If you are looking to get into the fast-paced world of online sales, there are a couple of avenues you can take. Boutique shops online are a bit more difficult to establish than they are when talking about brick and mortar, but a specialization can draw in customers, as long as you find a way to get their attention. One avenue that some of the biggest retailers in the world have decided to travel down is the discount retail road.
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When done right, discount shopping is one of the more popular roads to travel, because it brings in customers in droves. Especially in this economy, everyone is looking to save a little money on whatever they go shopping for. Stormy Simon and Overstock.com actually got into the game rather late, but have become known as one of the most popular online discount retailers in the world.
Veterans In the Game
Overstock is a relative newcomer but in the discount online retailer market, the company is actually a bit of a veteran. The granddaddy of them all is Amazon.com and they’ve certainly done the discount retail business right. One of the reasons Amazon has been able to stay ahead of the game for as long as it has, is because of the massive number of different products it offers.
Just because there are veterans like Overstock and Amazon doesn’t mean the discount ecommerce field is too full to get into. The recent entry by Alibaba into the American market is a good indication of this fact. While Alibaba is well known across the pond, it didn’t ever really operate in the American market until June of 2014. It’s still not a rookie corporation and it actually means you starting from scratch has another competitor.
That doesn’t mean you are going to lose the online retailer game simply because some companies already know how to play it or have been playing it longer than you have. There is always room for more online discount retailers, especially if you can find a way to offer products that are hard to find, or are at deeper discounts than the big wigs can offer.
Having The Right Merchandise
If you are going to open an online discount retail outlet you want to make sure and get the right kind of products to sell. One dirty little secret in the online discount retail business is that there are a number of products you can get from wholesale companies cheaper. This means you can turn around and sell those products cheaper as well.
You will need to tread lightly in this area. While these products are built to look as though they are high fashion or high quality, they are actually knockoffs. If your shoppers care more about saving money than getting top of the line products, you won’t find a problem here. If your customers are only looking for the right label, you will lose those customers rather quickly.
Know Your Customers
This really boils down to knowing what kind of customers are going to come to your store front. You need to make sure that whatever products you offer at a deep discount, it will lure in the people. A good rule of thumb is to diversify as much as you possibly can in the beginning. Once you’ve set up a following, you can measure what kinds of products these customers are purchasing and decide what sort of products you should carry in the long term.
If you are careful in the products you offer and make sure you understand your clientele, you will be able to have a measure of success in a market that is plenty full already. Because people are always on the hunt for deals and discounts, those people are also more willing to give a relative unknown a try at least once. Keeping them coming back after they’ve given you that first try is the key to having long term success.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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