Reseller shows how to succeed online

WOMEN the world over have been keeping a fashionable secret for so long now. Well it’s not really so much a secret that only a few people know about it. The fact is, thousands of women have been quietly buying online a self-adhesive backless and strapless brassiere called NuBra. It is made of silicone and with adhesive, sticks to skin well so it’s not a problem to wear clothes that are backless or are more revealing up front. Hollywood celebrities have been patronizing NuBra, and even Oprah Winfrey endorsed it. While there are a few resellers of NuBra online, one reseller particularly stands out. Digital Web Group, Inc., which runs three e-commerce stores exclusively selling Nubra (www.nubra.net, www.nu-bra.com, and www.siliconeworks.com), sells the most and is topmost in search engines. According to Fil-Am Diana Limjoco, one of GoNegosyo’s most inspiring entrepreneurs and one of the founders of Digital Web Group, “Revenue from the NuBra alone is about $500K annually. We do not advertise and sales come only from search engine placement and word of mouth. Also occasionally, a magazine, newspaper and TV show will feature the bra.” The group started selling one style of NuBra in 2002. Now there are three styles being sold on their websites. “We use a professional e-commerce cart (www.searchfit.com), which allows one to use just one control panel for many stores), and accept all credits cards as well as PayPal, Google Checkout, checks and money order,” says Limjoco. Customers can view photos of the product online, click “Buy now,” and by putting in the country code and address, the cart will automatically estimate the shipping fees. They ship globally. Online selling is highly competitive, so what is the secret to their success? Limjoco says, “Our placement ranks high in search engines and NuBra is a unique one of a kind patented product. Although many knock-offs have come and gone, no one has been able to duplicate the special self-healing adhesive. We have good customer support and it’s easy for people to buy from our store with most major credit cards, PayPal and Google Checkout. We answer e-mail from customers in a timely fashion. Also, we ship as soon as we get the order and if it’s a shipper cut off, we ship the next day.” Limjoco offers eight tips for those seeking success in online sales: 1. Do your market research. “We did research before we sold NuBra and found only one other store selling online. Since we had no competition to speak of, we went for it,” says Limjoco. 2. Have your online store named as close as possible to what you are selling. Aside from NuBra, Digital Web Group also sells motorcycle speakers online at www.motorcyclespeakers.net. 3. Make sure your store is on the first page of Google or Yahoo search for the item you are selling. 4. Buy the .com and .net address of your store to keep competition from buying the name and competing with you. 5. Make it easy for customers to buy. Provide customer support. Answer e-mail queries within hours if possible. “We have made many sales by having an agent e-mail back within minutes!” adds Limjoco. 6. Get a good credit card processor, professional shopping cart, and PayPal, which now accepts payments from customers in the Philippines. 7. Put prices and cost of shipping next to the product. Limjoco tried buying at Multiply sites, but found that most sellers do not put prices and cost of shipping on their websites. “This means I have to write to someone to get the cost and shipping. As an avid online shopper myself, I will not usually bother to do this. I will just move on to someone else where I can pay online and shipping costs are estimated online as well,” says Limjoco. 8. Ship goods in a timely fashion once you get an order.