How to Become a Top Qoo10 Seller in Singapore

Are you new Qoo10 retailer?

Don’t worry! It’s that exciting time again when we here at MediaOne offer some killer tips on how to be a successful Qoo10 seller. We have done so with almost all the other ecommerce platforms, and it was only natural that we’d also cover Qoo10.

The question many Qoo10 retailers ask is, “are there any tricks to selling on Qoo10 that you can use to rank a new product listing fast?”

We’re happy to point out that, YES – there are several Qoo10 tricks that you could use to dominate this marketplace and gain an edge over any seller that you’re competing with.

But first,

What’s Qoo10?

Qoo10, formerly GMarket, is the leading online marketplace in Singapore. Although headquartered in Singapore, its operations are localised all across the Asian Pacific region, including Malaysia, Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Indonesia.

A Brief History of Qoo10

If you’re an Internet-savvy shopper, then you’ve probably ordered something from Qoo10 — on this visually cluttered platform, where merchants are allowed to sign up and sell anything, from cosmetics, soft toys, and smartphone accessories.

This ecommerce isn’t new. It was first established in Japan in December 2007 by Ku Young Bae. At the time, it used to go by the name GMarket. It was until a year later (December 2008) that they would decide to open it in Singapore, as well.

In April 2009, GMarket was sold to eBay.

In May 2010, Ku Young Bay decided to team up with eBay to establish Giosis Pte. Ltd, as a joint venture. The goal was to develop the marketplace in Japan and Singapore.

Between March and April 2011, GMarket was expanded to cover Indonesia and Malaysia.

In September that same year, GMarket was officially launched as a global marketplace.

And then come May 2012, and the platform was rebranded to Qoo10 (from GMarket).

In January 2013, Qoo10 was also established in China.

Two years later (January 2015), another Qoo10 platform was launched in Hong Kong. At the time of writing this, Qoo10 is in six different countries.

In 2019, Qoo10 acquired ShopClues, an already-established Indian ecommerce site.

Why Sell on Qoo10?

Qoo10 isn’t the only ecommerce platform in Singapore. You have so many other online marketplaces to choose from, including Lazada and Carousell.

But why Qoo10?

Well, here are the various perks that are specifically associated with selling on Qoo10:

• Free Product Listing

Qoo10 doesn’t charge you for listing your products with them. You can list as many products as you wish, which can potentially save you a lot of money.

• Qoo10 Q-Cash

Qoo10 has a virtual currency that has been specifically designed to be used on the platform, Q-cash. Qoo10 retailers use this virtual currency to purchase advertising space on the platform. It’s what you’ll be using to promote your products on this online marketplace.

• Fast Delivery

No other ecommerce platform delivers your products faster than Qoo10. You even have the option of purchasing their QXpress CS coupon (which goes for about $4.5) to have your products delivered within the same day of ordering.

• Customer Support

Qoo10 has a live messaging app that lets you chat with buyers in real-time for free. You can use this app feature to establish a real connection with buyers and influence their decision.

• Seller Portal

Qoo10’s seller portal comes loaded up with features that you’ll certainly find useful. You can also use the Qoo10 Sales Manager to track your orders, shipping, and product listing.

Qoo10 buyers come from various regions. However, about 83.97% of their web traffic comes from Singapore.

The Selling Process at Qoo10

Qoo10 has one of the simplest selling processes. Here are the steps involved:

• You create an account with them
• Create your product listing
• Start selling your items
• A customer pays for your items
• The item is shipped to the customer
• You Confirm order delivery
• Your profits are passed to you

How to Register as a Seller on Qoo10

The process of registering as a seller on Qoo10 is a child’s play. We’ve prepared a simple, step by step guide to ease down the process even further:

1. Head over to the qoo10.com website and scroll down to proceed with the registration process. But first, you have to choose your region from the options provided.
2. You’ll be directed to a page with the link, “Seller Register. Go ahead and click on this link and you’ll be directed to another page. On this page, go ahead and click on “create a Qoo10 account.”
3. Fill in All the Requested Information. You’ll be asked to provide the following details:

• Your email address for verification. Be sure to use a genuine email address because you’ll be asked to confirm it.
• Your name. Make sure you use the right name, the same name in your ID, and other verification documents.
• Gender
• Date of birth

After you’ve filled in all these details, enter the captcha code and check the “terms and conditions” box.

4. Log into your email and confirm it

An email will be sent to you with a link to confirm it. Open the email and click on this link.

After you’ve confirmed your email address, you’ll be directed to another page where you’ll be prompted for further information.

Fill in all the details and click on “seller register.”

5. Proceed to Fill in the Seller Registration Form

This is the most critical part of the whole process. You have to be extra careful while filling up the form to avoid making careless mistakes.

It’s a lengthy form; you, therefore, have to make sure that you have at least 30 minutes dedicated to this.

Fill all the required details to get your account approved.

On the Q-cash part, just select “Default Seller Registration.”

Hit on the submit button and ta-da! You’d have successfully registered your seller account.

You can now proceed with listing your products. You have more than 10 million buyers to sell to. So, proceed with the steps that follow even more carefully.

The Cost of Selling on Qoo10

You don’t have to register your company to sell on Qoo10. However, you have to part away with a cool $100 sign up fee, which may be a little over the top for a start-up. They also take a whopping 12% cut off your total transaction amount, which is pretty huge when you come to think about it.

However, when your sales exceed their $500 mark, this amount can be reduced to 9%.

Another option would be to opt for their QStore membership. With this option, you’ll be expected to part away with $500 upfront cost, and in return, get your commission sliced down to 5%.

How to List Your Products on Qoo10

Qoo10’s own version of a seller portal is what is referred to as Qoo10 Sales Manager (QSM). It’s where you manage your store, product listing, and everything else.

Uploading the products one by one can be pretty tedious — which is why we advise you to consider integrating your ecommerce store with Magento or WooCommerce for bulk uploads.

Does Qoo10 Charge You Any Listing Fee?

Fortunately, Qoo10 allows you to list your products for free. There’s however a $100 upfront sign up fee and various other costs to incur:

Qoo10 Payments and Delivery

As with many ecommerce platforms, shoppers pay through Qoo10, after which all the proceeds are funnelled to you — of course, after they have deducted their commission and service fee.

Delivery-wise, Qoo10 has Qxpress, which is a little bit pricier compared to the likes of Lazada’s Ninjavan. The other drawback is that they do not offer any other delivery and logistics solutions at the moment.

Conditions for Selling on Qoo10

Every ecommerce platform has its own rules and conditions for selling. Qoo10 is no exception.

Here are the rules to adhere to when selling on this leading ecommerce platform:

• You must at least buy 1, 000 Q-cash
• You have to be a Qoo10 member to be allowed to sign up as a seller
• You must have identification documents, like bank statements and passport
• You must provide personal identification information, like your email address, bank account, NRIC, and so on.
• You must have registered your business and be willing to provide your business certificate information when registering for the seller account.

Top Selling Products on Qoo10

Here’s a list of top-selling product categories on the Qoo10 ecommerce store:

• Cosmetics
• Kids fashion
• Computer and games
• Women’s clothing
• Mobile accessories
• Bag and wallet
• Furniture and Deo
• Watches
• Automotive & industry
• Cameras and Recorder

Products that You’re Prohibited to Sell on Qoo10

Here’s a list of prohibited product categories on Qoo10. Qoo10 won’t approve any of the following products should you decide to go ahead and list it:

• Used cosmetics
• Alcohol beverages
• Animal or wildlife products
• Any indigenous product, artifact, art treasure, or grave related product
• Products with government stamps
• Counterfeit products. You’ll be banned from the account should you try to list it.
• Debit cards and credit cards
• Slot machines,
• Hazardous products
• Slot machines
• Drugs like steroids and narcotics
• Firearms and weapons
• Prohibited electronics

Pros and Cons of Selling on Qoo10

The Pros

• It’s open to everyone
• Huge reach
• It’s cost-effective to run and promote your shop

The Cons

• There’s a one-time registration fee of $100 for a regular store or $500 for the Qstore.
• The 12% commission is a bit too high.
• No official resources for sellers

Expert Tips on How to be a Successful Seller on Qoo10

Setting up a seller account on Qoo10 is simple. But dominating this marketing space to emerge as one of the top sellers on the platform?

Well, that requires a different type of game?

Luckily for you, we’re here to offer you the necessary guidance on how to run with this like the professional you’re about to become.

Let’s get to it:

Choose the Right Product

It all begins with the product you choose. No matter how good your marketing and promotion strategy is, if your product isn’t in demand or falls short in the quality department, then nothing you do would be enough to get those sales rolling.

Also, remember that the customer base at Qoo10 isn’t like that of any other ecommerce platform in the country. Try looking at the bestsellers displayed on Carousell, Shoppe, or Lazada and try comparing it to that at Qoo10, and you’ll agree Qoo10 is completely different.

In other words, to choose the right platform to sell on Qoo10, you must first understand the preference of this specific type of audience.

What to Consider when choosing a product to sell on Qoo10:

• Sales Volume of the Product

The prevailing logic is to go with the product with the highest sales volume. There are six main product categories to choose from on the Qoo10 homepage:

Starting with the best-selling category, they include:

• Digital and Mobile: This is the best-selling category on the list. The average monthly volume of transactions for products in this category is $5.4 million.
• Beauty and Diet: The average monthly volume of transactions for products in this category is $4.6 million.
• Women’s Clothing: Women’s clothing sells well. The average monthly volume of transactions for products in this category is $3 million.
• Food and Baby: The average monthly volume of transactions for products in this category is $2.9 million.
• Home and Living: The average monthly volume of transactions for products in this category is $2.8 million.
• Men and Sports: The average monthly volume of transactions for products in this category is $1.3 million.

This information is useful, but not enough. You also have to dig into the sub-categories in each category and estimate their respective sales volume.

For instance, if you’re planning to venture into the women category, you also have to investigate the sub-categories: women’s shoes, underwear, dresses, belts, and so.

Here’s a recent report on the average sales volume of these sub-categories:

• Women clothes: $1, 039, 884
• Women Bags and Wallet: $803, 021
• Women Watch and Jewellery: $473, 410
• Women shoes: $319, 022
• Women underwear and socks: $266, 213
• Fashion accessories: $129, 047

You have to do this for the category you’re planning to venture in and then narrow down to the sub-category, the third sub-category, and finally the product itself.

• The Sales Status of the Third Sub-Category

It’s the same as the above example.

You have to break down the items in the third sub-category and find out about their sales volume.

For instance, using the women clothing category as an example, and then narrowing down to women clothes; here’s what the sales volume of the items under the third sub-category looks like:

• Dresses: Dresses sell the most, with an average monthly sales volume of $40, 195.
• Tops: average monthly sales volume of $40, 195
• Pants: average monthly sales volume of $25, 751
• Blouses: average monthly sales volume of $7, 127
• Shorts: average monthly sales volume of $2, 929
• Plus size clothes: average monthly sales volume of $2, 851

As you can see, dresses and tops or shirts have the highest transaction volume. They’re the market to focus on, unless otherwise. You also want to look at their average selling price, which will go on to determine the right price to set for your products.

• Regional Competitor Distribution

Regional seller distribution can easily be found on the Qoo10’s website. Yet, it’s one of the most ignored aspects on this platform. Continuing with the same example, you want to find out how the sellers of women’s clothing are distributed.

Here’s a table summarising the whole account:

From this data, you can see that China dominates the market. They’re the leading sellers of women clothing. That could also be interpreted to mean that they hold a distinct advantage compared to the sellers that are based on the other regions.

Their items are also priced cheap. Another interpretation is that customers prioritise price over delivery efficiency or any other factor.

So, unless you find a supplier who’s willing to sell you the clothes at a much cheaper rate, then it would be much wiser to consider selling a different item.

My personal opinion is that selling women’s clothing in Singapore isn’t the wisest decision you can make. The only exception to this rule is when your product holds a very unique selling point.

Estimate Your Potential Sales

As you begin to sell on the Qoo10 ecommerce platform, you have to take full control of your stock. This demands that you roughly estimate your purchase volume and its corresponding monthly profits.

Using the same example on women clothing:

• 1 to 50 pieces have an average monthly sales volume of 782.
• 50 to 100 pieces have an average monthly sales volume of 151.
• 100 to 500 pieces have an average monthly sales volume of 141.
• 500 to 1000 pieces have an average monthly sales volume of 14.
• 1000 to 2000 pieces have an average monthly sales volume of 7.
• 50 to 100 pieces have an average monthly sales volume of 151.
• And only 1 item had a sales volume of 5, 000 and above

You have to do your research and some little bit of calculations to determine where you fall. With such data, you can even estimate your potential sales and adjust accordingly.

Your Pricing Strategy

You have to be really strategical about how you set your price. Forget about your feelings and adjust your price based on the market.

The question to ask is, how would you know if it’s the most suitable price?

Going back to the example above – here’s a table showing the correlation between monthly sales and price:

From the table, you must have noticed that many of the sales made fall within the price range of $0 to $20. That shows that many of the customers buying women’s clothing on this platform aren’t willing to spend more than $20 on the clothes they buy. It also shows that medium to high-end clothes don’t sell that well on Qoo10.

Adopt the Right Promotion Strategy

All we’ve been focusing on up until now are some pointers on how to lay the groundwork for a successful sales process. You’ve learned about how to choose the right product, how to come up with a procurement plan, and the right pricing strategy to adopt.

What next?

Well, it’s high time you learned about how to expose your products to its intended market.

You can start by taking advantage of Qoo10’s advertising system.

Other Essential Tips to Help Dominate the Qoo10 Marketplace

You need to adopt an effective marketing strategy to overcome the competition at Qoo10. Remember that you’ll be competing with lots of other sellers for the same market, and the only way to stand out is to beat them at their marketing game.

We’ve highlighted a few pointers to help you out with this:

• Dedication

The path to becoming one of the top sellers on Qoo10 requires dedication. A few minutes here and there won’t cut it.

Most successful Qoo10 retailers work on their business full time. They’re always working or investing in something. When they’re not promoting their products, they’re working on their local listing.

• Perform Competitor Research

There’s so much you can learn from the people you’re competing with. You can start by studying the market and some of the strategies your competitors are using to lock in sales.

Look at their product titles and description and find out about the keywords they’re optimising and so on.

• Choose a Supplier with the Best Price

There are three ways to choose a supplier for your products – retail, wholesale, and manufacturer.

Yes, you can purchase a product from another retailer and still mark up for profits. You just have to do your homework.

Buying directly from the manufacturer is another viable option. The only problem is that they’ll require you to purchase the product in bulk.

That leaves us with only one option, wholesale. Focus on developing a relationship with your wholesaler, and you stand a chance to negotiate for an even lower wholesale price.

• Quality Product Pictures Sell

I’m sure this is not the first time to hear about this. You’ve heard it so many times before. The quality of the pictures you take will influence the decision your customers make.

Remember, you do not need expensive photography equipment or any prior experience to take professional pictures of your products.  Your smartphone camera is enough to help you pull this off. Plus, there are so many online tutorials to help you out with this.

• Learn to Market Your Product Elsewhere

The bidding system at Qoo10 can be pretty useful. But it just isn’t enough.

You have to figure out how to market your product elsewhere. You can start by listing your products on blogs and Facebook ads (you have to allocate a budget for this).

Work on SEO and PPC. Don’t let the people that search for your products on Google miss you in the search results that show.

• Good Customer Reviews

Qoo10 works on a customer-centric approach. Meaning, the reviews that your product gets adds weightage to your product listing.

As a rule of thumb, the more positive and genuine your reviews are, the better you’ll rank, and the more sales you’ll make. Although we still can’t prove that Qoo10 uses reviews to rank products, the fact that many buyers make decisions based on the reviews they read one, makes them a valuable tool that you can’t afford to ignore.

• Work on Your Customer Service

Don’t assume anything: your customers want to feel cared for. They want to feel that you have their best interest at heart. And it all starts with how you respond to their concerns.

You can win the game by simply being nice to your customers. Be there when they need help or when they need you to respond to their concerns.

• The Customer Is Always Right

This maxim may sound tired, but it still holds. Your customers should be your priority. They’re your source of peace. You’re happy when they’re happy, and vice versa.

When they request to return a product, don’t make it hard for them. When they take their sweet time to write a comment, whether positive or negative, be quick to respond to it. You win when you manage to get them to return for more of your products.

• Consult Experts

Look around for marketing or Qoo10 experts and let them help you or advise you on how you can move your business to the next level. Let them help you increase sales. Their knowledge and experience might be what you need to become a top seller on Qoo10.

If you can, sign up for a Qoo10 course such as this or this.

How to Manage Multiple Qoo10 Accounts

Qoo10 boasts more than 25 million users, which makes it the best pick of an ecommerce store for emerging merchants.

It gets even better with this ecommerce platform when you consider the fact that you can sell in multiple countries by setting up multiple seller accounts. Nothing changes – the steps for setting up the account remains pretty much the same for all the other country options.

Just one major issue:

The problem of managing multiple accounts

• You have to manage the orders and inventories in multiple sites.
• You have to handle bulk orders and shipments on your Qoo10 store.
• You have to upload your product listings to every single one of the accounts.
• You have to manage all the accounts manually. You’re bound to make a few human errors.
• You have to deal with differentiated shipping policies, tax, and more.

Eureka! Solving the Problem with Qoo10 WooCommerce/Multi-Account Integration

With this option, you can list up your products with as many Qoo10 accounts as you wish without eating up your precious time or losing your sleep over anything.

You can handle every aspect of all your accounts from a central place without worrying about anything. It acts as a central hub for seamlessly operating multiple Qoo10 stores.

Here are the key solutions it provides:

• Automated Product Upload

You don’t have to worry about the tedious task of listing your products on the various ecommerce stores one by one. With Qoo10 WooCommerce integration, these products can be automatically listed on the various stores according to their respective profiles.

• Inventory and Order Synchronisation

Another saviour – if you’ve been stressing over how you’re going to manage your inventory, then it’s time you channelled that energy elsewhere. With this integration feature, your inventory will be synchronised and brought to a central location where you can easily monitor everything and make necessary adjustments.

• Cron Automations

Here’s your chance to schedule everything, instead of waiting to make some of the changes manually. You can schedule your inventory stock updates and shipping after a specified time interval or with a predetermined upper limit.

• Error Notifications

Errors do happen all the time. You might be uploading a product, and it gets rejected without you knowing. This integration will see to it that any error that occurs will be automatically recorded in your WooCommerce admin panel and that you’re notified about it in real-time before it morphs into anything serious.

Advantages of Qoo10 WooCommerce/Multi-account Integration

Qoo10 WooCommerce operates as an all-in-one solution. But that’s not where it all ends. There are more irresistible features that we cannot just ignore:

• Mark-Up Price

This is really a secret that we’re revealing to you. With this integration, you could mark-up your prices in all your Qoo10 account while also keeping it the same in your WooCommerce Store.

• One-Time Charge

You’ll only be charged once. You make that one-time integration fee, and that’s it.

• Dedicated Manager

While it’s still easy to handle everything on your own, you’ll be assigned a dedicated manager that will see to it that you successfully manage to set up your account and manage everything.

• 3 Months Support

You have three months of free support in case you encounter any form of hardship. During this time, you’re allowed to have someone sort out your issues.