Category: LA Fulfillment Services

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How Your e-Commerce Store Can Effectively Compete with Amazon

How Your e-Commerce Store Can Effectively Compete with Amazon

When it comes to e-Commerce and fulfillment warehouse operations, does it seem like all digital roads lead to Amazon? On its face, Amazon’s infrastructure can be intimidating, and few companies have the financial resources to afford losing money, as Amazon does with its free delivery.

This doesn’t mean your e-Commerce store has to raise the white flag. You might not be able to beat Amazon at its own game, but there’s still room for you to stake your place in the e-Commerce market.

Here are some expert tips for claiming your own share of the digital marketplace.

1. Find Your Sweet Spot

Amazon may try to be all things to all people, but that doesn’t mean they’re successful at all of them. Find the area where you’re better than they are and concentrate your efforts on dominating that segment.

2. Be Proactive with Shipping

If you offer free shipping or other perks simply as a response to Amazon and other companies, it comes off as an attempt to follow the crowd rather than truly satisfy customers. Find out what your target market expects from shipping and deliver an experience beyond that.

3. Offer a Subscription Service

Making a sale is just part of the job. Repeat customers are your bread and butter. Create a subscription service, whether it’s for recurring product shipments or an annual program like Amazon Prime. Subscription services keep your customers engaged and help to establish ongoing relationships.

4. Make Technology Your Friend

Convenience is the major benefit of online shopping. Consumers don’t have to leave their home (or even their pajamas) to purchase anything – from groceries to furniture. Make sure you’re taking advantage of the full power of technology to offer a level of convenience that keeps customers coming back time and time again.

5. Build Your Brand

Customers love Amazon for many reasons, but a personal connection is not one of them. Amazon’s brand may stand for features such as price, selection and shipping, but those qualities don’t resonate emotionally with consumers. Identify what makes your company unique and use it in all your marketing.

6. It’s All About Customer Service

Studies show that two-thirds of customers who leave a company do so because they don’t believe the company cares about them. Customer service is one area where Amazon’s size puts them at a disadvantage. Put yourself above them and the rest of your competition by proving superior customer service with a personal touch.

Medallion: Your Amazon Fulfillment Alternative That Gives You Back Control

If you are already selling on Amazon or are considering selling on Amazon, make sure to ask us how Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics can be your own personal “Amazon-Like Warehouse”.

We can ship your products to replenish Amazon stock levels and allow you to continue to sell on your own website. It is important to know that when you use Amazon as your fulfillment resource, Amazon does not share customer email addresses with you. The customers remain customers of Amazon. This action prevents you, and other small niche businesses, from getting repeat sales and from marketing to your own customers; impacting repeat business. This is particularly important for sellers of consumables who would love to establish a long and fruitful relationship with clients.

Having an account with Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics and Amazon can be a win/win proposition. Medallion’s warehouse storage fees are considerably less than those that Amazon will charge and you get access to your own customer information.

Growing your sales requires full concentration. Let our Los Angeles-based California fulfillment warehouse handle your order processing and shipping needs, including cross-docking, credit card processing and telephone customer support.

Contact Medallion to learn more about our fulfillment warehouse services and how they can be customized to fit your needs.

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Not All Website Traffic is Equal – How to Get More High Quality Traffic

Learn About the Amazon Effect

Are you confusing high website traffic counts with high-quality website traffic? If you take a look at the numbers from your ecommerce website, you’ll quickly see all traffic is not created equal. You need the right people – the right demographic, the right segment – to do more than take a Sunday drive through your site – you need them to buy-in.

How Can You Attract More High-Quality Website Traffic to your Online Store?

There are a number of ways you can accomplish this, each targeting a specific genre of people. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular and well-known options.

• Blogs

Blogs pull-in traffic via educational material, FAQs, and industry trends. 409-million browsers view more than 22-billion blog pages monthly, generating an average of 76-million posts and 42-million comments on WordPress alone.

How many do you need? Those blogging 16-times+ monthly generate 3.5-times more traffic than those blogging 4-times or less. But you’ll need a strategic plan. Pro-Advice: Don’t waste precious time and energy if this isn’t your wheelhouse; enlist the help of content marketing professionals who understands the ever-changing dynamics of SEO.

• Social Media

Social media channels are endless. The biggest? Facebook, with over 2-billion active monthly users, and Twitter, with 286.3-million. Facebook encompasses a broader segment, where by-and-large, Twitter is more popular with young adults. Like blogging, targeting quality traffic here takes time, research, and effort. Pick 1-2 channels that make the most sense.

The goal? It’s not attracting users waiting around for a “flash-sale” – but providing a virtual hangout for your target demographic. Don’t get it? Checkout this Twitter page to understand more.

• Video

Video is exploding, with YouTube dominating the market (1-billion+ users). All-ages use it – and it reaches 95% of online adults 35+ per month. With such a massive audience, choosing keywords that send you to the top of search results (getting you to your key demographic) is mission-critical – so do your homework!

• Podcasts

Podcasting opens you up to a wide variety of end-users, but is isn’t necessarily optimized to net traffic. There’s no call-to-action – its corresponding show notes, blogging and social posts that drive marketing, with the end goal of building brand awareness and loyalty (regular listeners/customers).

Remarkable Content Generates a Remarkable Link to Consumers

Key to getting items from cyberspace to your fulfillment warehouse is content quality that appeals to relevant consumers. Content that simply fills digital space won’t rise to the top. You must strive to help buyers through their journey, exploring issues they’ll encounter in the research process, promoting the nurturing relationship they crave and winning them over as to why doing business with you is in their best interest.

Spending money and time on ho-hum, keyword-focused content won’t get you there. Work backwards, providing content that confronts issues customers face – or problems your products solve, standing-out by providing insight/solutions others don’t.

Things picking up? From drawing customers in to getting product out the door, Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics has you covered. Discover more about our versatile fulfillment warehouse solutions today.

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Tips for Writing Blog Posts that People Will Actually Read

If a blog post lands online and no one is there to read it, does it really make any noise? There are more than 152 million blogs on the Internet, and with the number growing by one every half-second.

The good news is that the sheer number of blogs shows that people are regularly reading them. Use these tips to create valuable blog posts that keep viewers coming back for more.

1. Start with a Compelling Premise

Just as a beautiful flower grows from a tiny seed, a great blog post begins with a small but powerful idea. People sometimes make the mistake of starting with the points they want to make and then looking for a theme to hang them on. Come up with a timely and relevant idea and your content will flow organically.

2. Know Your Audience

When you try to be all things to all people, your message ends up so vague and watered-down that it doesn’t appeal to anyone. If you don’t already have a buyer persona, create one and use it as the target for your writing.

3. Make It Readable

Readability involves more than just language, words and tone. With only 10 to 20 seconds to grab a viewer’s attention before they leave your site, be sure to make your post as visually appealing as possible.

• Break up large chunks of text into smaller bite-size pieces of no more than five lines. Forget what your English teacher told you: One-sentence paragraphs are no longer frowned upon.

• Include short but punchy subheadings that convey your message at a glance.

• Use bullet points, boldface and other formatting that make the post “skimmable.”

4. Add Graphic Interest

Did you know that 65 percent of the people who visit your website are visual learners? That’s one of the reasons why infographics and videos are such powerful formats. Pictures, GIF’s, videos and other graphic content make your message more powerful and increase the shareability factor for a greater reach.

5. Craft an Attention-Grabbing Headline

First impressions always count. No matter how vibrant, topical and thoughtful your content is, no one will read it without a catchy headline to draw them in.

6. Proofread and Proofread Again

Would you have confidence in a person who showed up for a business meeting with soiled clothes, greasy hair and grimy fingernails? Readers will have the same reaction if your blog post is riddled with misspellings, poor grammar and inaccurate facts.

A California Fulfillment Warehouse for All Your Inventory Management Needs

Why invest time, money and labor into building and maintaining your own fulfillment warehouse? Contact Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics to learn more about our fulfillment warehouse services that are scalable to accommodate your specific needs.

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USPS Holiday Shipping Rate Increases

USPS has raised rates.

We have received notification from the United States Postal Service that shipping prices will temporarily increase on October 18, 2020 until December 27, 2020. These increases are being enacted due to the higher shipping traffic from the pandemic and the expected increase in holiday shipping volume. Read more information.

FEDEX and UPS Shipping Rates

UPS has also announced rate updates due to pandemic shipping volume and extra handling.

FedEx has certain surcharges already enacted but has not announced holiday rate increases at this time.

As we know more, we will communicate any updates to you in our newsletter.

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Are You Using The Power of Three to Boost Online Sales?

Are you familiar with the “power of three?” Studies show that three is the sweet spot when it comes to the brain’s ability to grasp concepts.

This principle can simplify your plans for boosting your company’s online sales. Focus on optimizing these three opportunities for a well-rounded approach that produces steady growth.

1. Grow Your Customer Base

Not surprisingly, this is often the primary goal of most companies. Gaining new customers expands your reach in the marketplace and offsets attrition from accounts that drop off due to business closings and other factors.

The trick is to set yourself apart from the competition by demonstrating that your product or service can best solve a prospect’s problem. This requires a thorough knowledge of your target audience along with compelling content on your website.

Customer conversion is essential, but it’s the most expensive and time-consuming way to increase online sales, which is why you can’t afford to ignore the other two methods.

2. Grow Your Average Order Size

Once a customer makes the decision to buy from you, the hard part is over. You’ve established a level of trust that makes them willing to spend money on your product or service.

Effective ways to increase order size include:

• Upselling a related product, such as suggesting a belt to go with a pair of pants.

• Offering a discount for multiple quantities.

• Selling an upgrade to a higher level of an item, such as a cell phone with more memory.

• Bundling similar items, much like Amazon does when they suggest an additional book on the same topic.

• Suggesting complementary products, such as batteries to go with the kids’ holiday toys.

• Providing options for longer commitments, perhaps a one-year membership instead of one month.

• Selling extended warranties.

• Including a menu of add-ons.

• Offering expedited delivery.

• Showing products other customers have bought at the same time as the current item.

3. Grow Your Number of Repeat Sales

It’s a well-established truism in sales that it’s less expensive to keep existing customers than to find new ones. Satisfied customers pay benefits in repeat sales, plus they’re more likely to provide referrals.

Promotions can play a major role in bringing past customers back for more. Send follow-up emails with coupons, sales and suggestions for similar or related products.

Selling online doesn’t mean you can ignore customer service. It’s actually even more important, because buyers can find new suppliers from the comfort of their living room. Superior customer service is the best way to make sure your company makes a lasting impression.

The Leader in California Fulfillment Services for Online Retailers is Medallion!

At Medallion Fulfillment & Logistics, your success is our success. Our comprehensive offering of California fulfillment services provides everything you need, from warehousing and order picking to credit card processing and shipping.

Let our California fulfillment services company handle the details so you can concentrate your time and energy on growing your online sales.