Unique Selling Proposition: 7 e-shops that do it right

You have to be the first, the best, or different - this advice is older than the Internet, but it fits perfectly with running a store online. It's so easy to set one up that, as a rule, you're already competing with a hundred similar businesses. Expert Shoper suggests how not to get lost in this crowd.

You won't be the first anymore, unless you find a new niche. Then you will also be the best in it, but before you know it, imitators will appear. They'll start selling cheaper than you, because that's the typical strategy for quickly conquering the market. Becoming that best in a mature industry, on the other hand, is a task for years. The optimal approach is precisely to offer something that no one else has.

The USP or Unique Selling Proposition is all about just that. Remember that it is not necessarily the product that has to be the breakthrough innovation. The concept of USP is broader and includes the entire sales process - including shipping, communication with customers or the option to make something to order.

- We encourage developers of stores on our platform to communicate their biggest differentiator in open text on the homepage. It would be good if they could express it in one sentence and present it in an attractive way. We also sensitize them not to make their offer more beautiful by force. The USP should come from a correct analysis of the market and respond to customer needs. Preferably ones that others have not yet realized. In the era of a flattened manufacturer market and a flattened sales channel market, we have to build an "unfair advantage" over competitors somewhere. Chinese manufacturers have imposed low-cost products on us, and Americans have imposed average sales platforms. So we can win by breaking out of this stream of mediocrity. As long as we can reach customers with a message other than "good and cheap at our place," we can count on success, says Lukasz Kozlowski, Customer Success Manager of Shoper.

Experts at Shoper have selected seven out of more than 10,000 stores operating in its system that can make good use of USP to develop their business.

1. Zuzia Gorska (www.zuziagorska.pl)

"We are a small manufactory operating in the village of Odrzykoń in Subcarpathia. We design and sew bags, purses, wallets and accessories. When you buy from us, you can be sure that each product is individually made for you." - This is how Zuzia Gorska's store greets its customers. The owner invites you to her blog, where she describes how her store was created and tells the story of the people who create it. Its name, address and related stories suggest that we can count on individual treatment here, and by making a purchase we support local entrepreneurship.

2. Akardo (https://akardo.pl)

- We make our shoes by hand in small, family-run shoemakers. They are staffed by shoemakers with many years of experience. Thanks to the fact that we start production only after an order is placed, we can sell them at an affordable price," explains Adam Kubarski, creator of the Akardo store. It fits in with the renaissance of small artisan workshops, which we are again beginning to value more than mass production. To reinforce these associations, Akardo adds as much as a 30-day return period to every order, so that everyone can feel like they're at the cobbler's in the good old days.

3. FancyBra Shop (https://fancybra.shop.pl)

- We carry unique brands that are unavailable in Poland. We also make sure that our packages are unique and open like a gift," says Joanna Karczewska, founder of FancyBra Shop. Indeed they are. The golden bow gives way after a gentle pull on the ribbon. Inside, elegant paper, in which the lingerie set is intricately wrapped, is revealed. A sense of exclusivity is already beginning to be created by the FancyBra Shop website illustrated with professional photo shoots. The customer feels as if she is visiting a luxury brafitter's salon.

4. El Wariato (https://elwariato.com)

The Internet knows Pamela and Matthew as Fit Lovers. Their YouTube channel is followed by nearly 1.5 million people. They started by posting workout guides on it. Over time, the authors' personalities became the main attraction. Their eccentric style inspired a collection of clothes. Sporty clothes with flamboyant accents are available in the El Wariato store. Pamela and Matthew appear on them as models, so that there is no doubt that we will be walking in "their" clothes.

5. Beer Service (https://beerservice.pl)

A beer outlet kit is not one of the purchases you make on a regular basis, even when running a catering establishment. The chance of a customer not quite knowing what he wants is quite high. That's why "at the entrance" to the Beer Service e-shop, visitors are greeted by a configurator. It allows you to design a personalized beverage set step by step. Using the Configurator also gives an 8% discount. Beginners in the gastro business are likely to let themselves be guided by the hand.

6. SIN by Mannei (https://shop.sinbymannei.com)

The word "sisters" already appears in the logotype, and photos of the three pretty and smiling girls are the first thing one sees on the store's website, related blog and social media channels. The brand's positioning is certainly helped by the fact that the Mannei sisters (or the jewelry they design) happen to appear in celebrity circles. Associations with luxury and exclusivity are very welcome in this product category.

7. ecoPolka (https://ekopolka.pl)

- I sell only natural and only Polish products, tested by me personally every single piece," says Aleksandra Graca, who runs the EkoPolka store, "I am allergic, my children also had sensitive skin, and the availability of natural products has always been a problem for us. In turn, I myself am interested in nursing, I am a nurse by training," she explains how the idea to sell organic cosmetics was born. In recent years, there has been a growing awareness in consumers of the importance of their individual purchasing decisions. EcoPolka gives them a sense that they are following this trend.

- It is worth offering customers something more than a convenient purchase. It does not necessarily have to be tangible material value. One also "buys" with a product its manufacturer, lifestyle, sense of belonging to a particular group, ideology. Let's keep this in mind when looking for our USP. And let's remember that the USP for the customer, is an effective "unfair advantage" over the competition," concludes Lukasz Kozlowski of Shoper.