updated. Plan well ahead of the change in the market and, when it comes, make sure you do it one by one. However, here are a few key things to keep in mind you when they plan to sell shoes online with a maximum profit margin.
Who is your target audience?
Your target group ideally is between 18 to 38 of age. This is the most active group of buyers and they keep themselves updated with all the trends. We all know that they are more likely to spend their whole day surfing the internet looking out for the best sneakers.
What to sell when?
We all know everyone loves to wear flip flops to beaches, that is during summers. Nobody wants to wear boots during the summer season, it’s sale increases in the winters. Loafers are sold out throughout the year. So you should have all of this calculated carefully and increase the inventory according to the same.
Some sizes have a higher demand than others and the same is with colour. Don’t make the mistake of ordering the same number across the different shoe colour and sizes. While sales are relatively slow for some sizes and colours - others sell faster. For example, black heels sell five times faster than purple or yellow. So it's simple logic, stock up more of high demanding sizes and colour.
One of the easiest ways to sell your shoes online is to connect with buyers in your local area. The local buyer has high chances of buying your products and the faster they buy your shoes, the faster you’ll get some cash in hand. Selling someone locally means you don’t have to worry about shipping charges or extra transportation charges.
How to start the shoe business?
Selling shoes online does not mean that you just have to put them on your website and they will start selling. You can visit several online retailers that sell shoes and post your listings there. They might already have high brand value in the market so you should be aware of these websites and sell as many shoes as possible. This way you will be able to earn some profits which in turn will help you expand your business.
Here’s a list of things you can do to sell your shoe stock online and get going…
Getting familiar with the latest trends
There are some types of shoes that sell quicker than the rest. You need to do your research to find out these types of shoes so that you have more than required stock. The best way to find out if it’s going to sell is to know whether or not it looks comfortable. Also, make sure that you stock up your inventory with different styles, colours, designs depending on what is trending at that time.
So brands like Puma, Reebok, Adidas, Nike, Converse, Asics, Inch 2 are number 1 selling shoes, and so you should be bold enough to price them higher than your competitors. You could also go to nearby shops, bazaars, local markets and buy items in bulk knowing that you will be able to flip your items easily on the market place.
2. Keeping track of keywords
We all know that as far as the internet is concerned, the only thing that improves discoverability is keywords. Make sure that you are focusing on the right keywords and using them in your product description, which should match the most popular search phrases. Keep yourself updated with this by doing some research.
3. Taking the right picture
One of the most important aspects of selling products online is that you got to take good pictures of these products. Show your shoes in a favourable light. Customer should know what she is buying so take clear, sharp, high-resolution pictures with the right features and descriptions. Cover all the angles - front, back and overhead photos of the shoes. Make sure that you also mention the defects (if any) so that the buyer has no cause to complain.
4. Writing the right advertisements
When you are listing your products, make sure that you are advertising your product right and all the details mentioned are correct so that the user is well informed and educated. This will help her make the correct decision of whether or not to buy an item. One-liners as description don’t serve any purpose and users won’t get any information.
Help the customers buy what you want to sell them. Enter the brand, size, manufacturer and year of manufacturing with best qualities and why they should buy it, in the product description such as Nike Women’s Sneakers, Size 5, 2001, Padded heal colour, a Lace fastening, soft sole, wipe with a clean, dry cloth when needed. Use this to guide your users so that they know where they are putting their money.
5. Pricing your products at a low price
Since you are new in this business, it is a great idea to list your products at a low price. Consumers may have seen the same product in different websites but they are more likely to buy it from the website where the price is relatively low. But if you know the product is of high quality then sell them at the right price. Make sure that you are not losing your credibility.
6. Don’t forget to mention your contact info
One of the best ways to make profits from your business and retain consumers is by providing good customer service. This cannot happen without letting your users reach out to you for the products. You have to choose a way in which your prospective customers can contact you. You can leave an official phone number or email address.
7. Marketing plays an important role
You can do everything right - from trends to inventory to pricing but if you haven’t done marketing well, you cannot still lag behind many of your competitors. You have to focus on social media, whether it is paid or organic - social media a channel where you can reach out to a wide audience easily. As far as shoes are concerned, the best bet would be Facebook. Promote your products through ads, boost them and reach out to a large demographic group. Try putting out different content types- video, carousel, gifs, infographics and see what’s working best for you. The Facebook shop is also one feature that can help you gain a large audience. It allows you to sync your website products on Fb without much hassle.
Instagram is another platform where you can promote your shoes online and gain popularity.
Related: Top 3 Best Ideas for Online Clothes Reseller Business in India 2020