You’ve set up your store.

You’ve posted incredible products that help your customers.

But your sales are still slow – how can you change this?

While most business owners are no strangers to marketing, the strategies for driving sales in online marketplaces are a whole different game.

Ideally, your store can reach thousands of people with just a click, but your sales will not come if you don’t make an effort.

Online marketplaces are notorious for being hyper-competitive, and if you want to stand out and drive more sales here, you need to step up your game.

In this guide, we’ll let you in some actionable tips and strategies on how you can have more sales.

Top Online Marketplaces in the Philippines

Here are the top online marketplaces in the Philippines today.

Shopee

With over 17 million monthly web visitors (as of 2022), Shopee has become the go-to platform for online shoppers in the Philippines.

With its user-friendly interface, great deals, fast shipping, and convenient payment options, it’s no wonder why Filipinos love Shopee.

Lazada

Lazada is another popular online marketplace in the Philippines, with over 37 million monthly web visitors (as of 2022).

It offers a wide range of products, from electronics to fashion, and has a reputation for being a reliable and trustworthy platform.

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace has quickly carved out a place in the Philippine online marketplace scene. It is built in on the Facebook platform, and its goal is to directly connect buyers and sellers with each other.

Facebook Marketplace is great for sellers whose target audience are people in their vicinity.

Carousell

Carousell is a C2C marketplace where users can buy and sell second-hand items in a wide range of categories.

This platform is perfect for those looking for great deals on gently used items or for those who want to declutter and sell their unwanted items.

TikTok Shop

TikTok shop is a relatively new player in the online marketplace scene in the Philippines, but it has already gained a loyal following thanks to its active users.

With its young demographic and viral content, TikTok shop offers a fresh and exciting way to shop online.

Zalora

When it comes to fashion, Zalora is the top online marketplace in the Philippines.

With its extensive collection of local and international brands, Zalora has quickly become the go-to platform for those looking for trendy and stylish pieces.

9 Expert Tips on How to Sell More on the Top Online Marketplaces in the Philippines

Struggling to drive sales on the top online marketplaces in the Philippines? Here are 10 expert tips to help you sell more products.

1. Optimize Your Product Listings 

You’ve spent countless hours creating your products and setting up your shop. Now it’s time to make sure they’re showcased in the best possible light.

When it comes to marketplace optimization, first impressions are everything. Make sure your product listings are optimized with high-quality images, detailed descriptions, and accurate pricing.

Importance of using high-quality images 

Your product images are the window to your store. Customers will base their first impressions of your products on these images, so it’s important to make sure they stand out.

Not only that, but high-quality images can help to showcase your products in the best possible light, making them more appealing to potential buyers.

If possible, invest in a camera that can capture high-resolution images. Even your phone camera will do. You may also hire a photographer to take photos of your products.

High-quality images can not only come from professionals or yourself, but also from your previous customers.

Encourage them to share photos of your products in use, and feature those images in your product listings to add a personal touch and social proof.

Writing compelling product descriptions 

Once you have captivating product images, the next step is to write compelling product descriptions that will engage and attract potential buyers.

Each description must be thorough and informative. More than that, it must highlight your product’s unique features and benefits.

The way your product description is written should also be done specifically for your target audience. If you’re selling fashion items, using fun and trendy language can help appeal to a younger audience.

If you’re selling electronics, using technical terms and jargon can help establish your expertise and credibility.

Utilizing SEO techniques to increase visibility 

Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial when it comes to online marketplaces. By using relevant keywords and other tools, you can help your products appear higher in search results, therefore increasing their visibility and driving more traffic to your store.

Research the most commonly used search terms related to your products and incorporate them into your product titles, descriptions, and tags.

You can also improve your SEO by linking your product listings to your social media pages and other relevant websites, and by regularly posting relevant content that links back to your store.

If you’re not an SEO expert, don’t worry. You can use a ton of online tools and resources to help you.

2. Offer Competitive Pricing 

Setting the right price for your products is crucial to driving sales in online marketplaces.

Keep in mind that pricing isn’t just about offering the lowest price possible. You also need to consider the value of your products and the level of quality you are offering.

If you have a unique product that provides exceptional value, you can charge a higher price and still attract customers.

Researching competitors’ prices 

It’s important to research your competitors’ prices and adjust your prices accordingly.

Take note of the prices of similar or identical products to yours, and make sure yours are priced competitively within that range.

If your prices are too high, potential buyers may be deterred from making a purchase.

On the other hand, if your prices are too low, buyers may question the quality of your products. Striking a balance between affordability and quality is key.

Setting competitive prices 

Once you have researched your competitors’ prices, it’s time to set your own prices.

You can choose to price your products slightly lower than your competitors to attract more customers, or you can offer promotions and discounts to entice customers to make a purchase.

However, be careful not to price your products too low as it may give the impression of poor quality or lack of value.

Offering discounts and promotions 

Offering discounts and promotions are a great way to attract customers and drive sales on online marketplaces.

Consider offering free shipping for a limited time, or offering discounts for customers who purchase multiple items from your store.

You can also offer promotions during special events like holidays, during specific seasons, or dates like January 1 (1.1), February 2 (2.2.), and so on.

Make sure to advertise your promotions on your product listings and social media pages to maximize their visibility.

3. Provide Excellent Customer Service 

Providing excellent customer service is key to sales retention and building a loyal customer base on online marketplaces.

With great customer service, you can create a positive shopping experience for your customers, which can lead to repeat business and positive reviews. This will also help you establish trust and credibility.

Responding promptly to customer inquiries 

One of the most important aspects of excellent customer service is prompt and courteous responses to customer inquiries.

Make sure to respond to messages and inquiries in a timely manner, even if it’s just to let the customer know that you received their message and will get back to them.

Resolving customer complaints effectively 

Be proactive in offering assistance and support to your customers. If a customer has a problem with their order or needs help navigating your store, offer to help them in any way you can.

Even if you don’t have an immediate solution to their problem, always reassure them that you are working on it and will do everything you can to help.

Offering post-purchase support 

Your customer service doesn’t end once the purchase is made. Offering post-purchase support can be a great way to enhance customer experience and build loyalty.

Send follow-up messages to ensure that your customers are satisfied with their purchase and offer assistance if needed. You can also provide helpful tips and advice on how to use or take care of the product.

4. Leverage Social Media 

Social media is a powerful tool for promoting your online marketplace and attracting potential customers.

By leveraging social media, you can increase brand awareness, engage with your audience, and drive traffic to your store.

Creating social media profiles for your business 

The first step to leveraging social media is to create profiles for your business on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok.

Make sure to complete your profiles with all relevant information about your store, including your store name, website, and contact information.

Don’t forget your logo and a description of what you offer. This will help potential customers find and connect with your business.

Promoting your products on social media 

After setting up your social media profiles, it’s time to start promoting your products. Share high-quality images and videos of your products and include compelling descriptions highlighting their unique features and benefits.

Use relevant hashtags to increase visibility and encourage your followers to share your posts with their own followers.

Don’t forget to post user-generated content. This can be a great way to showcase your products in use. Also encourage your customers to share photos and videos of themselves using your products and repost them on your social media pages.

Engaging with potential customers 

Engaging with potential customers on social media is key to building a loyal following and attracting new customers.

Respond to comments and messages promptly, and engage with your followers by asking questions and starting conversations.

This can help you establish a personal connection with your audience and make your brand more relatable.

5. Use Paid Advertising 

Using paid advertising can be a great way to increase the visibility of your online marketplace and attract new customers.

By investing in targeted advertising, you can reach a wider audience and drive more traffic to your store.

When creating social media ads, make sure to use eye-catching images and copy that entices viewers to click through to your store.

You can also include a call-to-action that encourages viewers to make a purchase or sign up for your email list.

When following these tips below, make sure to track the success of your paid advertising campaigns using analytics tools.

This will allow you to see which ads are performing well and which ones need tweaking to improve their effectiveness.

Utilizing paid advertising on the online marketplaces 

One effective way to use paid advertising on online marketplaces is through sponsored product listings.

By paying to have your products appear on the home page or in the suggested products section, you can increase their visibility and drive more traffic to your store.

Use relevant keywords and high-quality images to make your listings stand out and entice potential customers to click through.

Running ads on social media

Another effective way to use paid advertising is to run ads on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

These platforms offer highly targeted advertising options, allowing you to reach potential customers based on their interests, demographics, and behaviors.

You can choose to run ads that promote your store or specific products.

Google Ads 

Google Ads can also be a powerful tool for promoting your online marketplace’s product listings and attracting new customers.

By creating targeted ads that appear in Google search results, you can reach potential customers who are actively searching for products like yours.

6. Utilize Influencer Marketing 

Influencer marketing can be a highly effective way to promote your online marketplace and reach a wider audience. By partnering with influencers in your niche, you can leverage their following to promote your products and brand.

Finding influencers relevant to your niche 

To start with influencer marketing, it’s important to find influencers who are relevant to your niche.

Look for influencers who have a following that overlaps with your target audience, and whose aesthetics and values align with your brand.

You can use Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to search for influencers in your niche. The key is to find influencers with high engagement rates and authentic followings.

Partnering with influencers to promote your products 

Once you have identified a list of potential influencers, it’s time to reach out and start building relationships.

Send personalized messages introducing yourself and your brand, and express your interest in collaborating.

Offer to send free products in exchange for a review or a post on their social media channels.

You can also offer them a commission or a percentage of the sales generated from their post. If you have the budget, you can pay influencers for their effort.

When partnering with influencers, make sure to set clear expectations and guidelines for the partnership.

Communicate your brand’s message and values so they can create content that is authentic and aligned with your brand.

Measuring the success of influencer campaigns 

To measure the success of your influencer marketing campaigns, it’s important to track metrics such as engagement rates, reach, and conversions.

Look at the engagement rates of the influencer’s posts, such as likes, comments, and shares.

This will help you gauge the level of interest and interaction from their followers.

You can also review the reach of their post and compare it to your average reach. This will give you an idea of the scale of the influencer’s impact on your brand.

7. Encourage Customer Reviews 

Encouraging customer reviews is an essential part of building social proof and credibility for your e-commerce business.

Positive reviews can help persuade potential customers to make a purchase, and can also boost your search engine rankings.

Asking customers to leave reviews 

To encourage customers to leave reviews, make it easy for them by sending follow-up messaging after a purchase, asking them to leave a review on your marketplace page.

You can also include a personalized message on the packaging of the product itself.

Responding to reviews, both positive and negative 

Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, is crucial in building trust with your customers.

As much as you can, respond to every review, thanking those who left positive ones for their support, and addressing the concerns of those who left negative ones.

When responding to negative reviews, be empathetic and offer solutions to address their issues. This shows that you care about their experience and are willing to make it right.

When responding to positive reviews, use it as an opportunity to engage with your customers and thank them for their support.

Utilizing reviews to improve your products and business 

Utilizing feedback from customer reviews is an effective way to improve your products and business. Pay attention to the common themes and issues that arise in reviews, and use them to make changes to your products.

Also, take note of the products that receive the most positive reviews, and consider investing in more inventory or expanding your product line in that category.

For products that receive negative reviews, consider making changes to the design, packaging, or customer service experience.

In addition to improving your products, use customer feedback to improve your business operations.

If customers consistently mention slow shipping times or difficulty contacting customer service, take steps to address these issues and improve your customer’s experience.

8. Expand Your Product Range 

Expanding your product range is a great way to attract new customers and keep current ones coming back.

By offering a wider variety of products, you can appeal to a broader range of interests and needs.

Adding new products to your inventory 

To add new products to your inventory, start by researching what products are in demand in your niche.

Look at what your competitors are offering and identify any gaps in the market that you can fill. Do not forget to consider if the products are aligned with your brand’s values and aesthetics.

Upselling and cross-selling to existing customers 

In addition to adding new products to your inventory, upselling and cross-selling to existing customers can also help expand your product range.

Upselling involves offering customers a higher-end version of the product they are already interested in.

For example, if a customer is looking at a basic laptop, you could offer them a more advanced model with extra features.

Meanwhile, cross-selling involves offering customers complementary products to the one they are already interested in. For example, if a customer buys a camera, you could offer them a camera bag, tripod, or memory card.

To upsell and cross-sell effectively, make sure to understand your customers’ needs and preferences first. Do not be too aggressive.

Researching and testing new product ideas 

Researching and testing new product ideas is another way to expand your product range and attract new customers.

Start by conducting market research to identify potential product ideas based on customer demand and trends in your niche.

Once you have a list of potential products, test them out with a small group of customers or by offering them as a limited-time promotion.

This will help you gauge customer interest and collect feedback to make any necessary adjustments before fully investing in the product.

When testing new products, consider the production and fulfillment process as well.

Can you source the materials and manufacture the product at a reasonable cost? Can you fulfill orders in a timely and efficient manner?

These are important factors to consider before launching a new product.

Another way to expand your product range is by collaborating with other brands or influencers.

Partnering with a brand that shares similar values and aesthetics can help you reach a new audience and offer complementary products to your existing ones.

By expanding your product range, you can also differentiate yourself from competitors and offer customers more value.

However, it’s important to balance adding new products with maintaining quality and consistency across your entire inventory.

9. Analyze Your Performance 

Analyzing your performance is crucial in understanding the effectiveness of your marketing strategies, product offerings, and overall business operations.

By regularly reviewing and analyzing key metrics, you can make data-driven decisions to improve your performance and drive growth.

Tracking sales data and key performance indicators 

To analyze your performance, start by tracking sales data and key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, conversion rates, and customer retention.

This will help you identify trends and areas where you can improve.

Use analytics tools such as Google Analytics or social media insights to understand which marketing channels are driving the most traffic and sales.

This will help you allocate your marketing budget more effectively and optimize your campaigns for better performance.

In addition to analyzing sales data, also track customer feedback and satisfaction.

Monitoring customer reviews and feedback can help you identify any issues with your products or customer service, and make improvements to address them.

Analyzing trends and identifying areas for improvement 

Analyzing trends and identifying areas for improvement is an ongoing process that requires regularly reviewing and updating your strategies.

Look for patterns in your sales data and customer feedback to identify areas where you can make improvements.

For example, if you notice that certain products consistently receive negative reviews, consider making changes to the design, packaging, or customer service experience.

If you notice that customers are abandoning their shopping carts at a high rate, re-evaluate your checkout process and make changes to reduce friction.

Similarly, if you notice that certain marketing channels are not driving the results you want, consider reallocating your budget to more effective channels or tweaking your messaging and targeting.

Regularly analyzing your performance is important not just for making improvements, but also for setting goals and measuring progress.

Use the data you collect to set achievable goals and track your progress toward them.

Adjusting strategies as necessary

As you analyze your performance and identify areas for improvement, it’s important to be willing to adjust your strategies as necessary. This may involve changing your product offerings, shifting your marketing tactics, or adjusting your business operations.

For example, if you notice that a certain product line is consistently underperforming, you may need to discontinue it and focus on other products that have higher demand.

Or if you find that a social media platform is not driving traffic or sales, you may need to shift your focus to a different platform that has more engagement from your target audience.

Making these adjustments may require some trial and error, but it’s important to be open to experimentation and adaptation in order to drive growth and improve your business performance.

Keep an eye on your data and metrics, and be willing to pivot your strategies as needed in response to changing market conditions or customer preferences.

Ultimately, by consistently analyzing your performance and making data-driven decisions, you can position your business for long-term success and growth.

By expanding your product range, collaborating with other brands, and optimizing your marketing and operations, you can attract new customers and retain existing ones, while setting yourself apart from competitors in your niche.