There are more and more customers around the world who are prioritising customised & personalised products. The demand for this is increasing, therefore suppliers should respond to this demand immediately in order to cash in more orders. The time is perfect to offer custom products as this trend is increasing in every industry and niche, as well as that it is a critical component for buyers to decide whether to buy from you, if you offer customization. 

Definition of customizable products

Customization of products means that the customer will be selecting different components in order to specify the product the customer requires. For example, features like colours, functionalities, colour, sizing, zipper, and many other options in order to produce a unique item. With customization sky's the limit, you can customise everything and anything. Most likely the product created will be something which is not available in the market. Furthermore, even a small adjustment is enough to call it a customised product and differentiate it from pretty similar products in the market.

Is it profitable to sell online customizable products?

Approximately 34-37% of customers are in the look out to purchase customised products. Customers are more likely to haul business owners who give them the freedom to alter the products and even better if they think more supportive in order to create something exceptional which satisfies the needs of customers. Companies who offer customisation will attract buyers quicker and probably more customers too. 

• Flexibility in customer requirements 

According to McKinsey, personalised and customised products are more in demand. Almost 80% of customers expect or desire such flexibility. The customization allows businesses to meet more of the needs of customers. Instead of just focussing on 1 customer base, you can now open your doors to many others as you will be producing a unique product for every one of them.

• Obtain Customer Loyalty

You are making a customer satisfied by meeting their needs. Sellers are going the extra mile and putting dedicated effort in producing something for their customers, this will be most likely to result in repeat orders. With repeat orders and continuously making products whatever customers’ demands, it will build up a positive relationship and that being said, this often leads to brand loyalty. 

• Grow your Sales

The importance of customization has been established now, let’s look at its result. Suppliers who are offering customization/personalization are attracting more customers, leading to increased sales. Various studies have indicated that customised products play a positive factor in increasing sales by approximately 30%. Furthermore, even marketers have a much better ROI when dealing with customised products. It is a 1+1 accounting, meaning win-win situation for buyers as well as the sellers. 

Now, how to sell customizable products on Lalaaji.com?

All the manufacturers, wholesalers, traders offer a vast variety of products from which buyers can choose and opt for their own customization. Are you ready to act with your business in customizable products online? Follow the steps outlined by team Lalaaji.

Step 1: Create user personas

First of all, it is essential to identify your customers in order to create a user persona. The importance of a user persona is simple, it will help identify different segments of your customers. Vital information will be obtained such as; where is the customer located, their details in regards to buying/selling habits. The location, age, name and so on. This enables businesses to pinpoint who their target audience is and what sort of product they need or look for. 

Step 2: Pre-plan ahead the product you want to sell

Before you start selling the customizable products, you must understand what kind of products you actually ‘can’ sell. Selling trendy and profitable products is what you need. Of course, now the million-dollar question will pop, which products sell well? 

In order to identify this, you will have to carry out a market research/analysis to determine whether your audience will like particular products. Think of the products you already make and how would that work out when you offer a customization option for that product. It is essential to benefit from marketplaces like amazon, Alibaba and Lalaaji to see what is trending and what is popular. It can be anything from clothes to umbrellas, toys to telephone cases.  

Step 3: Create what to design

Alright, now you know your buyer persona. This will make it easier to choose the right colour, design, punchline, or whatever text which your customers will like. This can be done in various ways by yourself by using amazing tools such as; Canva, or you may leverage someone else to do this for you. 

Choosing a method to sell online

Now you have products, now the task will be how will these products be sold. We have shortlisted key methods to sell products.

You may want to pre-plan and customise certain products beforehand, as you think that’s what customers would like and therefore you will stock them and build an inventory in order to remain on top of the demand. The other alternative is the print on demand method, meaning you will be waiting for the customer to reach out to you, in order to place an order. This is when you start customising the product according to their requirements.

Print-on-demand has become ever so popular because it gives the flexibility to work per order. This doesn’t require the seller to own a storage to stock up inventory, so it does kind of prevent loss if there aren’t customers to purchase that product. The other side of things is when a product is very much liked and there is extreme demand for it, it will be hard to manoeuvre to meet all the needs. Furthermore, without having the stock but the full capability to produce products on demand, you can show a large variety of products from which customers can choose. 

Find a suitable helping partner to execute customised products.

Partner now with a designer who will customise your products for you unless you can do it yourself. There are various popular print on demand platforms who can help gain exposure as well, such as printful, printify, and Lulu express etc. Canva is a great tool which helps to create professional designs. With the design you have created from Canva you start receiving custom orders. 

Open a seller account on Lalaaji.com

Ok, now you have identified the products you will sell, the method you will use to sell them, now it is the time to find a place to sell it. Opening up a seller account on Lalaaji.com you open the door for yourself to the digital world. You will have your own unique online store and you can start selling your customizable products on Lalaaji.com. a very straightforward procedure to become a seller on Lalaaji.com, all you have to do is visit Lalaaji.com register as a seller, fill in the required information, that's it.

Activate your online store on Lalaaji.com

No coding, no experience in IT needed in order to set up your Lalaaji.com store. All the work is done by Lalaaji.com, you will have to be registered and verified in order to get started.  Vital information such as; nature of business, overview, validity of the company, location and type of company must be provided to get you started.

Posting your products

All set? Now you can start uploading your products. Post good quality pictures of your custom products to help customers understand what it is you are offering. Clear pictures are vital, that’s the first thing customers will see, and it’ll create an image about what they can expect as buyers from you as a seller. However, if you have the products in your inventory, you have the luxury of taking images in various angles and taking clear shots in order to attract customers to your page. Print-on-demand products, you must showcase what the final look of the product will be. 

Adding informative description of the product

We encourage all sellers to always be specific about the description of the products they’ve uploaded. Lalaaji.com has a section which clearly states what information you should be stating where. Furthermore, giving more detailed information is always good to do in order to clear doubts for customers who still are in two minds. Remember, on Lalaaji.com you should add a brief description of the custom products as well as a detailed description of the product. Giving customers the space to decide what they want

Every customer is unique. Therefore, it is essential to remain flexible in the negotiations in order to find out what every customer is looking for. A seller is most likely to encounter different types of customers, resulting in a seller may not be able to always anticipate what the customers want. Talking to them and listening to their needs, such as what colour, logo, tagline, shirt, or bottle or whatever they request being able to adjust to their needs will lead to great successes. Never shut away the buyers, listen to them and once you finalise a deal with them, Lalaaji.com offers a custom order request feature in the chat so that the seller can give a unique offer to a particular customer.

Select the right suppliers

The circle is round and the buyer and the seller and the supplier of the seller is within that circle. Figuring out as a trader which supplier is reliable to build my empire on is vital in order to offer products to customers. However, there are different types of sellers: you have an agent, trader, wholesaler, or a manufacturer. Every seller deals differently, a manufacturer is most likely to have majority of the activities in house although they may need a supplier who arranges the right packaging for them. Working with the right person, right entity and with the right ethics will often result in long-lasting trade relations, delivering high quality products.

Market your customised products

Having a customised store set up without a go-to-market strategy can be harmful. The potential customers should know that you are the one who can produce the customised product they are searching for. A seller must be clear about their message that they offer customised products or ready-made products. There are various methods to do this on Lalaaji.com and other platforms. For instance, SEO, email marketing, social media marketing. Effective keywords on the platform should be used which go in line with the product which will pick up on search engines.

Golden tips for a successful online customizable business

You’ve chosen to sell custom products, now we shall share some critical tips which can help to enhance success for your online customizable business.

• Invest in SEO, driving traffic to your website and to ensure that your products are receiving the needed attention. Furthermore, you will have to have a strong SEO execution to make your brand more visible.
• Social media, leverage the power of social media to gain greater exposure. Millions if not billions are using social media platforms, showcasing your products will attract customers, you can catch their eyes by creating engaging content.
• Testing, you are starting as new customizable or you are starting a new line, but before you go all out it is advised to start small and see what kind of response you receive. Continuously keep looking out for what products are trending, how the customer is reacting to such products. For example, if you produce shoelaces, instead of stocking or preparing to have all the colours in the world, you have to be sure that you will be able to sell them. 
• Communicate with customers, market research also included to reach out to customers in order to get their opinion and possible recommendations. This is not too hard if you have products already to offer, after they’ve used you can ask for objective feedback. This can also be done in various ways, a good way to engage such surveys is to create funny and enjoyable Q/A’s. Knowing what customers need is excellent as you will save a lot of time and money in sampling all sorts of ideas without knowing whether it’ll work or not.
• Budgeting, you have to make up your mind and set a limit to how much will be spent. Ideas may be great, but it often comes down to the execution, protecting yourself from overspending and bearing unnecessary costs.
• Right audience market, every product has its target market. You must find yours. As we mentioned several times it is essential to know who your target market is, so that you can focus and offer them the products. For example; you would not want to market your baby food products to a 12 year old, right?
• Correct image & as per description. Make sure whatever you show to customers, that’s what they will be receiving after ordering. Do not make the mistake of showing blue and sending yellow. That’s bad marketing and you will lose customers as well as that overall just bad for business.

So, what are you waiting for?

Start selling on Lalaaji.com

We’ve just explained the importance and how to sell customizable products. Why, how, when, to whom etc. ARE YOU READY? Try selling your custom product on Pakistan’s first B2B global marketplace. Empowering Pakistani companies to emphasise and believe in Pakistani made products. The world has been waiting too long to directly engage with the Pakistani traders. Lalaaji.com has come to fix this, a bridge is being built and it's being built continuously virtually around the world. Made in Pakistan, sold to the world. A B2B marketplace where companies from Pakistan initially are at the forefront.

 - Show millions of people around the world your products.

 - Create an easy straightforward, yet effective and out of the world storefront.

 - Access powerful marketing tools, empowering the digitization of your company.

 - Leverage the power of the internet, social media, and professional service to your company's benefit.

 - Instant connectivity.

 - Safe, secure and transparency on Lalaaji.com

 

 

 

1. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ch/Documents/consumer-business/ch-en-consumer-business-made-to-order-consumer-review.pdf 
2. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/personalizing-the-customer-experience-driving-differentiation-in-retail 
3. https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/dotcom/client_service/bto/pdf/mobt32_02-09_masscustom_r4.ashx 
4. https://www.invespcro.com/blog/online-shopping-personalization/