AboutJim Novo Expertise Questions about using customer data to inmprove online profitability, particularly in retailing. Topics include profiling customers using weblogs, figuring out which ads generate the highest value customers, how to reduce the numnber of 1x buyers, how to generate higher sales from current customers, customer analysis, ROI calculation, reducing discounts while increasing resaponse rates. Do you collect customer data (purchases, page views, surveys) and not really use it for anything? Want to find out how? Just ask.
Experience
Past/Present clients Cellular One, MBNA, SteelTorch Software, Retek Direct, CBS Sportsline, Kobie Marketing, Aerial, Tupperware, Barnes and Noble, Comcast Corporation, Home Shopping Network
Question I have a question about drop shipping. I have asked in other groups and it is like people don't have a clue as to what I am talking about. How does drop shipping work? what are advantages and disadvantages of drop shipping? i heard with drop shipping u keep 100% of the profits. do you know any legit drop shipping companies?
Answer I've answer 16 questions on drop shipping over the years, every question you have is probably answered somewhere in there. Use this link:
Generally, I think the drop ship business model is a bad idea, it's frequently run by "get rich quick" folks and they're the only ones getting rich. You may keep 100% of the profits but those profits are calculated AFTER they take their cut - it's a business, right?
Retail on the web *thrives* on uniqueness, it's what drives everything. The drop ship model says "we want you to sell the exact same thing 100,000 other people are selling".
How could that approach possibly work out positively? You will end up in a price fight to see who can lose the most money the fastest.
Find people in your community that create or sell unique items, and offer to help them sell on the web, at first through eBay or a Yahoo store, and then if it works, through your own site. That plan has a chance of working out very well - low risk, low cost upfront.
