How to get your first 10 sales
The first few sales are the hardest, because nobody has bought from you yet and nobody has reviewed you. The good news is that you only need ten. Ten sales teach you what customers ask, what they like, and what to fix. Here is a plain plan for getting there.
Before you share anything
Do a quick check, because a bad first impression is hard to undo.
- Place a test order in test mode and make sure checkout, emails and shipping work. Turn test mode off afterward, because while it is on, nobody can pay you for real.
- Replace sample text, especially on your About, Contact, Privacy and Terms pages.
- Check your product photos and descriptions. Clear photos and plain words sell better than clever ones.
The launch checklist covers each of these steps.
Start with people who know you
Your first customers are usually friends, family, neighbors and former colleagues. They are already inclined to support you, and they will tell you what is confusing.
- Send a short, personal message, not a mass blast. Say what you made, who it is for and give the link.
- Ask each person to share it with one other person who might like it.
- Ask for honest feedback, especially on the checkout and the product page.
Do not feel awkward. People often like being asked, and an early order from a friend gives your store its first real history.
Share where your audience already is
Pick one or two social platforms where your customers spend time, and post there regularly, rather than trying to be everywhere. Good posts show the product in use, the process of making it, and the people behind it. Always include your store link. Photos and short videos usually beat long text.
Join groups and communities related to your product, and be useful before you promote. Answering questions builds trust, and a link in a profile or a reply lands better than one dropped into every thread.
Sell in person and record it
Local markets, craft fairs and pop-ups put your product in front of people who can touch it. A stall also lets you hand out cards or flyers with your store's address, so people can reorder online.
If you take payment at the stall by cash, a bank transfer or another way, you can still record the sale. In Payly, go to Orders, click Add Order, choose the products, and save it as Paid or Pending. The order and the customer then appear in your lists. Some points to know:
- Payly has no card reader, so it does not take card payments in person. A manual order is a record of money you received another way.
- An order saved as Paid sends a real confirmation email and a sign-in link to the address you enter, so check the address before saving.
- A manual order is not tied to a PayPal or Stripe payment, so it cannot be refunded from Payly.
See Create an order by hand for the steps.
Offer a launch discount code
A small incentive can nudge a hesitant buyer. Create a code in Discounts, choose a percentage or a fixed amount, and give it limits that suit you:
- A start and end date, so it feels like a launch offer.
- A minimum spend, to protect your margin.
- A usage limit, such as the first 20 orders.
Customers type the code at checkout, and it works straight away without publishing. A code reduces the price of items only, not shipping. Keep the discount modest and make sure you still earn a fair amount. See Create discount codes.
Collect reviews
A store with reviews feels safer to a new visitor than one without. Payly lets signed-in customers rate and review your products, and reviews are on for every new store. A customer gets an account when their first order is paid, so ask your early buyers to sign in and leave a review, and say thank you when they do. You can publish reviews at once or hold them for your approval, and you can reply to each one. See Collect and moderate product reviews.
Help people find you
Write a clear title and description for each page, add alt text to photos, and list your store in Payly's directory. Search takes time, so treat it as a slow, steady source and not a launch plan. The help center article Help customers find your store on Google covers the steps.
Keep a simple list of every sale: who bought, how they found you and what they asked. After ten sales, you will see which channel to do more of.
Questions
Should I run ads right away?
Not before you have a few sales and know that your product page works. Ads send strangers to your store, and a page that does not convert wastes the money.
What if nobody buys in the first week?
That is common. Ask a few people to walk through your store and tell you where they got stuck. Often it is the price, the photos or an unclear checkout.
Do I need to pay to start?
Payly is free, with no monthly fee, no transaction fee and no commission. You pay the processing fee that PayPal or Stripe charges on each sale, and a domain name if you want your own.
Ideas here are general suggestions. Results vary with your product, your audience and the time you put in.
