Seth Godin’s Five Ingredients of Smart Online Commerce

It depends. These five ingredients of smart online commerce might apply to you. They may not. Marketer Seth Godin analyzed why companies like Penguin Magic and ibex succeed at selling things online. Here are five things, according to Godin, they do that make them successful online:

1) They sell a product you can't buy at the local store. This is easily overlooked and critically important. Because it's unique, it's worth seeking out and talking about. Just because you built a site doesn't mean I care.

At all. But if you build a product I love, I'll help you.

2) They understand that online pictures are free. Unlike a print catalog, extra pictures don't cost much. Make them big. Let me see the nubbiness or the zipper or the way you make things.

3) They use smart copy (but not too much).

4) They are obsessed with permission. Once you sign up, you'll get really good coupons and discounts by email. Not too often, but often enough that my guess is that they make most of their sales this way.

25% discount on a product just like a product you love–just before Valentine's day? Sign me up.

5) They aren't afraid to post reviews. Even critical ones.

How can you apply this to your store?