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WHY YOU NEED TO SELL ONLINE
Why You Should Sell Online
Why You Should Sell Online - 7 BENEFITS OF ECOMMERCE WEBSITES
You may currently have an office or shop, which oversees all your business operations and the distribution of your products to customers. However if you are wanting to find ways to increase your sales quicker, reduce your business operating costs and increase profit margins for your business, an ecommerce website is an effective way forward for you.
The Internet is a powerful platform providing a broad awareness of e-commerce websites. There are millions of people searching the internet everyday, looking for products and services. Online shopping is increasing year on year and is being seen as a convenient method to purchase products, where you can also buy at any time in the day.
Additionally e-commerce websites allow you to employ a range of marketing and sales techniques to give people that extra reason to stay on your website and buy your products.
So what are the key benefits that an e-commerce website can offer your business?
1) Lower Set Up & Running Costs Than An Offline Businesses
The cost of actually setting up an e-commerce website is lower than that of an offline businesses. The whole sales system for your business is automated online. You will therefore save on staff, wages and other business costs, which are usually an expense such as electricity, rent and heating costs. The money that you have saved can then be used to develop your e-commerce website and product range further. E-commerce websites will also help you expand your product offering faster than is normally possible within an offline business situation.
2) The Business Can Be Operated From Anywhere
E-commerce websites reduce any geographical restrictions you would normally face with an office based business. You can be anywhere around the world and still successfully oversee your e-commerce business. The essential items you need in order to oversee your e-commerce website from anywhere are; having access to emails, the Internet and phones.
3) Scale-ability
E-commerce websites are very effective in allowing you to determine which products are selling successfully, to ensure the stock levels of these products are increased. Additionally how these successful products can be diversified to develop a larger range of products to sell through the website. This will allow you to grow your business in terms of sales, customer base and profits. Amazon’s online shopping website has developed successfully around scaling their product range, and monitoring closely what is selling with customers. This has consequently allowed them to dramatically diversify their product range into many sectors.
4) No Opening Time Restrictions
With ecommerce websites you are not restricting your potential customers, as they can view your website at any time of day. This means as a business, you are maximising your sales and profits. How can your sales be further maximised? You can do this through a range of sales initiatives such as special offers and online marketing initiatives.
Key sales strategies you could employ to increase your online sales include upselling and cross selling. Upselling involves offering products that directly relate to the products the customer has just selected to purchase. Products with very low cost so the customer doesn’t really have to think about it, and they usually compliment the purchase they have just made making it an easy buying decision. By doing this you encourage the average basket value to go up.
Cross-selling allows you to encourage people to spend more money by buying additional products. This is usually related to the main product your customer is purchasing. On e-commerce websites this may be included as, “You may also likeâ€, “Wear with thisâ€, “Perfect match withâ€, “Why don’t you go proâ€. These are all tactics to increase sales revenues for your business.
You can also employ a range of powerful marketing initiatives on your website to encourage interest from new customers such as call’s to action and special, time sensitive offers. These encourage prospects to take action whilst on your site and therefore increase your conversion rate from visitor to sale.
5) More Measurable Than Other Sales Approaches
You may be thinking how do I know it will be successful, how will I measure the results? E-commerce websites are in fact extremely measurable and trackable through systems such as Google Analytics. You can view statistics including how many orders are processed through your site, average cart total, cart abandonment rate and percentage of total revenue your website has achieved at regular intervals.
E-commerce advertising costs are also lower than many other forms of advertising. You could employ a Search Engine Optimisation strategy to increase your website page rankings in Search Engines. This would be a steady ongoing monthly investment. SEO is a powerful method to encourage further customers to go on your website.
6) Less Time Intensive
Once your ecommerce website has been initially set up, you should not have to invest too much time into running it. This is because the whole process for customers ordering and making payments will all be activated through the online system. This will give you more time to determine new products you want to sell, special offers you want to launch and to track how successful your sales are. You will also be able to determine any trends in terms of which products are selling most successfully.
Not to be forgotten also are the increase in sales revenues that e-commerce websites bring. The product visibility that you can gain through e-commerce websites means that your business can encourage new customers at any time in the day.
7) Higher Margins & Better Cashflow
If your business is involved and sells within the trade industry sector, an e-commerce website will allow you to sell at higher margins. This will make the profits you make on your products even higher. The shopping cart and payment options on these websites also mean you are gaining a 100% payment from the customer straight away. This will improve your cash flow, particularly when customers normally provide you with payments in several instalments.
There are also several reliable payment systems you can have for your ecommerce website including; Paypal, Google Checkout, Sage Payment Solutions, WordPay and more. This will ensure all your payment transactions are processed successfully, so your business receives the payments efficiently.
So there you have it, 7 good reasons to sell your products online!
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Stop Armpit Itches
IS THIS CAUSE FOR CONCERN?
Your underarms should naturally be about the same shade as the rest of your skin. But sometimes, the skin in the armpits can turn a darker hue. Dark underarms usually aren’t a sign of anything serious, but some people may find them embarrassing — especially during tank top and swimsuit season.
Darkening is often due to a skin condition called acanthosis nigricans (AN). It causes skin to thicken and darken in folds around the body.
Common areas of darkening include the:
armpits
back of the neck
groin
elbows
knees
Your skin might also itch or have a foul odor in those areas.
Anywhere from 7 to 74 percent of people experience some form of AN, according to a 2014 overviewTrusted Source of the condition. The likelihood of developing dark underarms often depends on factors like race, health, and family history.
Keep reading to learn more about why this happens and what you can do.
What causes this condition, and who’s at risk?
Your skin color is determined by pigment cells called melanocytes. When these cells multiply more, they can turn the skin a darker color.
Anyone can develop AN, but some people have a greater risk. People who have darker skin are more likelyTrusted Source to have darkening under their arms than people with lighter skin.
AN sometimes runs in families. You inherit it via a faulty gene. You’re more likelyTrusted Source to have dark patches on your skin if you have a parent, sibling, or other close relative with the condition.
Although AN is usually genetic or tied to an underlying condition, there’s some evidenceTrusted Source to suggest that hair removal may also be a culprit. It’s thought that irritation from repeated shaving or plucking might stimulate excess melanocyte production.
To avoid irritating your underarms, lubricate the skin with a gentle soap or shaving cream before shaving. Apply an unscented moisturizing cream afterward.
You may also be more likely to develop AN because of:
Obesity
Carrying extra weight makes your body more resistant to the effects of insulin. This hormone helps regulate your blood sugar. High levels of insulin in your blood can lead to increased production of skin pigment cells.
More than half of adultsTrusted Source who are 200 percent or more over their ideal body weight experience darkening in their underarms and other skin folds.
Type 2 diabetes
Obesity is also a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, a disease of high blood sugar. People who develop type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of AN.
Hormone syndromes
Some conditions that disrupt insulin levels can lead to AN.
This includes:
polycystic ovary syndrome
Cushing syndrome
acromegaly
hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid gland
Medication
Certain medications increase your insulin levels, which can lead to underarm darkening.
This includes:
insulin
corticosteroids, such as prednisone (Rayos)
human growth hormone
birth control pills
high-dose niacin (Niacor)
Cancer
In rare casesTrusted Source, sudden skin darkening could be a sign of cancer. When this happens, it often affects the stomach, liver, or colon. These tumors increase levels of growth factors that stimulate skin pigment cells.
When AN is caused by cancer, it’s called malignant acanthosis nigricans. You’ll likely see dark patches around your mouth.
HOW IS IT TREATED?
Often, treating the medical condition that caused your dark underarms will fix the issue. A combination of medicines and home remedies could help lighten the color.
Lifestyle changes and home remedies
Obesity is one of the leading causes of dark underarms. Losing weight can often fix the problem. Weight loss is an effective way to treat diabetes, too. Talk to your doctor about diet and fitness strategies to help you get down to a healthy weight for your height.
If you suspect that a medication you’re taking is causing your dark underarms, talk to your doctor about switching to another one.
NATURAL REMEDIES
A few natural remedies have been promoted for lightening pigmented skin, including:
sea cucumber extracts
curcumin
milk thistle extract
These products haven’t been proven to lighten dark underarms, and some of them might cause side effects. Talk to your doctor or dermatologist before using any natural remedy.
MEDICATION AND PROCEDURES
Your dermatologist can prescribe medications to help lighten the skin under your arms.
Popular Options Include:
Retinoid creams or pills. Tretinoin (Retin-A) is considered the first-line treatment for AN. When used regularly, it can help thin and lighten the skin in affected areas.
Chemical peels. Peels containing trichloroacetic acid (TCA) can help exfoliate the skin. This process helps remove the thicker, damaged skin to reveal new, smooth skin.
Calcipotriene (Dovonex). This vitamin D-based cream reduces skin pigment cells.
Dermabrasion, which resurfaces the skin, and laser therapies are also used to treat dark skin under the arms.
If you have cancer, your doctor will perform surgery to remove the tumor. Once the tumor is removed, the darkened skin will often clear up.
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When to see your doctor
Although dark underarms are usually harmless, they’re worth getting checked out by a dermatologist — especially if you think you might have a condition like diabetes or an underactive thyroid gland. Treating the condition that caused it will usually make the dark skin fade.
If you suddenly see dark patches under your arms and on other areas of your skin, see your dermatologist or primary care doctor right away. This could be a sign of more serious condition, like cancer.
You can book an appointment with a dermatologist in your area using our Healthline FindCare tool.