eCommerce MasterPlan

001: Allergy Best Buy’s Andrew Wilson on buying an online only eCommerce business and content marketing

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allergy best buys show notes

How to grow your eCommerce Business, join us as Andrew Wilson owner of Allergy Best Buys shares his key tips.

Andrew Wilson is a Mail Order Marketing genius (in fact his was the first eCommerce training workshop I ever attended, way back in the early 2000s), who works with many eCommerce businesses around the UK.

But Andrew is chatting with us today because he has recently stepped back into the shoes of the eCommerce business owner having purchased AllergyBestBuys.co.uk, a Mail Order eCommerce Business providing products that help allergy sufferers all over the world.

Click to tweet: Hear how Andrew bought an eCommerce business on @eComMasterPlan Podcast today

About the business

  • eCommerce Business Structure – Mail Order
  • Product Range Scale – in the Middle
  • On a bespoke platform, with MoneySpyder
  • Turnover around £250,000
  • Products are about helping deal with their alergies, bedding is a best seller
  • 3 people in the business, virtual structure
  • Based in the UK, sell globally
  • Key widgets in the website (coming soon!):
    • Sub2 – for abandoned basket follow ups
  • Key outsourcing partner: Clientbase Fulfilment for warehousing, pick and pack, and customer services

Most Awesome Thing Right Now

How much change there’s been since buying the business in October 2014.

  • New website
  • New call centre and website
  • Totally revamped catalogue

Tips for anyone thinking of buying an eCommerce business

  • Do your research – Andrew had been looking for several years
  • Don’t be in a hurry
  • Check everything
  • Make no assumptions
  • Look at the results in a lot of detail
  • Buy dispassionately BUT….
  • Only buy a business you like, and will enjoy working in

eCommerce Book Top Tip

eCommerce Traffic Top Tip

  • Great content, in order to get search traffic. Takes a lot of work, but makes a real difference.

Tool Top Tip

  • Nozbe – virtual team management tool – Busy people and effective teams get tasks and projects done thanks to Nozbe system and apps for the Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iPad and iPhone.

Start Up Top Tip

  • Make friends with people who’ve done it. OR hire a good consultant. Will save you thousands! Just get out to some eCommerce events to meet some – the Direct Commerce Association is a great place to start in the UK.

If your business didn’t exist, which eCommerce Business Would you like to be Running?

  • Seasalt – a UK based fashion bricks and clicks business, for the sheer fun of working in such an enthusiastic and fast moving business.

Interview Links

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