Insider Edition: The Experts' Guide to Channel Marketing - UnderBid.com

Insider Edition:  The Experts' Guide to Channel Marketing

Last week, eTaildTail had a great interview with consumer shopping engine Gifts.com as part of our 2009 ongoing series called: Insider Edition: The Experts' Guide to Channel Marketing, the weeks before that we had great conversations with Pront.com and Smarter.com.

eTaildTail knows that using consumer shopping engines ("CSE"s) can help online retailers increase sales at a price they can afford, although many ecommerce merchants still are hesitant to work with CSEs for a myriad of reasons.

The most notable three reasons are:

1. lack of familiarity with a particular marketing channel
2. lack of evidence that a marketing channel increases sales cost effectively, and
3. difficulty of working with a marketing channel

As part of eTaildTail's 2009 effort to educate online retailers as to the many, cost-effective marketing channels available to them to list their product catalog, eTaildTail will interview executives at various CSEs and marketing channels and ask them to help us undertstand their value to growing an online merchant's sales and revenues.

eTaildTail hopes that these online Q&A sessions give you, the online merchant, pertinent information as to a particular marketing channel and the potential benefits of working with them.  And, if you decide to work them then great, please let them know that eTaildTail sent you their way.

So let's get started with an interview with UnderBid.com and its Founder, Frank Pierini.  All interviews are conducted by Chip Arndt, an author of eTaildTail. 

If you would like to contact UnderBid.com and Frank Pierini you may email me at tips @ merchantadvantage.com and eTaildTail would be glad to accommodate you, or see below.

Insider Edition:  The Experts' Guide to Channel Marketing - UnderBid.com

UnderBid's Secrets to CSE Marketing Success for Online Merchants

1. When was UnderBid.com founded and by whom?

Underbid, Inc., based in New York, was founded by Frank Pierini and launched in 2005 a marketplace matching buyers and established sellers. The company's mission is to become the best marketplace for established and reputable vendors to market and sell their products to savvy, online customers.
 
2. What sets UnderBid.com apart from the other shopping engines?

What sets Underbid.com apart for sellers is that we provide an easy to integrate free marketing tool; there are no upfront or hidden costs. We only charge a small commission only when an item is paid for. For Buyers, we offer discounted prices on the same items sold on sellers own website and other marketing channels…”The Same for Less” on simple to use website.
 
3. What are the secrets to success for merchants advertising on UnderBid.com?

There is only one secret - in order to sell you have to market efficiently. When economy was booming, companies used to spend money on expensive marketing with low returns without thinking, because that's what everyone was doing. In our current economy people become savvier and understand the value of pay-per-sale model is optimal from costs perspective - we don't make money unless we made money for you.

4. Who is using UnderBid.com and why?

We don't limit types of sellers, any type of business that understands the significance of using cost-effective marketing channel during economic downturn can use us to increase sales today. Established companies such as EntirelyPets.com, Unbeatablesale.com, Closeout.com, Bedbathstore.com, Instrumentpro.com and Readygolf.com have been with Underbid since launch. 
 
5. What are some of the challenges you are seeing in the retail sector during the current economic downturn, and what are you doing to overcome them?

The biggest challenge for retailers is a steep drop in sales. There is not much to be done to make people buy if they are not spending, cutting costs and reaching to more potential buyers via marketing channels that are performance based is the key.

Bonus Q: How do I get to work with UnderBid.com as an ecommerce merchant?

It is simple. Use this link to sign up and start getting sales for only a small commission. SIGN UP WITH UNDERBID.

Chip: Thank you so much Frank for your time and insights on how online merchants can benefit by working with UnderBid.com

If you want to keep up with all entries as they relate to Insider Edition:  The Experts' Guide to Channel Marketing, please click on "Experts' Guide to Channel Marketing" under categories on the left hand side of the eTaildTail blog.

- Chip Arndt