@bulktradediscounters3 wrote:
Ebay say they have millions of customers in Australia, why is it that in a relatively small shopping mall from a 120 sq m store I sold 20 times more than I now sell on ebay and that was with my promotional prices being about 30% above what my current prices are set at on ebay with the 50% OFF SALE.
I've never run a B&M shop myself (been an assistant in a couple, but that's not really comparable to running one 
), so nearly everything I know (or think I know 
) about retail has been gleaned from running the shops I have online, which I've been doing for 5 years now and I'm still learning... (This also means the things I know / experience etc, and the strategies I implement to address issues, have been devised specifically to cater to my business style and customers, so when I mention the things I do to address certain issues, it's not intended in an "I'm successful with this, so this is what you should do" kind of way, but more "here's what worked for me, hopefully it will provide some additional insight and help others discover what will work for them" way. Sometimes - like now - I just throw around thoughts and ideas, in the hope that some of them might help ^_^ ).
I would venture to suggest that in a B&M shop, even if located in a major shopping centre, there is not going to be literally hundreds (sometimes thousands) of other sellers from around the world, showcasing their products next to yours, which is exactly what happens when someone types in a search term on eBay, so the strategies have to be a little different and really highlight the benefits of buying from you, as opposed to just being able to supply what someone came to look for (another reason why, when you get someone into your store, it's good to offer things that help keep them there - give someone a reason to look for more, and an easy way to do that, and you may find things go from "that's exactly what I was looking for!" to "hmm, I can save a bit if I buy something else", then they can see a list of items you carry in the categories, and "pens! I actually could use some more pens").
It's difficult to stand out from the crowd sometimes, and a lot of buyers either won't consider or won't care that a $5 notepad will provide something more or different than a $2 notepad, and they will have plenty of $2 items to choose from, displayed right next to yours. But, one thing I do know is that lowest price is not king. 🙂
I am most definitely not the cheapest in my category for similar items, and in fact deliberately stock more expensive items that other sellers choose not to, or niche stuff that has a narrower appeal, because it makes my stock a little more exclusive and I find it's quite often a matter of once tpeople try the quality item, they will nearly always prefer it (I get a few people messaging me asking about my items, and will it do this or that, i.e. the stuff the cheap things always do - this tells me the info I can highlight in the product descriptions, or titles when there's room).
Sometimes a simple "high quality" (if the item is of high quality 😄 ) in the title can pique further interest, and if supported by the product details, and/or some form of testimony, some will opt to purchase the more expensive item (just speaking personally, there are definitely some things I'd prefer to spend the extra $ on rather than look for the lowest price, paper doesn't tend to be one of them unless I need it for a very specific purpose, but something where the performance or lastability is a consideration, I'll definitely spend more - most recently, I was looking for a desk-top tape dispenser, and in fact bought the most expensive one available because it was the only one that I could see that would meet my needs, and last a long time).
Take also, for example, this recent discussion on the forum re: pens.
You can see some of the key attributes people such as myself and other members will look for in the humble pen, and that can start to give you some ideas as to what can be included in items titles, especially because sometimes people don't know items can have those attributes, but if they see it, suddenly they can go "yeah, that's always bugged me about X item!" 😄 (I know you have this kind of info in your descriptions, but just speaking for myself, when I search for pens etc to buy, I will definitely be drawn more to listings that tell me without opening the listing itself, whether it has the attributes I'm looking for).
In any case, I hope things start looking up for you soon.
