Are you looking to establish a professional presence for your eBay business without investing in an eBay Store? Auctiva's free Emporium can help you do just that.
The Emporium is your very own website, where you can showcase your eBay items and build your online brand. Buyers can enter your Emporium either through your Auctiva Scrolling Gallery in your eBay listings, or through your Emporium's unique URL.
When they arrive, they'll see all your active eBay listings in one place, plus information about you, your business and more. Clicking on an item in your Emporium will open the eBay listing, where the viewer can place a bid or purchase the item.
It's important to note that Emporiums are set up to only display eBay listings, and all transactions take place on eBay. These free storefronts should not be confused with Auctiva Commerce stores, which have integrated shopping carts and are completely independent of eBay.
When you add your logo to your Emporium, it will automatically be inserted at the top of your Auctiva packing slips, too
Brand your business
Every Auctiva account has an Emporium already set up and waiting to be used. This is your exclusive place to build your online brand, and it's completely free of charge.
Auctiva Emporiums give you a number of opportunities to build your brand identity.
Custom domain: You can add a custom domain to your store, if you wish, to give your Emporium a more professional and memorable presence on the Web.
Display your logo: If you have a logo for your business, upload it to your Auctiva account using the image uploader, and add it to your Emporium. Just click Header & Logo on the Stores tab and follow the simple instructions.
As an added bonus, when you add your logo to your Emporium, it will automatically be inserted at the top of your Auctiva packing slips, too. This reinforces your brand, and helps you create a positive and lasting impression with buyers.
Share your business info: The About Us area of your Emporium is where you get to tell buyers more about you and your business, and explain your selling policies. Use the Contact Us area to give buyers a way to get in touch with you, and let them know where else they can connect with you online. These are essential branding opportunities you won't find on eBay, even if you do have an eBay Store subscription.
Get more visibility for your listings
You can set up custom categories in your Emporium to help buyers discover more of what you have on eBay and give your listings a better shot at being found in search engines like Google and Bing. When you name your categories, you can add search keywords that buyers won't see, but the search engines will.
Creating keyword-rich blog entries on your Emporium also helps you get search engine exposure, and can help establish you as a domain expert if you write about topics related to your business focus. Don't forget to share your blog posts on Facebook, Twitter or other social sites where you're a member. For tips about how to blog, read The Online Seller's "Blogging 101."
To ensure the widest exposure for your Emporium, make sure to append the Auctiva Scrolling Gallery to all your eBay listings
Customize your Emporium
It's easy to set up your Emporium. When you opened your Auctiva account, a unique website was automatically created, using your Auctiva username as your default store name. Just open the Stores tab and click on your Emporium domain to see what your basic Emporium looks like. Then use the options on the Stores tab to choose a store template, customize the header, display your logo, enter your business information and more. You'll find easy tutorials right on the page to help you every step of the way.
If you wish, you can apply a custom domain to your Emporium. If you don't have a custom domain, you can purchase one through companies like GoDaddy or Auctiva.
Within your Emporium, you can give prominence to certain listings, so they will appear as featured items on the sidebar of your Emporium. Or, if you wish, you can hide listings from view. (Hiding or featuring items in your Emporium will will not affect their visibility in eBay search results.)
Spread the word
To ensure the widest exposure for your Emporium, make sure to append the Auctiva Scrolling Gallery to all your eBay listings. The gallery serves as a rotating store window that entices shoppers to look inside and see what else you have on eBay.
Also, be sure to share your Emporium URL wherever you can—your Facebook page, LinkedIn profile, email signature, business cards, packing slips and more—to help drive repeat business to your free website.
Auctiva staff writers constantly monitor trends and best practices of those selling on eBay and elsewhere online. They attend relevant training seminars and trade shows and regularly discuss the market with PowerSellers and other market experts.
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