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e-Commerce: Another Way To Make Money Online
Though I focus the majority of my efforts online in the intangible realm of advertising, there’s a huge market for online product sales, known as e-commerce industry, which exists. Companies that develop products or services and sell them/charge for them through the Internet. Rather than relying off advertisers to create revenue, their websites serve as portals for users to buy stuff: whether it’s a new computer or subscription to advanced feature’s that a website has to offer, the visitors pay the owner in order to make use of the site (or portion thereof).
Woot.com is one such example of an extremely successful e-commerce venture. The unique online store and community combination serves as a place where tech savvy bargain shoppers can browse for various goods. Each day, Woot.com offers one product for sale at a hugely discounted price (Woot.com negotiates with manufacturers for bulk pricing on overstocked goods in order to be able to offer the discounts) until the product sells out, or until the next day’s product becomes available, whichever comes first.
The structure of the website company entices users to visit daily (thus constantly pumping a continuous flow of traffic) to catch the latest deals. The message boards consist of thousands of bargain shoppers who love to interact, and various inside-jokes (or specials), such as the prized “Bandolier of Carrots” and the infamous “Bag o’ Crap” (a $1 “surprise” product that thousands of Woot! users order simply for the fun of it), make the community an incredibly lively, upbeat place to talk, even if the company’s only goal is to increase sales. How many times do you have users willing to give you money for random junk? Woot.com hit the jackpot.
Woot.com is only one example of e-commerce. There are many other ways to make money online without utilizing advertising. Some individuals specialize in selling their products on eBay to make money. Others resort to the shady gray-market of dealing legal drugs (think online pharmacies) to make their ends meet. And then others offer syndicated adult content for a monthly fee, which, not surprisingly, a handful of people on the Internet are willing to pay for. There are many other ways to make money online without relying on advertising; I may not be able to sum it all up in one post, but take some time to think if you can find a way to sell a product/service online. Maybe you, too, will be thinking “Woot!” when your e-commerce venture hits the limelight.
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