How can I be successful on the Marketplace? How do I increase visibility?

Being a successful entrepreneur online--whether that's in the Marketplace or on other platforms, like your own website, Etsy, or Amazon--can vary by industry and business model; but there are certain principles by which you will want to abide and that are contributing factors in the Alleghenies Marketplace.

Get Reviews for Your Store and Products

On the Marketplace

The Alleghenies Marketplace uses reviews as a primary factor for driving awareness to your store. We want every customer who comes through the Marketplace to have a consistent and positive experience, and reward merchants who help us achieve this goal. The homepage, product archives, and other marketing materials automatically show the products and merchants who've received the most positive reception from users.

What does this mean for you?

This means that one of the best ways you can continue driving traffic to your store is encouraging your customers to leave reviews on your profile and on specific products. Our system will naturally encourage them to review their experience, but you can strengthen the relationship with your customers by reaching out directly; emailing them; or even leaving a handwritten note when you ship an order to a first-time customer asking them to share their experience.

This helps you assess your performance, increase visibility, and build loyalty.

e-Commerce Best Practice: The Marketplace also lets you create coupon codes to share with your audience. Consider creating coupon codes as a way of thanking customers for their feedback and to drive repeat business!

Beyond the Marketplace

Many platforms, like Amazon, Etsy, eBay, and others rely heavily upon reviews for determining which stores have the greatest opportunities for traffic.

Beyond the practices listed in the above section, another factor to consider as you grow online beyond the Marketplace is that keeping track of reviews and responding in a timely manner also impacts your credibility and standing in any platform. You may have to balance reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp, Amazon, and others--simultaneously.

As a best practice, we consider developing a system through which you can aggregate feedback and systematically manage your online reputation. While some entrepreneurs develop internal operating procedures, others utilize reputation management software.

One software that accomplishes this task, and that you have access to as a Marketplace Merchant, is Business Intelligence. You can learn more in the Entrepreneur Resource Center.