Peak learnings from a seasoned ecommerce seller
Summary
TLDRIn diesem Video interview teilt sich Alex Ostergaard, Gründer des globalen E-Commerce-Stores 'Neighborhood', seine Erfahrungen und Strategien für den Spitzenzeitraum der E-Commerce-Verkäufer. Er diskutiert Themen wie die Bedeutung des Vertrauens in seinen Lieferanten, die Notwendigkeit früher Kommunikation mit Kunden und die Bedeutung von glücklichen Kunden, um ein erfolgreiches Geschäfts zu führen. Alex betont auch die Rolle von lokaler Produktion und Distribution für globale Wachstumsstrategien und gibt Tipps für E-Commerce-Verkäufer während der Spitzenzeit.
Takeaways
- 😀 Alex Ostergaard, der Gründer von Neighborhood, begann sein Unternehmen während der COVID-19-Pandemie.
- 🌐 Neighborhood ist ein globales E-Commerce-Geschäft, das stylishe Wandkunst mit Inspiration aus verschiedenen Orten der Welt anbietet.
- 🛒 Erschließen Sie den Peak-Season, indem Sie frühzeitig mit digitaler Marketingstrategien wie Facebook-Werbung beginnen.
- 📈 Wachstum und Erfolg in E-Commerce erfordern eine sorgfältige Planung und Anpassung an die Bedürfnisse des Marktes und der Kunden.
- 📦 Lokale Produktion und -verteilung sind entscheidend für globale Wachstumsstrategien und verbessern die Kundenzufriedenheit durch schnellere Lieferungen.
- 💡 Experimentieren Sie mit verschiedenen Marketing- und Discount-Strategien, um die optimale für Ihr Geschäft zu finden.
- 🗓 Kommunizieren Sie frühzeitig mit Ihren Kunden über Lieferfristen und andere saisonale Besonderheiten, um Erwartungen zu managen.
- 💼 Alex rät anderen Unternehmern, langsam zu starten und zu testen, ob Geschäftsideen funktionieren, bevor sie vollständig eingestiegen werden.
- 🔗 Eine starke Verbindung zwischen Produktqualität und Kundenzufriedenheit ist entscheidend für langfristiges Geschäftswachstum.
- 🌱 Nachhaltigkeit ist ein wichtiges Thema für viele Unternehmen und Kunden, auch wenn sie möglicherweise nicht bereit sind, doppelt so viel für nachhaltige Produkte zu zahlen.
- 🎨 Adobe-Programme wie Photoshop und Illustrator sind wichtige Werkzeuge für die Kreation und Gestaltung von Produkten in Neighborhood.
Q & A
Wie wurde das Unternehmen 'Neighborhood' gegründet?
-Alex Ostergard gründete 'Neighborhood' während der COVID-19-Pandemie, als er als Managementberater von der Arbeit ins Homeoffice geschickt wurde. Er entdeckte Etsy und beschloss, eigene Drucke von Orten zu erstellen, die er vermisste, und verkaufte diese auf Etsy.
Was ist Alex' Hauptempfehlung für Unternehmer, die gerade starten?
-Alex rät, langsam zu beginnen und das Geschäft zu testen, bevor man sich vollständig engagiert. Er führte 'Neighborhood' neben seinem regulären Job, um das Risiko zu minimieren und das verdiente Geld in das Unternehmen zu reinvestieren.
Wie hat die lokale Produktion und Distribution das Wachstum von 'Neighborhood' unterstützt?
-Durch die Zusammenarbeit mit Gelato konnte 'Neighborhood' lokal produzieren und weltweit verkaufen. Dies half, internationale Märkte zu erreichen, was das Wachstum des Unternehmens ermöglichte.
Welche Schwierigkeiten hatte 'Neighborhood' während der Hochsaison?
-Eine der größten Herausforderungen war die Logistik, insbesondere die rechtzeitige Lieferung und die Vermeidung von beschädigten Produkten. Gelato hat diese Probleme durch die Verbesserung der Qualität und Auswahl besserer Lieferpartner gelöst.
Warum bietet 'Neighborhood' selten Rabatte an?
-Da 'Neighborhood' ein Premium-Markenimage pflegt und spezielle Drucke verkauft, bietet das Unternehmen selten Rabatte an, um seine Exklusivität zu wahren. Alex betont, dass dies vom Produkt abhängt und für generische Produkte Rabatte oft notwendig sind.
Welche Werbestrategien empfiehlt Alex für die Hochsaison?
-Alex empfiehlt, frühzeitig mit Facebook-Anzeigen zu beginnen und eine Strategie basierend auf den eigenen Produkten zu entwickeln. Er betont die Bedeutung von E-Mail-Listen und gezielten Marketingmaßnahmen, bevor die Hochsaison beginnt.
Welche Rolle spielt Nachhaltigkeit für 'Neighborhood' und seine Kunden?
-Nachhaltigkeit ist für 'Neighborhood' wichtig, aber Alex glaubt, dass Kunden nicht bereit sind, deutlich mehr für nachhaltige Produkte zu zahlen. Die lokale Produktion durch Gelato hilft, den ökologischen Fußabdruck zu reduzieren.
Wie hat sich COVID-19 positiv auf Alex’ unternehmerische Tätigkeit ausgewirkt?
-COVID-19 gab Alex die Zeit und Möglichkeit, sich wieder auf unternehmerische Projekte zu konzentrieren. Dies ermöglichte ihm, 'Neighborhood' zu gründen, nachdem er durch seinen regulären Job vom Unternehmertum abgelenkt wurde.
Welche Herausforderungen gibt es beim Verkauf von Drucken im Vergleich zu anderen Produkten?
-Drucke haben eine begrenzte Wiederholungskäuferschaft, da Kunden in der Regel nur ein oder zweimal dieselben Drucke kaufen. Dies macht es schwieriger, langfristige Kundenbeziehungen im Vergleich zu Produkten wie T-Shirts aufzubauen.
Welche Software und Tools verwendet 'Neighborhood' für Design und Marketing?
-Für das Design verwendet 'Neighborhood' Adobe-Programme wie Photoshop, Lightroom und InDesign. Für Marketing und Textbearbeitung nutzt das Unternehmen KI-Tools wie ChatGPT, sowie integrierte KI-Funktionen in Plattformen wie Shopify.
Outlines
😀 Gründungsgeschichte und Wachstum von Neighborhood
Danielle, eine Mitglied des Gelato-Teams, begrüßt die Zuschauer und führt Alex Ostergaard, den Gründer von Neighborhood, vor. Alex erzählt seine Geschichte, wie er Neighborhood während der COVID-19-Pandemie ins Leben gerufen hat, nachdem er als Management Consultant arbeitete und Zeit zum Ausprobieren neuer Dinge hatte. Er entdeckte Etsy, als er nach Reiseerinnerungen suchte, und begann damit, seine eigenen Drucke zu erstellen und zu verkaufen. Sein Rat für andere Unternehmer ist, langsam zu starten, zu testen, ob die Dinge funktionieren, und dann, wenn es gut läuft, sich voll ein zu steigen. Er betont auch die Wichtigkeit, während der Spitzenzeit die Kommunikation mit den Kunden frühzeitig und häufig zu halten.
📦 Vorbereitung auf die Spitzenzeit und Kommunikation mit Kunden
Alex diskutiert die Bedeutung der Vorbereitung auf die Spitzenzeit, insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Bestellung vor bestimmten Fristen, um sicherzustellen, dass Kunden ihre Pakete rechtzeitig erhalten. Er betont die Notwendigkeit, Kunden über mögliche Verzögerungen zu informieren, um unzufriedene Kunden zu vermeiden. Alex spricht auch über die Strategie, Rabatte anzubieten, und wie dies von der Art des verkauften Produkts abhängen kann. Er rät dazu, die Kommunikationsstrategie entsprechend der Produktart und des Kundensegments anzupassen.
🌐 Globale Expansion und lokale Produktion
Die globale Expansion von Neighborhood wird diskutiert, wobei Alex die Rolle der lokalen Produktion und -verteilung betont, um das Geschäft wachsen zu lassen. Er erklärt, wie das globale Angebot von Produkten das Geschäftsmodell stärkt, indem es die Möglichkeit bietet, Kunden auf der ganzen Welt zu erreichen. Alex erwähnt auch die Herausforderungen, wenn es darum geht, von Drucken zu anderen Produkten wie Hoodies und Pullovern zu expandieren, während gleichzeitig die Kundenzufriedenheit gewahrt bleiben soll.
🎨 Designwerkzeuge und Tipps für den Spitzenzeitverkauf
Alex teilt, dass Neighborhood hauptsächlich Adobe-Programme wie Photoshop, Lightroom und Illustrator für das Design verwendet. Er betont die Bedeutung des menschlichen Eingriffs bei der Produktion von Kunstdrucken. Alex gibt drei Haupttipps für E-Commerce-Verkäufer während der Spitzenzeit: Fruhe Startvorbereitungen, die Entwicklung einer eigenen Strategie basierend auf dem eigenen Geschäft und Produkten und die frühzeitige Nutzung von digitalen Marketingkanälen wie Facebook Ads.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Gelato
💡Peak Season
💡E-Commerce
💡Inventory Management
💡Dropshipping
💡Black Friday
💡Sustainability
💡Digital Marketing
💡Email Marketing
💡Customer Satisfaction
Highlights
Danielle introduces the importance of peak season for e-commerce sellers.
Alex Ostergaard shares his founding story of Neighborhood during the COVID pandemic.
Starting an e-commerce business while maintaining a full-time job is advised.
The initial slow growth of Neighborhood and its transition into a real company.
Importance of not having to manage inventory or shipping when starting an e-commerce business.
Alex's early entrepreneurial ventures at the age of 14.
The impact of COVID on reigniting Alex's entrepreneurial spirit.
The first peak season experience and learning to trust suppliers.
The necessity of clear communication with customers during peak season.
Strategic decision-making on discounts and promotions during peak season.
The challenge of selling prints multiple times to the same customer.
The benefits of starting digital marketing early for peak season.
The strategy of Neighborhood to be a premium brand with limited discounts.
The importance of having happy customers over short-term revenue.
Challenges faced with shipping and delivery during peak season.
The transition from selling prints to other products and the associated difficulties.
The vision for Neighborhood to be a global business from the start.
The role of local production and distribution in global growth.
The significance of sustainability in product offerings.
Use of AI tools in creating e-commerce products and design artwork.
The use of Adobe programs and iPad for design work at Neighborhood.
Alex's top three tips for e-commerce sellers during peak season.
Promotion offered by Gelato to help sellers cover shipping costs.
Encouragement to check out Gelato's blog for more e-commerce tips and trends.
Transcripts
[Music]
hi I'm Danielle a gelato team member
based in the US thank you for tuning in
today we are in the midst of peak season
that time of year e-commerce sellers are
often the busiest in advance of the
holidays and stand to gain the bulk of
the year's Revenue we've invited Alex
ostergard a gelato customer and the
founder of neighborhood a global
e-commerce store that brings your
favorite places home with stylish and
trendy wall art hi Alex thank you for
joining us today hey thank you so much
it's a pleasure to be here a thank you
uh so just to get us started can you
tell us a little bit about your founding
story and your successful route to
growth maybe with that like what would
be your advice to other creators and
Merchants yeah so my stor is actually a
bit different from most others I think I
actually started neighborhood during
covid I was was working as a Management
Consultant in American firm and quite
early in Co we we we got noticed that we
won't go back to the office for a year
so I was like okay now I have a lot of
time to to to do other things as well
and um I have been living in the US for
half a year before that and over there I
I discovered Etsy and uh since I was Co
I was missing traveling so I was looking
for for prints of places around the
world like Los Angeles and New York and
I went to Etsy
and then I realized okay I can maybe
make my own prints um so I did that in
the start of covid and I posted on a
etsc and and little by little they sold
and um so yeah that's that's the story
about how neighborhood started um the
the start was a bit slow but um after
half a year we were actually a real
company so yeah I think if in in that
terms my advice would maybe be
especially when you're working with with
companies like yato where you don't have
to facilitate say your inventory
yourself or you don't have to ship the
orders yourself you actually have a lot
of time to do to do other things as well
and so maybe my my advice would be to
start slowly and and test if if things
are working so you can you can start
even though you have another job I
actually had a job for for a year one
and a half a year when I had
neighborhoods at the beginning even
though neighborhood was was quite
profitable quite early I still had the
job just to yeah just then I could spend
all the money in neighborhood I was
earning and so on um so I think that's
my best advice actually start properly
start slow you don't have to go all in
in the star you can see if it's working
or not and then after after some time if
it's working you can go into
it so kind of two follow-up questions
there out of curiosity so number one did
you already did you have you always had
that entrepreneurial bug and then number
two how far into your journey before you
found
gelato yeah so so first I mean I have
been since I was like 14 buying stuff in
China and selling it on on on the Danish
website similar to eBay and back then I
mean it was in 2008 2009 nothing was
really digital so you had to like go to
a agent and hand over the money and he
will hand over the money to China and
then after a month the I was selling
HDMI cables and all kind of stuff and
then the the products would come after a
month you didn't have any more or less
any communication with anyone it was not
like today where you can just use your
credit card to buy stuff um so I started
quite early and then I had people coming
home to my parents home and I was
selling the HDMI cables and so on but
then I went to business school and I was
suddenly a management consulting and
then you are in like in this what is it
called what called the race where you
just yeah you go to work and so on you
don't have time for this anymore so it
was quite lucky actually that Co came I
suddenly have time to to do
entrepreneurship again um yeah so it was
in your DNA from an early age I mean it
was but then I mean going to business
school and you you you work for a bit
management consulting firm and so on you
you you suddenly lose a bit of the
entrepreneur entrepreneurial mindset um
so yeah I think for me personally Co
changed my life actually also in in the
good
way wow there's a lot I could dig into
there I know I know we're supposed to
focus on Peak though um I guess with
that being said you know what was your
first peak season like and you know what
what did you learn from that in general
yeah but I think the was back in in 2020
I mean things were a bit different back
then especially um with Facebook ads um
but I mean in terms of the the the peak
season I mean uh I'm also co-owner of
other brands where we have our own
inventory and I think one thing is you
really have to trust your supplier
especially to when when when you have
Peak Seasons um because if if if if if
there's no inventorying there's nothing
to sell so if you when you work with a
company like dilat luckily there is
always small it's always inventory so I
think you you also need to be prepared
in order to tell maybe on your website
tell customers that you need to order
before this deadline in order to get
your packages and so on um I think
that's quite important to communicate
that otherwise you can end up having
angry customers yes so is that is that
part of the recipe communicate early and
often um you kind of make that initial
disclaimer what other communication
points come in handy during peak season
I mean uh the the different ways to do
it I mean depending on what kind of
brand you have what kind of products you
are selling so so we are selling wall
Arts especially on neighborhood that we
selling wall Arts so so I think
especially with Black Friday and so on I
mean discounts you you have to you have
to decide whether you want to what kind
of progress you have what and then the
the customer value
ER it's order what it's called custom
lifetime value um in terms of if you
want to offer discounts and what do you
want to do for Black Friday and all this
kind of stuff I mean it depends a lot on
what what products you are selling for
us we are selling prints and the issue
with prints is that you can you can
maybe sell them one or twice to the same
customers but after that I mean it's
difficult to keep on selling prints to
the same customers if you're selling
T-shirts you can maybe do it more often
sell the T-shirt to a customer so so in
in terms of you know the the old
discount thing with Black Friday and
Christmas and so on you you you really
have to consider whether you want to
give a discount um what kind of product
you are selling if you are selling a
t-shirt you can
maybe not have too much profit for the
first order and then the customer comes
back but if you sell a a print with more
less no profit and the customer doesn't
come back you more just give it for free
so you have to I think especially you
have to really look into what kind of
products you are selling and then then
decide the strategy from from
that and so you know earlier you were
talking about how in the good old days
you're able to really leverage your your
Facebook ads um and and you also just
spoke toward being strategic about
promotions and discounts during Peak
especially um what what other um tools
do you use to ensure you have a
successful peak season yes I mean there
there many ways to do it I mean most
company already starting now with with
with especially Facebook ads you have to
be out a little bit early I mean that
some companies are also doing the
discount now instead of Black Friday
because then it's cheaper to get the
customers into the website with the
traffic and so on so I think as a
company you have to decide what kind of
strategy you want to use um for us at
neighborhood we we we want to be a
little bit more of a premium brand um a
little bit more like apple and and those
kind of companies where we don't off too
much discount I mean we we don't really
offer discount throughout the year and
um at Black Friday we maybe offer a
little bit of discount but not too much
because I think it also depends if
you're selling like a generic product or
you're selling something special I mean
um if if if you selling a products that
other companies are selling as well you
probably have to offer discount
otherwise the customers would just go to
the other um companies but if you are
selling unique products like we are we a
little bit doing a neighborhood I don't
think you necessarily have to do the the
discount part um but there are many
things you can do you can already start
now to to to get some emails into your
email um mailing list so you have the
mails before the for the Black Black
Friday and so on because the issue
especially with digital marketing is
that it's only going to be more
expensive from now until that Christmas
is over um so you can you can start
already now to get some of the customers
in the flow and then you can re
reactivate them later on when they're
ready to to make new orders okay so
start early leverage that email list
communicate often um all right what
about any kind of major snafus during
Peak that you learn from any kind of big
big peak problems that you've had in the
past that you've learned from and now
have a plan around I mean I think the
the main issues actually we have been
facing and that's also I mean when
you're working with a when the when the
supplier shipping the product has been
um yeah the whole thing about getting
actually getting making sure that the
customers receed the products in time um
and not received them damage and so on
um and I think that's also a thing gilu
has learned a lot from from previous
years I mean there was a year when
gelato was using a carrier that was
really really bad they don't have that
anymore and quality Wise It's also much
better now than it has been previously
um so I think that's that's that has
been the main issues for us um so I
think at the end of the day at least for
us as a company we want to have happy
customers and um I mean you can you can
generate as much revenue as you want but
if with most of the customers are not
happy after they receive the products I
mean then you probably made some some
quick Revenue but the I mean you have a
business the whole year so for us I mean
it's always the most important to have
to have heavy customers um
that's a that's a great takeaway um and
something for us all to just keep in
mind um I think sometimes we we get so
granular and want to understand a really
specific formula maybe a digital
marketing technique but yeah at the end
of the day think about what's going to
make your customers happy and and
that'll that'll get you pretty far um
you you spoke to this a bit um but um
with a lot of your customers in the us
um and thinking through uh production
distribution how has local production
and distribution help Propel your
business I mean especially working with
jasu as I said when when for us when we
are selling prints we can only sell the
same print or the prints to the same
customers maybe TW once or twice or
maybe three times sometimes so far
having the opportunity to sell in the
whole world um makes our business POS
because if we should only sell in
Denmark I mean there would only be a
certain amount of people we could sell
to and then we could maybe do it once or
twice but now when we have a customer
base throughout the old world we still
have so many customers that we can sell
to so I think for us that gives the
opportunity to actually have our
business um so we we are selling more
worldwide um yeah also to eliminate the
issue of maybe not having the same
customers coming back too many times we
have tried to also send homeone cases
and and and hoodies and so on but it's
it's really difficult to make this
transition when you actually are known
for selling prints to also sell other
products um we still we're still trying
to do it um and also especially after
the customers has made the purchase with
some yeah some some selling some other
products with the email flows and and so
on but yeah it's
difficult and was your plan from day one
a global business or has this been
something that's kind of your vision is
grown as your business has grown I know
these are a lot of questions all at once
but I think the other thing to add on to
that would kind of be um local
production and distribution has helped
with global growth but what are your
other Global growth takeaways yeah so so
as I said I mean to be honest I mean
neighborhood was started a bit randomly
I mean I was sent home with from Co and
all this kind of stuff and I think as a
the start I just Googled how to print
post of the thing and then as actually
the first year we were working with prce
Pria um and I mean one of the reasons
that we actually went to gelato was the
opportunity to sell in more countries
and also selling more more um local U
because printful was uh sometimes
printful was shipping a print from
Europe to us which didn't make sense so
that was actually one of the reasons why
we went to gilar was the opportunity
yeah to to print locally throughout the
whole
world um is the sustainability aspect
important to you and your
customers I think I mean for most all
people sustainability is important in in
some kind of way um but I don't think
especially for customers for for this
kind of product I'm not sure if
customers will pay double the price for
sustainability but now when when the
products are sustainable I think it's
it's only good um yeah so it is
important and also important for our
company and and then so on um so yeah we
are happy that we have local
production um uh we had a a webinar we
recently recorded with Carrie igler he's
an e-commerce entrepreneur and he spoke
with us about different AI tools he uses
to create e-commerce products or design
artwork even are you leveraging any AI
tools um this peak
season yes and no I mean we we're using
some some text tools like J gbt and that
we're using a little bit of AI but I
still think I mean it depends I think
what kind of product you want to make I
mean I think for us there's still some
we still need some human touch to make
the products um especially also because
we have some certain guidelines and
designs and so on we want to to fit
Within um so in terms of design we
haven't really been using it yet um but
for text we still we we're using it most
tools that we're using also like Shopify
and clayo and so on also now I have some
integrated AI tools you can use um but
design wise we're not there yet uh I
know Photoshop has also some some AR
tools you could use now um but other
from that we are mostly using
text what do you use for design app Al
I've looked at your site and you have
stunning
designs yes so we are mostly using Adobe
programs um so that's like Photoshop and
Lightroom in design
yeah illustrator so these kind of of of
so some of the some of the prints we're
actually drawing ourself as well so
we're using an iPad with a pin for that
so yeah wow um all right so if you were
to summarize and I know we've kind of
done this a little bit throughout but
what would be your top three tips for
e-commerce sellers during the peak
season I think the the old thing is now
that you should probably also have been
started now at least you need to start
now and then you need to look into your
own business I mean you probably know
the business the best yourself so look
into your own business and what kind of
products are you selling and um from
that make your own strategy I mean you
can always listen to a lot of people but
the end of the day you have you know
your business yourself and you know your
products the best yourself and not all
products fit the same strategy so you
need to look into what kind of products
you're selling and from that make your
own strategy and then you should
probably already start now um You can
especially also if you want to do
digital marketing mean you need to be in
the race now with your Facebook ads
should probably also already be on now
so they have passed the learning phrase
when they should actually be used and so
on um yeah so I think that's my overall
best advice I mean look into your own
product do your own research and then
make strategies from from you can always
listen to people and it's it's good to
take advice from people but also at the
end of the day I mean you probably know
your product the best yourself um so
from that make your own strategy and
then then execute it thank you so much
for joining today Alex we learned so
much from you and we wish you the best
peak season yet yeah thank you so much
for having me it was a pleasure to be
here and Alex where can folks find you
if they want to check out your store uh
you can find me on LinkedIn uh my name
is Alex s GSK or you can just go to
neighborhood's website and yeah write
email to neighborhood and I'll get back
to
you thank you so much Alex for all of
you tuning in we have a promotion to
help make this year your most successful
peak season yet sell two or more
products in one order and will cover
half or all of your shipping costs go to
gel.com to read more and take advantage
of this offer until December 5th and
check out our blog on gel.com for more
tips and guides to e-commerce marketing
and product Trends you can leverage
during this year's Peak thank you for
tuning in and we wish you all a
successful peak
[Music]
season
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