If you are interested in making easy, quick and cool cash online then marketplaces are your best bet. Online marketplaces are platforms which enable buyers and sellers to meet, interact and conduct business quickly and conveniently. On online marketplaces, you can buy and sell anything ranging from cars, shoes, bags, furniture, clothing, phones, electronics and a whole lot more. In simple terms, an online marketplace is the online version of your local market.
Sell from home like a pro with Jiji
In Nigeria, the biggest online marketplace is Jiji.ng. Jiji.ng started operations in 2014 and quickly became a runaway success and choice destination for buyers and sellers looking to conduct fair and favourable business transactions. Jiji.ng currently lays claim to over 10 million monthly visitors and 1,000,000 + ads listed on the platform. So there is no better destination to go for expert guidance on how to be successful on marketplaces.
We asked some of the top management staff and highest grossing sellers on Jiji for some expert advice on how to be successful on marketplaces and captured their responses. You might want to take notes.
Ololade Odueso, Car Dealer On Jiji – Increase your number of ads
‘’From my experience, the higher the number of ads you have, the better, as you will have more chances of being discovered. Of course, this is in addition to making use of premium services to sell if available. Also, it is advisable to set prices which are the average prices. Some sellers set high prices to give themselves the opportunity to bargain but I have found that this discourages and puts off potential buyers.’’
Chukwuka Anyado, Sports Equipment Seller On Jiji – Start small, move with the trends, grow
‘’From Jiji, I was able to locate new trends in my line of business, I see a lot of new sports items I should stock in my shop. I will also conclude that the idea of paying heavy shop rents needs to be reconsidered, everything has gone digital, most of the customers are on the internet, make demand, and I then use a dispatch rider to send the goods to them. For a beginner, Jiji makes it easier, you just get a small place. If not, your living house can still be of use. Gradually u see yourself growing.’’
Vitalii Sharovarov, CMO – Improve the quality of your ads
‘’Easy or not ― being successful on Jiji means to constantly work on the quality of your ads. Improve titles, take better pictures, describe your product as detailed as you can. And remember to always monitor how other sellers do it ― competitor analysis will always bring you ideas on how to make higher sales.’’
Valeriia Kovtykha, Jiji Brand Manager – Build trust
‘’It’s crucial to get trusted. You continuously build your reputation: starting by describing your product in the advert and finishing with getting feedback from your customers. Most buyers aren’t ready to buy if they can’t find proof that you’re a reliable person. Help them understand that you are pro ― take care of the whole purchasing process and remove any barriers. It’s no secret that people are afraid of prepayments, so make sure you have a ‘pay on delivery’ option. But how to get more reviews on Jiji? Remember: if you want to get something, just ask for it. Every time you make a successful deal, ask your clients to leave feedback about their experience with you. We even created a special button, so you may click on it and copy a link to your feedback page. Everything is possible! Just build your reputation at every stage and pay attention to details.’’
Olumide Akapo, Head of Sales – Sell a good and quality product
“It is very important to sell only good and quality products. Once you get known for selling quality products, you can be assured of getting repeat sales and referrals. You know that aside from price, one thing Nigerians love more than anything is quality, so do not compromise on that!”
Chizitara Onyewuchi, User Support Technician – Keep in touch even after sales
“Try to ask the customers for their names so you can continue to keep in touch and relate with them on a first name basis. It’s not enough to save a customer’s name with ‘Toyota Corolla buyer’ or ‘Mini skirt customer’ and then cut off ties. Remember that people are going to ask the buyer where he/she got that new car/shoe/house/console/appliance of whatever you might have sold and he/she can very easily give you a referral.”
Ephraim Adiele, Social Media Manager – Link your account to your social media
‘’It is important to link your social media account to your marketplace profile. It’s a symbiotic relationship. Your marketplace is like a company website and your social media page is like the customer care personnel. Everyone is on social media these days, so linking your social media to your marketplace website will go a long way in increasing sales, especially if you augment adverts on your marketplace with posts about your products on your social media pages’’
Olajide Ajibola, Visual Communications Specialist – Use clear and professional pictures
“Photos are what sells your product. Include photos from different angles, use close-ups as well as full-view shots. Get a decent camera, play around with lighting and photo editing apps, until you achieve professional-looking images. Do not use pictures downloaded from the internet as buyers tend to trust ads with actual pictures”
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to make money online most especially in these trying times! Simply download the app here to create an online shop for free or use it to sell whatever you want and rake in huge profits.
