Regional one-on-one eCommerce Mentoring
Chana participates in a mentoring program that helps regional business owners pivot and prepare their business for the digital future by creating more resilient, diversified and adaptable business communities through the transfer of knowledge and skills.
Working with the team at the Balonne Shire Council (QLD) Chana has provided ongoing ecommerce mentoring services to individual women in regional businesses to help them adapt to changing conditions through the 9 year drought and the COVID pandemic.
Mentoring services delivered to each mentee weekly via Zoom and or calls for 15 weeks.
Regional areas have been hit hard with challenges to do with 9 years of drought, lack of Internet connectivity, limited delivery options, lack of childcare, reduced employment opportunities, lack of high school students available for after hours work, lack of skilled people in region for specialised services like eCommerce and social media marketing and mentally tough for many including high rates of depression in some areas.
Commonly each have had difficulties with time management as they have small children and need to support their husbands who work in the Agri-sector. Harvest is a very busy time for farmers and each mentee's husband is away from home for extended periods of time leaving mentees with the responsibility of managing their families and supporting their husbands where needed. Unfortunately this means the mentees have a reduced number of hours to work each week in their physical retail stores and salons and apply themselves to their online stores.
The challenge we have had was how to work smarter and to use available time better. Together we have created strategies and automations to simplify each mentees workflow allowing them more time to work on parts of business that are more strategic, building relationships with suppliers, source new products and execute marketing initiatives.
General advice provided:
- Time management and automations
- How to use website to generate more sales (supplement income when times are tough) for physical retail stores
- How to work with contractors (Creating project brief and sourcing quality help)
- How to work with suppliers (Dropbox, assets, bundles, exclusivity and partnerships)
Shopify training and mentoring provided:
- How to confidently use the Shopify platform
- How to choose a premium Shopify theme and configure to needs and brand style
- Best practice store design, making website accessible to everyone
- Review and set-up an Intuitive menu navigation
- How to design a homepage with the user journey in mind
- How to create automatic and manual collections
- How to create product listings that sell, with optimised titles and descriptions. Advice to improve SEO and usability, tone written in a human voice that’s factual and relevant
- How to take professional Product Photography
- Understanding apps and their associated costs, what’s essential and what you can live without
- How to read analytics and why it’s important to understand the numbers and traffic
- Training on how to use third-party integrations like Vend to manage point of sale, inventory and reports
- Check that all policies and information are available and relevant
- How to integrate key marketing tools and apps such as Mailchimp and reviews
- How to write a compelling marketing campaign
It has been really satisfying mentoring these women, as Chana's ideas and recommendations have given each mentees the confidence and technical skills to run their business in-store as well as expand online using Shopify, eBay and Buy Form The Bush.
Rural Salon in Western Queensland specialising in Men & Woman’s Cutting, colouring, facial waxing & tinting. Retail section includes NAK Haircare, candles, dresses, jewellery, scrunchies & Huxter botanicals range.
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The Linen Cupboard is a boutique Homewares, gift & apparel store from gorgeous #ruralqueensland 🌾Owned & run by Karena- city turned country gal, mumma & wife!
Karena prides herself on providing personalised service to make your shopping experience carefree and easy.
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