How To Sell Skin Care Products Online
Many professionals are entering the online retail industry, selling skin care products online. The online beauty industry can be a very lucrative and profitable market. Skin professionals and brands that want to successfully sell products online must have a comprehensive approach.
A company or entrepreneur should incorporate a diverse and more comprehensive approach to sales, marketing, and management of online infrastructures. Online business activities are different in many aspects from running a brick-and-mortar business.
Professionals such as aestheticians, dermatologists, skin product brands, skin clinics, and other skin-related professionals often are selling products online or at least desire to do so.
The skin care industry is a multi-billion dollar business, estimated to be worth US 43 billion per year. It has steadily grown in the past years and is expected to grow over 7% more this year. Europe and the US are the biggest markets of the industry, accounting for over 50% of global sales. Asian and Latin markets are some of the fastest-growing beauty markets for skin product sales.
Start to Sell Skin Care Products Online
To sell products online, a business needs the proper setup and infrastructure. A skin professional will have choices and options; this includes budgets and certain levels of service. If a skin care professional does not know where to start or how to choose, considering the help of skin care business consulting can greatly help the process.
A consultant works with multiple business types and can be of great help, in avoiding costly mistakes and pitfalls. To start selling products online, a business will need several things in place and properly set up.
Setup for Selling Products Online
– Website Design & Development
– E-commerce Application
– Store Design & Setup
– Merchant Account & Services
– Website Content
– Marketing & Advertising
– Promotions & Shopping Incentives
– Shipping & Handling System
– E-Commerce Sales Management
– Reports & Statistics
Running an online business comes with many benefits, but it can as well be overwhelming. Business activities are different and potentially new, which can add an element of difficulty for skin professionals.
In most cases, skin professionals fail to understand the importance of proper setup to sell products online successfully. In addition, online marketing and advertising requirements are often not understood well or required campaigns are not deployed or well executed.
Skin Care Websites
Websites with e-commerce abilities are the foundation for selling products online. Too often, poorly architected and designed websites are used with even poor e-commerce applications and systems. To make money, in a very competitive market such as the beauty industry, e-commerce websites have to be done properly and professionally.
Skin professionals have 2 e-commerce website choices
1. Hosted and Leased E-commerce Website Solutions
2. Open-Source Skin Care E-commerce Websites
Hosted & Leased E-commerce Websites
Hosted or often called leased e-commerce solutions and websites are options that come with a small or no upfront cost, but with a larger monthly fee. There is a third-party company that hosts the website, manages merchant services, and provides other solutions around e-commerce and websites.
These websites are quick to launch and easy to utilize for a business. The downside is the lack of control, lack of marketing abilities, no ownership, and long-term benefits. It is not a solution chosen if given a choice. Most pick this path when there is a small budget or no budget available. In some instances, a company just needs the ability to clear orders through electronic commerce and chooses a hosted solution that is managed.
Companies that wish to grow and market their websites to achieve sales and own and/or have more control would choose an open-source e-commerce solution and website.
Open-Source E-commerce Websites
Open-source means free and many e-commerce applications are free these days. A skin care business just needs to pay a website designer or company to set up, install, and custom design a skin care website with an e-commerce store and other vital elements.
Open-source website systems that offer e-commerce can be such as WordPress, Magento, and other popular applications. These systems come with complete Content Management Systems (CMS), sales administration, and merchant services setup. Once set up and designed, skin care professionals receive a powerful tool to sell products online.
These types of solutions do not come with a monthly fee. They are free after the launch of the website aside from hosting minimal fees. The upfront cost is greater, but there are no monthly fees. Open-source websites come with a host of benefits, long-term and short. They are the ideal solution for anyone who plans to invest resources into marketing and advertising products.
Marketing & Advertising Products
To sell products online successfully, marketing and advertising will be key activities for skin care professionals. To be successful with an e-commerce website, the following marketing, and advertising strategies should be properly set up, deployed, and managed.
Marketing & Advertising Campaigns
– Search Engine Optimization
– Social Media Marketing
– Content Marketing
– Paid Advertising
– Print Advertising
– Conversion Optimization
– Public Relations
Marketing and advertising online can be overwhelming to professionals, who want to sell skin-oriented products online. Marketing professionals and experts through marketing consulting services can in more detail explain and review all options and budgets. Skin professionals can educate themselves and examine all options with consultants before allocating budgets, hiring vendors, and making decisions.
Professionals can be hired short term to execute and implement the proper e-commerce solutions and give the skin care business the best possible start. To ensure this, experts can guide, advise, and manage aspects of the online business.
