Muck Munchers’ Martin Harvey on how to grow fast in year one (episode 003)
How to grow your eCommerce Business, join us as Martin Harvey from Muck Munchers shares his key tips.
Martin Harvey is an eCommerce stalwart (launched his first eCommerce site in 2000). A highly respected and experienced managing director and marketing director within the B2C direct marketing sector, with a proven record for defining and delivering successful, high-return direct marketing business plans in both European and UK businesses, including start-ups, turn-rounds and acquisitions.
With outstanding pedigree in the garden sector (Marshalls Seeds and Hayloft Plants to name but two) it’s not surprising that when it came to starting his own eCommerce business last year he stuck with the customers back garden. What is surprising is that he’s gone underground into the mucky world of septic tanks & cess pits!
Muck Munchers offers the ultimate septic tank treatment. (I’m going to let Martin explain further than that!) It’s an Online Only business that’s leveraging offline marketing to fast track customer acquisition.
Click to tweet: Hear how Martin Harvey lauched his eCommerce business using offline marketing on @eComMasterPlan Podcast today
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About the business
- eCommerce Business Structure – Online Only
- Product Range Scale – VERY niche (only 4 products)
- On a bespoke platform
- Only been around for 12 months, and started with just £10,000 investment – but already launching in France
- 2 people in the business
- Based in the UK, sell into Europe as well as the UK and Ireland
- Key widgets in the website – none yet, but they are in the pipeline with the new site
Key Things we can Learn from Muck Munchers
- Off the Page Advertising is hugely powerful for customer acquisition – the PPC of the offline world…
- How to get your refund rate to <1%. Try and solve the customer’s problem, don’t just refund.
- Do your research before you start, and have a plan
- The importance of planning your inventory and cashflow
- Building trust through Guarantees and Content
eCommerce Book Top Tip
- Customer Relationship Management (Sixty Minute Success Skills) by John Frazer Robinson
eCommerce Traffic Top Tip
- Advertising in the press – Off the page ads
Tool Top Tip
- Very simple – Lists – each day starts with a piece of paper on which is listed what must be done today.
Start Up Top Tip
- Number 1 – look at your product, is it superior? is it niche? does it truely outperform? at least in some areas.
- Number 2 – make sure you have a route to market for it
If your business didn’t exist, which eCommerce Business Would you like to be Running?
- Get back into the gardens area. Selling seeds, in a niche – so vegetables or similar. Because there’s some great fun people in that space, and whatever business you’re in it should be fun!