Order Processing

Order processing is the stage that occurs between when you receive an order, and when you ship it.

Activities involved are communication with buyer, drop off, packaging or repackaging, sorting, and scheduling. This stage tests your efficiency, and if not properly done, you get cancelled orders, undelivered orders etc. And on the part of the customer you get lots of complaints.

Lead Time is the time spent from the initiation of a process to its completion. In retail logistics, it's the total time spent from when an order is placed to when it is received by the consumer. Online commerce, considered one of the fastest growing retail sectors, views an excellent lead time to be between 0 to 3 hours. And anything beyond 3 days as utterly unacceptable.

The efficiency of your ordering process should be designed in such a way so as to reduce Lead time as much as possible. Online shoppers usually have lots of options, and are not particularly patient with late deliveries.

For those using the Just in Time delivery method, You'll have to up your game. Proximity to your source is a big advantage.

Uploading Your Products

After sourcing your products, they have to go online for display. This stage is a walkover as we have lots of computer savvy online retailers.

While uploading your products there are somethings to note, which would improve your chances of sale.

1. Use Good Descriptive and Keyword Rich Terms for Title. Some stores automatically attach the brand of the products when displayed. If yours isn't the case, make sure you add the name of the brand, especially if it's a well known brand. You can also attach terms that are synonymous with your particular market segment. I once used this title for a power bank 'FIL 4000mAh White Fashion Power Bank for Mobile Phones, MP3, MP4, Cameras'. Searches on any of the terms used and my power bank will appear.

2. Use Professionally taken pictures. You would find lots of products' pictures online. If your product is new, or not available online, it is advisable to have the pictures taken by a professional photographer in the studio. The lighting givs a good effect, and well taken pictures make your products more attractive.

3. Detailed Descriptions and Highlights. The internet makes this easy as most products information can be found only. When writing benefits, which usually occupy first sentence of the description, tell the buyer the primary value they get from using your product. For highlights, you state the features and this is mostly found on the packaging of the product.

iykepromotions:
Still used my GTBank MasterCard last night and it worked fine.

Used my GTB Mastercard today at about 3pm, and worked fine too

Sourcing of Products

This is probably the most important aspect of retail sales. A lot of time is spent in this activity, and the sales outcome will become visible the moment your work is properly done here.

The different aspects involved in sourcing your products are under listed.

- Research: Category of products - Just as there are products that have massive appeal to consumers, so also there are products categories that sell above average. This is usually cause by a number of factors. Your work here is to determine the category of products that have massive appeal. A good search online can help.

One of the best places to do this is using Konga, since they indicate the number of sales made for each product. Dealdey is a good place also, because number of products sold are usually indicated beside the product.

I have realized that the best selling categories across platforms are Fashion, Electronics, Mobile Phones & Accessories. That's why the commissions charged by online marketplaces for these categories are usually higher.

Research is an ongoing activity as consumers' buying behaviour is dynamic, and constantly changing. New products are periodically introduced into the market, and you're constantly on the watch for buyers' responses to them. Social media will also help as these products are also discussed there.

- Number of products - At some point you will have to determine how many products to sell. A number of factors may already limit them, like, amount of money available, storage space, availability, price of the items etc. All things being equal, a higher number of products improves your chances of selling. But things don't usually work out that way, cause some products have more appeal than others, while some products offer higher profit margin.

Since capital is a crucial factor, you'll need to make sure that you can raise as much as possible, especially as your revenue depends on volume of sales. This leads to profit margin.

- Profit Margin - It is important that you determine your profit margin before purchasing products for sale. Especially if you're using loans to finance your business. Profit margin on sales generally, and also individual categories and products.

Remember that commission charged on the product categories differ, and in some cases different products in the same category are charged different commissions. A safe profit margin to assume would be between 10% and 15%. Anything higher could make your prices less competitive in the market.

- Inventory led VS Just In Time - You will need to decide how to handle you inventory, and 2 methods readily comes to mind.

Inventory Led - You will need storage space for this method. The size of the space depends on the physical size of your inventory. The advantage of this method is that you always have your products available and can delivery within hours, thereby reducing Lead time. Also, there are no undue pressures on you, since all you need to do is get to your storage location and send order to the buyer. Having inventory also protects you from increasing prices in the market.

The downside to this is that it is capital intensive, and not meant for those who have smaller purses. Also, prices of products may fall, declining demand for the products, or loss of appeal of such products mean that sales will be adversely affected.

Just In Time - This is suitable for those will smaller war chests. Those who do not have 'enough' money to either import large quantities, or buy in bulk for storage. The advantages are that it requires less start up capital, it's a more flexible method as you can comfortably respond to changing buying patterns. You can also introduce new products quickly into the market.

This also comes with disadvantages. You have to be constantly on the move from when orders are placed to buying the products, processing the orders, and shipping to buyers. There is the fear of unavailable products when you need them to fulfill orders. Prices usually are at an upward trend, and there are systems in place to hedge this.

- Importing VS Buying From Importers, Wholesalers - How will you get your products? You either decide to import yurself, or buy from other importers and wholesalers. Importing yourself means that you'll get the best prices since you buy directly from producers or manufacturers. And you usually have large quantities to last you for some time.

Importing requires good capital, and there are risks of delay in getting your products, risks of theft or damage of products while in transit. Cases of seizure by custom agents abound.

Buying from importers and wholesalers means that you get your products faster, you can buy in lesser quantities and more variants. And the time to have your products delivered to you takes anything from a couple of hours to a few days. It requires lesser capital outlay.

This method means that you don't get the best available prices, since your seller will sell with profit.

These are the activities that readily come to mind, but will be updated as more come to light.

Questions are welcome

Even in the face of Nigerian contracting economy occasioned by lower import receipts, higher fx rates, and increasing inflation rate, online retail sales still offers good prospects. This is primarily because of the convenience of shopping and more efficient logistics handling.

Increase in online shoppers indicate one thing - a growing market. As the economy gets adjusted to the newly introduced floating fx policy, there are indications that overall increased business activities will follow.

One of such business sectors to enjoy this is online retail sales. Whether you're selling on social media, your own store, or some other marketplaces. Which will remain profitable if you do your homework properly.

Making 100% profit in a month is almost impossible, however, with the right mix and good timing, this can be achieved. The modest returns that one can consistently accrue from monthly online sales is within 15% - 20%. I will attempt to look into the steps required to achieve more than average returns in online sales.

As an online retails seller, running your business requires that you engage in the following activities on a regular basis:

1. Sourcing of Products
2. Uploading Products
3. Order Processing
4. Delivery
5. Payment

I'll delve into these activities shortly, which will give you insight on finding the right mix

The success of every business, to a large extent, is dependent on the supply chain. How effective and efficient it is.

It concerns the timely supply of raw materials, semi-finished products, finished products, inventory, storage, tracking, delivery etc, and a whole lot of others. These activities must be carried out on time, at the most efficient cost, while meeting the expectations of the producer.

Wouldn't it be efficient if you can lay your logistics problem on the shoulder of someone else, while you free up yourself to focus on your core offering?

BTlogistics offers the solution.

Benefits of Attending This Training

1. Learn the benefits of designing with Computer tools instead of pencil and paper
2. Become familiar with the fundamentals of computer designs. This will help you understand designing with other software like Corel Draw, Photoshop, Fireworks etc
3. Learn how to draw with accuracy
4. AutoCAD knowledge is applicable to many other industries like engineering, building, construction, fashion, interior designs
5. Understand the X,Y coordinate systems and how to apply them to drawing
6. Learn how to use the Command Line in AutoCAD to achieve faster designs
7. Learn the most commonly used commands like LINE, CIRCLE, ERASE, ARC, PLOT, UNDO, RECTANGLE, TRIM, OFFSET etc

You can register at the venue

Training date: Friday 27th & Saturday 28th of May 2016
Venue: 8 Ajenifujah Street, Behind Zenith Bank, Ikorodu Lagos
Time: 11am - 3pm
Contact: 07081475276 (Watsapp only)

Limited slots available!

Training offer still on.

Learn how to create designs with accuracy and proficiency using the most popular CAD software.

What you learn will serve as foundational for you should you decide to delve into the world of 3D animations

Learn designing 2D objects with AutoCAD. This is a great opportunity to learn and grasp the fundamentals of Computer Aided Designs using AutoCAD. Learn how to shorten the design process without compromising on precision.

At the end of the training, you should be able to design different objects using the AutoCAD Command Line, get familiar with the common commands, and plot a floor plan for a room.

Course Outline

Introduction to Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems

Applications of CAD

Using AutoCAD 2015

The X,Y Coordinate system

Absolute Coordinates

Relative Coordinates

Polar Coordinates

Angular measurement

Switching Workspaces

Working with AutoCAD commands -

LINE

CIRCLE

ERASE

ARC

PLOT

RECTANGLE

TRIM

EXTEND

OFFSET

MOVE

COPY

STRETCH

MIRROR

Contact me on watsapp for details of the training

ceecia:

I ventured into ecommerce last year but took a break. I had a jumia store but they closed it down because I wasn't really active. I want to revive the business again so I have moved to kaymu. I really have not gotten any sales since I started again, I guess its because of the economy.
I also have a konga store and sales just come in once in a blue moon. I am into fashion items like ladies clothes ans wristwatches.

Same everywhere. I noticed though that relatively new and unique products seem to get better response from buyers.

You can setup a logistics/ delivery outfit that would handle delivery of online orders from Lagos to Port Harcourt. Logistics is one of the major drivers of Ecommerce, and once you're able to solve the problem for inhabitants of Rivers state, you would handle traffic of orders going that way from most of the online stores situated in Lagos and its environs

Businesses stated here seem profitable especially if time and effort is dedicated towards them.

However, there still remains the issue of driving sales and getting customers. I got involved in some aspects of Mobile marketing some time ago, and only just recently shut down my bulk sms website because the revenue could not justify keeping the business running.

My advice is you work with platform(s) who have guaranteed patronage and the resources to drive the salese of whatever products or services you might consider. I use Jumia, Konga, and Dealdey, since they have the traffic. The next thing would be sourcing for products that would appeal to their audience.

JAMB Practice Software for offline available. www.e-learningnigeria.com

JAMB Practice software available. www.e-learningnigeria.com

JAMB Questions and answers for download

Tex42:
I really want to have the practical training on cctv installation, have passion for it, but I'm still a green horn...

Can u Train someone on the field work?

Training coming up on the 30th and 31st of October. Call for reservation 08099944225

Hunry:

Abeg dont abandon

I won't sir. You'll have to forgive me though cause I'm usually on d field, that's why it takes longer time for me to gather my thoughts on this post.

The training will accord anyone to get into the practical nitty gritty of cctv installation.

Give some time

Camera Lens

Understanding camera lenses, especially that of CCTV cameras, will go a long way in determining the success of your installation.

Bear it in mind that the client you're installing for has peculiar needs that have to be met with the cctv installation. The needs and expectations of the client will determine the type, as well as the cost of camera to use. Choosing the wrong lens means that your camera would not cover the full area expected, or it's inability to zoom and capture images with clarity.

The lens is positioned at the front line of the camera. The images captured by the cctv camera lens is what is eventually converted into video stream, sent over the network (or DVR) for viewing, and eventual recording, if necessary.

The lens on the camera can be either fixed or varifocal (adjustable). Fixed camera lenses range from 2.8mm to 100mm, and they are the cheapest to buy. Varifocal lenses offer more flexibility, allowing the field of view to be adjusted manually. The larger the size of the lens, the more narrow and zoomed in the field of view is. The camera lens size is usually indicated on the package of the cctv camera you're buying.

The area that a CCTV camera sees is known as its Field of View (FOV). The FOV is inversely proportional to the size of lens used. It means that a 3.0mm camera lens would have a larger FOV than that of a 16mm, but the images captured can never be as clear.

The Focal Length

Focal length, usually represented in millimeters (mm), is the basic description of a photographic lens. It is not a measurement of the actual length of a lens, but a calculation of an optical distance from the point where light rays converge to form a sharp image of an object to the digital sensor or 35mm film at the focal plane in the camera. The focal length of a lens is determined when the lens is focused at infinity.

For CCTV applications it is essential to match the focal length of the lens to the desired target.

These are information that you're expected to know when planning for your cctv installation. Like earlier stated, the choice of camera/ lens is determined by the needs of the client.

Questions can be entertained before we proceed to the next topic, which is storage.

See images below for clarification on focal length and Camera lens and angle distance chart.

Hunry:
genny2kuk where are you

Sorry, was quite busy on the field. Will continue the course before the weekend runs out. Thanks

Post UTME CBT questions also available for practice

CCTV Fundamentals

- Videos, Camera Lenses, Storage, DVR, NVR

As earlier stated, there are no prerequisite knowledge or skill required for CCTV camera installation training. The training course takes you through the fundamentals which will ensure a good understanding and right application of knowledge acquired.

However, since IP cameras are installed on networks (LAN & MAN), good networking skills is an added advantage.

Videos

Videos are important because they are the output received from your CCTV systems. These can be watched live on your monitor, or stored on storage media inside your DVR, or computer.

Videos that are transmitted over your CCTV network can be broadly categorized into 2:

1. Analog videos
2. Digital videos

As the name denotes, analog cameras are the output received from analog CCTV cameras, and they are large, uncompressed, video files transmitted using analog signals. This is the older of the two video types.

Analog videos tend to be clear because it doesn't go through compression and encoding which results in losses in video quality. However, new digital video formats have made it possible to retain video quality even when converted or compressed.

Analog systems that most of us are familiar with are NTFS, PAL, and SECAM. Our regular old TV boxes, and analog CCTV cameras are examples of devices that produce analog videos.

Digital videos, on the other hand, video signals that are encoded and represented in digital formats. Digital enabled devices have the ability to capture, manipulate, compress, encode, and store video files on digital mediums.

Videos stored in digital format have the advantage of taking up less space in storage mediums, largely because they have being compressed before stored. That's the reason why they are preferred over analog video for videos transmitted over the internet. That's because they take up less bandwidth and storage space on your disk.

Network cameras, also referred to as IP cameras are devices that produce digital videos. They have the ability to capture, encode, compress, convert and transmit digital videos over any computer network. Widely known digital video formats are MP4 and H.264.

IP cameras are therefore more expensive than analog cameras. During the course of our classroom training, you would learn when to use which of the camera types.

More topics will be treated in subsequent posts.

Hunry:
ok,let the course begin

Ok sir

As the need for security consciousness increases, everyone is searching for the best means of protecting their lives, and those of their loved ones.

Properties are not left out. Knowing fully well that any of our possessions acquired must be secure from unwanted intruders.

One sure way of prevention and protection of our valuables is the use of CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) for monitoring activities around our homes, offices, and churches.

Though the cameras do not work alone, recent development in technology has driven down the cost of setting up CCTV systems, and it's quite affordable to more people.

There is a growing need for installers and operators of these systems, thereby prompting us to embark on affordable and easy-to-access training for interested people. There is no prerequisite knowledge required as the very basics will be taught.

Check out some topics that would be covered

Students of this course will get the knowledge and understanding, both in theory and practicals of the following:

1. CCTV Fundamentals - Videos, Camera lenses, Storage, DVR, NVR

2. Choosing a camera - Dome, Analog, IP cameras

3. Cabling and Connections - Conduit, Surface, Trunk/Pipe Wiring

4. Video management - Video encoding and formats, different types of cameras and their video outputs; avi, mpeg2, mpeg4, h.264, advantages and disadvantages.

5. Networking essentials - Designing a network, IP Addressing and IP cameras, Viewing cameras over the network, internet, Wireless and wired networks, configuration of IP camera

6. Connecting Analog and IP cameras to work together

7. Site survey

8. Managing power supply

9. Security

10. Maintenance

Prerequisite

There are no prerequisites to attending this training, because the course will taught from the basic and foundational knowledge on CCTV systems. A knowledge of computer fundamentals and networking might be of advantage to those who possess such skills.

We also undertake installations for individuals and organizations.

Send us a mail at btcommsnig@gmail.com

adeekiti:
How can I get the surge protector

You can visit our showroom at Alaba International Market, we could also deliver to your location if you're not in Lagos.

Call me. Check my signature

Exciting opportunities awaits the savvy business man/woman interested in selling our high quality power banks and surge protectors.

The brand of the products is FIL, and it's a trusted brand that have being proven over time.

Delivery can be made to any location in Nigeria, and we have enough inventory to fill up any order.

nyabingi:
Hello Nairalanders, who out there can give reliable info on how to set up a simple online store using WordPress, it doesn't have to be complex just a simple site that enables display of products and their prices with a checkout options. Help a brother pls!

Read the step by step guide on creating ecommerce website on wordpress here

https://www.nairaland.com/1818704/step-by-step-guide-setting-up-e-commerce

That today's smart phone devices are heavy energy consumers, is not news. It's not uncommon to see people moving about with their chargers, and at the slightest opportunity, they plug them into available electrical outlets.

However, the power bank (a device that stores electrical charge inside batteries) has come to relieve this problem of flat batteries. If you must use it, you should know certain precautions to take to guard against misuse, or injuries when used.

For Maximal Performance:

- Charge the power bank to full capacity, possibly during the bed time to be used on devices during the working hour.

- Charge your devices with power bank on your consciousness, don’t charge while sleeping.

- Charge power bank with quality charger minimum of 500 mAH and maximum of 2A.

- Charge power bank and devices with quality cable of minimum of 1A and maximum of 2A.

CAUTION:

# Remove phone charger connector from the power bank while dialing or answering calls.

# Discard malfunction devices or relatives facilities.

LilyLuvSrk:
If there isn't a bollywood channel, I'm not gonna purchase it

There is. Colours International.

And the decoder comes with 2 months free subscription.

You can get it on Konga and have it delivered to you.

Check my previous post for link