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high ticket e-commerce items

Selling high-ticket e-commerce items online is a smart idea. Not only will you turn a higher profit per sale, but you’ll have more time to provide high-quality customer service and find new ways to grow your business. In 2020, dropshipping accounted for a market value of around 116 billion EUR. If you’ve already tried your hand at low ticket dropshipping and feel ready to up your game, these high-ticket e-commerce items are a great place to start.

What Is a High-Ticket Dropshipping Business Model?

A high-ticket dropshipping business model is a fulfilment method in which you sell high-ticket products online—typically in the price range of €200 – €1,500 or more—and the goods are shipped directly from the supplier to the customer. Let’s say you sell a luxury watch for €2,500 and the wholesale price is €2,000. Once you receive the funds from the customer, you purchase the watch from the supplier for €2,000 and they ship the watch directly to the customer.

In its essence, high-ticket drop shipping works exactly the same way as low-ticket dropshipping except that your marketing strategy will be different. Instead of relying on impulse buys and social media ads, you will work on building a loyal customer base through a high-quality content marketing strategy, professional photography, a premium website and top-notch customer service. While it does cost more to set up a high-ticket dropshipping store, you will typically enjoy fewer returned products and larger profits per customer.

Benefits and Risks

The benefits of selling high-ticket e-commerce items are clear. The advantages include:

  • Higher profit margins
  • Less competition
  • More serious buyers with less likelihood of returns
  • Less money spent on marketing efforts (per dollar earned)
  • More time to invest in customer service and brand growth

There are also risks to selling high-ticket items online:

  • You will need a larger amount of capital to begin, typically €5000 or more.
  • If a supplier scams or fails you, there is more money at stake.

High-Ticket Dropshipping Niches

Finding high-ticket dropshipping products isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Many customers in the new global market are happy to buy products worth €150 or more online as long as they trust the product and the brand. As a starting point, consider the following e-commerce business niches:

Home Decor

  • Lighting
  • Bed linen
  • Mattresses
  • Furniture
  • Faucets
  • Showerheads
  • Wall canvas prints

Home Appliances

  • Air fryers
  • Coffee makers
  • Induction cooktops
  • Indoor grills
  • Blenders

Home Improvement

  • Solar LED garden lights
  • Tree chippers
  • Garden sheds
  • Robotic pool cleaners
  • Koi ponds

Automotive

  • Car roof racks
  • Customised car seats

Entertainment

  • Mini portable projectors
  • Home cinema kits

Hobby Items

  • Photography equipment
  • Motorcycle gear and accessories

Sports and Outdoor Living

  • Camping tents
  • Kayaks
  • Stand-up paddleboards
  • Golf clubs and accessories

Industrial Appliances

  • Industrial ovens
  • Industrial stovetops
  • Industrial coffee machines

Luxury Items

  • Luxury watches
  • Luxury pens
  • Jewellery items

Health and Beauty

  • Hair-removal appliances
  • Hair extensions and wigs
  • Protein powder
  • Health supplements

Massage Appliances

  • Massage chairs
  • Massage pillows
  • Foot massagers
  • Hand-held massage devices

Novelty

  • 3D printers
  • Drones
  • Robotics

As you search for a niche, remember that there are plenty of retailers who would be happy to have someone else import goods for them. Selling high-ticket items to businesses is much easier than selling them to individual consumers.

How to Find the Right High-Ticket E-Commerce Items to Sell

Once you’ve found a niche that interests you, you’ll need to create a list of ideas for when you start selling high-ticket products.

  1. Search popular online stores and dropshipping companies for products within your niche, including Amazon, AliExpress, Spocket and CJDropshipping.
  2. Filter the results by “bestsellers,” “€100+,” and “4 stars and above” to produce a list of high-quality, high-ticket items.
  3. Check the products on Google Trends to see whether interest in the product is stable or rising.
  4. Find the products wholesale on the sites mentioned above or perform a search for “wholesale [product]”.
  5. Read reviews for the brands that sell wholesale to make sure the brand is trustworthy.
  6. Seek permission from the wholesaler for dropshipping their products if they aren’t already featured on a dropshipping business website.
  7. Order the products yourself to test the customer service, fulfilment and product quality.
  8. Have professional photographs taken of your high-ticket items for publication on your e-commerce or Shopify store.
  9. Set prices for your products with decent profit margins that will cover the costs of marketing.
  10. Create policies for shipping, refunds and returns.
  11. Promote your store through content marketing, PPC ads and well-thought-out ads on social media.
  12. Provide top-notch customer service, fast shipping and easy returns so your customers always come back with a smile!

Increase your Profits with Cross-Sells

It might take a while to make your first high-ticket sale. But once you do, you should see your dropshipping business start to build. Once you’re regularly selling high-ticket items, consider offering your customers post-purchase add-ons to increase your per-customer profit.

This is how it works: After a customer makes a purchase, offer them an accessory, warranty or subscription to go with the product they just bought. For example:

  • A customer bought an electric bike. Offer them a helmet, reflectors, safety vest, and extended warranty.
  • A customer bought a coffee machine. Offer them a gourmet coffee starter kit and an extended warranty.
  • A customer bought a professional camera. Offer them professional photo paper, a photo printer, an extended warranty and a photography course.

See how it works? Many customers will pay a little extra for added peace of mind and convenience. With extended warranties and cross-sells, you’re putting those things right at their fingertips. Furthermore, because you’re offering up-sells and cross-sells after they’ve passed through the checkout, you’re not interrupting the conversion funnel and risking the loss of the sale.

Value Your Products and Offer a Free Gift

A final word of advice is to value the quality of the products you sell. Once you have found a reliable supplier and high-ticket dropshipping products, set prices that communicate that your products are worthwhile. When you see your competitors offering the same high-ticket items, it can be tempting to undercut their prices just to make a sale. But the psychology of luxury goods is actually the reverse. The more you charge, the more the customer will value the product and believe you when you say it’s high-end.

Instead of undercutting and offering endless sales, offer your customers a free gift to reward them and express your thanks. It could be a related accessory, an elegant tote bag, a nice bracelet or something similar. With quality, high-end service, a free gift, express shipping and fast complaint resolution, you should be well on the way to selling high-ticket e-commerce items with success.


social media mistakes

Social media marketing can be a powerful tool for reaching existing and potential customers—as long as you do it right. Whether you’re a local store, a global brand or just starting your own online business, avoid these common social media mistakes to make your social media campaign as effective as possible.

Posting to too Many Social Media Platforms

As the saying goes, “quality over quantity.” Every social media platform has its own culture, demographic, and content type. And honestly, if you’re posting to Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and Facebook, you’re probably not tailoring the content to make the most of each platform’s capabilities.

The most effective strategy is to limit your social media efforts to two or three social media networks and exploit each one to the full. For example:

  • On Facebook, share square images with an image or native video, link and call-to-action.
  • On Instagram, use Instagram Stories and hashtags to reach more potential fans.
  • On Twitter, make your tweets short and sweet and be sure to respond to mentions.

Posting Too Much or Not Enough

A solid social media strategy involves developing an editorial calendar for what you will post, when and where. To make social media marketing work, you need to post consistently with high-quality content your audience will love.

In general, you should post once or twice a day at the time your target audience is likely to be online. Include a mix of original content, shared content and curated user-generated content (UGC) to provide value and reach more potential fans.

Using Low-Quality Images

A picture speaks a thousand words, so make every image count! Whether you sell crocs or ballet barres, it’s worth hiring a professional photographer to take high-quality images that your fans will want to share.

When uploading your images to Facebook, most businesses go with a landscape orientation because that’s the shape the camera takes. However, if you use square images instead, you can take up 78% more space in users’ feeds and boost your views and engagement rates.

Sharing Video Links from YouTube

Remember the tip about posting native videos to Facebook? That’s right. Actually uploading a video can increase engagement several times over compared to sharing a video you published on YouTube. Take this from companies that have made this and other social media mistakes!

While it might seem like extra work, uploading each video separately to Facebook can lead to 109.67% more interaction and a 477.76% higher share rate, according to a study by Quintly. So those few extra minutes of your time could extend your reach for the same dollar amount!

Boosting Ads before They’ve Worked

Speaking of paying for ads, a common social media mistake is to promote content without analyzing its popularity first. Research shows that boosting well-performing social media posts helps these posts to perform even better.

To see which posts have the most engagement, check your Facebook Page Insights under “All Posts Published” and “Engagement Rate.” On Twitter, use Twitter Analytics. For Instagram and Pinterest, work out your engagement rate manually by dividing the total engagement figures by the reach or impressions of the post.

Failing to Reach Your Target Audience

Social media platforms like Facebook allow you to target specific audiences with your social media posts. If you’re a multi-location business or provide workshops in several countries or states, use this to your advantage and set geo-specific ads to display only to people in that location.

Likewise, if you know your target audience demographics (top tip: if you don’t know, find out), post to social media platforms that your target market uses, at the times they are online and focus on posting quality content that will add value to their lives.

Not Replying within One Hour

This might surprise some business owners, but social media users expect businesses to reply to their messages within one hour. That means that responding quickly should be a top priority for your social media marketing team.

Remember too that your social media presence should always be a two-way street. Respond to mentions, compliments and negative comments with courtesy and kindness and work quickly to resolve any issues expressed. Resolving issues quickly can do wonders for brand loyalty and PR!

Failing to Include a CTA

Finally, make sure that you create posts that convert. There’s no point spending a ton on Facebook ads if they don’t lead to engagements and sales! With every post that you publish to your social media channels, include a link back to your website and a call-to-action, such as:

  • Comment below
  • Like our page
  • Follow us
  • Share this post
  • Enter the draw to win
  • Shop [our product]
  • Visit our website
  • Contact us

According to Forbes, calls-to-action are more effective when:

  • They are prominently visible
  • They use the first person, i.e. “get my free ebook”
  • They clearly tell the reader what you want them to do
  • The results are measurable, i.e. you can measure the number of likes, shares, sign-ups, etc.

With so many distractions competing for your readers’ attention on social media, a CTA helps you to get straight to the point and doesn’t require too much time or effort on the part of the customer. To make your CTAs even more effective, turn them into a click-button. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Make Social Media Work for You

Social media has the potential to boost your following and conversions significantly when you have a solid social media marketing strategy, optimize your posts for each platform, configure the settings to reach your target audience and include a prominent CTA.

If you use social media correctly and avoid the social media mistakes on this list, you should soon see measurable boosts in social media engagement, followers and ultimately an increase in sales! It may take a little trial and error to find out what works for you but the results will be well worth it


Affiliates Stats

There are numerous ways for businesses to generate online traffic and drives sales: SEO, pay-per-click campaigns, email marketing. But while you’re optimizing your website and AB testing your latest ad campaign, don’t overlook the enormous potential of affiliate marketing. A well-executed affiliate marketing campaign can skyrocket your sales as you recruit ambitious go-getters to market on your behalf. The trick is understanding how to recruit affiliates for your business and building your freelance marketing team accordingly.

Why Businesses Should Recruit Affiliates

Affiliate marketing remains popular. Consider the following statistics:

  • More than 80% of brands have used affiliate marketing to promote their products [source]
  • 16% of all online orders are generated via affiliate marketing [source]
  • Affiliate spending is anticipated to reach $6.8 billion by 2020 [source]

Affiliate marketing works for businesses because it outsources much of the advertising effort to eager publishers. They do the heavy lifting, and you generate sales. And unlike with PPC, you only pay for the sales you make. It’s a win-win.

Is Affiliate Marketing Right for Your Business?

Before we go any further, we should highlight that affiliate marketing—while valuable for certain products—isn’t right for every business. If your product meets any of the following criteria, it might not be a good fit for affiliate marketing:

  • Products with a low profit margin: If you’re only making $5 profit per sale, it’s probably worth neither your time nor the affiliate’s time to split the difference. At that point, you need to hold on to every dollar you earn, and your affiliates likewise won’t want to invest the time marketing a product that yields very little return for them. Keep in mind that average affiliate commissions range from 3% to 15% but can be as high as 50% or more when warranted. Use your profit margin to determine how much of a commission rate you can afford. Then ask yourself if that rate would be worth your affiliates’ time.
  • Secondhand or limited-edition products: In some cases, refurbished or reconditioned products may lend themselves to affiliate marketing, but in general, affiliates are looking for new, packaged products or digital offerings that they can review and promote with confidence. The problem with secondhand products—even high-quality secondhand products—is that they’re typically available for a short time. This also goes for limited editions. Affiliates don’t want to spend their time writing content and optimizing a page for something that probably won’t be available in three months’ time. Your product needs to have staying power.
  • Large or varied product lines: If you’re offering a large product line, like 70 pairs of shoes, you might have a more difficult time with affiliate marketing. Research shows that the average affiliate focuses on 1 to 10 products, and the most successful programs are those in which the brand has a signature product—or a small selection of signature products. The company that sells one dynamite piece of software does better than the company that sells a varied selection of related products. Give your affiliate partners something to focus on.

By contrast, the following types of products tend to do well in affiliate marketing programs:

  • Software and web solutions: Cloud hosting, apps, website platforms, games, etc…
  • Instructional guides and programs: Books, ebooks, CD courses, online courses, etc…
  • Nutritional supplements: Fitness supplements, CBD, shakes, herbs, etc…
  • Health and beauty products: Cosmetics, lotions, moisturizers, etc…
  • Sports and fitness equipment: Exercise equipment, sporting goods, etc…
  • Fashion products: Unique apparel and accessories
  • Unique inventions: Anything that adds value to people’s lives and isn’t already saturating the market
  • Modern gadgets: Drones, home automation, smartwatches, 3D printers, etc…

How to Start a Successful Affiliate Program

Starting an affiliate program is easy, and any business can do it. You just need to set up your network, promote the program on your website, and create useful materials that affiliate partners can use in their marketing. From there, all you have to do is start recruiting affiliates.

Set Up Your Affiliate Program

You can set up your own affiliate network in house, or you can use an established affiliate network. To set up your own network, you’ll need to provide each partner with a unique affiliate URL and then track the sales generated by each URL. Pay each affiliate at regular intervals according to the sales they generate.

If, like most businesses, you’d prefer to use an established network that already has the tracking and payments set up, there are many options to choose from. Select a network that offers detailed analytics, low fees (to protect your profit margin), a large marketplace, and an easy-to-use interface for affiliates.

Top networks include:

  1. ShareASale: In business for over 15 years, ShareASale has over 4,000 merchant programs. There’s a $550 one-time setup fee and a $100 minimum deposit to cover affiliate payments.
  2. ClickBank: ClickBank has reached over 200 million customers in its 20-year history. Each product you submit is subject to a $49.95 approval fee. Then ClickBank charges $1 plus 7.5% per sale.
  3. JVZoo: With over 9.5 million products sold, this industry leader emphasizes digital and online products. Their fees are straightforward. They charge a 5% commission on all completed sales.
  4. CJ Affiliate: With $15 billion in annual sales, CJ Affiliate is the largest affiliate marketplace. It’s best for large businesses, as they offer enterprise pricing that’s customized for each client.

When setting up your program, your key decision is how much commission to give to your affiliates. This is known as the referral fee. Choose a percentage that’s attractive to potential partners without eating up your profit margin.

Create Your Affiliate Page

You’ve already taken the all-important first step, but don’t just rely on your affiliate network to advertise the commissions you’re offering. Before you start recruiting affiliates, you need to have a well-optimized affiliate page on your website. This will help you to get the word out to existing customers and also add a sense of legitimacy to your program.

  1. Create an affiliate landing page on your website. The link to this page should be clearly visible from your website’s main navigation.
  2. Use your landing page to showcase the benefits to publishers. Outline the terms and commission structure, and promote some of the product benefits to get publishers excited.
  3. Optimize the page for search engines. One in five affiliate marketers uses search engines to find affiliate marketing opportunities, so make sure to optimize your page for your niche keywords plus “affiliate.”
  4. Include a sign-up button. This may link back to your chosen affiliate network or to a custom sign-up page on your website, depending on how you decide to manage your program.

Offer Creative Materials to Affiliate Partners

Create brochures, high-quality images, testimonial lists, and other documentation to showcase your product in the best light possible. Provide these materials to each new partner who signs up. Don’t let them guess what the defining benefits are. Paint them a picture, and let the product sell itself.

The more you offer to affiliates, the easier their job will be, the better your promotions will be, and the more successful the campaign will be for the brand and publisher alike.

How to Recruit Affiliates

You have your affiliate program in place, your terms established, and your website optimized. Now comes the hard part: recruiting affiliates.

Choose a Niche

If you want to find the right affiliates, you need a clearly defined niche. It’s tempting to try and cast a wide net, reaching as many people as possible. Unfortunately, it’s also a recipe for failure.

Do the market research. Know your audience. Categorize and optimize your affiliate program accordingly. If you have multiple niches, market them separately from one another.

Being niche-focused may mean using a niche-specific affiliate network (like ShopStyle Collective for fashion), but it always means recruiting affiliates within your niche.

Use Your Affiliate Network for Affiliate Recruitment

Your affiliate network probably already has tools available for recruiting new affiliates. For example, ClickBank offers tools that allow brands to remarket to people who have purchased products and offers a marketplace where brands can appeal directly to the community.

Browse the available options in your own affiliate network, and see how you can leverage the available tools.

Reach out to Publishers in Your Niche

One of the best recruiting methods is to approach the affiliates directly. Look for publishers who already provide affiliate advertising for products like yours. You can research them online by searching your top keywords or competitor products along with the modifier “review.” For example, if you sell an ecommerce platform similar to BigCommerce, you can search “BigCommerce review” and see a list of articles from related affiliates.

In addition to search engines, you can also use publisher research tools like Publisher Discovery, MediaRails, and NerdyData to find relevant affiliates and perform valuable competitor research.

Compile a list of relevant publishers, and reach out to them. Pitch them on the “win-win” benefits, and offer them the opportunity for affiliate commission.

Advertise in Affiliate Directories

Affiliate directories allow you to pitch your product to people who are seeking affiliate opportunities. Millions of publishers use these directories, so they can be a valuable resource. Think of them like Craigslist for affiliate marketers.

Popular directories include:

When listing your opportunity in the directory:

  1. Be as detailed as possible
  2. Make sure to categorize your offer correctly
  3. Focus on the benefits for affiliates.

Run Pay-Per-Click Campaigns

Use Google, Facebook, and other advertising channels to reach affiliates. You can target keywords like “[niche] + affiliate” and find people who are seeking your type of program. In your ad headline and description, use your affiliate keywords and succinctly highlight the commission benefits while introducing your product.

Try running multiple ads concurrently. Use different phrasing, different demographic preferences, and different advertising platforms. See which ads yield the best results, and adjust your focus accordingly.

Advertise to Your Buyers

Satisfied customers can make excellent affiliates. As part of the checkout process, you can advertise your affiliate program to buyers. Pitch the benefits, and point out that satisfied buyers may be able to earn back everything they’ve paid for the product—and then some.

Provide buyers with a link to your affiliate landing page. You can also use a follow-up email to advertise this opportunity. If you’re running an affiliate PPC campaign, use remarketing to advertise to buyers after they’ve left your website.

Offer Products to Influencers in Exchange for Promotion

This is separate from your standard affiliate program, but if the influencer has a wide enough reach, the results can be massive. Just offer a free product in exchange for a quick promotion, and gain instant access to thousands of potential buyers.

You can even find affiliate networks that connect businesses with influencers for this purpose. RewardStyle and Impact are two prominent examples.

Keep Marketing to New Affiliates

Many businesses make the mistake of running one or two aggressive affiliate campaigns and then putting the program on autopilot. Over time, this will result in having few to no active affiliates. Because almost half of affiliates make less than $20,000 per year, there’s a lot of turnover and abandonment.

By constantly recruiting new affiliates, you can multiply your marketing reach on a continuous basis and watch sales grow exponentially over time. As part of this effort, you can also set up a second-tier affiliate program whereby you offer compensation to your existing affiliates (usually a one-time fee) for recruiting new partners.

How to Attract Affiliates to Your Business

Even if all of your marketing efforts are in order, you’re not going to attract worthwhile affiliates simply by making yourself known. You need to show them that your product is worthy of their time.

  1. Have a product that’s worth promoting. If you’re throwing together a half-edited ebook just to cash in on affiliate money, publishers will see right through it. Provide a product that’s fully fleshed out and offers genuine value to the public. Then demonstrate that value to your potential partners.
  2. Have a solid, professional website. The first thing publishers are going to check is whether or not you’re the real deal. That means you need a professional website, high-quality images, and a flawless user experience. Investments like a professional web design theme, intuitive shopping cart features, and secure payment processing will make your business attractive to publishers and buyers alike.
  3. Don’t spam your potential partners. When pitching your affiliate program, be honest and realistic about the benefits, be polite and respectful in your correspondence, and don’t overpromise.
  4. Offer a fair commission to ensure that the effort is worth people’s time. A 5% commission may be enticing on a $300 consumer electronic, but it won’t attract many partners for a $20 piece of software. Consider how much you can reasonably offer without alienating potential partners.

How to Keep the Affiliate Partners You Have

Retention is important for ensuring that the revenue continues to pour in with minimal effort on your part. To keep your affiliates:

  1. Be up front about the payment structure, and make sure to always pay on time.
  2. Consider additional perks like occasional bonuses, raffles, and other benefits that affiliates can look forward to.
  3. Make sure you’re attracting relevant affiliates in the first place. This is why it’s so important to focus on a niche and advertise using the right channels and categories.
  4. Do your research before pitching affiliates: How successful are they? How long have they been in business? How strong is their content? Look for the serious players.
  5. Take care of your affiliate partners. Welcome them to the team, provide updates on new developments, stay in touch, and provide excellent customer service.

Start Recruiting Today

As long as you have a quality product, a generous commission rate, and a consistent commitment to affiliate marketing, you should have no trouble finding and maintaining quality partners. When it comes to affiliate recruitment, just remember the following:

  • Find and define your niche; this will help you to find the best affiliates who will do the most justice to your product marketing efforts.
  • It’s better to focus on quality of recruits than quantity; if you’re looking for partners, consider their track record with affiliate marketing.
  • Use every channel available to you: affiliate directories, PPC marketing, search engines, competitor analysis tools, and even your existing customer base.
  • Never stop recruiting. Affiliates will drop off over time, but your efforts should remain consistent.

Give it a shot. With dependable affiliate partners on your side, you’ll find that the marketing largely takes care of itself.


Professional Photo of Dr. Andy Khawaja
Allied Wallet Founder Andy Khawaja is Named ‘Pioneer in Digital Payments’ (Photo: Business Wire)

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Allied Wallet, a global FinTech company offering various payment solutions in 196 countries, and its Founder Andy Khawaja were recently featured by Insights Success in an article titled, “Dr. Andy Khawaja: A Pioneer in the Digital Payments Sector.”

The article on Insight Success’ website offers a brief look at Dr. Khawaja’s background as a CEO and why he believes his company, Allied Wallet, has become such a success.

The company is world-renowned for its digital payment capabilities, offering processing in more currencies and supporting more payment options globally than any comparable companies.

“We make it simple to make money in an industry that can be very complicated and confusing. That’s the beauty in Allied Wallet,” said Founder Andy Khawaja.

Based on the interview, Dr. Andy Khawaja is no stranger to challenges or roadblocks, but has always found a way to rise to the occasion and reach success. He is proud to be a leader in his industry and is looking forward towards the future.

When asked how it felt to be named a “pioneer in the industry” – Andy Khawaja said, “I take pride in this. It’s always been my goal to provide more for people – to give them more means for success and achievement.”

He added, “We want to protect business owners and consumers. We also want to help businesses grow. As we continue to advance and innovate, we will create even better, state-of-the-art, secure technology. The future is bright.”

See Dr. Andy Khawaja’s Article Here.

***

About Allied Wallet:
Allied Wallet continues to revolutionize the e-commerce industry by introducing new and innovative payment processing solutions for online merchants, enabling them to send and receive global payments. With PCI compliant merchant services for nearly any business size, Allied Wallet provides a state-of-the-art payment gateway to optimize online transactions. Please visit www.alliedwallet.com.

Contact:
A.J. Almeda
aalmeda@alliedwallet.com
United States: (310) 424-5495


Best Gifts for Aspiring Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

Finding the right gift for an entrepreneur can be challenging—especially if the person is discerning about their gifts or have already found success. If you want to make an impression, the key is to find a gift that aids their business goals or eases their busy lifestyle. For example:

  • How might their business responsibilities be hindering their personal life?
  • What kinds of tools might make them more productive or effective?
  • What types of educational resources might assist in their entrepreneurial goals?

We’ve compiled a few popular gift ideas that address all of the above challenges. Entrepreneurs are passionate about their work, so if you can find a present that helps them on their journey to success, they will be genuinely impressed and grateful.

1. A Frank and Oak Style Subscription

frank & oak subscription gift for entrepreneurs

@frankandoak | source

Frank and Oak Style Plan is a monthly subscription box that allows any entrepreneur to build a stylish professional wardrobe. The service caters to both casual and formal fashion preferences and offers pieces that include suits, blazers, button-down shirts, dresses, jeans, blouses, and more. Their initial selection questionnaire does a great job of pinpointing the best fitting style choices.

Price: Each month, members pay a $25 styling fee. Members can then keep and pay for the clothing they like, and send back any clothing they don’t like. The monthly styling fee is credited toward any purchases, and all returns are free for 7 days. Frank and Oak offers online gift cards in denominations ranging from $25 to $500.

What It Does: The subscriber fills out a questionnaire outlining his or her style preferences, and Frank and Oak ships 1 to 3 garments per month based on that information. The subscriber then has 7 days to return any unwanted garments. After that time, they’re charged for the garments they keep.

The Type of Professional It’s Best For: Frank and Oak is ideal for the young professional. They have a broad selection, but the styles are largely geared toward millennials. Originally catering to men only, Frank and Oak’s subscription service is now available to both men and women. Still, men tend to have the greatest uncertainty when it comes to choosing fashions, so the service remains especially useful for the male demographic. And because the company uses recycled materials, biodegradable fibers, and naturally derived dyes, the service is also perfect for the eco-conscious entrepreneur.

How It Helps Business Owners: Steve Jobs wore the same turtleneck and jeans every day because it spared him from wasting decision-making energy on trivial matters. Likewise, a style subscription box can help any entrepreneur look their best without falling victim to decision fatigue. Any professional can now leave the styling to the experts and focus on running their business—at a fraction of the cost of a personal stylist.

Why People Love It: Frank & Oak has been featured on CNN, Forbes, Glamour, Men’s Journal, and more. Trendsetters love it because of how it simplifies the process of choosing a wardrobe. According to Sarah Han at Buzzfeed, “I tried this clothing subscription service and will never pick out my own clothes again.” AskMen further noted that “Frank And Oak has a great system that makes ordering customizable, stylish affordable clothing easy.” The fashions are amazing, and the process is easy. What’s not to love?

2. A Freshly Food Subscription

freshly food subscription for busy SMB owners

@getfreshly | source

While we’re on the subject of subscription boxes, Freshly makes it easy to prepare delicious homemade meals in just 3 minutes without having to navigate complicated recipes or even spend time at the supermarket.

Price: Freshly offers four gift options:

  • 4 meals for $49.99
  • 5 meals for $59.99
  • 9 meals for $89.99
  • 12 meals for $107.99

These pricing tiers represent the four weekly plans that Freshly offers, and the gift covers the first delivery. Once the recipient receives it, they can continue the subscription at that rate, change to a different plan, or cancel at any time.

What It Does: Freshly offers chef-designed recipes that are fully cooked and delivered to the recipient’s home. You (or your recipient) can choose from dozens of artisanal options like grilled chicken pesto risotto, sausage baked penne, and veggie tikka masala. The meals come fully cooked and can be heated up in three minutes or less. New meals are delivered every week.

The Type of Professional It’s Best For: Health-conscious and family-oriented professionals are excellent candidates for a Freshly subscription. All recipes are gluten-free, protein-rich, free of refined sugars, and made with natural ingredients. For the busy corporate mom or dad who wants to put delicious meals on the table but doesn’t have a lot of time, Freshly makes it easy.

How It Helps Business Owners: Freshly is ideal for busy professionals who work long hours and don’t have time to slave away in the kitchen. The service allows even the busiest entrepreneurs to skip the drive-thru and enjoy regular home-cooked meals on a regular basis.

Why People Love It: Entrepreneur, HuffPost, and Glamour have praised Freshly for its healthy, natural ingredients. In addition, subscribers love Freshly because it’s the only major food subscription service that enables subscribers to enjoy gourmet meals with zero effort.

3. A Todoist Business Annual Membership

productivity app for startup founders

@todoistofficial | source

Running a business requires many moving parts, and the right software makes business management much easier, more efficient, and more profitable. That’s where Todoist comes in.

Price: The standard version of Todoist is free, but the functionality is limited. For just $60, you can gift an annual Todoist Business membership, which includes the software’s full array of advanced features.

What It Does: Todoist is designed to be the ultimate task management and productivity solution. Users can create and track projects, set priority levels, create reminders and deadlines, and delegate projects to team members as needed. Priority levels are neatly color-coded, and the clutter-free design promotes maximum productivity even when juggling numerous simultaneous projects. What sets Todoist apart from similar programs are its streamlined interface, customizable project templates, and detailed productivity analytics.

The Type of Professional It’s Best For: This is an excellent tool for small business owners who need a cost-effective way to manage their tasks, projects, and team members. Sole proprietors can use it to stay on task, and growing businesses can use it to manage all of their projects without the need for a bulkier, costlier project management platform. It’s also powerful enough to support the needs of large businesses.

How It Helps Business Owners: Todoist offers many of the same features as higher-end project management tools like Basecamp and Microsoft Project, but at a much lower price. The key benefit to business owners is that the software streamlines those often overwhelming daily workflows. The platform also offers automatic daily updates and bank-level security.

Why People Love It: Companies like Coca-Cola, Intel, eBay, and Nike use Todoist Business because it offers the features and security needed to ensure seamless workflows without interruption.

4. A Stamina InMotion Compact Strider

inmotion strider workout for entrepreneurs

@staminaproducts | source

Everyone wants to stay in shape, but it’s not always easy for busy entrepreneurs who sit at a desk for 8 to 10 hours a day. The Stamina InMotion Compact Strider is designed to provide a solution.

Price: This product retails for just $139 at the Stamina website.

What It Does: The Stamina InMotion Compact Strider is an elliptical machine that fits neatly beneath an office desk. It features adjustable resistance levels, a monitor with detailed workout stats, and even a set of resistance tubes that allow the user to work out the upper body.

The Type of Professional It’s Best For: This compact, lightweight machine is ideal for home-based and office-based entrepreneurs who don’t have time to hit the gym as often as they’d like. It’s suitable for older professionals seeking a low-resistance workout at the office but still offers enough of a burn for younger, physically fit users.

How It Helps Business Owners: Prolonged sitting has been shown in studies to contribute to metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. Long periods of sitting are sometimes unavoidable for professionals, but anyone can combat the negative effects by staying in motion while at the office. The InMotion Compact Strider makes it easy.

Why People Love It: The two biggest advantages for buyers are the size and the price. While massive treadmill desks and standing desks can be size- and cost-prohibitive, the InMotion Compact Strider measures just 24 by 18 by 12 inches and is available for under $150. Fitness Tech Pro noted that the machine “has one of the smallest footprints in its class,” and Elliptical Hub noted that it “offers unbeatable value and is one of the most perfectly designed elliptical units.”

5. A Complete Udemy Course

udemy courses help business owners learn new skills

@udemy | source

Udemy is the ultimate source for affordable, full-length instructional courses covering just about every subject under the sun, including those relevant to entrepreneurs. Many courses contain hundreds of hours’ worth of video lectures from expert instructors, along with quizzes, articles, and other supplementary materials. Entrepreneurs are always looking for apps that optimize business operations, so investing in an app that improves their own skill set is only natural.

Price: While most Udemy courses retail for around $200, the site is constantly running promotions that allow users to purchase courses for between $10 and $20. To purchase a course as a present, just click on the course homepage and select “Gift This Course” in the upper-right corner of the screen.

What It Does: Udemy is simple to use. When a course is purchased, the course materials never expire. A user can watch the lectures and use the interactive materials at their own pace and leisure. All materials are accessible on the desktop site and also via the Udemy mobile app. Many courses even offer certifications upon completion.

The Type of Professional It’s Best For: Udemy courses are ideal for the ambitious self-starter. Millennial-aged professionals are ideal recipients because they’re accustomed to absorbing large volumes of information online. However, savvy older professionals enjoy these courses as well.

How It Helps Business Owners: Udemy has courses to advance just about any professional skill set. There are project management courses, coding courses, accounting courses; there’s even a complete 49-hour MBA course. Altogether, there are more than 100,000 courses to choose from.

Why People Love it: Companies like Adidas, Lyft, Pinterest, and Eventbrite use Udemy courses to instill valuable skills in their employees. Businesses invest in these courses because they’re engaging, flexible, and highly effective.

Finding the Right Gift for That Entrepreneur

If you’re trying to find the perfect gift for a business professional, the above suggestions are a great place to start. Just consider the benefits that would add the most value to the person’s professional efforts. If you’re still unsure, other great gift ideas include meditation apps, business magazine subscriptions, and virtual assistant tools (like the Amazon Echo or Google Home).

Just be creative, and try to determine where there’s an unfulfilled need. If your gift meets that need, it may just help your recipient to take their business to the next level.


LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Allied Wallet, a global FinTech company offering various payment solutions in 196 countries, recently announced that they have acquired Epayment, one of the largest financial technology companies in Hong Kong.

Allied Wallet has shown record-breaking growth for over a decade in the digital payments and Fintech space. In the past year alone, they have expanded their offering in a countless number of countries including: Indonesia, Malaysia, Spain, Vietnam, Peru, and many more.

Their goal is to connect more buyers and sellers globally and allow people to transact with whichever payment method they prefer.

Several months ago, Allied Wallet made note of Epayment’s success in Hong Kong. The way that Epayment was able to connect with users was very powerful in this region.

“I knew that if we could combine the products, features, and functionality of Allied Wallet with Epayment, that we would have a leading product and service in Hong Kong. We are very happy to have acquired Epayment, and we are excited to provide an even more advanced solution in the region. We look forward to making new announcements as this develops,” said Dr. Andy Khawaja, Founder of Allied Wallet.

86.3% of Hong Kong’s population are internet users. As e-commerce continues to grow in the region, Allied Wallet is positioning itself to be the leading FinTech company in Hong Kong and abroad.

***

About Allied Wallet:
Allied Wallet continues to revolutionize the e-commerce industry by introducing new and innovative payment processing solutions for online merchants, enabling them to send and receive global payments. With PCI compliant merchant services for nearly any business size, Allied Wallet provides a state-of-the-art payment gateway to optimize online transactions. Please visit www.alliedwallet.com.

Contact:
A.J. Almeda
aalmeda@alliedwallet.com
United States: (310) 424-5495


Publication Cover

When Michael Aldrich called the shots for introducing a technology which allowed consumers to make direct purchases over the phone and electronic medium in 1979, little did da man know that it would soon become a trial balloon for something – something big enough to transform the way money walks.

Tap into the future, Digital Payment Industry sprouted in the 1990s and put under lock and key the dominating and alive, cash- the undisputed king. This technology powered innovation among the payments space hosted a change in the way the world paid for its spends. Post-haste, the first milestone got embarked with the establishment of Stanford Federal Credit Union in 1994 as the first institution to offer online banking services to all its customers. An uphill climb at the initial stage, the online payment system was not user-friendly; it required specialized knowledge of data transfer protocol.

Read the full article here


The winner of the contest will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship as well as the opportunity to have their entry featured in Allied Wallet’s company blog.
Allied Wallet is offering a scholarship opportunity. (Graphic: Business Wire)

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Allied Wallet, a global FinTech company offering various payment solutions in 196 countries, is continuing their Scholarship Contest program to promote the importance of education around the world.

As a leading FinTech company, Allied Wallet and its Founder, Dr. Andy Khawaja, have always leveraged their success to give back to local communities. In addition to promoting and supporting entrepreneurship globally with their “leading” payment services, the company also supports countless charitable efforts.

Some of Allied Wallet’s contributions go to support: the United Service Organizations, Wounded Warrior Project, Eagle and Badge Foundation, After-School All-Stars, Brent Shapiro Foundation, ASACP, Action Innocence, Los Angeles Police Canine Association, From the Heart Productions, Hope for Change International, STAR Team for the Children, and the Paralyzed Veterans of America.

Allied Wallet is currently accepting submissions for a scholarship opportunity to help winners ease some of the financial burden a college education sometimes involves. Education tools like textbooks alone can amount to hundreds of dollars in just a single semester.

They welcome submissions in the form of a 2,000-word essay answering the following questions:

How do you think e-commerce will affect the global economy within the next ten years? Do you think that e-commerce has given more or less emphasis and importance to higher education as it relates to fiscal success and stability?

This round of submissions ends on August 31st, 2019. Contestants must submit their essays via e-mail to scholarship@alliedwallet.com. The winner of this round will receive a $1,000 scholarship check.

“We value the importance of higher education and growth. A foundation of education can further success exponentially even in entrepreneurship. I believe that we can all achieve our goals through hard work. Education and training supports our hard work and helps us reach our dreams,” said Dr. Khawaja.

Allied Wallet plans to continue offering this Scholarship Contest as a recurring program to support students worldwide.

***

About Allied Wallet:
Allied Wallet continues to revolutionize the e-commerce industry by introducing new and innovative payment processing solutions for online merchants, enabling them to send and receive global payments. With PCI compliant merchant services for nearly any business size, Allied Wallet provides a state-of-the-art payment gateway to optimize online transactions. Please visit www.alliedwallet.com.

Contact:
A.J. Almeda
aalmeda@alliedwallet.com
+1-888-255-1137


LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Allied Wallet, a global FinTech company offering various payment solutions in 196 countries, is launching a new promotion to encourage the growth of their merchants.

Summer is just around the corner, and statistically, summertime shows lower e-commerce revenues. According to Forbes, gross sales drop by as much as 30% as many typical customers are enjoying vacations and the outdoors.

“We want to encourage our merchants to actually increase their sales during the summer. See it as a challenge and offer promotions to change this trend. While many other merchants lose sales, we want to help our merchants increase revenue during this time,” said Andy Khawaja, Founder of Allied Wallet.

Allied Wallet will be raffling two iPads or the cash-value equivalent to a pair of lucky merchants on August 31st, 2019.

For every $1,000 in processing volume that a merchant has in the monthly of July, they will earn one raffle ticket in Allied Wallet’s drawing. Allied Wallet hopes this will encourage businesses to find new ways to draw summertime traffic.

“Businesses that take advantage of this opportunity will win regardless, they will increase sales and may even have a new tablet or check coming their way to go with it,” Dr. Andy Khawaja added.

Though the holiday season and its abundance of e-commerce sales is many months away, Allied Wallet hopes that they can help merchants soak up more sales in the season of sun.

***

About Allied Wallet:
Allied Wallet continues to revolutionize the e-commerce industry by introducing new and innovative payment processing solutions for online merchants, enabling them to send and receive global payments. With PCI compliant merchant services for nearly any business size, Allied Wallet provides a state-of-the-art payment gateway to optimize online transactions. Please visit www.alliedwallet.com.

Contact:
A.J. Almeda
aalmeda@alliedwallet.com
(310) 424-5495


Business Magazine Cover
Dr. Andy Khawaja of Allied Wallet on the cover of Business Sight magazine. (Photo: Business Wire)

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Allied Wallet, a global FinTech company offering various payment solutions in 196 countries, and its Founder Andy Khawaja were recently featured on the cover of Business Sight magazine in an article titled “How Allied Wallet’s CEO Andy Khawaja is Innovating Digital Payments.”

Recently, Business Sight Media announced Allied Wallet as one of the ‘Most Prominent Tech Companies of 2019’ for their contributions to FinTech and global e-commerce. In this month’s issue, they recognize Founder Andy Khawaja on the cover and discuss why digital payments are so important.

With the convenience of online shopping and online sales, the shift has become almost inevitable. New and veteran entrepreneurs are finding the online medium a very profitable way to offer their goods and services.

As consumers, we are attracted to the convenience and gratification of online shopping – but as we become more dependent it’s important to have e-commerce solutions that we can trust.

Business Sight said, “[Dr. Andy Khawaja] is a man of persistence and resilience and knows how to overcome challenges that emerge in the path to success and established his company as one of the leading payment solution providers in the industry.”

They added, “…innovation is crucial and it is the cornerstone of his business… [Allied Wallet] is creating better payment solutions which are technology driven and making the lives of customers easier than it was before.”

Dr. Andy Khawaja is proud to be recognized on this Business Sight cover and to be awarded as a prominent technology company.

“We’re so excited to introduce new features and functionality that will change the industry,” said Dr. Khawaja, “…we have so much to offer as the payment industry evolves into the new digital age.”

***

About Allied Wallet:
Allied Wallet continues to revolutionize the e-commerce industry by introducing new and innovative payment processing solutions for online merchants, enabling them to send and receive global payments. With PCI compliant merchant services for nearly any business size, Allied Wallet provides a state-of-the-art payment gateway to optimize online transactions. Please visit www.alliedwallet.com.

Contact:
A.J. Almeda
aalmeda@alliedwallet.com
(310) 424-5495


Man posting sticky notes to wall
Allied Wallet is accepting new submissions for its ‘My Big Idea’ Campaign. (Photo: Business Wire)

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Allied Wallet, a global FinTech company offering various payment solutions in 196 countries, is bringing back their “My Big Idea” campaign to cultivate top talent and help entrepreneurs meet their full potential.

Allied Wallet’s “My Big Idea” campaign is based on the notion that when people are given the proper resources, they are capable of bringing their ideas to life. Allied Wallet wants to nurture the next batch of entrepreneurs and aid aspiring merchants.

Oftentimes, starting a business can be a huge undertaking, especially without a road map or helping hand. This can often halt an idea and its success, creating stagnancy. Allied Wallet wants to help.

The global payment processing giant prides itself on having payment solutions for almost any business type. They have partnered and created compatibilities with the world’s leading shopping cart and e-commerce services companies.

Their #MyBigIdea campaign takes this a step further. Entrepreneurs and business owners can reach out to Allied Wallet here, and Allied Wallet will assist and guide select businesses.

Allied Wallet’s Founder, Dr. Andy Khawaja, said, “We live in a day and age where the internet provides so many tools. It doesn’t have to be difficult to start a business now…we want to share tools and ideas so that businesses can succeed and grow.”

Allied Wallet is a globally renowned payment services company. But as leaders in the e-commerce space, they are also well versed in many different e-commerce tools that can be easily integrated to perpetuate more sales and furthered success.

Dr. Andy Khawaja added, “By partnering with the right solutions, businesses will have all the tools they need for success.”

Allied Wallet invites entrepreneurs and business owners to sign up and tell them about their “big ideas.” One lucky submission will even win a free iPad to help them manage their growing business.

Allied Wallet is currently accepting submissions on their My Big Idea page.

***

About Allied Wallet:
Allied Wallet continues to revolutionize the e-commerce industry by introducing new and innovative payment processing solutions for online merchants, enabling them to send and receive global payments. With PCI compliant merchant services for nearly any business size, Allied Wallet provides a state-of-the-art payment gateway to optimize online transactions. Please visit www.alliedwallet.com.

Contact:
A.J. Almeda
aalmeda@alliedwallet.com
+1-888-255-1137


Magazine Spread
Andy Khawaja, Founder of Allied Wallet, is a proud member of the Forbes Finance Council. (Photo: Business Wire)

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dr. Andy Khawaja of Allied Wallet, a global FinTech company offering various payment solutions in 196 countries, was recently featured in a new Forbes article discussing credit card rewards and the factors that people must consider when choosing one.

Dr. Andy Khawaja was inducted as a member of the Forbes Finance Council to offer his FinTech (financial technology) knowledge, experience, and advice to the Forbes readership.

Dr. Khawaja is world renowned for his success with Allied Wallet and known for his entrepreneur outreach and his desire to give back to the tech, entrepreneur, and student communities.

In this Forbes article, he offers a unique perspective on credit cards and important things to consider beyond the rewards.

“While many people focus on cash back, hotel stays, or airline miles, it’s important not to cloud your perspective on the credit card offering with these relatively small rewards,” Allied Wallet’s Founder said, “…it’s important to consider the amenities available to you in terms of security and fraud protection.”

Many people overlook the importance of security in digital payments and focus on dining benefits or other bait methods that credit cards use to encourage spending sprees.

Andy Khawaja said, “We are in the age of digital payments and it’s great, but you must make sure that you are working with a provider that protects you 100%.”

While perks and incentives can be great to accrue on money you already planned on spending, this Forbes article gives important insights on choosing the best card in today’s market.

***

About Allied Wallet:
Allied Wallet continues to revolutionize the e-commerce industry by introducing new and innovative payment processing solutions for online merchants, enabling them to send and receive global payments. With PCI compliant merchant services for nearly any business size, Allied Wallet provides a state-of-the-art payment gateway to optimize online transactions. Please visit www.alliedwallet.com.

Contact:
A.J. Almeda
aalmeda@alliedwallet.com
+1-888-255-1137