THIRTY-SIX-YEAR old Jamie Thoo started her Shopee store six years ago when she got married and moved back to Kuala Krai, Kelantan.
She began her Shopee store selling collectible toys. Back then, it was easier to get visibility on the platform since there were not many sellers.
However, it is a different ball game now. “The number of sellers on the platform has increased manifolds but that does not mean that one cannot succeed. Rather, it just means that it requires a different strategy,” she quips.
For Thoo, this is no longer about competing with other sellers promoting similar items but rather retaining her customers so that they will come back and shop for other items from her while she attracts new customers.
This is something she reminds her staff every day.
“In order to succeed, you should aim to outperform your previous sales track record and not try to outperform other sellers as every one of us would have different circumstances such as inventory size, rolling capital and storage capacity,” opined the mother of two who runs BABYMART.os on Shopee.
She added that the e-commerce business is truly beneficial for women and mothers like herself as she has the flexibility to manage her business and at the same time take care of her family. Her store now generates a revenue of over RM100,000 monthly, selling premium quality baby products.
“Customer experience with your store is very important. You must first be able to attract customers to click on your products. Therefore pictures are very important,” emphasises Thoo.
“However, your product will never be able to stand out if you are using the same picture or video as 100 other sellers on the platform. When you take a picture or video, you will be able to show the actual product and gain more trust from the shoppers.”
Loyal customers
Thoo adds that sellers need to ensure that a shopper’s enquiry via live chat is attended to very quickly. “If the shopper has to wait, chances are they will go to another store and make their purchases at the store that answered their questions first.”
She would also offer free gifts and vouchers and make full use of the Chat Broadcast function to keep in touch with followers, announcing new product sales and more.
Another seller, Kiridaren Jayakumar, 29, who started his Shopee store, The Bibliophile Official Bookstore in 2017, attributes his online store success to Shopee’s ability to drive traffic and repeat customers’ orders.
For all businesses, repeat businesses are the most important source of income, according to Kiridaren. “I always remind my staff that returning customers are the lifeline of our business. We should never lose them.”
“When I started selling books, I realised I needed a platform that could help manage my business and keep customers coming back while I focus on growing it. So that was when I decided to open a store on Shopee and learned how to use it which was not difficult.”
The Bibliophile Official Bookstore has a very niche group of customers – book enthusiasts. So while it is Kiridaren’s job to source for new books that would interest his customers, he takes the opportunity to use the features and tools available on the platform to help manage his business.
“This includes a feature to broadcast to our store customers on new books and promotions and the Bump function that I am able to boost my promotions every four hours to remain visible to my customers,” he explains.
“Other than that, Shopee allows me to obtain new customers through increased platform traffic during the double digit campaigns such as the recently-concluded 10.10 Brands Festival.”
While his store rakes in an average monthly revenue of RM60,000 to RM70,000 monthly, sales would increase by 400%-500% during the double digit sales period, adds Kiridaren.
Happy customers always return
Since 2015, Shopee has worked its way to creating a platform that offers a convenient shopping experience and good deals. This has attracted millions of users all over Malaysia while benefitting millions of sellers, particularly among the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) business community.
Nevertheless, it is more than just opening a store if sellers want to succeed on the platform, according to Shopee Malaysia’s senior manager (business development) Zed Li.
“As more sellers embrace digitalisation, they need to find ways to stand out,” he stresses.
“They need to provide good customer service such as fast response time, informative and descriptive product listings, clear pictures, ensure quick deliveries and that the products are packaged securely, among many other things.”
Li added that sellers should take advantage of the tools that Shopee continues to introduce – notably, Chat Broadcast and Bump functions – to help them reach out to existing customers or to communicate new deals while ensuring the customers keep coming back.
“There are also the Free Shipping and Coins Cashback Programmes that sellers can participate in,” he suggests.
“These will not only help attract new customers but also return existing ones to a seller’s store in order to enjoy free shipping or receive more Shopee Coins that can be used to offset other purchases.”
Above all else, Shopee also ensures that sellers are equipped with the necessary information they need to better manage their store.
The Shopee Seller Centre is a one-stop site for sellers to check store performance while the Seller Education Hub keeps them abreast with the upcoming campaigns as well as features that they can leverage on.
Sellers can also gain insights about the market and discover untapped opportunities through Shopee’s Selling Coach feature. – Oct 15, 2021
