2022 Guide to Selling Electronics Online

February 26, 2022

Consumer habits are changing. Most of the everyday activities such as remote employment, class sessions, are now taking place online. Our lives have transformed into all-virtual social lives.

It is projected that the electronics market will grow to USD 989.37 billion by 2027, with a CAGR of 5.3%. This is why it’s fair to say that 2022 is the perfect time to build an electronics store online.

But, understanding eCommerce isn’t always easy, especially in the consumer electronics industry. We often get common questions like –

How to source the products?
How do I set my shop apart from the crowd?
How do I attract customers?

But don’t worry. We got it all covered in this ultimate guide to selling electronics online.

Step 1: Sourcing Electronics

Here’s the thing when it comes to sourcing products –

You’ll find that the labor is so much cheaper in China & some of the Asian countries, it is generally going to be less expensive to source products internationally. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t source your products domestically.

So, given here are some of the pros and cons of sourcing products internationally vs domestically.

Pros/Cons	Sourcing Domestically	Sourcing Internationally
Pros	1. Minimum Order Quantity is Lower 2. Lot Easier to Contact Vendors 3. No cultural or language barriers 4. No need to ship by boat/plane 5. Lead times will be shorter	1. Get products at the best prices 2. Skilled workforce 3. Superior infrastructure and technology 4. More Production Capacity
Cons	1. High Manufacturing Cost 2. High Labor Cost	1. Longer lead times 2. Higher-Order Quantities 3. Expensive Shipping 4. Longer manufacturing time

Now, if you want to find vendors, there are three options:

Wholesale

The electronics wholesale market usually has sufficient stock levels. Plus, they’re easily accessible if you’re looking to source domestically. But keep in mind that wholesalers have a Minimum Order Quantity requirement, so you’ll need to figure out a way to build inventory before purchasing.

Dropshipping

You can also go for the fabled dropshipping model. With dropshipping, you don’t have to worry about storage and complex shipping and manufacturing operations. Instead, you can focus on marketing to sell maximum electronic products.

Second Hand

You can find second-hand electronics in a yard sale, Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, or Amazon. However, you may have to wait longer to find your products. There’s also a risk of running out of supplies and not meeting customer demands, because of products unavailability in the market.

But, if it comes out alright, selling second-hand electronics sourcing can be a very profitable and sustainable model.

Step 2: Creating Your Online Store

Now that you know the basics of sourcing your products, let’s build out your storefront. Just like you put a lot of effort into building a beautiful pop-up store in real life, you have to build a beautiful eCommerce store.

Don’t fret if you don’t know any coding. There are a bunch of open-source platforms that are completely free. You just need to install them on your web host.

Together with open source platforms, there are market-leading website builders like Worksleader, which provide highly responsive templates, state-of-the-art themes, white-label storefront solutions, and much more.

Other benefits of website builders include:

The drag and drop interface allows you to customize the website however you want
Seamless integration with Accounting, CRM, and ERP software
Easy-to-manage electronic products catalog
High-quality quotations to ensure transparency in the product information
Automated inventory management to prevent stockouts or wastage

Step 3: Building Your Product Listing

Now, it’s time to present your products to the public in the best way possible. The three core elements that make up for a great product listing are:

Product Name

Product name is the first thing customers come across on the website. So, make it as clear as possible. Something that doesn’t confuse the customers.

Here’s an example – ” Earphones with Noise Sense Bluetooth Wireless and Mic (Jet Black).”

Does this name require further explanation about the nature of the product? Of Course not. It’s easy to read, clarifies product type (“Wireless”), and specifies key information (“with mic”).

Product Descriptions

Then comes the description where you explain the features & benefits of your product.

Descriptions matter even more in electronics because people generally consider value over features. Use easy-to-understand language, scannable formatting, and relevant SEO keywords to establish unique selling points for your product.

Images

Almost 75% of customers agree that the quality of photos affects their buying decision.

The listing must include a primary image that sits on the homepage along with several alternative angle images. Make sure your images pop into the reader’s eyes and enable zooming for clarity.

Step 4: Configuring eCommerce Functionality and Processes

If you wish to sell electronics online, you must make sure key functions are in place to ensure smooth business operations. These include:

Pricing and Payments

Now, don’t be under the impression that you have to invoice customers for their orders and also oversee the payment process.

The website builders have built-in features that allow you to do all of that. That way, you and the buyer are both protected – You know that you’re getting the payment, and the buyer the product.

So, in this step, you have to:

Set the price points of your electronics
Set how much inventory is available for those products
Integrate payment systems like PayPal, Stripe, etc.

It ensures seamless checkout and makes your website more accessible and popular. People see what you’re offering, they buy, and you get paid.

Shipping Options

Next, you need to decide the shipping options. Automated shipping options are available on a paid basis.

But if you’re just starting, you should get in touch with the shipment carriers like USPS, FedEx, Canada Post, AU Post, etc. depending on your country. They have flat rate boxes, so if you want to sell small electronic gadgets, visit their website and figure out what dimensions best fit your product.

Flat rate boxes ensure your product can travel all across the world for a set price. So, figure out what that set price is and then include that as part of the cost to your checkout option. As soon as the payments are made, you can print off the label, ship the box, and you’re good to go.

Licensing & Documentation

To sell electronics online, you need to do some legal paperwork too. But it isn’t too complicated. Major documents needed for you to get started are:

License: Ensure you hold all the necessary business licenses. Be sure to check your local, state, and federal laws to determine what licenses you need.
Terms of use: You specify the rules for using your website and all the legal barriers here.
Privacy policy: A privacy policy satisfies your legal obligations and helps you build trust with users.
Return policy: You’ll also need a document detailing how you will handle returns. Return policies can inspire shoppers to make purchases by establishing trust.

Step 5: Marketing Your Product

Now that your online store is up and running, you can start marketing your product to generate sales.

Now, marketing is an essential part of the eCommerce business. You need to get out there and let people know about your business otherwise they won’t know it exists. Unless they know about it, they won’t be able to buy from it.

So, how do you market your company? You might consider content marketing or networking.

Content marketing is where you make videos or write search engine-friendly articles that give your business visibility on the internet and establish thought leadership. They help the customers know about your product and eventually make a purchase.

Meanwhile, if you have a sufficient budget, you’ll want to look at paid advertising or perhaps consider outsourcing your marketing.

Once your marketing starts rolling, you’ll start generating sales, and you’ll now have customers to cater to.

Step 6: Serving Your Customers

Customer service, when done right, can turn your casual website onlookers into loyal customers that spread the good word about your business.

Here are some tips that can create a lasting impression on your customers and keep them in the loop for long:

Develop Fast Response System

Customers expect the service to be real-time, so your response timing affects how they interact with your brand. When you reduce response times, you reduce the chances that your customers will get frustrated and navigate away from your page. Make sure your website is responsive. This will enable online shoppers to access your website from a variety of mobile devices including smartphones and tablets.

Exploit Social Media

Rather than going through your website channels, customers have now started going directly to social media to ask questions or raise issues to be addressed. So, having social media monitored at all times ensures that no query is missed.

Use FAQs

If you receive a lot of queries and are not to address them promptly, a knowledge base or FAQ section will come in handy.

Creating one page on your website that contains all the answers to your most frequently asked questions is an excellent way to provide customer service 24/7.

Implement Customer Feedback

Getting negative feedback can sometimes put you in a spot. The key is not to ignore it but to take action. If you ignore customer feedback, you’ll get stuck in the never-ending cycle of delivering poor customer service and creating a bad customer experience for the future.

Put Yourself Into Customer’s Shoes

Several things can mar an online shopping experience, from rude customer service representatives to bad web design. It does not matter how detailed your customer service automation is or how strong your back-end staff is. If the customer is not happy, it is a red flag.

Map your customers’ experience and make sure you understand and address their pain points and create a world-class experience to keep them coming back.

Read- Start Selling Electronics Online in no time with WorksLeader

Key Takeaway

So, this is essentially how you build an electronics store online.

Again, selling electronics isn’t straightforward. And that’s where this evergreen guide will serve you well. Whether you start today or in five years, it will provide you with a wealth of information on how to start selling online.

Here’s a quick nutshell checklist if you’re in a hurry: