What kind of business are you building? Are you looking to grow your brand to increase revenue or is your ultimate goal to grow your brand to attract a buyer? If you are reselling products on Amazon or another e-Commerce site, achieving either of these goals is a long, uphill battle. Ultimately, your best bet … Read more
Behind Every Great Product Is Great Product Design and Development We often don’t think much about what went into our favorite products. If we could peer into those products and see how many people were involved in the product design and development, how many steps were followed, and likely, how many risks were averted, we … Read more
Think of the last time you used a product that took your breath away. What was unique about product design? How did it make you feel? What about the aesthetics that caught your attention? Did the color pop? Was it a unique shape you couldn’t have imagined, but made sense? Or, was using it easy … Read more
As the coronavirus continues to change our daily lives, we’re committed to bringing you a weekly roundup with stories about how it’s effecting eCommerce sellers around the world. Here are a few of the past week’s highlights: Visual Capitalist Takes a Look at Category Fluctuations The team from Visual Capitalist put together an interesting look … Read more
A driven entrepreneur is never satisfied with their product mix. Even if sales are great today, competition and trends are always evolving. This month’s cash cow can quickly become next month’s sales dud. The competition’s always thinking of new angles, how to improve existing products, or about new product ideas that haven’t been made. The … Read more
The worldwide spread of COVID-19 has caused an unprecedented rush on equipment to help medical professionals and individuals fight it and push toward recovery and a resolution. On April 1, the Chinese Government put out an expansive list that includes over 1,000 factories certified to export Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) products. Personal protective equipment examples … Read more
Even big companies struggle with innovation. Take, for example, Gerber’s 1970s attempt to penetrate the adult food market. Instead of developing a new line with a unique distribution strategy, the baby food brand re-labeled existing pureed products and placed them in a different aisle. Or, more recently, look to the flop of Pizza Hut’s ill-fated “Flavors of … Read more
With CES 2020 wrapping up last week, there’s a lot to digest. We saw tons of innovative products in fitness tech, TVs, self-driving vehicles, and even basics like Bluetooth technology. CES is a spectacle that never fails to impress. While some products might be more realistic than others, the showcase can be a source of inspiration for … Read more
A manufacturing partner can make or break your product’s success. It’s critical that entrepreneurs take the necessary steps to vet a manufacturing partner, even when working with a sourcing agent. Unfortunately, sourcing agents can take advantage of naive new business owners – and it’s important to educate yourself on some of the signs your production partners … Read more
It’s undeniably more affordable to outsource your product manufacturing to a factory in China or India. Discerning which factory is the best fit is relatively difficult for most entrepreneurs. Instead of learning how to vet a manufacturing partner, many people rely on a sourcing agent to help navigate the process. It’s easy enough to find … Read more
When new businesses fail, most of the time, it’s due to running out of cash. Poor cash flow management is the nemesis of the more than 80% of new ventures that fail in year one. It takes much capital to get started, no matter what vertical or industry you’re trying to enter. One of the highest … Read more
October to December represents a make or break quarter for e-commerce brands. But the ongoing negotiations with the US and China adds a layer of complexity for entrepreneurs in their busiest season, as many Chinese vendors now require inventory payments upfront. To help founders dealing with this changing vendor landscape, Clearbanc is launching an Inventory Protection … Read more