This was a stepping-stone to a career that, to this point, has included positions of all kinds, many in the retail industry. Each company has taught me an incredible amount about the power of partnerships, team dynamics, leadership, commerce, supply chain inefficiencies, and how to cultivate teamwork organically. As a 3rd-generation entrepreneur, I’ve also benefited from many behind-the-scenes moments from my parents’ journey. And for better or for worse, whether because of incredible mentors or business successes or company values that didn’t align with my own, I’ve also learned a ton at every stop about the company I would build…
AndMakers: Highlights from a Wild Year – and What’s Coming Next
At AndMakers, we entered 2020 hoping to grow our business and prove our concept of blending technology, fulfillment, and partnership expertise to enable retail entrepreneurs around the world to achieve scale and success. Just like everyone else, we had no idea what was actually about to happen: a global pandemic that changed the retail landscape forever. —- Before I dive into our 2020 highlights and what’s on the horizon for 2021, I’d like to give a heartfelt thanks to our partners (both suppliers and retailers) and to the hard-working (and fast-growing) team driving our achievements. Our team hustled and pivoted…
6 Must-Have Features of an eCommerce Website
Even if you have an incredible selection of fairly priced products, your eCommerce website isn’t guaranteed to convert the users who visit it. While big-budget eCommerce retailers have a lot of money and resources to devote to making their sites as user-friendly as possible, through great design, strategically placed widgets, and constant testing, even start-up eCommerce entrepreneurs can (and must) take advantage of certain best practices that get more revenue per site visit. In this post, we’ll look at six best practices each eCommerce website must include to increase their odds of enticing users to convert into customers. Know your…
7 Key Takeaways from Wayfair, Payoneer, and AndMakers on Achieving eCommerce Scale
On Oct. 20, AndMakers co-founder Lily Chan joined Wayfair’s Michael Zhang and Payoneer’s T. J. Hyland for a free webinar on helping eCommerce brands launch on Wayfair. Attendees got a ton of insights on how to break into the U.S. market, grow sales, cut down on returns, and more. Here are our top 7 takeaways from the event: COVID-19 is accelerating eCommerce growth. Michael estimates that COVID-19 has accelerated the eCommerce growth curve by five years, with reports showing that eCommerce has made huge gains in its share of the retail market. He also forecasts that many new online customers…
Get the Scoop: Million-Dollar eCommerce Insights from a Sr. Buyer at Wayfair
As part of our mission to help eCommerce makers of all sizes succeed in the U.S. retail market, the AndMakers team caught up with Wayfair Sr. International Accounts Specialist Izzy Krempa, who works with suppliers in Asia, to talk about the eCommerce boom in the time of COVID and how international suppliers can succeed on the fast-growing Wayfair marketplace. What kind of products in the home and garden category tend to get the fastest traction? In the current marketplace, we are finding that Office Furniture is clearly one of the fastest-growing categories on Wayfair as the demand continues to increase…
Why aren’t my products selling? It’s the images.
Want to know why your products aren’t moving faster from their listings on Amazon, eBay, Overstock, Wayfair, etc.? I’ll give you a hint: look at the images below from a well-reputed stroller company: Would you put your baby in that? Would the baby even be comfy? It’s tough to tell from the two very similar product angles, neither of which shows the stroller in use. And lo and behold, this product only has one rating (even though, again, this is a big brand, with >90K monthly searches): Contrast that stroller with this one (full listing here): The BOB stroller is…
The Makers’ Corner: Laurie O’Hara, Olita
As part of AndMakers’ mission to celebrate the Makers of the world, we’re starting an interview series with the leaders of some of our favorite brands. In this edition, we talk to Laurie O’Hara, Founder and CEO of eco-conscious sun care brand Olita. What inspired you to start Olita? Myself, my family, my friends – we’re outside all the time. It’s important to get outside and be active while being able to protect your skin. Most people have no idea of the extent that chemical sunscreen damages our environment (coral reefs, for instance) and our bodies. I started Olita to…