Bob’s Weekly Reading Picks
2019.2. 15- volume 6
Content
1. Celebrating Female Founders: How These 7 Women-Owned Businesses Found Success
2. Best Practices to Grow Your Ecommerce Business with Email Marketing
3. How to Choose the Right Email Marketing Platform
4. Alibaba 101: How to Safely Source Products from the World’s Biggest Supplier Directory
5. 100+ Beautiful and Creative Ecommerce Website Designs
6. 8 Crowdfunding Sites to Raise Money For Your Big Idea
7. Rev Up Your Revenues: 10 Trending Products to Sell in 2019
1. Celebrating Female Founders: How These 7 Women-Owned Businesses Found Success
Black Girls RUN |Running
“When we decided to launch the running groups, we saw an opportunity to start monetizing the business. It just went viral. That’s when we started ramping up production of our merchandise, which has been really how we’ve sustained the organization for this long.”
Mommy Sauce | Cooking (can’t open the website?)
Mommy Sauce was born out of a love of cooking and family. Encouraged by her son, a renowned chef, Jai Nam “Mommy” Choi built a business of her own, selling her secret recipes to the world.
R. Riveter |Handbag, Accessories, Military
“[We] wanted to start this company to create a sense of community for military spouses, create mobile flexible income, and just be a positive force for the military community.”
Pop Up Plus | Plus Size Fashion
“I had always been a curvy girl, particularly in college, the freshman 15 became the freshman 70. While I was searching for clothing everywhere, I discovered that not only did I gain a lot of weight, but retailers at that time weren’t catering to my size. I remember the awful feeling I felt when I was stuck in the fitting room and nothing fit. That’s when I decided that no other woman should ever be made to feel that horrible ever again.”
Jaswant’s Kitchen | AUTHENTIC INDIAN FOOD
Jaswant’s Kitchen — a source for spice blends and simplified takes on traditional South Asian recipes — had its start at a food show, where positive responses urged them to forge ahead. From there, Jaswant teamed up with her daughters to build a now-blossoming meal kit business. Aside from their online store, the brand is now represented by 30 local retailers and have plans to expand into other parts of Canada and the U.S.
Bird + Stone | Accessory
This company was founded on the idea that brands have the power to be vehicles for change. For us, this means not only ensuring that our jewelry is made ethically, but also donating a portion of our profits to organizations moving the needle on important causes.
Cocokind | Skincare
“I’ve dealt with hormonal acne since I was a teenager. When I was in college, my dermatologist put me on antibiotics and spironolactone, and I took those pills daily for years. When I graduated, however, I started having major digestive issues, and I realized that there may have been a link between my acne medicine and my stomach problems.”
2. Best Practices to Grow Your Ecommerce Business with Email Marketing
The content is a good example of writing a beginner’s guide.
Chapter 1: An Introduction
Chapter 2: Why Email Marketing is the Key to Ecommerce Success
Chapter 3: Choose the Right Email Marketing Platform
Chapter 4: Growing Your Email List
Chapter 5: Segmenting Your Email List for Better Engagement –
Chapter 6: Converting Subscribers into Customers
Chapter 7: Ecommerce Transaction Emails You Should Be Optimizing (And How To Do It) – Learn how to humanize the purchasing and shipping process.
Chapter 8: Proven Ecommerce Email Campaigns You Can Steal
Chapter 9: Email Analytics and How to Track Everything
Chapter 10: 7 Tips for an Effective Email Marketing Strategy
Chapter 11: Concluding Thoughts
3. How to Choose the Right Email Marketing Platform
Mailchimp
Klaviyo
Omnisend
Rare.io
Kevy
Remarkety
Constant Contact
SmartrMail
You can find the app related if you use Shopify.
4. Alibaba 101: How to Safely Source Products from the World’s Biggest Supplier Directory
Note: This post was written in 2015. Some content can be out of date.
Advantages & Disadvantages Of Sourcing Overseas
Advantages
- Lower manufacturing costs
- Suppliers are (generally) much more open to working with smaller businesses and providing smaller quantities
- High number of suppliers to choose from
- For many products, Asia might be the only place that produces the item
- One-stop services like Alibaba have made it very easy to navigate and purchase from suppliers
Disadvantages
- Perceived lower quality from customers
- (Usually) lower manufacturing and labor standards
- Almost no intellectual property protection
- Language and communication barrier can be difficult to overcome
- Difficult/costly to verify manufacturer and visit on-site
- Longer shipping time
- Cultural differences in business practices
- Product importation and customs clearance
- Lower level of payment security and recourse
What to Look for on Product Pages
https://www.alibaba.com
- Unit Price
- Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ)
- Payment Options
Buyer Beware: Middleman, quality, scammers
Safeguarding Yourself
- Verify suppliers
- Ask questions and followup
- Get samples
- Too good to be true
The comment from Harry is helpful.
Compare the sellers and the products and Always be careful with your money.
5. 100+ Beautiful and Creative Ecommerce Website Designs
Best fashion website designs
Best health and beauty website designs
Best food and grocery website designs
Best sports and fitness website designs
Best children’s fashion and toys website designs
Best interior design and art website designs
Best office and paper website designs
Other creative website designs
6. 8 Crowdfunding Sites to Raise Money For Your Big Idea
Kickstarter
Indiegogo
Patreon
Crowdfunder (Shopify App)
GoFundMe
Fundable
Crowdcube
Crowdfunder
7. Rev Up Your Revenues: 10 Trending Products to Sell in 2019
Google Trends is a great tool to help you find potential products.
- Shapewear
- Men’s plaid shirt
- Athleisure
- Travel accessories
- Automotive accessories
- Smartwatches
- Minimalist jewelry
- Heated vests
- Ankle boots
- Posture corrector