April 18/24 Roundtable Insight
Annie作为Sorelle Care Inc的创始人，她在经营德国护肤品牌Numis Med和Alkmene的北美业务时面临了多重挑战。她的故事在4月18日的O Six圆桌会议上被深入讨论，旨在为她提供切实可行的见解和解决方案。
核心挑战：
1. 尽管Amazon初始销售良好，但销量逐渐下降。
2. 品牌在Amazon和Shopify上的呈现不一致。
3. 经常性的库存短缺和竞争对手广告影响品牌可见度。
4. 供应链管理不明确，尤其是货源从德国到美国的调配。
5. 利润率波动大，运营成本高。
6. 缺乏连贯的营销策略，难以有效渗透市场。
7. 在法语学校的学习使她只能将有限的时间和精力投入到业务中。
宝贵建议：
• 战略规划与管理：
1. 加强战略营销投入，明确品牌定位。
2. 考虑寻找合作伙伴或经验丰富的运营经理，以减轻工作负担并增强业务聚焦。
3. 制定包括品牌重塑在内的全面业务计划。
• 运营效率：
4. 通过招聘深圳等地区的电商专家优化运营，这些区域以成本效益高和技术熟练著称。
5. 简化内部流程，提高运营效率，降低成本。
• 财务策略：
6. 探索BDC的小企业贷款等资金支持机会。
7. 根据成本结构和市场需求灵活调整定价，不拘泥于欧洲模式。
8. 实施与利润保持一致的运营人员激励方案。
• 市场营销与销售：
9. 重定义营销策略，专注于核心渠道和关键客群。
10. 在一年中的关键时期策略性地启动促销活动和折扣，以增加销量。
11. 利用现有客户网络进行口碑营销。
• 产品管理与创新：
12. 维护动态库存管理系统，避免缺货，确保平台上持续可见。
13. 考虑引入更多品牌代理，借鉴现有运营的成功经验。
• 市场拓展：
14. 目标线下渠道，如零售店和超市，可能通过当地贸易伙伴扩展市场。
15. 建立更清晰、更战略性的合作伙伴关系，提供运营支持和财务投资。
• 品牌与社区参与：
16. 增加对业务的时间投资，从10%增至20%，直接监督并推动增长。
17. 直接与客户互动，了解他们的需求和偏好，围绕品牌构建更强大的社区。
• 风险管理与长期规划：
18. 确保独家分销权，保护市场优势。
19. 提前制定详细的预算计划，尤其是在涉足大型零售或超市领域时，确保现金流稳定。
20. 持续学习和了解亚马逊及其他电商平台的最新趋势和技术，以保持竞争力。
总结：
这次圆桌会议为Annie提供了一个全面深入的业务诊断和解决策略，帮助她从多方面全面提升Sorelle Care的市场竞争力。通过整合专家建议，制定出一套实际可行的行动计划，Annie将能更好地平衡她的多重创业活动，优化资源配置，从而在激烈的市场竞争中脱颖而出。这不仅是对Annie的指导，也为同样处于多重事业挑战中的其他创业者提供了宝贵的参考和启示。
Together, they tackled Annie’s challenges, discussing everything from streamlining logistics for online sales to unifying the brand image and cutting operational costs.
Annie, the founder of Sorelle Care Inc, faced multiple challenges in managing her skincare brand while balancing her commitments to language school. With a primary focus on high-quality skincare products from the German brands Numis Med and Alkmene, her enterprise initially thrived but eventually encountered significant operational and strategic hurdles. These issues were intensively discussed during the O Six Roundtable on April 18, aiming to provide Annie with actionable insights and solutions.
Challenges Identified:
1. Declining sales on Amazon despite high initial traction.
2. Discrepancies in brand representation between Amazon and Shopify.
3. Frequent stockouts and competitor ads on Amazon impacting brand visibility.
4. Unclear supply chain management, especially with stock coming from Germany.
5. Inconsistent profit margins and high operational costs relative to revenue.
6. Lack of a coherent marketing strategy, making it challenging to penetrate the market effectively.
7. Limited time investment in the business, affecting overall growth and responsiveness.
Valuable Recommendations:
• Strategic Planning and Management:
1. Reinforce investment in strategic marketing to clarify brand positioning.
2. Consider a partnership or finding an experienced operational manager to alleviate workload and enhance business focus.
3. Develop a robust business plan that includes rebranding and repositioning strategies.
• Operational Efficiency:
4. Optimize operations by recruiting an experienced Amazon specialist from regions like Shenzhen, known for cost-effective and skilled e-commerce personnel.
5. Simplify internal processes to increase operational efficiency and reduce costs.
• Financial Strategies:
6. Explore funding opportunities such as BDC’s small business loans which offer significant financial support.
7. Increase the pricing flexibility based on cost structure and market demand, rather than sticking to European pricing models.
8. Implement incentive schemes for operations staff that align with profit margins rather than just sales volumes.
• Marketing and Sales:
9. Redefine marketing strategies to focus on core channels and key demographics.
10. Launch promotional campaigns and discounts strategically throughout the year to boost sales.
11. Utilize existing customer base for referrals and word-of-mouth marketing.
• Product Management and Innovation:
12. Maintain a dynamic stock management system to avoid stockouts and ensure continuous availability on platforms.
13. Diversify the brand portfolio by considering additional brands to represent, leveraging the success of existing operations.
• Market Expansion:
14. Target offline channels like retail stores and supermarkets, potentially through local trade partners, to expand market presence.
15. Establish clearer and more strategic partnerships that can offer both operational support and financial investment.
• Brand and Community Engagement:
16. Invest more time into the business, potentially increasing from 10% to 20% involvement, to directly oversee and drive growth.
17. Engage directly with customers to understand their needs and preferences, fostering a stronger community around the brand.
• Risk Management and Long-term Planning:
18. Secure exclusive distribution rights to safeguard market position.
19. Prepare for slow returns in certain markets like supermarkets to manage cash flow effectively.
20. Continuously educate and update personal expertise in e-commerce to stay competitive.
These recommendations aim to empower Annie and other entrepreneurs juggling multiple ventures, focusing on strategic investment in time, resources, and innovative strategies to overcome the inherent challenges of high-competition industries.
