It's Cyber Monday!

Happy Cyber Monday!

Are you planning to shop online today? This is the day... get your orders in, get the lower shipping rates and find your sizes and colors in stock! Go get 'em.

I think it would be just great if today ended up being as successful as Black Friday was, numbers wise. (It will certainly be a lot safer one would hope.) Just think that if today "is" successful, the spending confidence could rise and make for a much happier holiday season.

Hopefully you have something online yourself to sell! If it is only a business product you can still put a holiday "special" on your services. Many businesses are using up the remains of their 2008 budgets and/or planning for 2009. Reach out and "grab" some of that "shopping mood" they have going on in their personal lives and mesh it as well as you can into your business!

If you don't have something to sell ... you still have time to make an Amazon affiliate store or at least put out a link to Amazon as an affiliate. You can also list your business item on eBAY. Yes, even services can be listed on eBay! There are "no" excuses today for any business to not have something for sale online.

So ... here's to the holiday season. There are only 24 shopping days left until Christmas and only 21 until Chanukah! Make sure some of the ka-ching goes your way!

Keep your business garden growing ...
margie

No Excuses - Ways "You Too" Can Sell Online!

OK ... no excuses! My last post talked about finding something to sell online. How are you doing? Have you discovered something to sell?

Fear not. Amazon is making it "very" easy for all to sell their huge line of products and services. First you must go to Amazon.com and sign up as an affiliate ( link is on the bottom - they call it being an associate). Next you can do what they have always made possible and that is to put a link on your email on your website and connect to a specific product, a section or even just a gift certificate. This is nothing new and a good idea .... but now there is more!

NOW ... Amazon is letting you create an Amazon STORE of your own! You can duplicate their entire store ... something of an overkill in my way of thinking. What I "do" like is that you can create a store based upon just one or several categories and/or pick and choose products you want to sell from anywhere on Amazon and put them into your own store.

It gets even better ... you can have up to 100 stores! I created a PDA store and also a Computer store. For the holidays I am working on a "My Favorite Gifts" store.

AND ... guess what? Each store takes less than 10 minutes to set up. Anyone can do it ... their instructions are very easy to follow. You can simply link people to your brand new online store.

AND ... my last piece of good news on the Amazon stores is that they are complementary! They cost you nothing ... just make you money!!!

So no excuses ... you certainly can find "something" to sell online now!!

Keep your business garden growing ....
margie

What Can You Sell Online?

I heard an interesting comment on a radio show yesterday. Basically it was in response to a proposed sales tax increase in California. The radio show hosts were saying that people will find ways around it by buying on line! They even went on to say that when the gas prices were so high, they compared the price of gas in shopping locally to the shipping costs of items on line and chose to buy online!

So, my message today is to think about what you can provide online. Remember that more than just products can be sold online ... digital items (forms, books, videos,etc.) your time ( consulting, coaching, etc), and more can be sold online! Be creative .. take the time today to think about what you have that you can provide online.

Work "with" the current economic concerns. You will find the opportunities.

Keep your business garden growing ....
margie

Online Holiday Shopping Forecast

OK ... this just in from www.eMarketer.com on the forecast for holiday shopping this year!

"Financially strapped consumers will use a variety of strategies to save money on holiday gifts. More than ever, they will turn to the Internet to get gift ideas, find bargains and locate retailers that stock desired products. Shoppers will shift a larger share of their purchases from stores to the Internet to save gas money and avail themselves of retailers’ free shipping offers. "

The article goes on to say,
"This year 49% of holiday gift spending among US Internet users will occur online, compared with 44% in stores—making this the first time the Web has surpassed the store as the preferred channel for Internet users to purchase holiday gifts. "

So go forth ... get your products and services online! Gift certificates will be huge, as will donations to non-profits. Get ready now ... the shopping season is here.

Let me know if I can help you!

Keep your business growing ...
margie