Photo by Previn Samuel on Unsplash

Do you have a business or product idea in mind?
Do you have the urge to work on your idea and sell it to others?

Then this blog will give you all the details on how to go about it. This article will discuss product design, manufacturing, packaging, delivery, and customer service marketing. I will explain a step-by-step method on how to sell in India!

1. Product conceptualization
For selling, firstly, you will need a unique product idea. In today's saturated market, you need to find your niche. For example, if you want to start a jewelry business, start designing your pieces. There are thousands of jewelry sellers, but your exclusivity and craftsmanship will attract customers.

Work on which type of jewelry you want to sell, how is it different from the other competitive brands. If you still haven't thought of a business idea or are confused, read my blog on 8 Top low-investment business ideas.

2. Market study
A market study is essential before starting your business. Check for competitive brands, where are they based, how do they sell, do they deliver pan India or not. This research will help you understand the target customers, areas with the maximum purchasing power, and the upper hand over the prevailing brand.

You cannot sell your products to everyone. In India, people belong to varied economic strata. If you plan to sell an exclusive high-priced product, you cannot target people with little money. They might admire your work, but they won't purchase it.

3. Setting up the means to sell
Once you have finalized your product and customer base, you need to start formalizing the means through which you will sell. The most cost-efficient and low investment method is by creating an online store. You will save up a lot of money if you sell via a website store rather than a regular shop.

Because of the pandemic, most people who did not previously buy from online stores have begun to do so. Many Indian clients drew in by the ease of ordering via mobile phones or laptops from the comfort of their own homes.

Research shows that 54% of the customers research a product online before buying it. Hence even if you are planning to sell your product via a store, an online presence should not be ignored.

4. How to sell online?
You need to create a simple, easy-to-navigate website store for your brand. When Indians visit a website, there are a lot of factors that influence whether they will buy or not, the most important being the cost of the product.

Indian customers love discounts and offers. A study of the Indian customer base shows that 51% of customers spend time looking for the best deals before purchasing, and 50% use discount codes or coupons.

This shows how the sales increase just by giving offers and discount codes.

Create social media presence along with the website. If your target customer base is aged 16-30, the Facebook and Instagram advertising will cater to your needs and drive traffic to your store.

5. Provide free shipping
Indians love everything which has a free tag on it!!
Free shipping is one of the most popular ways to increase the conversion rate. Many customers add products to their cart and abandon them if the shipping charges are high.

You can provide free shipping above the purchase of a certain amount. This makes customers buy more just so that they can avail free delivery. This way sales will go up too!

Also, try and keep the delivery time to a minimum. If the delivery of the product takes a lot of time, then people don't purchase it. People often buy just before the occasion and often buy from websites that provide speedy delivery.

6. Customized packaging
Big e-commerce companies do not pay any heed to package. They have a standardized way of packing everything. But when you start selling you can provide with special packaging. You can provide an option to provide unique packaging if the product is given as a gift.

You can also provide some freebies as it helps in building brand loyalty! A sweet thank you card and ribbons are a few things that you can add to make the unboxing experience better.

7. Customer care
You must set up a customer care helpline. You can provide details such as phone numbers and email addresses. If any customer has any query, they can immediately contact you. If the customer service is not up to their expectations, many customers do not purchase or cancel their orders.

8. Hire people
You cannot do everything by yourself. You need a few helping hands. So hire professionals such as designers, marketing professionals, and other individuals as per your business needs.

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But before we conclude, here are bonus tips to make your first sale!

When your store is up and operating, it's time to make your first sale. 
Here are some suggestions to get things started:

• Begin emailing your contacts
  Create a pre-launch email list in the spreadsheet. Send a brief email promoting your products and informing the world that you've established a new website.
   
• Use social networks.
  Contact your friends and family on social media to let them know about your new venture and ask them to share it with their network. Share the product images on Facebook, other social media platforms. 
   
• Purchase Facebook Ads 
  Facebook Advertising gives you a lot of alternatives for precisely targeting your product Ad. You can target people based on their hobby, lifestyle, gender, region, and other factors such as age, location, and more.
   
• Promote on Google
  Google's Adwords is one of the most popular advertising networks and allows you to show your products in different ways to different audiences.
   
• Generate coupons and submit them to deal sites
  A lot of Indian coupon listing websites accept special discount coupons. The majority of these websites do not charge a fee for submitting coupons. Most individuals check for coupons before purchasing a product.

You are all set now. All you have to do is work hard towards achieving your goal and never give up!