Content creators vs influencers: What’s the Difference?

Posted on by Amanda Levine

What is an influencer? What is a content creator? Is there a difference? In short, yes there is a difference. However, both can benefit and grow your business. To learn more about content creators vs influencers, keep reading.

What is a content creator?

Content is essential for businesses who are looking to compete and participate in the online e-Commerce marketplace. Compelling content has the ability to connect with internet users through advertisements, blog articles, social media posts, infographics, videos, and more. Everything an individual sees on the internet has the power to attract them to your business page or website, and ideally, become a loyal customer and/or a brand advocate. Content is also powerful because it is most likely the first impression that an individual will gather from your brand. The content gives the first impression, and hopefully, it is enough to intrigue the individual. To pique their curiosity in a way that inspires them to learn more. It is then that the content can bring the user to a landing page, website, or business social media profile.  In order for a business to create this creative and compelling content, they may employ the services of a content creator. A content creator is someone who can create the appealing and engaging content that companies need to acquire new customers, followers, clicks, and likes. A content creator has the ability to take a good idea and spin it into content that can be either educational or entertaining or a combination of both. A good idea that is spun well into captivating content has the power to make a positive impact on an audience and generate leads for your brand. Having a skilled content creator on staff, or if you are a good content writer yourself, can be priceless in terms of persuading, informing, and changing the purchasing power of users on whichever platform you are targeting. A good content creator is responsible for telling the business story of your brand or company, and through emotional and mental engagement, tie together potential customers with your product or service. 

What kind of content do content creators produce?

Anything and everything you see on the internet could be considered content. Whether it is on social media, a website, or a display that pops up while someone is playing an online game, it is all content. Content comes in many forms. Content could be a video, blog post, social media post, infographic, image, display ad, podcast, or vlog. A content creator is really only limited by their resources and their imagination. Once a content creator decides what media format they are going to use to produce a new piece of content, they then have to decide where they are going to post the content and who their intended audience is. 

  • Social media: If social media is going to be the platform, which social media platforms would be best for finding the potential customers who will connect most with the content and the brand? For example, a social media platform like Tik Tok may be best suited for a brand looking to attract more of the Gen Z crowd. Instagram may be best for both millennials and Gen Z, while Facebook may be better for millennials and Gen X. Twitter and YouTube are additional platforms worth pursuing that reach a broader audience across age demographics. 
  • Website: If a content creator is creating content for a company website, the content may have to be more specific to the brand and its business story. Additionally, the content may describe products and services in more detail with a focus on how the product or service will benefit the user. The information should be straightforward and direct. Videos and/or infographics make amazing content for websites. 
  • Blog content: Blog content is a powerful tool to bring in potential customers from all corners of the internet. Blogs can come in the form of listicles, how-to’s, pros and cons lists, and educational articles. The main point of a blog is to provide information on topics that are somehow related to your product or service. For example, if you have a website that sells high-powered hunting bows, you could do a listicle of the top 5 fastest shooting bows of 2021 and list the pros and cons of each one. Blog content can provide an incredible amount of freedom when it comes to what kind of information a content writer wants to present and how they want to present it. 

For online content, you mainly have social media, websites, and blog content as the vehicles to present your content. Other forms of content creation do not involve the internet. Content creators can also help produce radio and/or television advertisements as well as print media content like magazines, newspapers, and billboards or poster displays. 

Benefits of working with a content creator

Hiring a content creator has many benefits. A content creator can focus on creating engaging content and ensuring it reaches the widest audience possible while a business owner can focus more on other aspects of running the company. Also, content creators tend to have a high return on their investment as opposed to having a business owner or another employee create content. A content creator knows how to stretch a budget to achieve the greatest impact in targeted messaging. Additionally, content creators are much more efficient at creating the content that is needed to reach people. 

What is an influencer?

An influencer is someone who has the ability to affect the purchasing decisions of social media users because of their authority, knowledge, position, and/or relationship with their followers. Typically, the relationship between an influencer and their followers occurs in the bubble of a specific niche. Brands and/or companies can work with influencers to help their brand positioning, to help establish the brand as an expert in the market space, to sell products, and to offer special discounts and promotions. 

What kind of content do influencers produce?

Many influencers choose video and photography as their primary source of content. The content then is shared across social media platforms and potentially YouTube or Vimeo. Video has the power to display appealing content that is entertaining and educational. Influencers can also go “live” on a variety of social media platforms to help with product launches, special promotions, and contest/user engagement campaigns.

Benefits of working with an influencer

There are numerous benefits to working with an influencer for your brand. First, an influencer can help establish your brand as an expert in your niche as well as build trust between your brand and the people that respect the content and recommendations of the influencer. Second, an influencer can quickly improve brand awareness across multiple platforms reaching a wide audience. Third, an influencer can enrich your content strategy and help you consistently provide new content while you are busy developing your own. Lastly, influencers can effectively reach your target audience in ways that your brand could not on their own. Their expertise and knowledge on the subject, product, and/or service is well-respected and appreciated by their followers.

Content Creators vs. Influencers: how they collaborate with brands

Influencers are technically content creators in some aspects, however, there is a distinction between influencers and content creators that has been established. Content creators possess particular skills that provide them with the ability to create high-quality digital media content. Influencers can create content, however, their expertise is more about connecting with the audience with their personality and expertise rather than the quality of the content they create. A content creator and influencer can collaborate to create the compelling content that a brand needs to reach its target audience. 

Which option is best for your business?

You may be wondering if an influencer or a content creator is best for your company. Ultimately, if you have the budget for it, you may want to consider using both in tandem with one another. A content creator can come up with ideas of how to utilize an influencer properly. The influencer and the content creator can collaborate to truly create some powerful content for your brand. If you do not have the budget for both, it may be best to weigh the pros and cons of each option. An influencer can be a powerful partner that can help bring awareness to your brand, however, it may be limited in scope to only one social media platform for example. A content creator can also bring awareness to your brand, however, they can do so across multiple platforms while using a variety of media formats to engage the widest audience possible.

Learn about Kickfurther

Regardless of how you choose to grow or market your business, if it’s an effective solution, it will work. At some point, you may need inventory financing to support growth. Kickfurther is the world’s first online inventory financing platform that enables companies to access funds that they are unable to acquire through traditional sources. We connect brands to a community of eager buyers who help fund the inventory on consignment and give brands the flexibility to pay that back as they receive cash from their sales. This alleviates the cash-flow pinch that lenders can cause without customized repayment schedules, allowing your brand to scale quickly without impeding your ability to maintain inventory or financial flexibility.

Unlock inventory financing and grow your business today. . . visit Kickfurther!

5 Content Marketing Tips for Growing your Ecommerce Business

Posted on by Amanda Levine

eCommerce content marketing can help boost traffic to your website and products. If you have been considering investing in content marketing, it all begins with a content strategy for eCommerce marketing. There are several elements that may be included in an eCommerce content marketing plan; for example, SEO keywords can be used in product descriptions. Keep reading to learn content marketing tips that can help grow your business. 

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is a different approach than traditional marketing. Instead of always directly selling or promoting specific products, content marketing focuses on building and retaining a loyal audience that is attracted and engaged by a brand’s online presence and content. Content can come in the form of blog posts, relevant articles, videos, infographics, photography, simple text, podcasts, and more. The content can be educational, entertaining, or a combination of the two. The main idea of the content is to attract new viewers and retain old ones. Content marketing helps to promote brand awareness while providing viewers with the business story and/or mission statement of a company. Many people may know what you sell and how you sell it, but what they really want to know is why you sell it. You can convey so much more to an audience through content marketing rather than traditional marketing. By building connections with your audience and engaging with them, you can set your brand apart from the competition. You can build a loyal audience that will think of your brand first the moment they are in the market for something that your company offers. Satisfy those customers with a solid product, excellent customer service, and a touch of personalization, and they then can become fierce brand advocates for your company and products. When content marketing is done properly, it can convey expertise while making clear the ethos of a particular company. Not only should content marketing be done properly to demonstrate expertise, but it should also be done consistently to foster relationships with potential and existing customers. Consistent and engaging content has the power to make your audience feel like they are a part of your organization and that they are also invested in your success. 

Why content marketing for eCommerce businesses is important

Content marketing for eCommerce businesses is important because we live in a digital and social media era where a large majority of people receive and consume information differently than in previous decades. Millennials and Gen Z are much more likely to consume information like news, entertainment, and advertising through social media, podcasts, blogs, vlogs, and other forms of digital media. Even the older generations like Gen X and Baby Boomers have embraced the digital media revolution. As an eCommerce business, to not participate in content marketing is to seriously handicap your ability to reach a wide range and great number of potential customers across multiple platforms and in all corners of the globe. For example, on Facebook alone, there are over 2.89-billion monthly active users, YouTube possesses 2.3-billion users, and Instagram contains 1.386-billion active users. To not participate in content marketing is to deny your eCommerce business access to this massive digital global marketplace. 

Benefits of content marketing for eCommerce businesses

Having a well-developed and strategic content marketing plan has numerous benefits for an eCommerce business. Content marketing can help a business engage with its audience while building a long-term and loyal customer base. Aside from these benefits, there are several other benefits that need to be considered as well. Here is a breakdown of some of the most important benefits that content marketing can provide to an eCommerce business.

  1. Brand recognition and increased brand awareness: Content marketing allows you to be consistent in the delivery of the message behind your brand. Quality content can build emotional connections with followers as well as increase brand awareness.
  2. Better customer service: Content marketing can be used proactively to answer any questions or concerns that potential and existing customers may have about your brand, company, products, and/or services. By creating detailed product pages, instructional videos, and informational articles, you can empower potential and existing clients to do their own research and learn everything there is to know about your products before making an informed purchase.
  3. Cost-effective: Content marketing is much cheaper than traditional marketing and it ultimately reaches more people and generates more leads. Digital content can be shared and reposted multiple times on social media and blog posts, and if the content is insanely entertaining or interesting, it could potentially reach millions of users when it is shared. Traditional marketing avenues stop being effective as soon as there is no more money to keep the ad running. Traditional marketing methods like radio and television cannot be easily shared between users the same way content can.
  4. More enjoyable: Traditional marketing has a way of being annoying, intrusive, uninteresting, and pushy. Content marketing is more about attracting an audience by creating compelling content that they choose to see.
  5. Better SEO and traffic generation: By creating quality content and targeting specific markets with specific keywords, you can improve the SEO of your website and drive more traffic to your site by increasing your ranking in Google search results. 

There are far more advantages than disadvantages when it comes to utilizing content marketing for your eCommerce business. Again, to not participate in content marketing is to severely restrict the number of people your message can reach. 

Types of Effective eCommerce Content Marketing

There are many types of effective eCommerce content marketing methods. By creating informational blogs, captivating videos, or educational infographics, you can relay a lot of information in a way that will be well-received and leave a lasting impression. No matter what type of content you create, by using storytelling, you can help your brand build emotional connections with potential and existing clients that may convert to sales in the future.

5 content marketing tips to grow your eCommerce business

If you are new to the idea of content marketing, you may be a little overwhelmed with all the information that is available on the subject. Which methods are tried and true? Is there a wrong way to go about content marketing? How do I know if my content is engaging? Even if you are familiar with content marketing, these are all reasonable questions that an eCommerce business may have. Here are 5 content marketing tips to remember when you are hoping to grow your eCommerce business.

  • Identify target demographic / buyer: Before you create any type of content, you should know your product inside and out as well as identify who your product is made for. Identifying the potential buyer can help you to focus your content marketing efforts in ways and in places that can be the most effective. 
  • Research and develop content: Your content should work to help establish your business as an industry leader, and you as an authoritative figure that can be trusted for specific insights into the industry. In order to do that, you need to research and develop your content so that it is conveying the exact message you wish to convey. 
  • Identify specific goals: When you are creating content, you should have specific goals in mind. Do you want this piece of content to increase brand awareness? to drive traffic to your site? Maybe you are looking to increase the number of followers you have? Your content should be created with a specific end-game in mind. 
  • Tell a story: Content that simply tries to sell a product or service can be boring, intrusive, and/or annoying. By using storytelling, you can help your audience build an emotional connection with your brand that will leave a much longer impression than a typical product ad. 
  • Measure results and track performance: Measuring and tracking the performance of your content is the only way to see what works, what doesn’t, and what you can change in the future to improve the quality of your content and reach more people.

Learn about Kickfurther

Creating unique content is just one way to help grow your business. As your business grows, you may need access to inventory financing. At Kickfurther, you can explore inventory financing that is up to 30% cheaper than other options. For small businesses or new businesses, accessing inventory financing can be challenging. Kickfurther was founded  by an entrepreneur with the mission to help other entrepreneurs secure the inventory financing they need without it costing a fortune. 

Accelerate your growth, unlock affordable inventory financing today at Kickfurther!

5 Ways to optimize your end to end supply chain

Posted on by Amanda Levine

What is end-to-end supply chain optimization?

What is an end-to-end supply chain? An end-to-end supply chain consists of an integrated process that starts with the design of a product and the procurement of the raw materials necessary for manufacturing. After procurement comes scheduling, production, distribution, and then the final link in the supply chain is the delivery to the customer or end-user. The supply chain can be extended beyond the final delivery to include potential events such as processing returns, shipping replacement parts, and making repairs, servicing products, or selling and shipping accessories. 

An end-to-end supply chain concept is different from a traditional supply chain because it integrates all supply chain functions. Having an integrated supply chain and visibility across the entire supply chain allows businesses to provide a smooth and efficient customer experience. A traditional supply chain may not have the same type of integration as an end-to-end supply chain. Additionally, each of the functions within a traditional supply chain is handled separately. This can cause inefficiencies and limit the overall performance of the supply chain. Now that we know the difference between a traditional and an end-to-end supply chain, how does a business optimize an end-to-end supply chain and what does supply chain optimization mean? End-to-end supply chain optimization can be boiled down to one word, integration. In order to properly integrate a supply chain, a business may need to consider investing in a quality enterprise resource planning system. An ERP allows a supply chain manager to view real-time information from every link in the supply chain all at the same time. Once an ERP has been set up and integration has been well established, then further optimization will naturally follow. End-to-end supply chain optimization essentially is the actions of a supply chain manager, or the results of supply chain integration, that help to make a supply chain more efficient by reducing the waste of time, money, labor, and other resources. An optimized supply chain allows companies to maximize gross profits, lower operating costs, and create the ideal customer experience all while balancing the costs of distribution, inventory, manufacturing, and transportation. 

What is the purpose of supply chain optimization?

The main purpose of end-to-end supply chain optimization is to increase gross profits by reducing waste and operating costs, increasing efficiency, and balancing all the expenditures related to the distribution, inventory management, manufacturing, and transportation of a product. Aside from this main purpose, there are many benefits to implementing an action plan to optimize the supply chain of any business. Here are some of the most impactful benefits that a business may see with a well-optimized supply chain. 

  • Reduction of operating costs: Reducing operating costs is one of the most impactful benefits that an optimization supply chain can bring to a business. The first way operating costs can be reduced through supply chain optimization is by increasing process efficiency to save on transaction execution and labor costs. Additionally, businesses may be able to identify repetitive, duplicated, and redundant processes to automate them, further reducing labor costs. Second, supply chain optimization helps keep prime levels of inventory to always meet customer needs while reducing how much capital is tied up in inventory. Last, infrastructure costs can be reduced and more easily managed by optimizing warehousing, logistics, and delivery processes/ 
  • Increased revenues: Supply chain optimization increases the number of perfect orders. Perfect orders are when a customer places an order and all the correct items are picked, packed, and shipped on time and up to the customer’s expectations. Perfect orders lead to customer satisfaction, increases in re-ordering, customer retention, and customer avocation, all of which can boost future revenues. 
  • Track and improve supplier performance: Enterprise resource planning systems can provide real-time data on the performance of every supplier that a business has. This allows a supply chain manager to track which suppliers are performing well and which are underperforming. They can also identify where bottlenecks and hold-ups may be occurring in the supply chain and address them. This type of information can be used to improve supplier performance and make strategic sourcing decisions. 
  • Integration: Supply chain integration allows a supply chain manager to have total visibility and transparency in every link of the supply chain. This can help create constant improvements in operations and planning. Improvements can be made and performance can be tracked in many components of the supply chain including sales forecasting, cash-flow management, on-time delivery, route planning, credit control, margin measurements, and disaster recovery. 

These are just only a few of the many benefits that an optimized supply chain can bring to a business. Supply chain optimization should be a major concern for any business owner who is looking to increase revenues and decrease operating costs. 

Tips and best practices for supply chain optimization

Optimizing a supply chain is not something that occurs overnight. It takes many hours of planning, studying performance metrics, and identifying potential inefficiencies to begin to develop a cohesive strategy that can be used for supply chain optimization. Here are some quick tips and best practices to remember when exploring ways to best optimize the supply chain of your organization. 

  • Create a supply chain task force: It is important that you have leaders from all the different departments within your company come together with supply chain management to discuss ways to optimize the supply chain in a way that aligns with the goals of the entire organization. Having interdepartmental communication related to supply chain optimization ensures that everyone is on the same page and that they are all active participants ready to implement a clear and cohesive supply chain optimization strategy. 
  • Use technology to streamline processes: Within an inefficient supply chain are many repetitive and routine tasks that are completed manually. Manual processes are not only inefficient at times, but they can also create a lack of visibility within the supply chain. By utilizing supply chain management software, a company can improve coordination between supply chain processes, increase the visibility of the supply chain as a whole, and reduce the amount of time wasted on manual processes that can be streamlined and made to be fully automated. 
  • Tend to supplier relations: It is not enough to find suppliers who provide the best materials at the best prices. A supply chain manager should be examining supplier performance metrics constantly to identify any potential issues or bottlenecks in the supply chain. Supply chain managers should also have strong communication with each of an organization’s suppliers as well as establish clear goals and expectations to continuously improve the efficiency of supplier processes. 
  • Inventory Control / Inventory optimization: Optimizing inventory quantities involves a business taking a look at the true cost of holding and storing inventory. Holding and storing inventory for long periods of time can cost a great deal of money. Optimizing inventory quantities includes forecasting and demand planning in order to have the proper amount of inventory at all times. The balance lies in having enough inventory to fill every order, but at the same time, not holding and storing the inventory for long periods of time, which doing so can eat directly into profits.
  • Logistics: Another part of supply chain optimization is working with transportation companies to ensure your supplies are coming in when you need them and that your products are successfully reaching your customers promptly. Late and/or lost shipments are easy ways to give customers unsatisfying experiences with your business. Unpleasant experiences and negative reviews can do a great deal of damage to the reputation of an eCommerce business. 

How Kickfurther can help

Controlling inventory and running an efficient operation is critical if you want to operate a lean business. While it may require investment to put systems in place to manage inventory and supply chain, they are well worth the investment in most cases. As you analyze supply chain and inventory you may determine you need more or less of certain products or processes. Enjoy the process of building your business and watching it flourish. When you hit obstacles, find solutions. At some point, you may encounter cash flow problems or the need for inventory financing. Kickfurther is the world’s first online inventory financing platform that enables companies to access funds that they are unable to acquire through traditional sources. We connect brands to a community of eager buyers who help fund the inventory on consignment and give brands the flexibility to pay that back as they receive cash from their sales. This alleviates the cash-flow pinch that lenders can cause without customized repayment schedules, allowing your brand to scale quickly without impeding your ability to maintain inventory or financial flexibility.

Optimize your supply chain and grow your business. . . unlock affordable inventory financing today!

Inventory Funding: The Secret Ingredient to Growing your Food & Beverage Business

Posted on by Amanda Levine

The food and beverage business industry can be extremely lucrative. Just like any other industry though, you’ll need to be committed and have funds to support your growth. Keep reading to learn more about how to grow and fund your food and beverage business plan.

What are the biggest challenges in the food and beverage business?

The food and beverage industry is one of the most difficult industries to start and maintain a successful business. There are many challenges that business owners face on a daily basis. Here is a breakdown of some of the biggest challenges that business owners in the food and beverage industry face today.

  • Financial: The top five main financial challenges facing business owners in the food and beverage industry include commodity hedging, rising labor costs, maintaining inventory levels and fulfillment rates, capital expenditures like repair and maintenance, and collecting receivables. Food prices have been on the rise and it’s affecting many businesses in the food and beverage industry. Most often those prices get passed onto consumers, however, consistently increasing food prices makes it extremely difficult for a company to make longer-term forecasts and create operating budgets. Labor also is a concern of business owners in the food and beverage industry. Inflation and rising housing, food, and healthcare costs coupled with inflation, has created an environment where wages need to be increased in order to ensure the well-being of the labor force. These increased labor costs will directly affect the bottom line of many companies in the food and beverage industry. One last financial challenge facing business owners in the food and beverage industry is the cost of repairing and maintaining machinery and other essential capital equipment. It is not just food prices that are increasing. The price of skilled labor and the price of machine parts are also increasing. The parts and materials that keep machines operating are not only increasing in cost, but they are also increasingly harder to source. Financial challenges will always present themselves for any type of business, however, a company in the food and beverage industry may want to consider seeking a lender who is experienced with the industry and who can account for the many challenges that business owners are facing today. 
  • Inventory: One of the largest inventory concerns for businesses in the food and beverage industry is shelf-life. Other industries have the luxury of creating products that do not possess an expiration date. Yes, trends within those industries may change and some products may lose their appeal over time, however, food products literally can rot, mold, and become unusable. The way this can be addressed is ensure that your food supply chain is streamlined to prevent delay, and ultimately, waste. The United States threw away approximately 80-billion pounds of food in 2020. In a world with growing food scarcity concerns, disposing of 80-billion pounds of food each year in only one country is unethical at the very least.
  • Health consciousness: Consumers are more aware than ever about the ingredients of food and beverages and how those different ingredients can pose potential health risks. People are avoiding added sugars, dairy, gluten, preservatives, chemical additives, and many other ingredients for various reasons. Added sugars have been linked to obesity and diabetes. Processed meats have been linked to different types of cancers including colon cancer. It is information like this that today’s consumers are concerned about most. The goal of businesses in the food and beverage industry then needs to be to provide high-quality and delicious products without the use of preservatives and additives. Additionally, the nutrition trends of organic foods and free-trade have greatly impacted the way that businesses source their ingredients to create their food and beverage products. 
  • Sustainability: As a business in the food and beverage industry, sustainability is a major challenge that needs to be addressed. This may include streamlining the supply chain to reduce waste, creating sustainable food and beverage packaging, and sourcing ingredients from farms that practice sustainable farming techniques. 
  • Ethical sourcing: Maintaining transparency and accountability about sourcing is something that today’s consumers are demanding. What kind of farms do you source your ingredients from? What are the conditions for the animals? What about the workers? Are they treated fairly? Transparency in the global food supply chain is difficult to always provide, however, it should be considered a challenge that can inspire consumers to purchase your products.

There are many challenges that businesses in the food and beverage industry face. Being aware of those challenges can help you to better prepare. 

Types of food and beverage businesses

There are many types of businesses within the food and beverage industry. From fine dining establishments to food manufacturers, when we talk about the food and beverage industry, it is important to remember how massive the industry is and how many different types of businesses participate in it. Here is a breakdown of just a few of the many different types of food and beverage businesses involved in the industry.

  • Bars and restaurants: Bars and restaurants make up a large portion of the food and beverage industry. You can find bars and restaurants located in almost every town or city no matter the size. Those bars and restaurants employ a large number of people. From the cooks to the servers, from management to the wholesalers who supply those bars and restaurants with their products, a great number of people work in this sector. The bar and restaurant sector consists of fine dining establishments. brasserie, fast food restaurants, traditional restaurants, bistros, diners, steak houses, bars and pubs, cafes, themed restaurants, bakeries, kebabs, pizza joints, ethnic restaurants, and catering businesses that attend to weddings and other events. 
  • Dairy goods companies: Dairy goods companies are responsible for supplying supermarkets and restaurants with dairy products such as milke, butter, and cheese. From collecting dairy at the farm to intake at the dairy plant, to processing the raw ingredients to creating the end product that you see in supermarkets or that is used by restaurants, a dairy good company may have an interest and stake in every step of the process. 
  • Fruit and vegetable wholesaler: Fruit and vegetable wholesalers are responsible for getting fresh produce into the hands of restaurants and consumers as quickly as possible to ensure freshness and to maximize shelf-lives. Of all the food that is wasted in the US, 40% of the waste can be attributed to produce. This is why fruit and vegetable wholesalers need an efficient supply chain to make sure waste can be minimized and profits maximized.
  • Bottling plants: Bottling plants are facilities that use specialized bottling machinery to fill empty containers with products such as milk, juice, soda, beer, and other consumables. A bottling plant also prepares the product to be shipped and presented to customers.

The food and beverage industry is massive and it makes up a significant portion of the US economy. The above examples of businesses within the food and beverage industry is only a small sample of what the industry entails.

Tips to growing your food and beverage business

There are several ways you can grow your food and beverage business. By possessing an engaging business story, utilizing e-commerce, tapping into social media trends, emphasizing your values, improving your cash flow, understanding your finances, and increasing efficiency, you can begin to take the necessary steps to scale and grow your business. Growing your food and beverage business is like peeling back the layers of an onion – no pun intended. First you must have the vision and build the foundation. Next, you must build the layers that can support the growth of your brand and company.

Why is inventory control critical?

Inventory control is important for many reasons. Inventory control keeps counts accurate, helps you to make proper inventory management decisions, can eliminate waste, and ensures you have enough supply to meet demand.

How food and beverage businesses can benefit from inventory financing

Food and beverage businesses must have plenty of products or supplies to ensure a sale is never missed. It can be challenging to manage cash flow, especially when sales are growing. You may need to replenish inventory before you have funds for sold items, resulting in cash flow problems. In addition, inventory can tie up a lot of cash that may be needed to cover payroll, rent, marketing expenses, and so forth. The key to inventory financing is to find affordable inventory financing, which is easier said than done. That is until you discover Kickfurther. Kickfurther is up to 30% cheaper than other options. Kickfurther can provide your business with affordable, fast, and easy inventory financing.

Discover affordable inventory financing. . . visit Kickfurther today!

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How to Create Customer-Centric Order Fulfillment Processes: Simple Strategies for Optimizing Brand Experience

Posted on by Amanda Levine

Order fulfillment is an essential part of the ecommerce customer experience. Customers have high expectations for a streamlined buying experience, and anything can trigger them to opt-out of the purchase. For example, 33% of US shoppers will consider switching companies after just one experience of poor service.

Building an ecommerce business that achieves high growth can only be successful when the top priority is customer satisfaction. That’s why it’s important to think about order fulfillment as a means of delivering your brand rather than a product. Make the fulfillment experience unique and memorable so the value of your brand resonates with the end shopper.

Your most satisfied customers become loyal repeat buyers, who account for a sizable share of revenue. On average, over 40% of an ecommerce store’s revenue comes from just 8% of their most loyal customers. And what makes people become brand loyal? A combination of shared values, quality service, and overall satisfaction with the order experience.

 

Be Authentic and True to Your Brand Identity

All companies have unique brand identities, and they express those identities in different ways. Some place greater premiums on things like the unboxing experience for their customers with custom-built packaging applied to each delivery. On the other hand, some invest resources into customer service, creating a unique tone of voice and maintaining a single point of contact for brand consistency. Subsequently, this is a great way to enhance your brand identity by building a reputation as a company that genuinely cares about their customers.

Your identity influences everything, including how you store inventory, package products, and ship orders to your end customers. Likewise, it’s how you carve out your niche and establish a unique offer to stand out from the crowd.

Use your core brand values to build an authentic brand identity. Make everything that your brand stands for based around being as beneficial to your customers as humanly possible. Then, express those values throughout the whole order fulfillment process; from the point of transaction where the online sale is completed all the way through packaging, shipping, delivery, and even the return process, if it comes to that.

As a result, this strategy will reinforce the value of your brand, and how those values align with those of your customers throughout each phase of the order fulfillment process.

 

Plan for the Unexpected

Part of maintaining your brand identity means preparing for what lies ahead. That means being ready for changes you can anticipate and adapting to the most unpredictable possibilities.

To say that the entire world was upended by COVID-19 is an understatement. The past year and a half have been unprecedented, and it’s affected all of us in some form or another. In the early days of the pandemic, we saw some of the logistical challenges of order fulfillment play out in real-time. Organizations struggled to ship inventory like PPE to COVID-19 hotspots across the country.

People struggled to both place and receive orders due to lagging inventory in certain parts of the country. And tracking shipments from fulfillment centers to doorsteps proved especially difficult. On a macro level, the World Economic Forum reported a significant decline in US exports in the first few months of the pandemic, reaching a year over year low in May that left companies unable to deliver the types of buying experiences that customers expect.

The pandemic exposed a lot of these challenges and solving them must be a top priority. Over 50% of shoppers say convenience and value are the top reasons to try new places to shop. Let that be your raison d’etre: make your brand the most convenient and value-added ecommerce provider on the market. Live up to that pledge with order fulfillment that works.

 

Adapt With New Strategic Solutions

Now that the worst of the pandemic seems to be behind us, this is a great time for companies to:

  • Take stock of current fulfillment processes
  • Prepare for the next unprecedented event
  • Reassess how to live up to those customer expectations of speed, convenience, and value.

 

For example, you can improve how you ship orders nationwide by placing inventory in multiple fulfillment centers across the country. This reduces ground to cover between shipments so deliveries can be faster, easier, and done at a greater scale. You mitigate the risk of losing sales if one warehouse is forced to shut down or, for whatever reason, is unable to fulfill orders, which did happen for many companies in 2020.

At the height of the pandemic, companies like Amazon prioritized “essential goods” that left many Amazon sellers boxed in with no options to get inventory shipped out the door. Had they been connected to alternatives that welcomed DTC orders, many brands would have lived up to their order fulfillment pledges for their customers and maintained their levels of service. Selling through multiple channels reduces the risk of order paralysis, enabling more shipments to reach more destinations at faster and more convenient rates. Sticking with one distribution channel, like Amazon, limits order fulfillment, especially during times like the coronavirus pandemic.

With much of those difficulties now in the rearview, this is a great opportunity to look into tailored fulfillment services and expand the scope of your existing order fulfillment processes.

 

Use Seasoned Order Fulfillment Experts

Managing order fulfillment is a multi-headed process. It’s one of the foundational aspects of ecommerce. Therefore, you need an order fulfillment center with reliable, passionate employees and state of the art technology to ensure you deliver on customer expectations.

The right technology also provides real-time visibility into how orders move from storage, to packaging, to shipping, and delivery. This visibility provides clear and immediate answers about the process. Plus, if you have this information, you can be upfront and transparent with your customers about the status of each of their orders. That degree of transparency cements brand authenticity and improves customer satisfaction.

By choosing the right order fulfillment partner you can:

  • Deliver the voice, the look, the feel, and the identity of your brand
  • Integrate with any system, including shopping carts, marketplaces, EDI, or ERPs
  • Expand your global footprint with international shipping options
  • Manage return orders and processing

 

Collectively, all of the benefits of working with an order fulfillment partner will uphold the integrity of your brand identity, and deliver a satisfying experience to your customers.

 

Your Shoppers Expect Top-Notch Service; You Deserve it Too

You’re dedicated to providing an exceptional experience for your customer, so why shouldn’t you receive the same dedication from your order fulfillment provider? Our commitment to provide the highest quality customer service is what separates us from other order fulfillment companies, like those powered by Amazon.

We’re not just some middleman that outsources the work to oversee your orders. When you partner with us, you get a designated Account Manager, backed by a team of fulfillment and tech experts, who take the time to understand what you want to do and offer advice on how to best make it happen.

Our mission is to enable greatness in our clients, our community, our company, and ourselves. We genuinely care about you, your brand, the status of your orders, and your relationship with your end customers. That’s why we maintain long-term client relationships; people know what to expect when they work with our teams, and they value the support we offer to each and every one of our clients.

 

This is a guest post from One World Direct, experts in B2C and B2B order fulfillment since 1994. At OWD, one size doesn’t fit all. You choose the services you need, when you need them. Do you need custom pack-outs? Multiple integrations? Outsourced customer service? They do that. Plus kitting, returns, international shipping, and EDI. Whether you’re big or thinking big, they’d love to help. Visit One World Direct to learn more.

10 Tips for Maximizing your Brand Valuation

Posted on by Amanda Levine

The demand for eCommerce surged in the wake of covid 19. According to UNCTAD, the online share of the total retail sales increased from 16% in 2019 to 19% in 2020. Buyers are willing to pay more for Amazon stores due to the shift in consumer behavior and the increasing number of aggregators. For Amazon FBA sellers, how do you maximize your brand valuation to get the most from this important deal?

​Here are the top ten tips to maximize your brand valuation:

  1. Optimize Your Amazon Store

Amazon uses the A9 algorithm to determine product ranking in a way how Google’s search engine works. Google Search considers keywords while Amazon’s A9 algorithm focuses on sales conversions. The A9 algorithm improves the ranking of products with high conversion rates and sales history. High-ranking products validates your business proposition and in return, receives high-quality traffic. To maximize your brand valuation, optimize your Amazon store.

Optimization is essential for success whether you’re selling your Amazon FBA business now or later. But how do you optimize your store for the A9 algorithm? Enhance your product listing page by providing relevant content to drive traffic and conversion.

  • Optimize your product listing using the relevant keywords. 
  • Add high-definition images, videos, and benefit illustration to your product listing pages. You can use third-party software to implement these multimedia features in your store. 
  • Enhance content visibility and readability using concise bullet points.
  • Use an optimized product title for the A9 algorithm to crawl and index it.
  • Use informative descriptions to differentiate your products from the competition.
  • A/B testing

The idea is to optimize your content and pages to convey your unique brand story and influence shoppers’ buying decisions. Focus on demonstrating your products’ selling points and benefits over your competitors. Optimizing your listings for conversion is an effective way to boost traffic into your store, drive sales, and increase the overall value of your Amazon FBA business. 

  1. Fine-tune Your Inventory for SKUs

Aggregators tend to look for businesses that generate revenues from a handful of ASINs. Non-performing ASINs reduce your cashflow and undermine your overall business performance. To optimize your inventory, apply the 80-20 Pareto Principle. This principle asserts that 20% of all causes deliver 80% of outcomes.

The idea is to identify and prioritize best-selling products in your inventory. Review your catalog and drop non-performing items. You can sell slow moving products at a discount to entice buyers. Streamlining your inventory can improve your business performance and boost brand valuation. 

  1. Off-Amazon Branding

Building a community outside Amazon can boost brand equity. You can leverage social media platforms to drive traffic to your Amazon store. Focus your off-Amazon branding efforts on social media platforms that improve the credibility of your brand. Posting value-added content and social proof will go a long way.

Off-Amazon channel is also about diversifying your business profile and sales channels. If your business is primarily dependent on Amazon, there represents concentration risk. Events such as hero products being delisted, change in amazon inventory policy and downward price pressure can have an oversized impact on your business. The adage “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” comes to mind. Establishing sales channels outside Amazon can improve the resilience of your business.

Here are a few strategies to diversify your sales channels:

  • Run Google ads with a discount for your product. Then link it to a landing page with an opt-in discount code for a sales funnel.
  • Leverage Amazon’s Multi-Channel Fulfillment (MCF) to sell through other sales channels.
  • Sell your products via social media. 

Diversifying your sales channels can increase your sales and improve your brand valuation. You can rely on an aggregator like Rainforest to take your Amazon brand to the next level. 

  1. Amazon Reviews

Reviews are essential for your store’s reputation and the popularity of your products. Seeking safety and comfort in the mass is ingrained in our DNA. This form of validation applies to both Amazon shoppers and aggregators. Most Amazon shoppers will consider other customers’ reviews before they make their purchase. Amazon businesses with positive feedback can attract and convert customers, which is important for buyers. So, how do you get more reviews? Offer excellent service and leverage automated software to request reviews from customers. Most aggregators require product rating of at least 4.5 stars. 

  1. Simplify Operation

The value of a business increases when it attains a structure and culture of its own, allowing it to operate seamlessly without much work from its owner. Aggregators are looking to acquire an asset that provides either cashflow or growth potential, not a job.

According to Jungle Scout, 57% of Amazon sellers work for less than 20 hours per week. To increase brand valuation, reduce the number of hours required per week. In today’s digital age, you can utilize several innovative options to attain hands-off operations. For example, you can outsource time-consuming business operations like social media scheduling to freelance virtual assistants or various automation software to free up your precious time. 

  1. Social Media

Although Amazon provides order fulfillment updates, it does not allow store owners to contact customers directly. These are Amazon’s customers after all. Expanding your audience beyond Amazon can help your business to connect and nurture long-lasting relationships with customers. The ability to interact with potential buyers can boost your brand valuation.

You can expand your audience by building your email subscriber list. Growing an email list allows you to run marketing campaigns outside Amazon PPC, FB advertisement or Google Ads. Social media and online communities can connect you to potential customers in your niche. An example: Mighty Patch leveraged on various social media handles to promote its acne patches. Within a span of 5 months, Mighty Patch acquired 2 million followers on TikTok and reached 4 million audience via social media. An engaged community is a validation of the brand equity. 

  1. Amazon Brand Registry

If you are selling your own private label products, Amazon Brand Registry is essential. This program provides greater control over Amazon storefront and product listing. It increases your sales and offers you better intellectual protection.

As a trusted seller, Amazon will unlock other functions, including:

  • The A+ Content Manager for testing product listing structure.
  • Robust analytics feature for easy access to data on customer search and purchase trends.
  • An easy-to-use store builder and templates for creating custom Amazon storefronts.

All these advanced capabilities can improve product listing and sales, leading to an increase in brand valuation. According to statistics, Amazon’s Brand Registry program surpassed 100,000 enrolled brands in 2020. Amazon brand registry is an essential part for brand building purpose. 

  1. Robust Supply Chain

Supply chain is an understated yet essential for any business. Its importance for Amazon FBA businesses has been realized in the past year due to COVID19. Stock out = No Sales!

Having a reliable and efficient supply chain can reduce stock out. This way, your listing will not be penalized by Amazon. So, how do you establish a secure supply chain?

  • Helpful to have two or more suppliers for any product.
  • Look for suppliers based in different countries.

Diversifying your supply chain builds resilience in your business. A strong relationship with suppliers is an asset. It can increase the value of your Amazon business and attract buyers. 

 

  1. Proper documentation

Aggregators like Thrasio, Berlin Brands Group and Rainforest will require proper documentation and financial records to assess your business valuation. Financial statements, receipts, trademark registration and patent certificate are essential. 

  1. Scaling your business

Expanding your target market increases your store’s growth potential and value. If you’re only selling on Amazon.com, leverage on Amazon’s Global Selling program or North America program. With Amazon Global Selling, you can leverage on existing ratings to grow your sales. 

Bottom Line

With the increasing vibrancy of the eCommerce sector, this inevitably creates a stronger interest in e-commerce brands. The best strategy is to utilize the most appropriate tactics based on your brand’s unique proposition and business model. Choosing the right buyer is paramount to the long-term success of your brand. 

This is a guest post from Rainforest. Rainforest buys e-commerce brands and build on its success. They believe in improving the brands’ longevity and financial returns. And typically take 7 – 8 weeks to finalize the whole acquisition process. To maximize your payout, get a valuation today!