照片由Brooke Lark拍摄，来自Unsplash
Mandatory quarantines, shelter-in-place orders, and lockdowns during the COVID-19 global pandemic have severely affected how bags & leather goods resale commerce is being handled around the world. To comply with social distancing measures, a reimagination of how to conduct business is required, and for many Entrupy verified businesses, e-commerce is now the only viable way to operate. Some businesses that are unaccustomed to selling online, such as traditional brick-and-mortar stores, may find the digital landscape overwhelming and difficult to navigate and even those that are accustomed to it are facing obstacles. We wanted to share this article to provide practical recommendations that support bags & leather goods resellers with business continuity during this challenging time.
We reached out to a few Entrupy verified businesses to learn about the changes they’ve had to make and their advice for fellow business owners. Here’s what they had to say about everything from sourcing inventory, to customer relationships, to how their roles as business owners have changed during this increasingly digital time!
1. 根据当前物流限制调整库存采购与运输安排
照片由Laura Chouette拍摄，来自Unsplash
“我认为整体寄件人数有所下降，毕竟多数人无法在家发货。不过那些仍寄送包裹的人，寄出的数量反而增加了。大概是因为他们有更多时间整理衣橱了吧！”—— 奢华习惯
Many Entrupy verified businesses like Opulent Habits in New Jersey and The Hula in Hong Kong have actually reported an increase in customers looking to sell their items. Even though meeting one on one is no longer an option, businesses have been able to coordinate curbside drop-offs in lieu of customers coming to their stores. Businesses that previously relied on in-store interactions are seeing an increase in email and phone correspondence with customers wishing to buy, sell, or trade with them.
主要通过邮寄方式收发库存的企业也遭遇了障碍和延误。对于支持国际买卖的企业而言，延误时间可能更长——澳大利亚The Purse Affair公司表示，延误时间可能长达四至五周。当地货币贬值也会给从事国际业务的企业带来压力，在经济恢复正常之前，其利润率将持续下降。
The good news is that consumers are still looking to buy, sell, and trade, and Entrupy verified businesses have been succeeding by adjusting their inventory sourcing, pricing, and shipping methods accordingly. The key has been in finding alternatives that work for them and setting clear expectations with their customers.
2. 聚焦人际客户关系——在数字化世界中
与客户进行虚拟沟通
The way Entrupy verified businesses develop and maintain relationships with their customers is more important than ever, but the approach is now vastly different for those that previously relied on in-person relationship building.
“最主要是失去了面对面的交流，这对我们买卖双方以及了解本地客户都至关重要。现在所有业务都通过电话和邮件完成，这方面确实困难多了。”—— Modaselle
The transition to digital-centric customer relationship management presents both problems and opportunities to bags & leather goods resale operators. Business done over the phone or email can be cumbersome, as cited by Modaselle, however, for those able to increase their presence on other channels like social media to connect with customers, there is a huge opportunity to reach a wider audience and deliver more personal customer service.
通过内容和虚拟体验吸引客户
“用更多内容吸引客户，他们就会相信并信任你。信任是转售行业中最关键的要素。”—— The Purse Affair
Across the board, our verified businesses agreed that finding ways to stay authentic and connect personally with their customers has been key to their success these last couple of months. The Hula is now offering its customers a virtual shopping experience through video calls, and Brooke’s Boutique has found Facebook Live to be a useful tool, because it enables them to broadcast to their audience in real time.
我坚持真实本色，顾客们对此深表赞赏。Facebook的算法一直对我们有利，让我们的受众群体呈指数级增长，从而开拓了庞大的新市场，吸引了大量买家和委托销售者。 布鲁克精品店
选择固定时段开启Facebook（或Instagram）直播，并保持每周持续更新，是让观众持续关注的绝佳方式！
有关如何使用Facebook Live的更多信息，请参阅Hubspot提供的这份终极指南。另有消息称，Instagram正在开发一项功能，可将Instagram直播同步推送到Facebook平台。
So what can businesses do to keep new customers they’re attracting online? We recommend seeing if implementing a customer loyalty or affiliate program is right for your business. Platforms such as Growave — an all in one marketing platform that offers loyalty rewards, reviews, referrals, and much more — are recommended by our verified businesses, but there are many tools on the market to help you establish and maintain a strong customer loyalty or affiliate program depending on your businesses’ needs.
3. 实施数字营销与电子商务
照片由S O C I A L . C U T拍摄，来自Unsplash
社交媒体销售
企业主们承担了许多新角色，但几乎所有受访者都提到，利用社交媒体进行销售和营销的需求日益增长。值得庆幸的是，Facebook和Instagram都是绝佳的销售平台，且设置过程相当简单。在Facebook或Instagram上销售也不一定需要拥有独立网站，这对希望快速从线下转向线上经营的企业而言尤为便利。
In fact, many Entrupy verified businesses sell primarily on Instagram by linking products from their website to Instagram. When they post pictures of their inventory, they can directly link it to their website! For guidance on how to set up Facebook and Instagram shopping, check out this article from Facebook. Fun fact: Instagram shopping actually requires product catalogs to be created on Facebook first (so if you set up one, you can have both)! Facebook and Instagram recently just took this feature one step further by rolling out “Shops,” which enables businesses to turn their pages into storefronts.
电子商务工具
您的企业是否该启动线上商店了？在选择电商平台时，Entrupy 一致认为Shopify是首选。
坦率地说，它确实是最佳选择。除非开发定制平台，否则Shopify功能极其强大，堪称高端销售领域的最佳平台。 奢华习惯
《钱包事件》也指出Shopify提供了最简便的设置流程和最强大的销售工具。其他热门平台包括Wix、Squarespace和BigCommerce。这些平台大多提供应用程序，可为网站增添更多功能，如会员计划、SEO优化、弹出式优惠等，而Shopify在应用程序领域似乎处于领先地位。如需选择适合您业务的电商平台，请参阅这篇文章获取帮助。
对于寻求更便捷库存管理方式的大型企业而言，Upright Labs是一款卓越的工具，能助您轻松拓展电商业务规模。像Goodwill这样的企业都信赖它来优化电商运营流程。通过其界面即可完成拍照、多平台上架等操作。
广告
With everyone online these days looking to connect, it’s prime time for social media advertisements, and many Entrupy verified businesses have decided to start running ads on social media for the first time. They’re a great way to reach new audiences and help build brand awareness. Plus, if you’re putting in effort to create great, engaging content and perhaps even virtual offerings like Facebook or Instagram Live sessions, getting more eyes on it is well worth it!
以下是Hootsuite关于如何准备并投放首支Facebook广告的文章，不过该领域的专家服务绝对物有所值！ 在选择投放Facebook还是Instagram广告时，关键在于目标受众群体。若企业目标群体为40岁及以上人群，我们推荐Facebook！若目标受众偏年轻且拥有优质产品图片展示，Instagram可能是更佳选择！好消息是无论选择哪个平台，它们都基于Facebook系统搭建，因此您可以轻松尝试单一或双平台投放！
若预算有限无法投放广告，也完全不必担心！正如The Purse Affair所言，持续创作优质且引人入胜的内容来与客户建立联系，本身就是一种强大的营销手段。以下是2020年打造引人入胜的内容营销策略指南。
4. 通过保持一致且可靠的鉴定 来维护信任
