Is selling on Sears Marketplace the solution to growing your ecommerce business?

Ecommerce gives you an opportunity to reach millions of shoppers with money to spend but the fiercely competitive sector means businesses that are to reach their full growth potential need to stay alert to market trends. Could the innovative and rapidly growing Sears Marketplace be the solution that you’re looking for? Did you know that over half of global internet users have made an online purchase in the last twelve months? That’s more than one billion sales occurring every year. The growing market gives e-retailers a chance to increase their current market share to boost profits and expand their audience. But with thousands of different ecommerce stores to choose from, consumers have more options than ever before, making it a challenge for businesses to grow their operations.

Geographical location no longer restricts consumers, they’re free to shop online with businesses from all over the world. For ecommerce businesses, it’s a double edged sword. On the one hand, you can reach potential customers far from where you’re based but you’re also competing with thousands of other businesses offering similar products. It’s a challenge to drive traffic directly to your site when you’re competing on such an intense level. This is where marketplaces come in.

Online shoppers today want convenience. They want to be able to head to a single site, find the best bargains, and easily pay for their goods, all in just a few clicks. Marketplaces that stock products from numerous different sellers provide an easy way for buyers to browse for the goods they want in a single destination. The demand from consumers and the potential that marketplaces offer sellers means that more and more platforms are being created and utilised.

While some marketplaces are just that, others are being launched by retail businesses that already have an established presence in the sector, giving them the influence of reputation and supporting independent ecommerce businesses. One of those selling platforms that has the opportunity to help e-retailers grow is the Sears Sellers Marketplace.

What is Sears Seller Central?

Firstly, you might be wondering what Sears Seller Central actually is.

Sears is an American chain of department stores that was founded in 1892. This impressive heritage means it’s become a household name. Stocking a huge variety of products, Sears is the USA’s 23rd largest retailer, reaching a huge market audience when you consider the sheer size of the US retail market alone.

Recognising the power of offering choice to consumers, the Sears brand has provided the e-commerce community a chance to sell their products through the site since 2009. With a huge range of product categories, ranging from beauty and clothing to TVs and electronics, it represents a unique chance for e-commerce businesses to expand their reach and tap into a huge online community of shoppers.

Selling on Sears Marketplace allows sellers to pay based on performance. That means you’re not wasting money if it’s not generating results for you, instead, you pay only when a customer is interested - it’s the ideal way to test the benefits of using an online marketplace to improve business.

Why would you choose Sears Seller Central?

With so many different options to choose from when it comes to marketplaces that you can work with, you might be wondering why you should choose Sears Seller Central. Well, there are more than a few benefits that might just sway you:

• Access tens of millions of shoppers - The key advantage you get from Sears is the sheer size of its audience. Tens of millions of shoppers head to the website to browse, giving you a unique opportunity to rapidly get your products seen by more consumers. It gives you a huge amount of growth potential in just the few clicks it takes for you to create an account.
• Connect with relevant shoppers - Other campaigns might drive people to your products but are they relevant shoppers? People looking through the Sears website know what to expect. With a targeted, engaged audience it gives you a greater chance of converting leads into revenue.
• Benefit from reputation and trust - As an independent seller it’s easy to struggle with establishing a trusting relationship with consumers in the retail sector. When you partner with Sears you’re benefitting from the reputation it has built up over more than a century.
• Develop an in-store presence - When you shop in-store at Sears, you might have noticed the kiosks - these connect shoppers to their huge online catalogue, including those sold by partners of Sears Seller Central. An in-store presence can prove invaluable and gives you an opportunity to reach a whole new market.
• Create delivery convenience for customers - Digital shoppers expect convenience in every aspect of their online shopping experience. If you have an online store it’s likely that you simply deliver right to customers’ doorsteps. But working with Sears gives you even more options that consumers will appreciate. For example, you’ll be able to offer click and collect delivery for those with modern, busy schedules.
• Pay per performance - Unlike other online marketplaces, you don’t simply pay to be listed on the Sears Marketplace. Instead you pay based on the performance of each of your listed items, giving you the confidence that you won’t be left out of pocket. The commission charged on each item varies between categories, ranging from 5.5% to 14.5%.
• No long-term commitment - You’re not going to be tied into a long-term contract either. You can cancel your Sears Marketplace account at any point if you discover it’s not for you. So, you don’t have to worry about opportunities emerging at a later date or investing money over months if it proves to be a platform that doesn’t meet your expectations.

Of course, there are challenges with selling on Sears Marketplace. You’re no doubt already selling directly on your own website and you might be using other marketplaces, such as Amazon or eBay. Keeping catalogues in sync and updated across all platforms is no small task. It can be a time-consuming process too, particularly if you regularly refresh your stock across several different selling platforms.

Luckily for you, there is a simple way to use Sears Seller Central with Shopping Cart Elite.

How to take advantage of the benefits of selling on Sears Marketplace

If you’re intrigued by the opportunities that Sears Marketplace has to offer your ecommerce business but don’t have the capabilities to manage multiple listings across varied platforms yet, we provide you with a tailored solution. Using Shopping Cart Elite provides you with a simple, efficient, and convenient way to really take advantage of the traffic and interest you can generate through using Sears Marketplace. Even if you’re using other marketplace options that are currently available in the thriving and rapidly developing sector, such as Etsy or Rakuten Shopping, we make the process simple.

From creating listings, updating prices, syncing inventory, and receiving orders, we cover all the basics through a simple, adaptable piece of software that was built with ambitious, independent sellers in mind. We put the power to take advantage of the benefits of selling on Sears Marketplace in your hands, helping your reach your full potential. So, how does Shopping Cart Elite support your omni-channel efforts?

• Create one catalogue - We understand how time consuming creating listings can be. That’s why we created a place where you can effortlessly build up your catalogue that can then be added across all the marketplaces you use in bulk if you choose. The powerful automation tool will save you time and resources.
• Effortlessly update - Just like when you’re creating listings, we make it simple for you to update them too. In a single click, customers visiting any of your platforms will be able to benefit from the latest product information, pricing strategy, or new images.
• Use listing templates - Speed up your listing capabilities even further by using listing templates. Once you’ve created your standard templates, you’ll be able to insert them in any product content, speeding up the process. Whether used for general information, such as shipping and returns, or item specifics, it will save you an invaluable amount of time.
• Manage multiple accounts - If you’re selling a range of items, it can be beneficial to have more than one account on a single marketplace, allowing you to build a brand and target different audiences. You’ll still only need one Shopping Cart Elite account to manage all those products you’re putting into your digital storefronts.
• Optimize your descriptions - One way of working doesn’t necessarily resonate with another platform. We make it seamless to customize very aspect of your listing, from the title to the pricing, based on where it’s going to be posted. It means you’re in complete control of optimizing each of your listings and it can even be used to conduct a useful A/B test to understand what connects with consumers.

So, what are you waiting for? Explore how the combination of selling on Sears marketplace and using Shopping Cart Elite could transform your business today.