We’ve said this a million times before: AliDropship team consists of actual dropshipppers who run their own stores.
And, as you already know, we LOVE testing new promotional methods whenever possible.
This way, we gain skills and knowledge, so that we can recommend you the most efficient marketing strategies!
Today, we would like to share quite curious experience we had with Instagram Paid Ads, and we hope you’ll benefit from it heavily.
Why use Instagram paid ads for drop shipping?
Drop shipping is a really specific type of business, we must say.
Basically, your customers buy products they’ve never seen in real life, from an online store they’ve never visited in person.
That’s hardcore.
Their courage definitely deserves your respect, so support your customers! Don’t leave them all alone and insecure.
To motivate them to make a purchase, you need to:
Showcase your products in a clear and detailed way
Build the reputation of a trustworthy and reliable store
Both of these goals can be achieved with the help of Instagram. This social network is a true blessing for businessmen because it lets you:
Demonstrate the features of your offers through photos, image galleries, videos, etc.
Provide social proof through your followers’ actions: subscriptions, leaving feedback through comments and posts, etc.
To make your potential customers familiar with your store offers and to gain a bigger exposure, you can safely use Instagram Paid Ads. That’s a relatively young feature that was only introduced in 2016, and it can actually do magic.
Study predicts office sector recovery to be slow, but full recovery expected despite work- from-home trend
Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK), a leading global real estate services firm, released its first-ever Global Office Impact Study, projecting that the world’s office leasing fundamentals will be significantly impacted by the Covid-19 recession and the work- from-home trend, but they will ultimately begin to improve in 2022 and will fully recover 2-3 years later.
The full recovery timeline is consistent with what was observed during the Great Recession, but at a slight lag due to the work-from-home trend. The report was developed by the firm’s newly organized Global Think Tank, a team of senior researchers and economists from around the world. The study analyzed the cyclical and structural changes impacting the global office market and the implications for recovery.
“We set out to answer the foundational and somewhat ambiguous question of ‘what will become of the office’ by taking a deep, scientific look at the forces created by this pandemic and the cumulative impacts on office sector fundamentals,” said Kevin Thorpe, Cushman & Wakefield’s Chief Economist and Global Head of Research.
“We’ve examined the collective impact of these forces, including job losses, office vacancy and rental rates, geographic characteristics, and work from home expansion, to establish future-looking scenarios that, under our base case, ultimately project a full global office market recovery. Of course, all real estate is intensely local, and not every local market will follow the same path to recovery.”
Key findings from the 2020 Global Office Impact Study are concentrated on the full economic and employment recovery anticipated for Q1 2022, and the corresponding demand for office space as vacancies begin trending downwards and rental rates begin appreciating. By 2025, global office vacancy is anticipated to return to pre-crisis levels of approximately 11%, with rents returning to pre-crisis peak levels.
“Even though the impact of work-from-home trends will slow the office market recovery, the overall growth in office-using job sectors along with many other factors – including agglomeration, culture/branding, and productivity – collectively indicate that the office will continue to play an important role in the economy going forward,” said Rebecca Rockey, Global Head of Forecasting at Cushman & Wakefield. “With this study, we’re looking into an uncertain environment through the lens of evidence, data, and science.”
In Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China) , at the aggregate level, the impacts of the current global recession are more benign and shorter-lived than elsewhere around the world. For the most part under the baseline scenario, all economies in the region return to pre-Covid-19 GDP levels by Q3 2021. In the near term, office leasing fundamentals over the next 6-18 months will be challenged by the pandemic’s impact on the slowdown in new office job creation and outright job losses in the immediate term.
Despite the challenges, demand, as measured by net absorption, is forecast to remain positive from now through 2030. The most recent data provides early evidence that Asia Pacific will be somewhat more resilient relative to the other global regions. In emerging markets, rapid movement up the value chain throughout the region will increase the region’s share of jobs that are office-using.
More advanced markets, in contrast, will experience lower demand which will flow through to weaker rental growth.
“Asia Pacific continues to show its resilience relative to other regions but is not immune to the negative impacts of the pandemic. The region entered the crisis with a formidable supply pipeline with a robust wave of office development slated for delivery in 2020-2022. Consequently, we had already seen some softening in markets with increasing vacancy and rental decline prior to the pandemic, and our current forecasts reflect an intensification of that trend,” said Dr. Dominic Brown, Head of Insight & Analysis, Asia Pacific at Cushman & Wakefield.
“More widely, increased flexible working and work-from-home practices are less prevalent across Asia Pacific as a whole compared to other regions and so do not meaningfully alter the outlook for the region’s office market. From 2022-2030, we expect net office demand to grow by 729 msf in the region, despite a 4.5% drag due to the impact of work-from-home.”
For Greater China, the trending increase in vacancy rate pre-Covid-19 is expected to accelerate in the face of weaker demand. Demand for space begins to catch up with new supply in late 2022 and vacancy begins trending down in 2023. Class A rents are expected to soften in 2020 and 2021, then broadly flat in 2022 before returning to growth in 2023.
Like Asia Pacific, the level of occupied stock is expected to continue rising over the entire forecast horizon despite weaker near- term demand, supported by other structural factors such as increasing office-based employment. Of all the regions studied in the report, Greater China’s structural office demand is estimated to be the least impacted, with only a 2.9% drag due to the impact of work-from-home, and net office demand is expected to grow by 536.1 msf from 2022-2030.
The 2020 Global Office Impact Study is the first of a four-part series, which will provide a new and thoughtful look into the future of the office, and the role it will play in a post-pandemic environment.
Qatar Airways continues to ensure that its passengers can expect the highest levels of safety and hygiene throughout their journey
The Qatar Airways becomes the first global carrier to operate Honeywell’s Ultraviolet (UV) Cabin System, further advancing its hygiene measures onboard. In clinical tests, UV light has been shown to be capable of inactivating various viruses and bacteria when properly applied. Approximately the size of a beverage cart, the Honeywell UV Cabin System, which is operated by Qatar Aviation Services (QAS), has extendable UV arms that treat aircraft seats, surfaces and cabins without using cleaning chemicals.
Having already received six of the Honeywell UV Cabin System, the devices have undergone comprehensive testing onboard Qatar Airways aircraft, before entering service. The airline aims to acquire additional units in the near future, in order to operate them onboard all aircraft turnarounds at Hamad International Airport (HIA).
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are pleased to be the first global airline to operate the Honeywell UV Cabin System onboard our aircraft. In clinical tests, UV light has been shown to be capable of inactivating various viruses and bacteria when properly applied at specified doses.
“During these unprecedented times, the health and safety of our crew and passengers continues to be of the utmost importance. Since the start of the pandemic, we have been regularly introducing new and effective safety and hygiene measures onboard our aircraft, based on our unparalleled expertise of flying consistently throughout.”
Honeywell Aerospace President EMEAI, Mr. James Currier, said: “Honeywell has technology today that can make air travel safer – from the traveller to the airport worker, throughout the airport and onboard the aircraft. We’re working across business lines to develop new products such as Honeywell ThermoRebellion, a new temperature-monitoring solution – Environmental Control System Check, which allows airlines to monitor air flow in the cabin, and an array of Personal Protective Equipment. All this allows for cleaner and safer airports.”
Qatar Airways’ aircraft will continue to be regularly disinfected using cleaning products recommended by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The Honeywell UV Cabin System will be utilised as an additional step after manual disinfection, to ensure the very highest standards of cleanliness. The airline’s onboard linen and blankets will continue to be washed, dried and pressed at microbial lethal temperatures, while its headsets are rigorously sanitised after each flight. These items are then sealed into individual packaging by staff wearing hygienic disposable gloves.
Qatar Airways’ aircraft also feature the most advanced air filtration systems, equipped with industrial-size HEPA filters that remove 99.97% of viral and bacterial contaminants from re-circulated air, providing the most effective protection against infection.
In July, Qatar Airways further increased its health and safety measures onboard by introducing new personal protective equipment (PPE) for customers and cabin crew. The airline’s robust measures included offering face shields to all passengers, in addition to a disposable protective gown for cabin crew, which is fitted over their uniforms, in addition to safety glasses, gloves and a mask.
Onboard, all Qatar Airways passengers are provided with a complimentary protective kit. Inside a ziplock pouch, a single-use face mask, large disposable powder-free gloves and an alcohol-based hand sanitiser gel are offered. Business Class customers also receive an additional 75ml sanitiser gel tube. In addition, for aircraft equipped with Qsuite, Qatar Airways’ award-winning business seat, Business Class customers are offered even greater privacy with sliding partitions and fully closing doors, and an option to display a ‘Do Not Disturb (DND)’ indicator if they wish to limit their interactions with cabin crew.
Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the airline has also applied other additional health and safety measures on-board its flights. Business Class meals are served covered on a tray instead of a table set up, and a cutlery wrap is offered to passengers as an alternative to individual cutlery service, in an effort to minimise contact between crew and passengers. Qatar Airways has also introduced single-use menu cards and sealed refreshing wipes. Economy Class meals and cutlery are served sealed as usual, and menu cards have been temporarily discontinued. All social areas onboard the aircraft have been closed adhering to social distancing measures.
HIA, the airline’s hub in Doha, has also introduced UV-C disinfectant robots which are fully autonomous mobile devices emitting concentrated UV-C light, and are deployed in high passenger flow areas to reduce the spread of pathogens. The Oryx Airport Hotel at HIA has also implemented UV-C light to monitor and ensure a thorough cleaning process across all rooms, using a pen only visible under UV light to mark frequent touchpoints. The marked areas undergo the highest levels of sanitisation before being checked and analysed, allowing the hotel management to further enhance its cleaning techniques and standards.
In addition, HIA has implemented stringent cleaning procedures and applied social distancing measures throughout its terminals. All passenger touchpoints are sanitized every 10-15 minutes and every boarding gate and bus gate counter is cleaned after each flight. Hand sanitizers are provided at immigration and security screening points.
The national carrier of the State of Qatar now operates over 650 weekly flights to more than 90 destinations, providing more flexible travel options to more global destinations than any other airline. A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, ‘World’s Best Business Class’, and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite. It is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted “Skytrax Airline of the Year” title, which is recognised as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, five times. Its home and hub, HIA, was recently ranked ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ and ‘Third Best Airport in the World’ by the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2020.
Introducing New Park Hyatt and Andaz Properties to Its Luxury Portfolio
Hospitality leader Hyatt continues to expand its brand presence with a series of new openings catering to luxury travellers in pursuit of the latest lifestyle experiences and wellbeing offerings. The growth in new hotels comprises two Park Hyatt properties and two resort hotels under the Andaz brand in urban and cultural destinations including Xiamen, Niseko, Bali and Auckland.
Collectively the properties will showcase Hyatt’s commitment to sophisticated design working with many of the world’s most renowned architects and interior designers as part of an exemplary stay experience for discerning leisure and business travellers.
Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono
Following the soft opening in January, Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono, the third Park Hyatt brand property in Japan, is scheduled to take bookings for stays in late 2020. In addition to bringing the Park Hyatt brand’s refined home-away-from-home hospitality to the northern island of Hokkaido, the hotel also offers guests enriching experiences steeped in carefully curated art, fine cuisine and contemporary design.
Designed primarily by Melbourne’s BAR studio in conjunction with Nikken Sekkei and Fujita Corporation as a stylish year-round mountain escape, Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono is surrounded by pristine wilderness underscored by a sense of calm, matched with the signature sophistication of the Park Hyatt brand. All 100 hotel guestrooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows offering breathtaking views of Mount Yotei or the Annupuri mountain ranges. 9 of the 28 suites come with a private hot spring onsen, ideal for a leisurely soak after an active day. Located at the edge of Mt. Annupuri, the hotel’s outdoor chapel surrounded by water sets the stage for a stunning and memorable wedding ceremony and is connected to a ballroom designed to create extraordinary events and weddings.
Andaz Xiamen
Initially conceived by world-renowned Indonesian designer, the late Jaya Ibrahim, Andaz Xiamen is a modern mansion inspired by the tropical Nanyang style and the city’s sobriquet as a ‘Garden by the Sea’. The hotel has been conceived as a modern mansion inspired by tropical Nanyang style. Andaz Xiamen features a mansion like façade surrounded by tropical plants and a water landscape. The courtyard like lift lobby welcomes guests with an artwork of a bougainvillea tree hanging from the ceiling, while repeated arches and graphic tiling evoke the architectural detailing of a Nanyang style mansion. The 304 guestrooms feature natural textures and materials for a relaxed feel throughout including special touches such as rattan backed armchairs, woven bamboo wall paneling and timber louvres.
Andaz Xiamen has opened on 8th September 2020 to provide an unprecedented stay to high-end travellers.
King Room Bathroom – Park Hyatt Auckland
Park Hyatt Auckland
Designed by Ali Reda from ar+d in Singapore and partnering with local Bossley Architects, the seven-storey Park Hyatt Auckland has been designed to reflect the Māori wharenui (communal house) – a place that holds families, communities and tribes. The wharenui is fundamental to Māori life and stands as the beating heart of Māori culture.
The exterior of the hotel centres on the notion of a Māori cloak around the building, creating a double skin offering warmth, privacy and beauty. The elegant and comfortable interiors were designed by the UK-based Conran and Partners to curate a home away from home atmosphere. Ranging from 47 sqm rooms to a 245 sqm Presidential Suite, all 195 guestrooms feature Māori accents, custom-designed tukutuku panels and rugs made from New Zealand wool. In addition, all 23 suites will offer commanding views with the Presidential Suite positioned on the rooftop, featuring an internal garden and a large 125 sqm terrace to entertain and soak up the spectacular panoramic views.
Park Hyatt Auckland has opened on 15th September 2020 to welcome guests with the brand’s contemporary expressions of century-old traditions and authentic experiences.
Andaz Bali
Designed by sought-after architect Tierra Design of Bangkok and Japanese interior design firm Spin Design Studio, Andaz Bali will be the first Andaz property in Indonesia. The two celebrated firms also co-designed the adjacent Hyatt Regency Bali which opened in December 2018. Inspired by traditional Balinese scenery, Andaz Bali will provide a unique immersive Sanur experience through a modern interpretation of a vibrant and peaceful seaside village.
Located in Sanur, one of Bali’s original tourist destinations best known for its old-world charm, beaches and spectacular sunrises, the 149-room beachfront resort offers two restaurants, four swimming pools and shared wellness facilities with Hyatt Regency Bali.
Andaz Bali is set to open in Q2 2021, delivering an innovative stay experience complemented by the brand’s attentive and unscripted service to lifestyle connoisseurs.
Annual Event with Healthy Lifestyle Concept, Returns This Year in A Virtual Race Format
HARRIS Day, an annual sport event to promote a healthy lifestyle presented by HARRIS Hotels, returns this year for its 10th series. Different from the previous years, the HARRIS Day 2020 will feature a virtual running and cycling race in which participants can join in the competition from the comfort and safety of their respective hometown or cities.
As part of the TAUZIA Hotels network, the family-friendly HARRIS Hotels is committed to nurture a healthy and balanced lifestyle to all of its guests. Adapting to the new-normal reality, HARRIS Day 2020 will feature ‘On the Move’, virtual running and cycling races open from 20 November to 20 December 2020. Participants will be required to complete the distance of minimum 18 km within the time period to collect the finisher medal.
Early bird registration for HARRIS Day 2020 – supported by SONY – is open from 29 September with price starting from IDR 199,000.- which includes a race pack (e-bib, t-shirt, medal, and door prizes ticket).
“In line with the HARRIS Hotels brand concept of encouraging healthy lifestyle, our aim is that HARRIS Day 2020 can be one of the initiatives that move people to keep exercising diligently and maintain a balanced lifestyle,” said Stefano de Champeaux, TAUZIA Hotels Corporate Director of Brand Activation, “The virtual race format that we implement this year will make it more convenient for participants to compete from wherever they are. A portion of HARRIS Day ticket sales will also be donated to TAUZIA Equal Chance, our CSR program to support the education of underprivileged children in Indonesia. This will give opportunity for the participants to share with others while doing their races.”
Tickets with one or two-night stay at participants’ preferred HARRIS Hotels. The ‘Bright’ package offers a two-night stay with price starting from IDR 799,000 nett, while the ‘Fit’ package offers a one-night stay starting from IDR 549,000 nett. Both packages include one ticket to virtual running or cycling race, race pack, healthy breakfast, and VIP Service.
At the end of the virtual race, each participant will get a chance to win attractive door prizes such as hotel vouchers, electronic appliances, sport products and many more.
Race registration will be available on whatsupharris.com and e-commerce platform Tokopedia starting from 29 September 2020. For more information on HARRIS Day 2020, please visit whatsupharris.com or Instagram @harrishotels.
A Rustic Escape in India is The First Resort from The Karma Kasa Brand
Within an easy drive of India’s Bangalore, only 45 minutes from the closest international airport, resides the first Karma Kasa resort from the much acclaimed Karma Group. Karma Kasa Sunshine Village sits nestled among the famed tourist attraction of Nandi Hills, among a scattering of ancient temples.
The latest addition to Karma Group’s array of accommodation, Karma Kasa was born from a rising domestic travel market and will include a slew of regionally based resorts focused on local travel. Sunshine Village, the first of the Karma Kasa resorts, merges luxury accommodation with ample facilities in a rustic-style getaway.
An intimate escape catering for up to 30 people at a time, the Indian destination is designed to tempt groups of friends or family, with its ample wide open spaces and impressive array of facilities catering to all ages. Envisioned as an escape from the stressors of daily life, the space encourages its guests to relax on-site, enjoying the range of restaurants and bars, sports and leisure facilities, conference rooms, and even immersive options including cooking classes and more available.
Strictly available to members-only, the Karma Kasa resorts is available to enjoy both for the day and overnight. Spend days utilising the plunge pool, Sun Arena, and sports court. Or take a leisurely approach to their stay, paying a visit to the Tiki Shack and Sungrill Restaurant, before watching the sun set around the outdoor fire pit. Accommodation itself varies with two distinct categories – spend the night in one of the rustic wooden cabins, or a unique container home, each fitted with modern creature comforts.
Karma Kasa Sunshine Village will welcome its first guests by September’s end and while this may be the first Karma Kasa resort this certainly won’t be the last, with Karma Group already scoping locations in the likes of England, France, West Australia, and Java among others.
BACKGROUND ON KARMA GROUP
Karma Group is an award-winning international travel and lifestyle brand offering extraordinary experiences in the world’s most beautiful locations and is headed by Chairman and Founder, John Spence, former Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and member of the judging panel for the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year.
John has been honored by being awarded the Edward P. Bass Honorary Fellowship at Yale in the Fall Semester of 2019 in the School of Architecture, marking the first time Yale has extended this to the same person more than once. He has also been awarded a Distinguished Visiting Fellowship at UCLA as well as working with students from the University of Pennsylvania to design a chateau development in Carcassonne.
Karma Group comprises Karma Resorts, Karma Retreats, Karma Royal, Karma Estates, Karma Beach, Karma Spa and Karma Boutique. The Group is currently operating 33 resorts in more than 10 countries, including Australia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the United Kingdom.
There are currently five properties in development and the Group is negotiating three separate acquisitions in Scotland (a golf resort), Cyprus, and Bulgaria. In 2016, Karma group and Sanctum Hotel Group announced a joint venture to develop a series of authentic rock ‘n’ roll styled and orientated hotels in strategic locations around the world, accompanied by an exclusive private membership club, now with over 85,000 members.
In 2017, Karma were awarded the contract to manage and develop the golf course on Rottnest Island in Western Australia and in Greece, RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange, selected Karma Group to manage its operations in the Greek market whilst redevelopment began on Karma Minoan in Crete.
When social media sites first came onto the scene, they were designed for people to connect to one another. But as the platforms developed and the user base grew, brands found an opportunity to participate and reach their customers in a new way. Nowadays, it seems unimaginable for a new business to open up without any social media presence. So, let’s see what are the best ways for your business to engage in social media – and how to make it right.
Why use social media for ecommerce?
Selling from social media includes the interactions that take place before an actual transaction is made. These are research, word-of-mouth, direct interactions with the brand, and more. Ecommerce sales are heavily influenced by the online world, and it makes perfect sense for brands to engage in social media to increase them.
At least 72% of the US adults use some type of social media. Since your customer is (very likely) already present there, you want to go there as well.
Excellent social media marketing has all the chances to bring astonishing results to your dropshipping business, create loyal brand advocates, and, what is even more exciting, boost your sales. By using social media engagement, you will certainly enhance the voice and tone of your brand. If you can create captivating interactions with your audience, it will lead to a strong word-of-mouth marketing – free advertising for your business. Is this not amazing?
However, to obtain social media proficiency, one needs to understand the principles under the key definitions in this sphere.
A large engagement index increases the chances that, for example, Instagram will show your content to a potentially interested audience in the Recommendations tab. If you have a small number of likes and comments in your account, people just do not see you! It happens because Instagram is constantly changing its rankings. Previously, the user was seeing the most recent post at the top of his feed, but what he sees now is based on personal data. There is not a single pair of people in the world that have the same Instagram feed.
What should you do to engage in social media better?
Well, the first thing is planning. Every post for your social media should be planned in advance. Create a simple content plan for a month, a week, or at least the next few days. It will help you to keep in mind all ideas that you have for your content. You can use numerous tools for post planning, one of them is Social Rabbit Plugin. Use it for auto-promotion of your accounts to get more followers, likes, and sales.
Get creative! Do not be scared to show your personality and become closer with your followers. Experiment with types of content and analyze the results: which of the posts get more likes, comments and shares? Then, create a content strategy based on your results.
Here are some tips on how you can boost your social media engagement.
Ask questions
Perhaps the simplest way to connect to your audience is asking questions. When you ask relevant and timely questions, it can create the most engaging and captivating activity in your social media.
You can motivate your followers with one of these strategies:
Invite your audience to share their opinion on something.
Try the “test your knowledge” game. No one can resist it!
Post a survey. Surveys don’t only engage your subscribers, but they also get you to learn more important things about your targeted audience.
Encourage expressions
Encourage your subscribers to make content about your brand – it can lead to amazing results! Here is how you can do it:
When you post something interesting, do a little hashtag research first, or create a special hashtag that expresses your brand’s concept.
People like social media challenges, especially when they are involved in shooting and sharing original photographs or videos. Contests may be dedicated to different types of self-expression like recipes, recordings, paintings, poems, and more.
Reviews and testimonials are very important for ecommerce. Think about creating advocacy programs featuring employees, partners, customers, and engage your customers by giving them a platform to express their personalities.
Play games
People like to play games and they like to win. Fulfil your followers’ competitive spirit by including some games in your posts. Even small prizes can motivate your audience to take a part.
Create a special offer
The strategy you’re following to engage in social media doesn’t need to be interactive or gamified 100% of the time. You can engage customers with attractive offers such as:
Instant coupons and discounts
Membership clubs
‘Pick your discount’ promotions
Free shipping
Experiment with different types of offers to discover what your customers best respond to!
There are also some tricks offered by Facebook help page:
Offers with free items or with discounts of at least 20% off usually attract more people.
Photos of people using a product often perform better than photos of a product by itself.
Create a sense of urgency. Give people some time to discover your offer and share it among friends. The ideal length of an offer is 7 days.
After you created an ad for your offer, pin it to the top of your Page to make it easier to notice.
However, nothing is better than organic engagement. Don’t forget to answer all questions in direct messages and comments, keep the conversation live by asking more questions. It’s really important because faster responses make customers happier, which leads to a bigger ROI.
Remember, social media is where your customers are. You are able to increase your engagement by simply being responsive, friendly and polite on social media.
How to get sales from social media in 2020?
1. Strategy measurement is vital
The first step of making your posts sell is to define how you are going to measure whether your method works as desired or not. It may seem obvious, but – take a moment to think it through. Your posts may show off good numbers at the beginning but result in a gradual decline in sales later. The precise and unambiguous way of determining the post-to-sales ratio is something you should figure out for every case separately.
Of course, the success of your social media strategy is ultimately determined by a simple fact: you win if a target customer makes it to checkout. Social commerce is able to propose numerous ways of achieving such a goal, including unique content creation, two-way communication and other things you (most probably) already know about. It is natural to suggest that the most transparent way to measure a social commerce strategy’s effectiveness is money. By analyzing how many sales can you make while following a chosen path, you can truly realize its potential.
A sad truth, however, lies in the following fact: not everyone might be ready to shop at the blink of an eye as they see your product. Social commerce is still evolving and its image is still shaping in the representative customer’s mind. In simpler words, not everyone is on board yet: some people need their time to think through or to learn how to purchase with safety. Building a strong bond between two sides of the B2C sector takes time, but has all the chances to end up as a perfect collaboration in the future. Therefore, we need to be flexible in ways we measure our success.
Anyone who has a thought to reach you in mind should be able to do it in a couple of clicks, and writing an email is the reaction that almost anyone is able to produce. Many clients might be willing to purchase a product, but not all of them could feel confident enough with social media.
This is where emails truly shine: they are widely spread and highly accessible, they can be easily found once in one’s inbox, and all the necessary information and guidance can be provided there in a convenient and barely limited way. A single email already shows that you attracted a customer. In addition, you can guide your client further to your social media account or ecommerce website via email. Therefore, the number of captured emails can act as a success measurement unit with high efficiency.
Another example of a strategy measurement could be the completion of certain steps by the customer. Someone has not purchased your product, but is already registered at your website? Congratulations – an increase in your online sales is just around the corner! Listing oneself as a member of your territory shows genuine interest and willingness to perform further actions. Using this opportunity can be a lot more profitable than a single-purchase attention grabber. Continue the story of your business – and they will respond on the road.
2. Expand your network
Sharing is caring – and that includes the publicity of your products, too. Nobody can persuade new clients to experience your products better than their peers. The newest trends, such as influencers or community creation, are more than worth looking at. Their presence can make your posts sell with a sky-rocketing rate. It is simply natural to people to trust those whose opinion they long follow for or have common interests with. The statistics show that people tend to buy products that they have already seen several times.
So never lose the chance to remind about your products. Not only do you expand your audience, but also get an opportunity to make a collaboration with experienced social media users. Those who can offer the attention of thousands are most likely to know their followers and be able to increase your social media engagement quickly.
In addition, expanding your presence at target-themed communities may pay off as another way of creating selling posts. Customers will be ready to consider your product options more willingly if they already have interest in such a topic. By introducing a proper image that outperforms your competitors, you – both! – engage in social media better and increase your sales.
3. Focus on cost-effective products
Social media is a developing sales platform, making customers eager to try out a new trend of purchasing. Yet few people agree to spend their money in a way they are not familiar with. The important point here would be to engage them in this journey in a light-weighting style: when a person has to consider all the pros and cons of a purchase because of the high price, it disregards all the joy of the immediate wish-granting.
Therefore, it is logical to suggest that the lowest-cost products sell best on the social media platforms. This is proven with various market reports – such as recent eMarketer research on the relevant verticals for social commerce. Categories such as apparel, beauty and home décor are at the top of this list.
As a result, a strategic approach ensures your success in the ecommerce type of business. Look closely at items you put in the list ‘for sale’. Every number here must satisfy the following criteria – out of all your products, an item:
Must appeal to a wide audience
(Ideally) should be already proven to resonate with your clients
Should be one of the least expensive products of yours
Forming such a list is not an easy task. Still, no need to worry – setting an experiment may provide you with all the relevant information. There is no need to upload the entire catalogue of goods on social media. After several trying attempts the numbers will speak for themselves.
Still in doubt whether selling through social media is truly your thing? Then you may wish to take a look at the recent GlobalWebIndex study – it says that 21% of shoppers use social media for completing their purchases while still being a new and not fully explored trend! We expect this number to rise in 2020 – and it makes exactly now the best moment to engage in social media and ride the wave!
Empowering one woman has the ability to liberate entire families from the cycle of hardship and improve the prospects for future generations. Guided by its purpose of care towards its neighbouring communities, Alila Ubud has unveiled a new Gift to Liberate offer that will provide guests with a true experience of Bali while empowering women with the freedom to create a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.
Alila Ubud has had a longstanding partnership with PKP Community Centre (formerly KIM Women’s Centre), a homegrown charitable organization which aims to promote the collective growth of village communities in Bali by empowering women and girls in particular.
Through job skills training and programmes like cooking and English classes, PKP Community Centre equips women to help support their families financially and provide opportunities for their children to create a more successful future. Most importantly, the Centre provides a safe haven for divorced women who are often stigmatized and ostracized in the community. With the knowledge gained from the job skills training and support they have received, many of the women from the Centre have gone on to create their own small businesses and build financial independence.
“The villages around us have been our partners in success throughout the years, and our partnership with PKP only strengthens our resolve in improving the lives of those closer to home,” said General Manager, Juan Paolo Alfonso.
As part of the Gift to Liberate offer, guests will enjoy visiting one of the Centre’s key initiatives, the PKP Shop in Payangan village, a social enterprise that retails products made sustainably by the women. Here, guests will have the opportunity to meet some of the women, get to know their stories, and learn how the Centre is helping to change their future.
During this visit, and in the spirit of giving back, the guests will also be fitted for a custom-made Balinese shirt or kebaya that will be hand-sewn by the women and paid for by Alila Ubud on each guest’s behalf. All proceeds from the purchase of these pieces will go directly to the women and the Centre.
These beautiful gifts of handmade Balinese attire will be delivered to guests at the hotel the next day. A wonderful memento of this visit to treasure, and one that has a meaningful impact.
According to Ibu Sari, the founder of the PKP Community Centre, “Not only do we benefit from the financial support from this initiative, but the women are also able to hone their skills by creating these beautiful gifts, and gain the self-confidence they need from interacting with guests.”
The Gift to Liberate is a fourth night free offer, which includes daily breakfast, one Balinese dinner, an array of Alila hospitalities, and the keepsake of custom handmade Balinese attire from the women of the PKP Community Centre.
There is nothing difficult about starting a dropshipping business. Even if you are a newcomer with no background knowledge whatsoever, you only need these 15 things to start your super successful entrepreneurial journey.
What are the must-have things for a person who wants to start a dropshipping business?
Go through this checklist to find out!
If you have at least 10 things out of this dropshipping business list, you can safely begin your journey today!
General things you will need to start dropshipping business
1. Strong desire
Each and every person has a very specific reason for launching their own business.
These reasons vary a lot: someone wants to get an additional source of money, someone is just sick of a regular 9 to 5 job, and some people are just curious to test and improve their technical and/or business skills.
It doesn’t really matter which of these reasons motivated you to step on this road; as long as this driver is powerful enough, the success of your business is guaranteed.
By the way, note one thing. Having a genuine interest in the specific area, it’s quite likely that you won’t give up the idea of running this type of business if there is a lack of immediate success.
2. PC or laptop
To create, set up, and run your online business, you need to own at least one gadget.
You may choose any device which is able to provide the necessary functions for you to run the business. If it’s more comfortable for you to use a personal computer, go for it. If you are a fan of laptops, you can totally rely on them as well. It’s only about your own preferences and opportunities.
Modern technologies let you create a dropshipping store with a good-looking responsive design that will work perfectly on any type of gadget – this is exactly what you need to generate a healthy amount of sales.
3. Stable Internet connection
Well, this part is obvious. When you run a dropshipping store, you don’t need to be online 24/7, but still, you will have to access your online store, mail, payment gateways and social networks from time to time.
In order to make sure that you have a fast and stable Internet connection, follow the tips below:
Test the speed of your Internet connection using various free online services;
Update your browser;
Disconnect all the devices from your WiFi or wired Internet connection.
By the way, if your Internet access is fast enough, but the device is still not able to function at the speed you want, try to do next:
Turn off all unwanted background processes;
Clear the browser cache;
Remove all unused or rarely-used apps;
Scan your device for viruses or security threats.
Necessary market knowledge for starting a dropship business
4. Understanding of the dropshipping business model
It’s not really possible to succeed in dropshipping if you have no idea how it works
It will take you only 3 minutes to watch this video! When it’s over, you will feel much more confident, and it will be easier for you to proceed with the business launch:
Plus, whenever you need an additional piece of knowledge, you can safely access our knowledge base, read the detailed guides, or join the community of like-minded entrepreneurs who share their tips on how to sell products online and learn by each others’ examples.
5. Real-life examples of running a dropshipping business
When you start something completely unfamiliar to you, it’s easy to get confused with all the new duties and responsibilities.
Relax and don’t worry! You deal with a business that is affordable to start, convenient to run, and easy to sell if you ever get tired of it.
If you get disoriented, you can find a lot of examples of running dropshipping businesses on the Internet, and find a way to meet your challenge. Moreover, numerous interviews of successful dropshippers can inspire you to keep going even if you feel like giving up.
With due effort, you can literally change your life!
6. Experience of using AliExpress
For lots of reasons, AliExpress is considered to be one of the most convenient and safe places to look for dropshipping suppliers. Sellers are willing to cooperate with entrepreneurs running small businesses, plus, they offer millions of products that are perfect for dropshipping. And besides, there are a lot of products with enormous discounts on them.
That’s why it’s essential for you to know how the platform works, how the orders are processed, and how the returns and refunds are handled.
7. Dropshipping niche idea
Based on our experience, we can say that a correctly chosen niche is the key to the growth of sales and profits.
The dropshipping products sold in your ecommerce store should be related to each other in some way. This thematic consistency is called a store niche: for example, you can sell various home decor elements dedicated to the space topic, or you can offer geeky stuff for people who spend a lot of time in front of their computers, or anything else, really.
We strongly recommend to choose a niche that you know well. Ideally, you should be a fan of the products you’re selling – this way, you will set up and manage your business in the best way possible. In this case you’re more likely to succeed very quickly because you have enough background knowledge which can help you with running your new business.
However, the products you’re going to sell must be interesting not only to you, but also to the wide audience.
When you are choosing a niche, check if there are enough relevant items on AliExpress. Also, you need to think about whether you can promote these items through social media or PPC ads. Plus, you need to make sure that the competition in this niche is not too fierce.
How to start a dropshipping store: technical preparations
8. Domain name
In fact, without going into the technical details, a domain name is your website address that is used for highlighting it among others. It’s like a street address that tells your customers where your website is placed, and helps them go directly to it.
This name is the basis of your dropshipping website address, so it should be related to your online store concept. Plus, it needs to be efficient in terms of SEO.
If you want to buy a suitable domain and make sure no one is already using it, try and experience the GoDaddy service – one of the most popular and reliable domain name registrars.
9. Hosting
A hosting is a service that allows a user to place the information on the server. In fact, if you don’t have a hosting, you can’t make your store content visible to Internet users. In other words, you need to buy hosting (and pay for it annually) to ‘activate’ your online store and make sure it’s really running.
We understand that no one basically wants to deal with such technical tasks, that’s why you can safely delegate all your hosting issues to us. We will provide you with timely client support, and guarantee an exceptional customer service along with a high quality technical performance.
10. Dropshipping website
Do you already have a ready niche idea, catchy domain name, and pre-paid hosting? Great! Now, you can start making a website – a basis for your future dropshipping store.
Here, you have 2 options: you can either do all the job yourself (in this case, go to paragraph 11 to learn the next step), or you can get a ready dropshipping store – a Custom store, a Premium store, or an Established store. What’s the difference?
Custom store
It’s a store that we make for you individually, with your wishes and preferences in mind. You explain what you want your store to be, and we develop it from scratch for you. When the work is completed, we hand the website over to you – it’s perfectly ready to operate from day 1, and you’re its 100% owner and boss! Read more and order your custom store here.
Premium store
It’s a fully functional copy of a highly successful dropshipping store that has already been developed and put into operation by AliDropship team members. You get an exact (and legal!) copy of a store that has proven to be efficient and profitable, and don’t have to guess or worry whether the store will be successful. And of course, you don’t have to wait until the store is developed: you’ll get your copy within minutes.
Established store
It’s an already operating business that has a proven track record, a verifiable number of orders, and a stable traffic volume. Before purchasing it, you get access to the store statistics, which lets you make a well-informed decision – and basically, invest in an already profitable business. After the purchase, you become its one and only owner – and get recommendations on how to run it further.
Want to get a Custom, Premium, or Established store? Make your choice and go to paragraph 13 to learn the next step!
11. WordPress
WordPress is a system that helps you arrange all the elements of your website. Nowadays, 30% of all the websites globally are powered by it. There are several reasons for it. The main one is that it is super easy to use. Moreover, it suits almost everyone, even those who have no previous experience of creating and running a website.
There are a number of factors due to which WordPress is perfect for running a dropshipping online store:
It’s free;
It has a user friendly interface;
It’s easy to customize and install any additional software;
It opens up many opportunities in terms of SEO;
It gives you total control over your ecommerce store, in contrast to many other platforms for dropshipping.
So, all you need is to download and install WordPress, and you get a perfectly working basis for your dropshipping store.
12. AliDropship plugin
Using this plugin, you make your dropshipping journey an enjoyable and relaxing experience.
Here, you can take a look at an average set of daily operations typical for a dropshipping store owner.
It might seem a bit long, but hey, here’s the good news: you don’t have to do it all manually. There is a much more convenient solution developed by high-profile programmers with an actual experience in dropshiping.
The semi-automated solution, AliDropship plugin, can be used for adding products, changing their prices and descriptions, importing product reviews, transferring orders to AliExpress, viewing the online store statistics, and, in general, managing all the routine dropshipping processes.
If you can save tons of your business (and personal) time and delegate a lot of work to the plugin, why not go for it?
Please note: if you have any difficulties with the plugin’s technical issues, feel free to read our detailed dropshipping for beginners guide, or visit our help center.
Action plan to start dropshipping business
13. Find dropshipping products
Your store can’t function with no products in it.
If you have installed AliDropship solutions on your website, you can casually browse AliExpress, explore it, and add any items from the platform to your own store. It takes you only several seconds to import a product. Furthermore, you can upload as many items as you fancy because there are no limitations (still, we recommend you to read this guide on choosing the best AliExpress offers).
14. Pricing strategy
To get your rightfully earned profits, you need to think about your pricing strategy.
The price of an item in your store should be higher than the original AliExpress price of the same product.
The difference between these two prices is your profit!
Still, while increasing the prices in your online store, you need to remember that your buyers should be satisfied with their purchases. Ideally, you need to set a price that is low enough to lure your customers. At the same time, it should be high enough to bring you some revenue.
AliDropship plugin has a special feature that allows you to set up your own pricing markup rules and start selling online with a much higher rate of profit. After you add pricing formulas, your store products get updated automatically according to your rules. In addition, the plugin has special options that allow you easily round your prices or set a specific cent value for your retail price.
15. Marketing strategy
Without marketing your dropshipping store is nothing but an unknown website that can’t even be found. So, we highly recommend you to look through the latest online selling trends when developing your own marketing strategy.
You need to understand what marketing tools and channels you will use and how exactly you will attract potential buyers. Remember that your decisions heavily depend on the profile of your target audience.
When drawing up a marketing plan, don’t forget about SEO – the basis of any ecommerce marketing strategy. Without perfectly optimized product pages, it will be difficult to get to the first page of Google search and attract as many visitors as possible.
What has to be done?
Use different tools such as Google Keyword Planner to look for the most suitable keywords related to your dropshipping niche;
Add the Title, Description and Keywords metatags to your product pages;
Use the ALT attribute to describe the content of your product images.
SEO requires a lot of time and hard work but it will be definitely worth it in the long term.
Plus, you should consider your own financial opportunities: for example, if you are not ready to invest into paid promotions on Instagram, you can efficiently use a bunch of free promotion methods instead. The same is true for Facebook: you can either spend more money on precisely targeted Facebook ads to engage with the audience efficiently, or you can try more affordable promotions in social media if you like.
Malaysia was recognised at the recently concluded International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) Medical Travel Awards 2020 by winning the highly coveted ‘Health and Medical Tourism: Destination of the Year’ title. The win enhances Malaysia’s positioning as the World’s Healthcare Marvel and reflects the steadfast commitment from relevant organisations in ensuring a dedicated continuity of care from Malaysia Healthcare amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Taking home the highly coveted ‘Destination of the Year’ award marked the fourth time that Malaysia has claimed the title, having previously won it thrice in a row from 2015 – 2017. The results are evident in the progress of the industry whereby the country has received a total of 1.3 million healthcare travellers in 2019 as compared to 643,000 in 2011, further fortifying Malaysia’s status as a trusted destination in the eyes of the world.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) continued its winning streak by clinching an impressive fourth ‘Cluster of the Year’ award. This can be attributed to the solid public-private partnerships that have been integral to Malaysia Healthcare’s thriving growth for the past few years.
“We are immensely honoured to be bestowed with two awards by IMTJ. It is a privilege to receive the ‘Destination of the Year’ and ‘Cluster of the Year’ awards yet again as it signifies the global trust in our country’s excellent healthcare travel infrastructure and exemplary patient journey experience which have been made possible thanks to the dedication and effort from all parties. This motivates us to further improve our service delivery and to keep the Malaysia Healthcare brand flying high,” said Sherene Azli, CEO of MHTC.
Several of Malaysia’s leading private healthcare institutions also nabbed several prestigious wins at the awards:
Thompson Hospital Kota Damansara– Best Quality Initiative
Sunway Fertility Centre – International Fertility Clinic of the Year
Prince Court Medical Centre – International Hospital of the Year
Sunway Eye Centre – International Eye Clinic of the Year
As the healthcare travel industry continues to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysia Healthcare is proactively working on recovery plans for the industry by highlighting the nation’s abilities and strengths as a world-class quality healthcare provider. A core element is healthcare digitalisation, which enables continuity of care for patients.
“Our commitment in upholding Malaysia as the World’s Healthcare Marvel will never waver. While we work hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Health to ensure the stringent SOPs are closely followed as the safety of the public continues to be our topmost priority, we do look forward to the day when we are able to welcome healthcare travellers at full force to seek health and wellness treatments in Malaysia. Till then, we will continue to direct a more concentrated effort in driving sustainable industry growth for Malaysia to continually be recognised as the World’s Healthcare Marvel,” said Sherene.
Taking place on a virtual platform, the IMTJ Medical Travel Awards 2020 celebrates outstanding achievement in medical travel worldwide. Entries are evaluated by a panel of expert international judges: Keith Pollard, Editor-in-Chief of IMTJ; Executive Chairman of LaingBuisson, UK Chairman of the Judging Panel; Lutz Lungwitz, President of German Medical Wellness Association, Dr Claudia Mika, CEO of TEMOS, Laszlo Puczko, Founder of Health Tourism Worldwide, and Elizabeth Ziemba, President of Medical Tourism Training among others.
ABOUT THE MALAYSIA HEALTHCARE TRAVEL COUNCIL
The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is a government agency that has been entrusted with the responsibility of curating the country’s healthcare travel scene. Founded in 2009, MHTC works to streamline industry players and service providers in facilitating and growing Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry under the brand “Malaysia Healthcare” with the intended goal of making Malaysia the leading global healthcare destination.
INSIGHT2020 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
Malaysia Healthcare’s fifth annual medical travel market intelligence conference, insigHT2020, will be making its inaugural virtual debut this year from 23rd-26th November, bringing together industry movers and shakers under one platform to discuss the future growth of the industry. To find out more information, visit mhtc.org.my/insight2020/
MEDICAL TRAVEL MEDIA AWARDS 2020
Malaysia Healthcare will also host their second Medical Travel Media Awards virtually this year which aims to recognise medical travel journalism excellence. To find out more information, visit mhtc.org.my/mtma/
Start Planning Your Healthcare Journey with Malaysia Healthcare
To find out more information, visit malaysiahealthcare.org or contact the MHTC Call Centre: 1-800-188-688 (within Malaysia) or +603 272 68 688 (outside Malaysia), which operates from Mondays to Fridays from 9.00am to 6.00pm (GMT +8).
Experience a seamless end-to-end patient journey beginning at our Malaysia Healthcare Concierge and Lounge(s) located at:
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA): Arrival Hall, Gate 8 (+ 603 8776 6168)
Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2): Departure Area, Level 3 (+603 8778 5566)
