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Cannabidiol (CBD) is an extract that is commonly used with other drugs to help treat epilepsy, reduce anxiety, dystonia, Parkinson’s disease, and Crohn’s disease.
It is also used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, ease migraines and nausea, alleviate anxiety and depression. Due to these benefits, CBD extracts are enjoying brisk sales online and offline, enough to attract the attention of many investors.
For instance, in April 2019, the price of CBD isolate was estimated at about US$6,077 per kilo. At the same time, the CBD market, which is valued at more than US$3,088 million in 2018, is estimated to increase by 125.58% between 2019 and 2026. These figures are reason enough for more individuals to seriously consider investing their money in CBD products.
Steps to Start Selling CBD Supplements Online
If you are considering the CBD business and want to know how to start, this article reviews eight (8) steps on how to sell CBD supplements online.
- Due Diligence Research
Because CBD supplements are ingested products, the physical health and the legal safety of your customers are paramount. You need to know the federal laws and state regulations that apply to you and your business as well as the legal and health restrictions that apply within your target sales areas.
With these, you should be able to advise your buyers about legal aspects of CBD according to their location, or if they’re traveling, according to the law in places along their route and the laws that apply at their destination.
- Business Registration
It is crucial to get your business registered. Without proper registration, your company is limited. By getting your business certified as a legal entity, you can apply for loans to find investors and do even so much more. you also need to apply for a resale license so that you can distribute your products legally.
- CBD Supplement Supplier Reliability
The quality and legality of your supplements are paramount to the success of your business. Always make sure that the supplements you sell do not contain more than 0.3% THC or according to the legal standards that apply in your location and sales areas.
For customer safety, you must ensure that you only sell CBD supplements that are certified as high-quality products. This is why you must choose a reliable CBD supplement provider. The supplier has to ensure strict testing in place to ensure the quality of the CBD supplements. If this is not in place, your business and reputation can be damaged.
- Create And Maintain Your Brand
While it is easy to make money from CBD, your brand should stand out to capture your market and to gain a profitable level of sales volume. How do you go about that creating an outstanding brand?
In a nutshell, this is what you can do. As mentioned, ensure that your products are trustworthy. Identify your target audience and brand values. Tailor your business name around these to appeal to your targeted customers. Design your online store or website to appeal to your target market. Then, connect with your customers in ways that are more effective than your competitors.
- Build Your Online Store
You need an online store, a website where buyers can browse, order, purchase, offer suggestions, or file complaints. Since CBD products are not allowed on popular merchandise channels such as Amazon and eBay, your best option is to build your own online website.
Since some well-known platforms do not allow CBD products, you have to find the right website domains and builders. For instance, online sellers of CBD products regularly use Shopify, WordPress, and WooCommerce platforms.
Make sure and include on your online store page the following: product overview, ordering and shipping points, as well as a disclaimer that should state that your supplements are not cures or medicinal treatments and that these should be used only with professional medical advice.
There should also be a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section, contact details section, quality analysis certificate section, etc.
- Market Research
You need to carry out market research to help you understand your potential customers and how to convince them to buy from you. Google Keyword Tools are great for your market research.
You also need to research the behavioral pattern of your competitors. Understand their brands and their techniques for finding, attracting, and satisfying customers. To boost your online sales, use the same techniques but with your own modifications.
- Open A Payment Platform
Before your online store goes live, you need to choose the right payment processor. Your options are few because most of the major payment processors (such as PayPal and Stripe) do not do business with CBD product merchants.
To reduce the risk of fraudulent transactions, you also need to ensure that the payment processor you choose is safe and heavily protected data-wise. Some top-notch CBD-okayed payment processors are USAePay, Square, Easy, and Pay Direct.
- Market Your CBD Supplement
With all the competition, how do you get customers to buy your products? First, publish relevant and informative content on your online store for your potential customers to find. Post things such as help guides, product information, original product-related information and research, and educational videos to engage your audience.
If people begin to share your content, you stand better chances of being noticed by potential clients. In addition, you can post as a guest on other blogs and websites. Always ensure that these posts get linked back to your site.
Then, proceed to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to push your store’s web search ranking to the top. This can boost your store’s web visibility, drive traffic to your website, and boost your product sales.
Since you can’t do traditional ads on Google, Facebook, and Instagram due to their restrictions on CBD products, reach out to potential customers and build your store’s online presence on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even LinkedIn.
Also, reach out to bloggers and influencers for partnership. This method is called affiliate marketing, and it is usually successful because your products get exposed to a wide array of people.
You can also make use of display ads on big traffic-generating websites. This would help your store generate higher traffic, and you’d get new customers.
And remember, top-notch customer service is not only a way to keep your customers coming back but also a way for them to recommend you to new clients. Address your customers’ grievances well and always ask for feedback on services rendered.
Takeaways
As a CBD supplement seller, you should know the challenges of selling CBD products. These challenges are not limiting if you manage each situation as suggested in this article. Remember these key tips: Don’t make health claims without scientific proof. Don’t use an unreliable supplier. And finally, ensure that your website and your payment platform are secured.