14 Time-tested Tips for Online Selling in the Philippines

14 Time-tested Tips for Online Selling in the Philippines:

Whether you’re selling the best online products in the Philippines or selling your preloved yet decluttered items at home, you need to learn some time-tested tips for online selling in the Philippines to create repetitive sales. It’s a dog-eat-dog world we live in that challenges even the savviest entrepreneurs to do anything to be successful. One of the advantages of online selling in the Philippines is that you can sell online beyond the borders of your city, your country, or even your continent without ever leaving your office! Once you get started virtually, literally anyone from anywhere in the world who has internet can become your client.

But where do you start? Here’s a list of the most effective tips for online selling in the Philippines to help kickstart and achieve your highest sales ever.

Is Online Selling in the Philippines a Good Idea?

Imagine life without the internet: No emails, no last-minute online shopping, no how-to articles, no dog videos… Let’s just stop there. This is exactly why eCommerce industry is in its golden years. Everyone is cozily connected in their little online bubble and since this is the future and this is what works, there is no intention of going back to the old ways. Hopping into this trend is beginning to look like the smartest way to start an online business in the Philippines.

12 Time-tested Tips for Online Selling in the Philippines

Tip No. 1 Delaying Gratification

Selling products online in the Philippines is a great equalizer because of the massive range of customers you can reach even if you don’t have a formal education. But when you’re just entering the market, it may take time and effort before you see results. Remember, even if you have millions of potential customers you can reach, you also have possibly thousands of competitors fighting for their attention.

The good news is that your overhead cost for selling products online is significantly lower than opening a brick-and-mortar store. Hence, practicing delayed gratification is key, and the more time and effort you put into creating, marketing, and promoting your online store, the more sales you will see. Keep in mind that you will need to build multiple channels for marketing your products such as social media, content, SEO, paid advertising, and modifying all take time and a little bit of work every day. Know that you will also need to invest energy into your store to grow your customer base and get to the point where you are mostly focused on upkeeping it.

Tip No. 2 Choose the right niche

The first question most of us ask when starting a new business is what to sell. There’s not necessarily a right or wrong answer. But choosing the niche market you want to target is vital for the success of your online business. Smaller niches will most likely have less competition which may give you a better chance of connecting with potential buyers but may consequently give you a smaller pool of customers. Give yourself time when coming up with a niche and balancing the level of competition with the size of the market.

Tip No. 3 Determine your price

Remember the role that location plays in selling products online. You will also need to keep in mind the costs of delivery in your planning. Digital products like templates, music, and ebooks can be sold internationally and delivered instantly which means you need a slightly different cost structure for these. If you’re not sure how to price, research how competitors are charging for the same or similar items and go from there. Be prepared for potential buyers to haggle a lower price and decide if you’re willing to negotiate. Once you’ve settled on your lowest price, do not change it.

Related Post: How to Compute & Price Food Products (w/ example) Philippines

Tip No. 4 Prep the item to be photographed and sold

It should go without saying that if you want to make a sale, the item should be in prime condition – whether it’s a brand new item or a secondhand one. Wash and iron clothes, touch up paint, sanitize the toys, replace the missing knobs on the drawers, and so on. Customers will naturally be drawn to an item that looks spectacular onscreen.

Tip No. 5 Take good photos

Keep the item as the focal point – clear away clutter, décor, and anything else that would distract the eye. Use a simple backdrop, good lighting, and HD photos. In short, you may want a clean and clear space that focuses the buyer on your item, not the pile of toys or your child photobombing in the background. Here are some useful tips on taking good shots like a pro.

Tip No. 6 Write good copy

I used to write novel-like product descriptions, thinking that readers would appreciate complete info about the item. But what I have learned is that most buyers will choose concise over clever any day. Be straight to the point and clear about the price, pick up location, and describe the product exactly as is. Does it have scratches, chipped-off paint, dents, or bruises? Not everyone is looking for brand new stuff but they surely are looking for honest descriptions.

Tip No. 7 Make it easy for the buyer to purchase

Don’t put obstacles in your visitors’ way or make them overthink when they visit your sales page or website as they tend to have a short attention span. Studies show that you generally have about 10 seconds to grab their attention and make them stay when they first land on your page.

Here are a few pointers:

Don’t make the navigation on your page or blog complicated to find and use. Put the navigation at the top of the page and keep it consistent.
Refrain from making the buying process long and don’t try to collect a lot of information from buyers. The longer it takes for them to complete an order, the greater the friction, and the more sales you will lose as buyers will abandon their purchase.
Don’t force visitors to register the very second they first visit your website.

A lot of ecommerce platforms aren’t easy to use from a buyer’s POV, forcing them to pause and fight their way to just make that eventual purchase. So here’s a bonus tip which I usually do: try buying your product as a prospective buyer would. Can you do it easily without too much thought or does it take ages before you close the deal?

Tip No. 8 Offer great customer service

When customers consider purchasing from an online shop in the Philippines, they are looking for legitimacy and reassurance before they buy. Your job then is to help them shop with confidence by offering the best customer service you can render. Connecting to your customer on a personal level is also plus points!

One technique I’ve learned is to put up a refund policy, regardless of whether the business is online or brick-and-mortar, and then offer a guarantee that if they are not satisfied, you will refund them with no questions asked. Also, be professional. Use appropriate language, respond to inquiries promptly, and don’t be late for your arranged pick-up. Online communities allow feedback and the way you handle transactions will directly affect your reputation within that community.

Tip No. 9 Make sure your site is secure

I noticed that I only got a handful of visitors on this blog when I hadn’t secured it yet. But when I changed it to “HTTPS” to make my blog secure, my visitor doubled in number in just a few days. In no way am I saying that doing the tip mentioned above is the only viable way of securing your site, but the point is, giving your customers a sense of security, especially when it comes to their sensitive personal info, means everything.

Moreover, if you sell digital products, the delivery should be automated. If you sell physical products, fast shipping is important, as is providing the customer with the ability to track their shipment.

14 Time-tested Tips for Online Selling in the Philippines

Tip No. 10 Promote your store

Having a great landing sales page or blog alone is not enough to bring in traffic and sales. You need to attract people to your store and help them take that first step of making a purchase.

Put yourself in your prospective buyer’s shoes. What will they most likey do? They probably will search on Google for something they are looking for, ask for advice on a forum or on social networks like Twitter or Facebook, or perhaps seek recommendations or reviews from other websites. With that being said, you will need to invest a considerable amount of time and energy each week to promote yourself. Try writing relevant articles or blog posts on your site, or finding guest posting opportunities on websites that your prospective customers will visit. Get other people to review your products and leave testimonials on their website or on yours.

If you want to learn more on how to focus on getting prospective customers to visit your blog or website, read our comprehensive guide about the 20 Ways to Promote & Market Your Business in the Philippines.

Tip No. 11 Join Affiliate Programs

Affiliate marketing is when you promote other people’s or company’s products or services, and earn a commission every time you make a sale by referring a paid customer to buy using your unique affiliate link. It’s a kind of performance-based marketing which means no sales, no commissions. Another way of taking advantage of affiliate marketing is by listing your own products for other people to sell.

Whether you sell your own products or sell other company’s products, affiliate marketing has been proven to be a fantastic income-generating stream and a viable means to promote your items in different parts of the world. Some of the best affiliate programs in the Philippines are Involve Asia, Shopee Affiliate Program, ClickBank, and many more.

Read also: Best Affiliate Marketing Tips To Make More Affiliate Sales Philippines

Tip No. 12 Encourage social sharing

One of the time-tested tips for online selling in the Philippines is to encourage your customers to share a link or two on their social media accounts. This is what I did when I offered my self-published book entitled “Financial Resilience: How to Build a Strong Financial Foundation that can Withstand a Crisis“. I even used the hashtags #thriftypinaybook on both Instagram and Facebook for a wider reach. Remember, you’re not just asking them to make a purchase, you’re asking them to promote your online store with their network – personal recommendations and opinions can be extremely valuable and will convert to a new source of potential customers.

Tip No. 13 Be in demand, not a desperate seller

If you’re a new online seller, the first group of people whom you will offer your products are your family and friends. They could be your training ground on how to sell your products effectively.

I would highly suggest avoiding being too pushy with your customer. It’s okay to present your product and ask them if they are interested. If they say no, respect their decision then just look for other buyers. The more you will be aggressive, the more that they will ignore you and your products.

Tip No. 14 Track your income, expenses and monitor your inventory

The only time you will know you’re really earning is if you keep records of all your transactions. This is where your basic accounting will come in handy. For me, I use Google Sheet to track all my income and expense. It has given me a picture that I’m on the right path. I also track all the items being sold. If you know what the market is looking for, you can always re-target the market to position your top-selling products.

We hope these tips for online selling in the Philippines has helped you get pumped up in promoting your products. It takes a lot of time and effort to build up an audience and to build up an online business. But don’t give up. It is definitely challenging but rewarding, and eventually, you will get back what you put in.