The idea

The idea is to simply create a merchant account on an e-shopping site, for example Souq website, and start placing products on the site to sell. In short, you have a store without any financial costs, then you start to choose one or more products photographed professionally, and put them on the market site, and choose a suitable name and a clear description of the product. Then the marketing phase of the product starts on social media, for example. Then receive the product orders, and start packaging the product, and the representative of the shipping company for the site of the market will come to you  to receive the product and deliver it to the customer. Souq will transfer the sales amount to your balance after deducting commission and any other expenses.

Important Note: The product can be marketed through Souq only, without marketing on social networks. Conversely, it can be marketed on social media without being placed on the market, although the integration between them increases the project’s success

Where to Begin

  • Create a merchant account on Souq
  • Finding a suitable and possible product can be done in more ways than one
    1. Search the market for best-selling products, and the volume of demand can be deduced by ratings and reviews on each product
    2. Study customer evaluations of products to know the needs and desires of customers and search for products that meet those needs
    3. Search in the local market and at wholesalers for products on demand that are not available on Souq
    4. After making sure there is a demand for a particular product it can be imported from abroad, for example search on the site on Alibaba, and the import of small quantities can be used as a test
    5. Ensure that the product is available at the supplier when ordered
  • Photographing the product professionally, even with a mobile camera, taking into account the following:
    1. Photograph the product from more than one angle
    2. Photograph the product on a background that shows and highlights the features of the product
    3. Photograph it while it’s being used
    4. The product occupies at le
    5. ast 80% of the image size
    6. High quality image highlighting every detail of the product
  • Add the product on Souq site taking into account the following:
    1. Choose a name for the product that describes the product and sheds light on the most important benefits and advantages
    2. Develop a detailed description of all product characteristics and features
    3. Choosing the right product category in Souq
    4. Choose the price very carefully after studying the competitors’ products and prices, and taking all the costs into consideration (shipping costs – market commission commission – photography costs -….)
  • Experience making a funded ad on Souq’s website, and measuring its effectiveness
  • Create an account with the name of your store on social networks, for example create a page on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
  • Start marketing the product on social media accounts (it is recommended to study marketing on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or deal with a friend who is an expert in digital marketing). Only Souq can suffice without marketing on social media.
  • Shipping and receipt of the price of the item from the customer is through Souq.
  • Use any means to manage accounts and products and be an Excel file to determine the net monthly profit after deducting all expenses
  • Bank account to receive the amount transferred to you from Souq to your balance in the bank.

Required Skills

The following are the skills required for the success of the project

  • Passion for trade in general
  • Communicate with others
  • Negotiation skill
  • Writing in a clear language
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Professional photography of products

Budget and resources:

  • Allocate a budget to purchase one or more products for market study.
  • Budget for photography in the case of a professional photographer
  • The advertising budget on Facebook can start at $ 1.5 per day per product, and is increased after optimizing and measuring the floating of the ad

Profit Method:

Profit comes from the difference in the price of buying and selling products after deducting all expenses and costs

Yield optimization tips:

  • Invest the most time and effort possible in studying the market to determine the best product
  • Dealing with small factories and workshops that have a continuous production line
  • Ensure product quality
  • Choose products of small size and weight
  • Make a full and comprehensive description of the item to reduce the return rate

Resources

  • To register on the market as a merchant: https://sell.souq.com
  • FAQ for sale on Souq website http://help.sell.souq.com/en/faqs/
  • There are many videos on YouTube that explain in detail how to put products on the market site, use the keyword “marketing on Souq site”
  • There are also videos on professional product photography, use the keyword “product photography at lower costs”
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