We humans have been social animals since the beginning of time. Since then we’ve evolved into the civilized beings we are today and we’ve never been more social. Technology has enabled us to have friends all over the world and one of the ways to show how we care and love them is by sending some gifts over.

But who wants to receive a basic black t-shirt as a gift? What’s so special about that?

This is where customized gifts enter the picture. Be it personal gifting or corporate gifting, customization is what all individuals and companies are looking for. Design-on-demand is what’s in demand. You can let your customers create their own designs from your website or mobile app and they’ll be happy as a clam to wear, hold, or give a part of memory, personality, and whatnot.

Besides being high in demand and having better profit margins, here are some other ways customized gifts can boost your business.

•  No need to stock up 

Since each design is unique there is no need to stock up on items. A quicker turnaround of items is better for the supply chain. So, while you might have to maintain a small stock of base products, you don’t have to worry about certain designs going to waste. 

Each customer can make the product their own. This way when someone comes looking for a Batman t-shirt with a particular version of BatMobile on it, they will not be disappointed. Since it is a niche product, hardly anyone would have it in stock. If they can design it themselves, they get that much more value out of it than if they had simply bought a common off-the-shelf Batman t-shirt. 

• Attracts millennials

Millennials want something unique all the time. They are not okay with getting the same exact thing that their peers have. With a number of things that are available in a similar design, like gadgets, they want to be able to put their own spin on how they carry those gadgets. 

Apart from being a protective object, cases and covers are now elements that are used to show one’s own personality. If your store offers a custom design tool with a wide range of objects, millennials are your customers.

Most importantly, the majority of the buyers are millennials and you definitely don’t want to leave them out of your target. If they like your product they’ll be your advocates and you’ll not only get return business from them, but you can expect them to bring in their whole clan to buy your products as well.

• Your USP/Customer Loyalty & Delight

Gifting items are quite common generally. The idea is to be able to find a common thing that the gift receiver likes. Now, however, that idea has evolved into finding a common thing that the receiver liked and then personalizing it. A passport cover may be common, a blue passport cover is also common, but put the receiver’s name on it, add a couple of charms like a plane and a globe and suddenly it signifies more. The receiver gets a passport cover that actually speaks to them rather than it being a general utilitarian object.

This levels your brand up and rather than being just satisfied with your products, they’ll be delighted. A stage where each brand wants to reach.

• Match their expectations

Study your customer base and provide items proactively. If you have a certain number of customers designing based on a particular theme, like perhaps a new movie that came out, pick up on that and then include that in your regular catalog. This way, if someone doesn’t want to take the designing route, they can still get a niche product. 

Within the designer tool, give a few common options like name customization, popular fandom symbols, famous quotes, etc. If customers get what they need, they are more likely to come back and to tell you about your business.

When you match their expectations, you’re working your way up the ladder to become an industry leader because your customers can see that you care about them and are listening what they are not even saying.

• Competitive edge

Providing your customers with a space to create their own designs on your products is obviously going to give your brand a unique standpoint in the sea of competitors. They will be selling black t-shirts with limited design options that could easily lead to an increased bounce rate as well as cart abandonment. Because they are going to be looking for options while browsing your website and if they find a competitor that’s giving them exactly what they want i.e. a blank canvas to write just the quote they want or add that funny tweet they read on Twitter. You can never give millennials what they want because what they want changes every single day.

You could be the competitor that’s providing them with the option to create their own designs and it’s not even that capital intensive or technically challenging. Browse for an online product designer tool, integrate it with your estore, enable it for the products on which you want to provide customization, and voila! You’ll be all set to take your competitors out.

• Better marketing opportunities

Every estore has a limited number of products that they sell, well unless you are Amazon. And sometimes it can get hard for your marketing team to market a product that they’ve been marketing for over a year now. They want to spice things up on your social media accounts but sadly they can’t because you are still selling those 50 products.

But imagine if you were to sell 50 products that could be customized in a million ways. We’d say heaven for your marketing team and they’ll agree with us! It will be a blank canvas for them as well – to play around with new ideas, strategies, and maybe cover a wider range of audience.

Conclusively, customization opens up a million marketing opportunities for your business.

• Repeat Sales

I customized a t-shirt on your estore that read ‘Writers are God’s favorites.’  And next month, I went through a writer’s block and wanted to wear a t-shirt that read ‘Writers are not God’s favorites. Otherwise, there’d be no Writer’s block.’ Where would I go? Of course, on your estore, because I liked the quality, your product designer tool let me design the t-shirt in the way I wanted and I got it on my doorsteps 2 days before the date I was promised. In short, overall a good experience. Your brand would be the top of my mind choice which is where all marketers strive to be. You’ll be the Heinz of your industry.

In short, repeat customers are guaranteed when you are providing customization and of course, also making sure the rest of the elements that add to their experience are well-delivered.

• Lower return rates

This is the most logical of the points. Of course, there’ll be lower return rates well, unless your product is damaged or of lower quality, than you had promised in the store. They’ve customized it to their liking and have added their favorite piece of a quote or the exotic word with which they fall in love with or their favorite cartoon character. So, it is next to impossible that they’ll not like it or return it once it arrives.

This is one of the major drawbacks of running an estore which sucks almost all the estore owners dry since they have to pay for the return pickups as well as the second time delivery. With customization, you are bringing the chances of getting returns drastically down which means you won’t have to pay hefty amounts for second-time deliveries of the same products.

• Chance to become the industry leader

All the above 8 points mentioned put together increases your chances of becoming the industry leader by at least 10 folds. You’ll have happier customers, better profit margins, a marketing team that’s on a creative high, lower returns rates than before, and the brand positioning which your competitors can only think of.

You are bound to become the industry leader if all things are executed well.

So, what are you waiting for?

Gift your estore the gift of customization

The idea of selling customized gifts has been around for quite some time but the key is in doing it differently and uniquely. The thing that’ll separate you from your competitors is your focus on your customers. Hang out on the platforms where your audience is. See what they like, which quotes do they love, what kind of pages are they following, and what are they ordering from your competitors. These things will help you update your product catalog in alignment with what your customers are looking for. 

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Author Bio: Mr. Pratik Shah is Creative Head of Brush Your Ideas, a Web-to-Print technology solution offering custom product design software and Web-to-Print Storefront Solutions. He has been giving his valuable tips and suggestions about Online Gift Design Tool.

Read Also : Unique Diwali Gift ideas for Corporate Employees

Fish tanks increase the beauty of living space in the most amazing ways. They add a pop of fantasy to an otherwise dull interior. Having a fish aquarium business sounds quite exciting. But it’s also quite a unique type of business. Therefore, certain measures need to be taken to improve and grow the wholesale fish aquarium business. We will discuss these tips in this article. Let’s get started.

• Table of Contents

  • 0.1 Create a Solid Online Presence
  • 0.2 Enhance Customer Service
  • 0.3 Make Order Processing Seamless
  • 0.4 Create Compelling Marketing Campaigns
  • 0.5 Research About Your Competitors
  • 0.6 Streamline Your Operations Through the Right Tools
  • 0.7 Easy to Use
  • 0.8 Real-Time Tracking
  • 0.9 Multiple Users Option
  • 0.10 Centralized Data
  • 0.11 Accurate Reporting and Forecasting
  • 0.12 Order Management
  • 1 Final Words

  Create a Solid Online Presence

The idea of getting a dedicated website for your wholesale fish aquarium business may sound strange. You might think that you can do great without an online presence. But it is the need of the hour to create a solid webpage. No matter the type of business, a strong online presence gives a boost to the business. It magnifies your reach and improves business credibility.

Get a domain and website. Demonstrate your products and services on the site. Add customer testimonials and update your site regularly. You can also add business-related blogs, frequently asked questions, video content, or informational articles on the site. Make sure to invest in a user and mobile-friendly website to get the best results.

• Enhance Customer Service

Customer satisfaction is a sure way to grow your business. As a fish aquarium wholesaler, you will mostly be dealing with retailers who want to get fish tanks and accessories in bulk.

Radiate your professionalism through your exceptional services so that the retailers don’t want to go anywhere else for their needs. Show that you are willing to go an extra mile for the convenience of your customer. Devise strategies for the convenience of customers and value their feedback. This approach will win the loyalty of the customers.

You can implement automation tools to enhance the customer experience.

• Make Order Processing Seamless

Smooth order processing and product distribution is a contributing factor in business growth. Customers prefer companies that have a seamless order placement method. It is therefore recommended to automate product distribution and order processing.

In the case of wholesale distribution, automation plays an even greater role in simplifying order processing. Streamlined order handling enables quick order fulfillment. Fast shipment and easy payment methods make customer service more efficient. More orders can be fulfilled in less time and you can make more profit eventually.

• Create Compelling Marketing Campaigns

Wholesale businesses need as much marketing as any retail brand. As a fish aquarium wholesale, you need to build your reputation in the market. Market your products and services in a unique manner. Use creative approaches and create interesting marketing campaigns.

If you are not marketing your business properly, start now. And if you are already doing it, start analyzing the results. Evaluate the reaction to your campaigns and identify your strong marketing points. Study the results and use them in new marketing strategies.

• Research About Your Competitors

Knowing the competition is a step toward success. Research your competitors in the market and understand their business strategies. Identify your unique selling points and highlight them. You can also offer special deals and discounts to attract more customers. Improve your service and offer deals like free shipment, product recommendation, one-click order placement, maintenance service, or order tracking to stand out. Grow your customer relations and prove that your services are better.

• Streamline Your Operations Through the Right Tools

Smooth business operations are imperative for efficient order processing. If you don’t have a proper business management system, you will fail to satisfy the customers and eventually flop.

Therefore, it is important to take the right measures and streamline the business. Automation can help you here. Multiple tools are available in the market to automate different segments of business management. These tools automate data collection and record business processes seamlessly.

But what if you have one ultimate tool instead of different tools for managing different segments of your business? To make business management easier, we recommend SeeBiz Inventory. It provides multiple management options and effectively automates the business processes. Some of the features that make it the perfect choice for business automation are stated below.

• Easy to Use

Unlike other business management software, SeeBiz Inventory is very easy to use. Even beginners can explore its features without any difficulty.

• Real-Time Tracking

The system tracks business stocks in real-time. It keeps track of each and every item and records any changes in the inventory. It also provides real-time data to the users.

• Multiple Users Option

It can be used by various users to handle multiple organizations. You can assign different tasks to the users and track their activity in the system.

• Centralized Data

This is a cloud-based system that tracks and stores all the inventory data in it. It has strong security and backup system. You can easily access your data anywhere anytime.

• Accurate Reporting and Forecasting

It tracks all the business operations and provides reports on the performance. You can easily assess business performance through its insightful reports and make informed forecasts

• Order Management

With this app, you can automate business processes and streamlines order processing. You can create purchase orders, sales orders, invoices, bills, and track the orders throughout the supply chain.

SeeBiz Inventory is absolutely free of cost for the first three months. You can explore all its features including the premium ones in the trial period. 

Final Words

You can maximize your fish aquarium wholesale business with the right strategies and tools in hand. Integrate SeeBiz Inventory in your business and grow your business. Do let us know how it worked out for you. Good luck!

“I have got a brilliant idea for a business. But, I don’t have any money to start it up.”-  This phrase is something that I have heard time and again in my life- from students, friends, and sometimes even colleagues. 

Starting your business with no money might initially seem like a far-fetched idea, but it’s not impossible. As a matter of fact, you will have an easier time than big companies like Disney, Apple, Google, Mattel, and Harley Davidson when they began their journey in garages ages ago. 

What matters more than having a fortune when you start out is having immense ingenuity, a zeal of passion, and amazing drive. It also depends on the strength of the product or service you aim to offer to the customers, plus the savvy you market your product or service! 

Having that said, in today’s blog post, I will go through everything that’s essential to start a business with little to no money. It will come in handy whether you are looking to kickstart a small business or launch your dream startup. 

Let’s get started. 

8 Foolproof Tips For Starting Your Dream Business With No Money To Invest 

• Identify Your Passion Skills

Most successful startups are developed from the unique interests and passions of the founder. Take Lynda Weinman, for instance. She was a self-taught computer wizard who in the 1990s created training films for her website design students. She didn’t need much financial capital to startup (less than $100), investing mostly her time to create exemplary videos. In 2015, her company Lynda.com was acquired by LinkedIn for $1.5 billion US dollars.  

Really impressive. Right? To set yourself up for success, evaluate what skills you can use to truly earn and what you are genuinely passionate about. Try to answer these questions- 

• What are my passion skills? 
• Can I take one or all of my passion skills and use them to earn money? 
• If I start a company based on my passion skills, would this motivate me to get up every morning and do it for the next 15 years or more? 

Take your present skill set and industry knowledge to dig deeper. Discover a problem that needs solving. You can even sell a product or service that solves a problem you have. Because, if you have a problem, chances are somebody else will have it too- and would be willing to pay for a solution. 

• Vet Out Your Business Idea 

If you are aiming to start your business on the cheap, chances are you envision putting money eventually into your idea, even if you are going to invest the proceeds. 

Regarding this aspect, Fahim Sheikh, the owner of SaaS company Trellis, suggests, “Before you put your money in your business, make sure you validate your idea within your trusted circle. Sometimes, we tend to think we have a great idea, but when we discuss it or pitch to others, we often realize that the concept may be a tough sell.” 

Despite the startup cost being low, it’s crucial to ensure that your idea has legs that will make it worthwhile to sink not only your time into but also your eventual earnings. 

• Test The Market 

Ensure what you produce (whether it’s a service or good) is required in the present market. Evaluate what the market demands by conducting market research via search engines or social media. If you make an initial bad product, it could wound your reputation. Know that no one wants to be a real-life Del boy. Thus, I suggest you test your market to evaluate what your customers want and who they are. 

• Develop Six Months’ Worth Of Savings For Expenses 

Undoubtedly, tapping into your savings account isn’t always the ideal situation. Yet, it still remains to be a common practice among entrepreneurs. While designing your business plan, always try being frank with yourself about how much you are spending and how much revenue you will think of bringing in. Be practical about how long it will take before you see the profit. 

I always recommend making a goal to save at least six months’ worth of living expenses so that you can devote yourself completely to new business. 

• Think of Financing Means 

 Suppose you want to offer quality proofreading services to students. If you are not intrigued by bootstrapping, or you have grown to a point when a cash infusion is worthwhile, consider seeking external funding. While you can always avail traditional business loans, there remains a variety of options to look for- 

• Friends And Family– Would Uncle Richard or Aunt Sally like to invest? Family can be quite generous, but the situation can always get prickly. Hence, it is wise to proceed cautiously and ensure you have a clear written agreement in place. 
• Incubators And Accelerators– These remarkable programs always help high- potential businesses grow both with guidance and mentoring with an infusion of capital. Incubators are excessively new for companies, while accelerators can always help early-stage companies in growing. 
• Grants– Grants for business ventures are specifically geared towards supporting members of disadvantaged communities, like women business owners and entrepreneurs of color. You can try acquiring these grants from government entities, both at the state and federal levels. 
• Crowdfunding – This refers to asking potential customers to give you money upfront in exchange for the promise of special treatments in the future.  

• Access Free Technology 

In my opinion, there is no need to use a fancy custom website when you have no customers. Try to promote your business for free within a few hours using an onsite builder like the Wix, Moonfruit, or Basekit. They will host your site on their server without charging any dime. 

Further, signing up for Google Adwords can help websites climb higher in the search engine rankings. Adwords are free, but it costs to bid for a paid advert. Alternatively, comprehending how to make a website appear higher in the organic search engine is efficient and free. This can work well for a startup business. 

• Communicate Your Product To The World 

Gone are the days when your capacity to promote your small businesses was determined by the size of your wallet. As a matter of fact, nowadays it is possible to develop your entire customer base without any paid advertising at all. Instead, email and a regular social media presence are all you need. 

To maintain a constant social media presence, you can take the below-enlisted steps- 

• Post one to three helpful items per day 
• Ask various contacts in your network to promote your posts 
• Connect with existing customers or prospects to ensure they are happy. 

• Make Your Nights And Weekends Count 

Oprah Winfrey once said, “You can have it all, just not all at once.”  If you are starting to see the traction of your startup, now is the time to make those nights and weekends count. I am not asking you to drop everything, but be always willing to make certain tradeoffs so that you can meet your goals. Understand that your time is the most valuable resource now, so use it wisely. 

4 Big Companies That Started With Little To No Money 

• Skyscanner

This mega-company started as a bespoke spreadsheet to help its founders find the best flight prices. Since then, it has become Edinburgh’s leading tech company with 500+ employees. The company got off the ground in 2001. It raised $6 million in 2007 and $192 million in 2016, fifteen years after launching. 

• Grammarly  

Spell checkers have been coupled with Google Docs and Word for over a decade, but this app made enough improvements. Now, they charge 800 universities and millions of writers a monthly fee for the freedom of grammatical faux pas. After ten years, the company took in a $110M Series A. 

• Google 

In 1995, Stanford students Larry Page and Sergey Brin worked from their dorm rooms to create a search engine they named Backrub. It wasn’t until 1998 that someone cut the duo a check for $100,000 that gave birth to Google Inc. The business eventually boomed,making it one of the biggest companies in the world. 

• Craigslist 

 In 1995, Craig sent an email to friends inviting them to an event. As he started sending more group emails- about job postings and more- people started asking to be copied on this list. He decided to start a site for all these classified postings. Now, Craigslist has become the 20th biggest website in the United States. 

Final Note,  

If you want to start your dream business that will change your life forever, you can do it today. If you want to find a reason not to, you will find millions. Learning how to start a business with no money isn’t that challenging, if only you make up your mind. You need to learn to keep going whatever your business venture throws at you. 

You are at an age in technology where millions of opportunities are all around. All you need to do is look, spot, and begin. 

Whether your business requires $10 or $100,000 to flourish, you can surely find a way to start. But the question here is, will you? 

Let us know in the comments section below. 

Author Bio 

Karen Hamada is a business journalist at a popular UK magazine, where she covers business trends, startup ideas, and trending businesses like Psychology Homework Help services. A member of MyAssignmenthelp.com, she has been offering quality proofreading services to students for 10+ years now.