International Sourcing, Manufacturing, Design and Shipping
Back in 2018 I wanted to get into the ecommerce space and learn the ins and outs of international manufacturing and selling. I decided to use the online retailer Amazon.com, and joined their Fullfilment by Amazon program. After product design, purchase, and shipping, amazon stored my products and sent them to customers when sold.
Using amazon data intelligence software like Junglescout that analyzed product performance metrics, I decided bamboo cheeseboards had great market potential. I contacted several chinese factories on alibaba requesting product samples, and chose a cheeseboard template, changing some of the design such as finish type and cheeseboard tools.
In order to sell my products I created an LLC in Washington State and purchased a business license. I used the umbrella company name "Cardstark Enterprises".
I created a custom packaging design using illustrator and purchased 3000 units. From samples I worked with a professional photographer to create the product photos, which is extremely important in ecommerce sales. I also had a seperate company perform a quality control check before working with an international freight company to ship the products. They arrived in a shipping port in California, in which I worked with customs. Costs, gross, and net sales were predicted in excel per unit and in bulk before purchasing.
I learned how to create pay per click (PPC) Facebook ads targeting my demographic, as well as split test ad campaigns. It was critical to use amazon seo keywords while creating a great user experience on the Amazon listing. I was particularly successful in sales during the christmas season.
I sold 2900 units. I had particular success using PPC facebook ads and amazon featured ads targeted non-married buyers between the age of 20 and 40 looking for family presents.
