While Punxsutawney Phil may have seen his shadow on Groundhog Day, February 2, 2012, on the other side of the country in Seattle, WA ‘Ecommerce Phil’ popped his head out to see a very bright and sunny spring selling season online ahead!

Rather than burrowing back underground, Ecommerce Phil is busily out sourcing new products to sell during the spring and summer season.

Fueled by robust 2011 online holiday sales and a stellar 65% Q4 for 3rd party merchants on Amazon, Ecommerce Phil knows he needs to get his best spring and summer merchandise online fast!

So what products is Ecommerce Phil planning to sell online this spring and summer?

Well to plan his inventory strategy, he first took a look at his Online Marketing Calendar to see what the upcoming Spring and Summer selling seasons are.  And this is what he found:

February

• Valentines Day
• Black History Month
• National Weddings Month
• Superbowl Sunday
• Mardi Gras
• Oscar Night
• Pre-gardening season

March

• Saint Patrick’s Day
• National Craft Month
• First Day of Spring

April:

• International Guitar month
• Lawn and Garden month
• Easter
• Earth Day
• Spring Break

Products to Source:

• 1. Solar power walkway and garden lights
  2. Composters
  3. Greenhouses
  4. Houseplants
  5. Seeds
  6. Flower Bulbs
  7. Planters
  8. Raised Beds
  9. Supplies
  10. Gardening Tools
  11. Yard & Deck products
  12. Sheds
  13. Area rugs
  14. Firepits
  15. Ceiling fans
  16. Grills
  17. Hammocks
  18. Hose Carts/Reels
  19. Outdoor Storage
  20. Solar Lights
  21. Pest Control
  22. Bicycles/Accessories
  23. Kites
  24. Blinds/shades/curtains/hardware
  25. Neon colored clothes, shoes, accessories for women and kids
  26. Cosmetics in new spring colors
  27. Handbags in spring colors and styles
  28. Perfume
  29. Big ride on toys for kids
  30. Swimwear
  31. Sunglasses
  32. Soccer cleats/clothes
  33. Baby gear
  34. Wedding favors
  35. Bridal shower supplies
  36. Bridal accessories
  37. Home spa products
  38. Footbaths
  39. Aromatherapy machines
  40. Super Bowl related football jersey/memorabilia
  41. Mardi-Gras party decorations
  42. Saint Patrick’s Day decorations
  43. Home decor in bright, spring colors
  44. Car care and maintenance products
  45. Luggage
  46. Walking/jogging clothes and accessories
  47. Spray on tan products
  48. Easter candy
  49. Easter decorations
  50. Easter costumes
  51. Easter books
  52. Eco-friendly clothing
  53. Eco-friendly furniture
  54. Eco-friendly cosmetics
  55. Eco-friendly health and beauty products
  56. Solar batteries
  57. BPA Free food containers
  58. Snowboards (source on clearance)
  59. Skiing products (source on clearance)
  60. Winter clothes/boots/accessories (source on clearance)

This is just a sampling of products that Ecommerce Phil is out sourcing!

Think about what products are new for spring and summer in your niche! Check with your wholesale suppliers.  Look through your supplier catalogs.

Whether sourcing products wholesale to sell on Amazon or using arbitrage sourcing to fuel the pipeline.

It’s a fresh new selling season and online shoppers are looking for fresh new products!

What new products will you bring to the marketplace this season?

-Lisa

One of the big challenges that smaller online merchants have is tapping into suppliers for super-hot, name-brand, in-demand, in-season inventory.

There’s not a week that goes by that I don’t received emails from people asking how they can get access to supplier names for the latest gadgets, in-season fashions, designer shoes and handbags or the latest and greatest hot toy .

But the issue is not in getting the supplier names.  That’s the easy part!  The issue is that many big name brand suppliers (i.e. Apple, Nike, Microsoft, UGG ) won’t sell directly to you.

Case in point… this week’s launch of the Missoni for Target product line launch. A launch with a shopping frenzy so intense, it brought the Target.com website to its knees  (Who says people aren’t shopping?) and set the perfect stage for eBay sellers to make a tidy profit!

As an independent online merchant, there’s no way you can get your hands on these products directly from the supplier.  It’s a Target exclusive. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t sell and profit from this uber-hot product line!  In fact, many online sellers have!

How you ask?

By tracking trends and using arbitrage sourcing.

Tracking Trends and Arbitrage Sourcing

Savvy online sellers who kept tabs on the fashion industry knew that the highly anticipated Missoni for Target line was scheduled to launch on September 13th. This limited edition line, that features the Missoni “zig-zag” design has been well-publicized and will only be available in Target stores and online through October 22, 2011.

By tracking trends,  you’d be able to forecast that this kind of limited edition product line with a high pre-launch demand was likely to sell out.  A key indicator that it’s ripe for some arbitrage sourcing!

And the trend trackers did just that! They made sure they were first in line on Tuesday to arbitrage source this in-demand merchandise.

And it paid off.

• Missoni candles that sell for $12.99 at Target sold for $99.99 on eBay

• The Zig-Zag Spinner Upright Luggage Suitcase that retailers for $169 at Target sold for up to $305

• $44 Missoni sweaters are selling on eBay for $120

An easy $299 profit (less fees) for a simple arbitrage sourcing trip to Target! (or Target.com)

And the list goes on!

A Missoni Bike just sold for $1500 on Craigslist – 4 times it’s original Target price!

All together, Missoni and Target plan to release 400 items over the next 30 or so days, which are projected to sell out.

But that’s  just one example of the profitable combination of trend tracking and arbitrage sourcing.

You can use this process with any product, in any niche. And you don’t even have to arbitrage source super-hot, name-brand products!

Recently I picked up some discontinued Lego sets that were marked down 70% at Target. Once Lego discontinues a set and supply diminishes, they go up in value.

At 70% off, my cost of goods was much less than anything I could have sourced from Lego (if they would even sell directly to me, which they won’t!)

Now I’ll pack them up, ship them to Amazon FBA and let Amazon do the rest!

This blog post is not about how to capitalize on the Missoni/Target partnership.

The purpose of this post is to show you how the process of tracking trends and arbitrage sourcing works.

… And how profitable it can be.

The key in knowing what to buy is in keeping an eye on the trends. In your niche, product category, product line. Without tracking the trends before-hand, you’ll end up being a “me-too” seller, trying to to sell products off a hotlist.

By tracking the trends in a niche, you know that certain models, styles, products are hot and/or which are in limited supply (or being discontinued).

You stay ahead of the curve.  You’ll know when you see a good deal. And that knowledge is where the money is made.

How about you?  Do you track trends? Have you tried arbitrage sourcing?

Tell me below!

-Lisa

Running an ecommerce business costs money.

Whether it’s buying a new computer with faster processing capabilities, sourcing new inventory so you can sell more and make more, updating your workspace to make it more efficient or, bringing in project based help to get your holiday inventory listed…

It takes money to grow.

Unfortunately for small (and especially home-based, online businesses) the availability of growth-captial is in short supply. Especially from traditional sources such as banks and credit cards.

Enter Kabbage, an Atlanta based company with one goal – “Funding for your online business.”

Kabbage provides short-term loans to online sellers using credentials that other lenders don’t/won’t. They use marketplace and PayPal data from your online business to process your request for capital. An analysis that includes things like transaction volume and consistency, customer feedback/reviews, your product line and more.

Understanding the World of Online Sellers

What sets Kabbage apart from a traditional lender is that they understand the world of online sales, whereas many traditional banks do not.  In fact, traditional lending institutions can be downright leery of lending money to a home-based online sellers – even those with a proven track record.

Kabbage also understands that many online sellers only need a short-term loan to help them get to the next level.

It may only take $1000 to attend a trade show or $3000 to source new inventory once you’re there, but not having access to that $4000 means the difference between your ability to grow your business or staying stuck until you can earn enough money to fund your tradeshow trip or buy new inventory.

Kabbage Founder and CEO Rob Frohwein says:

“Thousands of online merchants have obtained working capital and grown their businesses since our push into the market in April 2011. Although small business fuels the majority of growth in the U.S., it is extremely difficult and time consuming for these businesses to apply for and actually receive financing from a traditional bank. Kabbage fills this need by providing money to these businesses in a quick, easy and painless way, helping them to further grow their businesses and boost the economy.”

Online sellers can apply and be approved for a short-term advance, also known as “Kabbage Kash” in minutes. Once approved, you can use your cash advance line if/when you need it.

It’s free to apply and be approved. Once you use your cash advance, you have six months to repay it. Cash advance rates are determined by your credit history and store performance, as well as the length of time you keep the cash advance. If you pay it back earlier than 6 months, you’ll pay less.

Kabbage has a patented technology that enables them to evaluate seller’s businesses and credit history. Currently Kabbage supports eBay sellers, Amazon sellers and Yahoo store owners.

This week Kabbage announced that they’ve just received $17 million in funding which will allow them to add funding support for merchants who sell on Facebook, Etsy, Sears and Shopify.

Your Ability to Source Quality Inventory Increases Your Sales

I first met the folks from Kabbage this spring and recently caught up with them again here in Seattle at the Amazon Seller’s Conference in July.

At that time, I sat down with Russell Walraven to talk more about the company’s goals to help online sellers grow. Fresh off the announcement that Kabbage would now be supporting Amazon sellers, Russell said that the response to Kabbage cash advances was overwhelmingly positive.  Seller after seller stopped by the booth to tell the Kabbage group that the #1 thing they need is cash to buy more inventory. With Amazon sales skyrocketing off into the stratosphere, lack of product to sell was the only thing holding back Amazon sellers from selling more.

Interestingly, Amazon category managers at the conference told me the same thing. “We need more product. Amazon’s growth is only limited by product selection. And we’re looking to 3rd party merchants to fill that need.”

Kabbage provides a win-win situation for online sellers ready to expand.

Many of my clients and students have already applied for and used Kabbage as a source of funding for their business.  They’ve raved about the simplicity of applying and the fact that Kabbage speaks in “plain english” as just two of the reasons they feel that the folks at Kabbage understand their needs as online sellers.

You can learn more about Kabbage and see if you qualify for an advance in seconds.

-Lisa

Watch me spot and research a hot niche market in under 10 minutes.

The clues that lead to finding a profitable niche market for your physical product, info product or affiliate marketing business are everywhere!

You can repeat this simple process and find new, profitable niche markets on a regular basis!