Katrin Mende is the owner of Talisman Jewellery, which sells handcrafted jewellery made-to-order in Australia. Since launching her online store two years ago, Katrin has embraced the world of online retail, which now allows her to interact with her customers in Australia and around the world. Through her online store, Katrin has built relationships with her clients built on trust. Her customers share intimate stories about their lives and the difference Katrin’s jewellery has made in the lives of their loved ones. One customer who was afraid her local jewellery store would mishandle diamonds of sentimental value instead approached Talisman Jewellery for the brand integrity they have cultivated online. Katrin built much of her business through Facebook, but quickly realised that they would need a marketing strategy that utilised both traditional offline media and online approaches. With eShoppers constantly evolving, her business priorities lay in ensuring easy navigation, easy shopping, and easy transaction. Katrin’s top five tips for those looking to start selling online are:
- Keep it real: don’t expect to be flooded with orders at the start – just like an offline business, your business will build over time.
- Understand the data: the online environment gives you access to customer and visitor data that you can take advantage of to make better business decisions.
- Test: test everything, particularly your advertising. Test your concept before you invest significantly in building an infrastructure for it.
- Target: start with a target market and speak to that audience. As you learn more about your visitors and customers, you will be able to better tailor your messages.
- Service: provide a standard of service that is better than that provided by your competition. Evaluate your returns policies, your repair and exchange policies, and generate confidence in your brand.
