How this NUS student made S$150K in a year through eCommerce

Who are you and what business did you start?

My name is Wesley and I've always been drawn to doing business and wanting to take charge of solving problems. I've started selling things since I was in primary school where I sold toys to my schoolmates and have always looked up to entrepreneurs like Mark Cuban.

My ecommerce business aims to provide aesthetic and high quality products at a more accessible price point compared to the current industry leaders.

What's your backstory?

Prior to this, I've tried selling several different products but most did not work out. Then I noticed my mom would continually visit the store and always walk out empty because the products were too expensive. From this, I felt that there was a gap in the market that could be served by offering products that were as well-designed and of better quality at a lower price point. I knew that there would be other customers like my mom that felt the same way and from my additional research such as keyword search volumes, product sales volumes and analysing competition.

What has taken you from 0 to 100?

A bias towards action. No matter how small the step is, it's critical to make steps towards getting what you want versus staying in your head. It can come in many shapes and forms such as going out there to interview potential customers, talking to industry veterans or putting your prototype in front of customers. The only way to find out whether your ‘idea' is going to sell is to test it. In my case, this meant experimenting with small batches of products to experiment whether customers wanted to buy my product.

Take us through the process of finding a potential product to sell, marketing it, and fulfilling orders.

1. Does it solve a problem? In my case, it solved my mom's problem.

2. Is the market big enough?

• Are sales volumes high?

• How many competitors are there?

3. How can I make the experience better?

• Can I enhance the product? Add variation, improved product design.

• Can I market the product better than competitors? Do I have a story to tell? Can I build a stronger brand that customers will love?

• Can I make the product cheaper than competitors?

In terms of fulfilment, my business purchases inventory in bulk and stores it locally with my third party logistics (3PL) that helps to store and pick-and-pack orders daily.

What are your marketing strategies?

Optimizing for search (SEO). I utilize organic search by researching and utilizing the best keywords that attract the most relevant customers. I also ensure that customers want to click on my listings but making my listings stand out through title, product listing pictures, branding, reviews and product videos.

What is one underrated thing that eCommerce business owners should start doing/using?

SEO and product listing pictures/videos. I see so many listings on Lazada and Shopee that are using stock photos or look plain ugly. Having professional-ish looking photos in your listings can go a long way into improving product sales and brand reputation. It doesn't cost that much either, especially if you have an iPhone or don't mind spending some money on a professional to do it for you.

What were the biggest challenges you faced and how have you overcome them?

Working alone is tough and quickly the amount of things that you need to do exceed your capacity. How I have tried overcoming one part of this is to outsource work, it's been much faster and output is higher quality when you get other people who are better at it to do it. Although initially you have to do everything yourself until the business is profitable with cashflow to support outsourcing. It's also a good time to learn new skills but also recognize when it's time to outsource help.

Additionally, managing my time is a big problem as I have to split my time between my school assignments, responsibilities in school clubs and my business. It's something that I am still learning how to do in terms of how I can better schedule my time and managing my expectations for my business.

How are you doing today and what does the future look like?

While business has slowed down as customer purchase patterns have changed since the height of the pandemic, it's a reminder to myself to keep focusing on building a brand instead of just selling products. The future of ecommerce is about brand-building, having a story to tell and having a unique selling point.