Shopee University and Seller Education Hub is designed to help businesses with literacy and skills to make the most of online selling
By LYDIA NATHAN / Pic By MUHD AMIN NAHARUL
ONE thing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) must have realised by now is, how important digitalisation is for their businesses.
Recently, the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives said it will aim to assist up to 25,000 small businesses nationwide in an attempt to go digital in the next two years.
However, digitalisation may still seem foreign to some and this is where e-commerce platforms like Shopee Malaysia come in.
Shopee said getting started on the platform is quite easy and does not require much technical knowledge.
It said Shopee University and Seller Education Hub was designed for this purpose, and to help businesses with literacy and skills to make the most of online selling.
Here’s their guide on how to set up a business online, through their platform:
Setting Up Shop
Firstly, create an account on shopee.com.my by signing up. You will be prompted to add and verify a phone number and email address so all product listings are visible to potential buyers.
Go on to “Seller Centre” and complete a shop profile.
Some of the main components in a shop profile will include a distinctive and memorable name, images to give a brand identity and a description.
Creating a Listing
Shopee advises every seller to review the “prohibited and restricted items policy” first to ensure the products are in accordance with its terms and conditions.
By going to the “Seller Centre”, this allows you to enter a new product, its name and under which category.
Next, enter the product description and any attributes that explain the product and its use better.
Insert the price, variations, stock count before uploading images.
Next, buyers will want to know about shipping cost, so update settings on weight, dimension, shipping fee and different providers. Save and publish.
Packing Orders
As every product is unique, it needs to be packaged differently to avoid damage or dissatisfaction from the buyers’ side.
Applying two to three layers of bubble wrap for each product.
If it is a liquid product, tape the opening of the container and include air cushion to avoid spilling.
For multiple orders, tape products together.
Remembering to paste a fragile sticker on top of the parcels or boxes is vital.
“There are guidelines on the most basic packaging methods from clothing, high- value electronics to liquids. Sellers should have a packing station that is neat and organised, with all the necessary tools and consignment notes in one place,” the platform explains.
Effective Campaigning
High-quality listings are more likely to convert into larger sales, which can be improved by using professionally-taken pictures of products and providing accurate and comprehensive information.
“This gives shoppers a better overview of your product, reduces the need for enquiry and helps them in their purchase decision,” Shopee said.
Pricing is an important factor that can make or break a sale.
Thus, choosing a price based on product category, competitors and market is a strategy to apply and maintain the sales.
Lower the original price to match market pricing, doing a keyword search on other platforms will help determine what other sellers are setting the prices at.
Use promotional techniques like free shipping or vouchers to give better value to buyers.
Bundle deals — this is attractive to buyers who want to purchase a variety of products, which in return help sell more and increases units.
Shop vouchers can increase traffic to the store, but review the product performance first. Introducing vouchers in fixed amounts like coins cashback, or percentage discounts is the strategy here.
Customer Satisfaction
Product and shop ratings are reflections of how buyers feel about products purchased.
This is also something potential buyers look at, to determine if a product meets expectations and if the shop is a trustworthy one.
“Buyers will be prompted to rate every product they receive within 15 days of order completion, and are allowed to edit their rating once within 30 days from the day they first rated.”
“Buyers are encouraged to include a description of at least 50 characters and photos of the product in the review to earn more Shopee Coins. Buyers can view these ratings when browsing search results or the product page,” Shopee added.
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