How To Become A Great E-Commerce Seller

Technology advancements paved way to the invention of e-commerce. E-commerce is the activity of buying or selling something via the Internet. From Instagram to Carousell, various websites and apps enable Singaporeans to practice e-commerce. That being said, here are tips on how to become the best online seller out there!

STEP #1: DEFINE YOUR BRAND

What are you willing and not willing to sell? What are the teens buzzing about these days? Pearl hair-clips or vintage headbands? How about the working adults? Are herbal oils in demand for pain management? Before you decide on putting a collection of products online, you must do your research.

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Look for sellers that offer the same products and see which products are on top. This ensures that your products are attractive and in demand without having to lose money in the process. As you diversify your product range and start selling more, you may need to find a warehouse.

STEP #2: NARROW DOWN THE COSTS

Opening a physical store entail a painfully long list of operation costs. It comprises of rent, interior design, electricity, utility, and other expenses. Not to mention, you have to maintain the overall look of your brick and mortar store.

Fortunately for you, you have avoided these expenses by opening an online store. You must start your business right by deciding which costs are necessary. Cut down unnecessary costs such as hiring additional staff.

STEP #3: OPEN AN ACCOUNT

To become an e-commerce seller, you can either open your own website or sign-up under an established one. For instance, you may set up a seller’s account at Lazada. It is easy!

As a prospective seller, you must provide basic contact information about yourself and the shop that you want to open. Next, you have to list down your products using Lazada’s Store Builder app. Ensure that you build appealing pages to increase client engagement. Lastly, you have to provide legitimate documentation. This documentation includes:

a. Your Business Registration Certificate or Business Owner Identification (NRIC),
b. Your list of directors,
c. A bank statement, and
d. GST letter (if applicable)

STEP #4: MARKET YOUR BRAND

Last but not the least, you must increase the visibility of your brand. Already established e-commerce websites have a lot of traffic, so you are at an advantage. You do not have to shell out more marketing budget. Nonetheless, you can always promote your products or services on Facebook and on Instagram.

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I cannot deny that many Singaporeans turn to social media for product or service reviews. So, make these reviews count!

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4 Philippines Best Beaches

Are you planning a vacation to the Philippines this summer? Well, this country has a lot to offer; it’s like a small paradise on earth.

The country is like no other place on the planet. It has more than 7,500 islands with 2000 of them being inhabited. The area is full of beautiful sceneries and world-class beaches from Coron to El Nido.

The country offers one of the longest white sand coastlines in the world. Be sure to visit one of these beaches, and you’ll love the experience.

  1. El Nido, Palawan

El Nido Island has one of the best beaches in Palawan. Its extraordinary splendor and ecosystem make it your ideal destination this summer.

The place is commonly known as the Philippines’ last frontier. It features as the 14th beach among CNN’s top 100 beaches in the globe.

The island has over 50 white sand beaches, three marine habitats and five types of forests. It also a home to different bird species. Its waters are rich in marine life including dugongs, dolphins and over 100 species of fish.

You can visit this island and its fabulous beaches from December through March. At this time, the weather is dry and beautiful, plus the visitors are few translating to fewer rates.

  1. Coron Island, Palawan

Coron Island is a gem of natural beauty in the world. It boasts of steep limestone cliffs, seven mountain lakes, and white sand beaches. It’s also a popular scuba diving site with Forbes travel magazine listing it among the ten best locations around the globe.

Even better, behind the majestic rock formations, there’s a secret lagoon with crystal-green waters and white-sand shores. This hidden beach is a paradise. You must get here either by swimming through the sea tunnel or climbing over the cliffs.

  1. Panglao Island, Bohol

The island boasts of crystal clear blue waters and white sand beaches. The diving sites are among the best in the world. You’ll also find different species of marine life here.

Statistics from Panglao Biodiversity Project claim that the island has more marine life than Japan and the Mediterranean Sea combined.

Some of the famous beaches on this island are Alona, Doljo, and Dumaluan. Be sure to visit the area during the dry and cool season from December through to March.

  1. Palaui Island, Cagayan

According to CNN, Palaui Island is at number 10 of their top 100 best beaches in the world. It describes the beach as a raw beauty where nature unfolds with fauna and flora, white sands, volcanic rocks, and abundant marine life.

When visiting this island, don’t expect to get any hotel or luxury item here. If you have to stay, look for a homestay or go camping at the beach. Don’t forget, camping near the lighthouse is illegal.

Conclusion

Philippines is among the leading vacation locations in the world. It has thousands of inhabited and uninhabited islands. Each of these islands has a lot to offer, including white sand beaches and the best scuba diving sites in the world. Plan a visit today, and you’ll not regret it.

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4 Practical Tips On Making Your Online Business Successful

With a growth mindset, you aim to expand your online business in many ways! For starters, you want it to be more profitable than ever. All these goals can be possible once you employ the necessary changes. Remember that building a successful online business is a marathon and not a sprint! Nothing good happens overnight.

#1: WORD OF MOUTH

Millennials consume everything at a fast rate! When we want something, we want it now. With the digital consumer culture, it is best to create a positive online community. Post your clients’ feedback and tagged photos.

Singaporeans turn to the web for reviews on businesses and other services. Get positive word of mouth by providing professional service, monitoring your online presence, and giving back to the community. You may partake in or host charity events once a year.

#2: STOREFRONT OF YOUR BUSINESS

You have a fantastic product and a bulletproof selling process. It is time to design your own website. When creating your own website for your online business, you must keep things simple. You have about five seconds to grab someone’s attention. Otherwise, you will never see them again!

Ensure that you keep things simple by choosing two plain fonts and by making navigation clear. Collect as many email addresses as you can by offering promotions at the front page. Lastly, make buying accessible within one or two clicks. Ultimately, you must think of your website as your storefront. You have to make it eye-catching and consumer-friendly.

#3: POWER OF EMAIL MARKETING

As I have said above, you may collect as many email addresses as you can. Use these e-addresses to test the power of email marketing. It is such a strong tool to turn your potential consumers into loyal buyers. Allowing them to subscribe in your mail-list gives you permission to send regular promotions or new product updates. You are developing a long-lasting relationship with your client. Make each email count!

Email marketing is beneficial not only because it is cheaper that print marketing, but also because it is 100% measurable. You will be able to track whether you hit the target or not.

#4: EXPANSION OF THE CLOUD

With a startup business like yours, you can benefit from no-cost programs such as the “cloud” (e.g., Google Drive). Storing your files in one digital place will you monitor your gains and losses. The major advantages of using the cloud are its accessibility and its cost-effectiveness.

You will be able to access your business accounts and accounting files from anywhere and anytime using cloud-based applications. This way, you no longer have to pay for other applications.

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Being an online entrepreneur has its ups and downs. You just have to find practical ways to handle the obstacles and to move forward.

Source: Entrepreneur

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5 Helpful Tips On How To Work From Home

Working from home is not just an option, it is a way of life. Overhauling the way you work can either make or break your career and sanity. Follow these helpful tips to get you started:

TAXATION RULES

One of the first steps to straighten out your finances as a freelancer is to know what your filing status is. In the Singaporean tax code, there is a huge difference between employment and small business types. Knowing which one you fall under on will save you in the long run. The government judges your status based on whether you take some risk of doing business or you get a share of the profits.

For instance, you may think that you are subject to the self-employment tax as a sole proprietor of a company. However, the law may consider you as an employee if you only have one client who supervises you, dictates your regular hours, pays you per hour, and gives you benefits.

GOAL SETTING

As a freelancer, it will help to develop both long-term and short-term goals. The former helps you to create a direction, a purpose, and a will to push forward. Long-term goals enables you to improve your money management and increase your job satisfaction despite working from home. For example, in 3 years time you can expand your business to reach international clientele.

While, short-term goals give you achievable targets. These targets will help you pay the bills and track your cashflow.

DAILY SCHEDULE

From my experience of working from home, I noticed how important it is to keep everything organized. You must have time management skills and motivation to finish each task. For example, you may set defined working hours when you work from one company. Try to avoid phone calls or emails beyond your regular schedule.

It is easy to get trapped into working any time and any day when you are working from home. Devise a plan to balance out your work and personal time to maintain your sanity. Every morning, you may plan a couple of breaks such as half an hour for coffee drinking or fifteen minutes to go outside. In reality, you must pull out your body from the laptop and have brain breaks.

HEALTHY SOCIALIZATION

Working from home can be isolating for most people. When you are used to being in an office filled with lunch buddies, it can be a significant adjustment to leave everything behind. This is why you must meet others on a regular basis. Meet your clients face-to-face, socialize with a group of people who share the same hobby, or invite your office friends for dinner.

Working from home saves you from a lot of awkward and embarrassing social encounters. But, you still need to interact with others to keep your mental health in tact.

WEEKEND SANCTUARY

As you are working in the comfort of your own home, things can get mundane and exhausting. Your life can be a series of completing tasks without a weekend to look forward to. Be different!

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Allot at least two days to enjoy yourself without having to think of work. Spend time with family and friends during your weekend sanctuary. Otherwise, you are comparable to the lifestyle of graveyard or red-eyed shift workers.

Sources: 1 & 2

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5 Telltale Signs That You Need To Change Your Phone

As my iPhone slipped from my hands, it quickly tumbled to the ground with its screen falling first. Before I grabbed it, I was so complacent that only the tempered glass was shattered. The people who witnessed the scene were so shocked and even screamed on my behalf. I kept my cool. I told them that everything is under control as it had a protective layer. Oh, I was wrong! The entire glass screen cracked from the inside out.

Three days passed and I have decided to upgrade my phone. I saw it as an opportunity to finally purchasing a new one after three years. I may get accustomed to the smashed display of the spiderweb-like pattern across the screen, but using this is hazardous. I might be cut by the broken glass or cause the cracks to worsen.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Having a smashed screen is one reason to change your phone. Keep in mind that upgrading can set you back for more than S$1000. So, contemplate on whether it is necessary to buy a new phone or not.

THINGS ARE GETTING SLOW

In this day and age, phones that can multitask reign supreme. If your phone cannot keep up with your taps and swipes, perhaps you should get a new one. It is hard to function when your phone responds to some commands while ignores the rest. Consider looking for a phone that listens to your every touch.

BATTERIES ARE EASY TO DRAIN

How would you feel if your fully charged phone does not last you until lunchtime? You have enough on your plate and rescheduling a recharge can just stretch your tasks.

If you are noticing that your phone is draining at a faster rate after fully charging it, it may be time to replace its battery. Remember that smartphone batteries lose capacity every time you charge it from zero to one-hundred percent. Charging it incorrectly can quicken the process of deterioration.

SHUTTING DOWN IS COMMON

As I was sitting in the lobby, my friend asked me for a favor. She wanted me to call her phone that randomly turned off. To my surprise, it rang while the entire screen transformed to pitch-black. Random shutdowns is worse that running out of battery. If your phone refuses to turn back on until it dictates so, it is time to purchase a new phone.

YOUR STORAGE IS FULL

Despite adding a memory card, your current phone still runs out of storage space. You noticed that small, low-resolution photos can accumulate and hold a chunk of your phone’s memory. What’s more? Your photos look like they were shot in the yesteryear. Stop collecting grainy and low-resolution moments! Start saving your space for crisp and high-resolution memories by getting a new phone.

NEW OPERATING SYSTEM IS NOT AVAILABLE

Take a moment to think about whether you can download the latest apps and operating systems. One of the primary reasons why you must convert to a new phone is to equip yourself with current software updates.

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Always update your phone to the latest operating system available for security purposes. Latest updates often fix flaws in older systems that leave your data vulnerable to cyberattacks and hackers.

Sources: 1 & 2

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