Most of us have been hearing “more is better” our entire lives. More time, more education, more space: The general consensus seems to be that more of everything is the key to success. And in the world of ecommerce, this is absolutely true. The overall growth of your store comes down to more visibility, more website traffic, more orders, more order volume and, ultimately, more money.
As you work to grow your online business, you should find yourself adopting the “more products means more orders” way of thinking. Here are some reasons why you should stock your store to its fullest potential:
More items=more money.
This one may seem like a given, but it’s surprising how many sellers overlook key items they could be stocking to make a few extra bucks on each sale. Does your product need batteries? Is there a carrying case people might want to purchase? Are there ways customers can further customize the item you’re selling? Consider all avenues, and take advantage of them. Even an extra $3 from a small accessory adds up over time.
The bigger the store, the more professional you look.
Think of the last time you hopped online to order a basic necessity. Where did you go first? Chances are, you hit up a big name like Amazon, because you knew they’d have what you’re looking for. While you will (likely) never reach Amazon-levels of growth, you do want to be seen as a store people can rely on. Selling knitting supplies? Make yourself the best-stocked, one-stop shop for everything a knitter would need. Customers want to know they can rely on a store, and having more stock gives you credibility.
You’ll reach a wider audience.
If you’re only selling a few items, you’re really limiting the audience for your store. Just because you’re running a knitting shop doesn’t mean you can’t also stock other semi-relevant items, like embroidery accessories. Branching your stock out just a little beyond your main realm of focus will draw even more customers to your site.
More items mean more opportunities for reviews.
Did you know that Google uses item reviews in its search algorithm? This means that if your item has good reviews, there’s a chance it will show up in the search results, complete with some pretty stars under its image. And the more items you stock, the more chances you have to show up! Additionally, Google likes a well crafted website, so having a lot of items with good product descriptions will help you rise in the rankings.
You’ll be able to get a better sense of what your customers want.
Not everything you stock is going to be a hit, but you’ll never learn what works (and what doesn’t) if you don’t keep an array of items on hand. Take risks with some of the goods you have in your store; you might just hit the right niche of people who are looking for very specific-but-in demand products. This will also give you insight into what people are actually interested in buying, and let you customize your stock based around that data.
When it comes to products, do you agree that more is more? Let us know in the comments!