Step One: Product and Sourcing

Making the determination as what to sell on an online store is an imperative step. It is better to start with fewer products that are high quality and fill a need rather than a high quantity of less quality goods. If you already have a good idea of what you want to sell, consider different sources to provide your merchandise. Have an action plan ready for a situation in which your main supplier becomes unavailable. If you make your own products, have a contingency plan in place in case you unable to meet your orders.

Step Two: Pick a Host

You will need a hosting service for your actual online store. You will want to find one that has good customer service and technical support while being easy to use and maintain. You can go to sites like iPage.com, Hostgator.com or GoDaddy.com and have a website launched in no time at all. There are many free and pay themes that will make your site look professional and attractive to prospective customers.

Step Three: Choose a Shopping Cart Software

Depending on the type of site you wish to launch and which hosted site you chose, you may have to install separate shopping cart software. The shopping cart will allow your customers to view items, add items to buy and itemize them for the final sale. There are hundreds of options available, some are free and others are licensed software. Look for software that is easy for your customer to use, the easier you make shopping for them, the more likely they are to buy from you rather than your competitor.

Step Four: Select a Merchant Account and Payment Gateway

In order to process credit or debit cards and e-checks, you will need to have a merchant account. If you wish to accept mobile money as well, you will need to find a mobile merchant service provider. Many times you can get a merchant account that will allow for all forms of e- or m-commerce. A payment gateway such as Authorize.net, PayPal, Google Checkout, 2Checkout, CyberSource and Link Point is also necessary to process and receive payments.

Step Five: Marketing

The last step is letting know customers that you are open for business. Take advantage of free social media sites and plan your marketing campaign carefully for the biggest impact.

What kind of jobs are there?

The world of retail is a huge one – from independent boutiques to the international supermarket chains – and the roles within it are incredibly varied. Some of the roles could be anything from retail manager to wholesaler. Or if you got an eye for visual display, you might be interested in visual merchandising jobs in London. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

So when you’ve decided what kind of role you’d be interested in, the next step would be to think about what store you want to work in. It could be supermarkets, pharmacists, fashion stores or online. Basically if you can buy something there, you can work there.

Do you have what it takes?

If the retail industry is your dream jobs then you have to be aware that it is also many other people’s dream. When the competition starts, we don’t recommend for you to step on other people to get ahead, just be ready to sell yourself to potential employers. It is a very competitive industry and there is a lot more to it than just shopping for a living. You will have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders as the fate of the business can hinge on you picking the right products, merchandising them correctly and managing the stores or websites well enough to keep customers coming back for more.

Oh the glamour

From Rachel in Friends moving into her dream job as a buyer to Gossip Girls showing you the latest trends, retail has been in the spotlight a lot. And it’s not just on television as Hollywood continues to glamorise the industry on the silver screen.

But what is it like off screen?

The world of retail is very tough at the moment and you’ll be expected to buy in and manage the products and stock levels, maintain your margins and, basically, make the store somewhere where people want to spend their hard-earned money.

If you think you can handle a lot of responsibility and can cope with tight targets and heavy workloads and if you have a genuine passion for the retail industry, then the world of retail is right for you.

Money, money, money

It may surprise you to hear that most of the major retailers in the UK offer retail jobs within graduate training schemes which could offer excellent salaries of £25-£30,000 per year. However, if you opt to work from the bottom-up at a smaller retailer then it’s likely to be significantly lower than this.

Hello, everyone! I am sorry for not blogging so often these days but I am just way too busy with other stuff. Hopefully, I will get more time in future to blog about fashion.

Anyways, I wanted to let all you girls/guys know that there is a sale going on today at GAP. You can get 35% off your purchase simply by using coupon code: GAPGEM. This sale will go on till Aug. 17 but everyday the discount will drop 5%. So tomorrow you will only be able to get 30% and then day after that 25%. So hurry up and enjoy!

Of course, there is free shipping for orders above $50!

Whenever people think of retail, the first thing that comes to their mind is the idea of working as a shop assistant. First of all, shop assistants are extremely important to the retail sector and there is no way the industry can survive without them. Secondly, retail is a very diverse sector with a variety of job opportunities. These jobs can be either part time jobs in Leeds or full time jobs in Bristol. One of these retail jobs can be the job for you.

Retail is not all about selling stuff. In fact there are a lot of jobs that involve sourcing and buying products that are to be sold in shops. Furthermore, you can work in design and have the responsibility of coming up with ideas for new products or even work in HR and provide professional support to the managers as well as be involved in the hiring and training process. You can also work in the finance departments where you will make sure all regulations are compiled with or work in the IT department. Moreover, other retail jobs include working with PR and promoting company’s products to yield maximum sales

Now you know that there is so much more to retail than most people know. If you ever wondered about being employed in the retail sector, you might have asked what are some key qualities that the employers look for in their employees. Below you will find a general list of some key qualities. Keep in mind that the exact key qualities that an employer looks for depends on several factors such as the job that you are applying for, manager etc.

• Customer service. It comes before anything else. Retail sector is all about customer service.
• Forward thinking. Just like every other sector, retail sector’s success depends on its employees’ forward thinking.
• Innovation. You can’t be a good employee without being innovative. Innovation helps getting things done better, faster, and more efficiently.
• Management. Retail is a big business and a lot of management skills are required to keep everything moving smoothly.
• Perseverance. Employees need to be motivated and persistent.

It’s summer already and my friends have hit the beach already (except for me because I just finished my exams). One of my friends asked me for some advice on bikinis and swimwear so I started to look online and thought I would share my findings with you.

I picked my 5 favorite bikinis from Macy’s. Now Macy’s can be a little expensive buy my friend had the budget for it so money wasn’t a big issue when I picked out these bikinis.

Bikini 1 | Bikini 2 | Bikini 3 | Bikini 4 | Bikini 5 |

Ladies and Gentlemen, the memorial day is almost here and we all know what that means, super sale in US. Memorial Day sales are always looked forward to by Americans. There are some great sales going on this year too. Take a look:

American Eagle – take 30% of your entire purchase by using code: 82934281
GAP – 25% off with code: NEW, Up to 50% off on selected items
Payless Shoes – 20% off with code 47010
Macy’s Clothing Store – 10-15% off with coupon: kickoff
Abercrombie – 25% off with code: 10062

Hollister – 25% off with code: 30062
Charlotte Russe – Memorial Day Blow Out Sale
New York & Company – Buy one and get one 75% off
6pm.com – Flat shipping – $3.95
Timberland – 20% off with code: MEMO11

I will keep updating this list as I learn of more sales. If you know some nice memorial day sale going on then leave a comment. Thanks!

It’s a stylish spring/summer dress with floral pattern. I found it at Charlotte Russe and this is what they had to say about it:

From our Summer Belle collection, keep it sweet and stylish with this floral-print frock. Woven bodice includes a gathered skirt, double crossed-back spaghetti straps and a classic ribbon sash at the waist. Hidden center back zipper; lined.

It’s not too expensive either. $29.99 and if you hurry, you can get 30% discount. No promo code required. Buy it here.

Just recently, I announced that I will be writing about cool, interesting and talented fashion bloggers on Buzz In Market. As soon as I thought about doing it, I knew my first featured blogger had to be Annie who blogs on Annie Spandex. If you have been browsing fashion blogs for at least few months then you know Annie Spandex.

Annie’s blog is mainly about spandex (hence the name) and that’s really what sets it apart. She regularly posts herself wearing old yet stylish outfits that you don’t get to see these days. While Annie doesn’t mind revealing personal information about herself on her blog, I thought that my readers would be interested to know her take on some interesting topics. So here is my interview with her.

When and how did you start Annie Spandex?

I started Annie Spandex in June of 2008. I had graduated from grad school with degrees in psychology and moved to a new state that winter, and was having trouble finding a job. I was feeling very frustrated by the whole process, powerless, and rejected. This was all complicated by a realization that I didn’t want to continue working as a counselor. I was pretty lost. Blogging came to me as a solution because I could potentially make money, it would be something to do with my time, a creative outlet, and perhaps most importantly in that moment–I didn’t have to wait for someone to give me a chance. I could set out and do it on my own, and if I failed or succeeded it would all be up to me. I chose to write about fashion because it’s something that has always interested me. Creating outfits has been an artform for me since middle school. That’s so pretentious-sounding, but true! It’s also pretty much impossible to run out of things to talk about with fashion because it’s so dynamic. I took that into account. I spent some time researching how to start a blog, what the best platform is, the best server host–that kind of stuff–and dove in. Starting my blog has been the best decision I’ve ever made. I was succeeding my first goals within three months, and while it hasn’t always been so easy, I’m now very happy and proud of where I am with my career. I became very passionate about the marketing aspects of blogging. In September of 2009, I founded Indie Style Media, an advertising platform and banner exchange for fashion bloggers/entrepreneurs. Last summer I began taking on clients and blogging professionally for indie brands, along with managing online grassroots marketing projects, contributing to brand strategy, representing brands through social media, and writing SEO copy.

How often do you write on your blog and what inspires your posts?

I used to post 3-4 times a week, but now that I’m blogging professionally for clients I only post in my own blog about once a week, maybe twice. I’m posting the same amount, just not all on Annie Spandex. My personal posts are inspired simply by whatever outfit I put together if it seems interesting or unique enough, and any clothing item or shoe that impresses me. It’s all what I wear, what I like, and what I make. My DIY posts come about when I think about an easy, simple way to make something. I don’t have a lot of patience for crafts and I’m not in the practice of using a sewing machine, but I still like to create. I think a lot of people can relate to that.

Do you ever mix your virtual life with real life i.e. do you discuss your blogs with friends, neighbors, co-workers etc? Please explain.

At first, I kept my blog and alter ego a secret from my friends and family. I was afraid people would think I’m narcissistic (which a lot of people do think about bloggers, especially fashion bloggers) or laugh at me–I don’t know. I’m obviously not that insecure or I wouldn’t dress so goofy all the time, so I can’t really explain it. I take my photos at home before I go to events because I’d be too embarrassed to take out a camera in public and pose in front of it. I’m not a model, I know that. I just want to share my kooky style. I slowly started showing my blog to my close friends and family, and of course no one laughed. They think it’s neat. I’m still not very open about it though. When random people ask me what I do, I never say that I’m a fashion blogger. I say I work in online fashion marketing, which is true.

How does a fashion blogger differ than any other blogger?

I’m not sure how fashion bloggers are different than other bloggers in general. So many fashion bloggers are so different from one another. Some focus on personal style, some are more into journalism or photography… Some are stylists, some are vintage shop owners. Some are simply having fun, others are rather ambitious. I could go on and on. Sure, there are a few carbon copies, I guess, but the ones I pay attention to are all interesting individuals with different approaches to blogging.

What advice would you like to give to new fashion bloggers?

Don’t get discouraged and don’t give up. We can’t all have billboards in Times Square, so don’t measure your accomplishments against other bloggers. If you believe you’ll be successful at blogging, there’s nothing holding you back.

That’s it folks. I hope you liked my first post of Featured Blogger. Thank you Annie for answering my questions.

We are into April already and girls in their senior year all over the world are getting ready for their graduations and prom. Just recently, I wrote a post on how to pick a graduation dress. Today, I thought I would write something about prom dresses. While you usually want graduation dresses to be formal and simple, prom dresses, on the other hand, are very fancy and even colorful. A lot of schools have themes for proms such as castle, Hollywood, fairy tales etc.

Prom dresses can be really expensive and thus, it’s important to search a lot before you settle on one dress. There are some great online stores that sell prom dresses and gowns. Today, I picked my favorite 5 prom dresses from David’s Bridal to help you pick a dress for your prom.  I have tried to include different types of dresses like strapless, one shoulder, beaded and floral in my list.

Top 5 prom dresses

Let me know what you think of my picks.

Thanks.

For quite some time, I have been thinking about writing about other fashion bloggers. There are plenty of fashion bloggers out there and most of them have fascinating blogs. However, there are some that just stand out from the rest. Some of them are very popular but others you just like because they appeal to you. Maybe the blogger shares some fashionable advice that you love or maybe you just love the photos that you see posted on that blog. Whatever the reason, I think that such blogs should be appreciated.

Starting soon, you will be seeing me show my appreciation towards several such bloggers. I will be writing about the bloggers as well as their blog. Why am I doing it? I think that there are so many blogs out there on fashion that the good ones get lost somewhere. I aim to showcase such blogs to you (my readers) so that you can appreciate them as well. Also, isn’t it nice to know the story behind a blog or know about the blogger whose blog you read on a regular basis? Finally, I hope to build some new relationships in the blogging world through this feature.

What would I write about? You can write a lot of stuff about other people but I will try to keep my posts to a reasonable length. I will be giving you some background information about the bloggers. I will also provide my readers with the featured blogger’s views on some interesting topics which will help you understand them better. Overall, the post will be about readers learning about the person behind the blog.

Stay alert because there will soon be a post about our first featured blogger!