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[Full Tutorial] How to Sale on Shopee for Beginners

Ngoc Lee
[Full Tutorial] How to Sale on Shopee for Beginners
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Shopee stands as a leading mobile e-commerce marketplace in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, operating in countries such as Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Boasting a user base of 375 million in 2022 (According to the Business of App Report), Shopee has become a go-to e-commerce app globally. This presents an excellent opportunity for sellers looking to expand their businesses.

However, stepping into a new platform is always a challenge, and Shopee is no different. No worries anymore! To help you kickstart your selling journey, we will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to sell in Shopee.

Let's move on!

Why Should You Sell on Shopee?

Shopee, a prominent B2C and C2C online marketplace owned by Sea Group, was established in Singapore in 2015 and has emerged as one of the largest e-commerce platforms in Southeast Asia.

Shopee is a superstar of e-commerce landscapes in Southeast Asia
Shopee is a superstar of e-commerce landscapes in Southeast Asia

So, why should you sell on Shopee? Selling on Shopee, like any e-commerce platform, comes with its own set of advantages.

Large customer base

Shopee has a significant user base in several Southeast Asian countries, providing sellers with access to a wide audience. This can increase the visibility of your products and access to millions of potential customers.

High potential growth

Since its launch, Shopee has been making waves in the e-commerce sector. According to Statista, as of the second quarter of 2022, its gross merchandise value hit an impressive $19 billion dollars. That's why Shopee has become a popular choice among both sellers and buyers.

User-friendly platforms

Shopee is designed to be user-friendly, making it easy for both buyers and sellers to navigate the platform. This can be beneficial for sellers who may not have extensive experience with online marketplaces.

Shopee boasts a user-friendly interface on various devices
Shopee boasts a user-friendly interface on various devices

Low entry barriers

Running a business on Shopee can be appealing for small businesses or individuals looking to start selling online without significant upfront costs.

Shopee won't burden you with commission or listing fees upfront. This gives you the freedom to test and gradually scale your business. Plus, if you register on Shopee within the first 90 days, you're exempt from commission fees.

Diverse logistics options

Joining Shopee means you have access to their trusted shipping and logistics partners. As top-tier platforms, these services provide fast and reliable delivery options, allowing you to focus on growing your store without concerns about logistics.

Responsive seller support

Shopee has your back with responsive customer support for sellers. If you run into any problems, help is just a message away.

Easy setup

Setting up your shop on Shopee is a breeze, especially for newcomers. Forget about needing a substantial budget – all you need is a phone number and email address to create a buyer account, and voila, you're automatically set up as a seller.

And if you're not sure where to start with the setup process, fret not. The next parts of this blog will walk you through the step-by-step instructions to get your Shopee account up and running.

How Can You Start Selling on Shopee?

Creating a seller account on Shopee is a breeze, but it's worth noting that the process might have slight differences depending on your country of origin and which Shopee website you're using. Despite that, the overall steps are pretty straightforward as follows:

Step 1: Identify your niche

A niche is a specialized segment within a broader market. For example, if your target market is cosmetics, your niche could be something specific like lipsticks or eyeliners.

When you're starting an online business on Shopee, the first thing to do is pinpoint your niche.

Choosing a niche helps you target a more interested audience, making it easier to market to potential customers. Plus, niche markets often have less competition, giving you a better chance at success.

Step 2: Create your Shopee seller account

1. Head to the Shopee homepage and click on “Seller Center”

2. Click “Sign Up” and enter your phone number. Alternatively, you have the option to register using your Facebook or Google account.

Register your Shopee account as a Seller
Register your Shopee account as a Seller

On different Shopee platforms, you'll have to choose whether you want to register as a Shopee Mall Seller, a Marketplace Seller, or a Shopee Supermarket Seller.

Three seller programs of Shopee
Three seller programs of Shopee

3. Verify your phone number

Shopee will send you a message to verify your phone number. This ensures the security of your account. Once you enter the verification code, you'll be prompted to create a password. Following this, your Shopee account will be officially established.

Step 3: Fulfill your shop profile

Go to the Shopee Seller Centre and click on "Shop Information" to complete your store profile. Your store profile has three main parts:

  • Shop Name: Pick a unique and memorable name that tells shoppers about your store and the things you sell.
  • Shop Logo: Add an image that creates a strong and recognizable brand identity for your store.
  • Shop Description: Write a short and interesting description that makes potential buyers want to check out your store. Mention things like your store's story, the product types you focus on, or how quick you are to reply to messages.
Complete your Shopee store profile
Complete your Shopee store profile

How to List the Product from Shopee Seller Center

One crucial step in becoming a Shopee seller is to list your products in your store. Before you start listing, familiarize yourself with Shopee's Prohibited and Restricted Items Policy to ensure your product aligns with Shopee’s Terms and Conditions.

Once you've done that, you can begin adding your products to your Shopee store using these steps:

Step 1: Add product

Head to the Shopee Seller Centre dashboard and click on "Add New Product" in the Product category.

Add new product on Shopee from Seller Centre
Add new product on Shopee from Seller Centre

Step 2: Fill product details

1. Enter basic information including the product name, and product description and upload photos of your product.

Product name, photos, video, description and relevant attributes
Product name, photos, video, description and relevant attributes

2. Choose the right category for your products.

Select the category that matches your product
Select the category that matches your product

3. In specification part, fill in relevant product attributes such as brand, country of origin, and so on. This information depends on the product category you’ve chosen.

Product attributes for T-shirt niche
Product attributes for T-shirt niche

4. Complete Sales information by setting the price, stock count, and any variations if applicable.

Enter the price, stock, and product variations
Enter the price, stock, and product variations

5. Set the shipping modes, including weight, dimension, and shipping fee of the products. The shipping services and the calculated shipping fees will depend on the logistics companies Shopee partners within your country

Choose shipping methods
Choose shipping methods

6. Save and Publish your listing so that buyers can start making purchases from your shop.

Step 3: Edit product details

Editing product details is crucial for maintaining accurate and up-to-date information about your offerings. It allows you to adapt to market changes, adjust prices, manage inventory effectively, and enhance the overall customer experience.

Regular updates ensure that your product listings comply with platform policies and contribute to the success of your online business.

Here is how you can edit your product details on Shopee.

1. Choose the product that needs editing.

Editing an existing product on Shopee
Editing an existing product on Shopee

2. Change the needed information and select “Update”.

After editing, remember to update new information
After editing, remember to update new information

👉 Read More: How To Boost Sales In Shopee Easily? 8 Secret Tips

How to Become a Shopee Preferred Seller?

Preferred Sellers on Shopee are sellers known for outstanding service, and reliability, marked by the "Preferred" label. If your store meets certain standards, you can apply to become a Preferred Seller.

As a Preferred Seller, you enjoy benefits like special labels and functions, allowing buyers to redeem Shopee coins or get extra vouchers during big campaigns. This can boost your search rankings and sales.

Shopee Preferred Seller
Shopee Preferred Seller

How will you achieve Shopee Preferred Seller Criterion

Achieving the Shopee Preferred Seller status is by invitation only and involves meeting specific criteria. Eligible shops must maintain high seller ratings, provide quality listings with competitive prices, and have an impressive record of sales and customer service. To qualify:

  • Build up a robust sales track record.
  • Offer responsive and excellent customer service.
  • Fulfill orders promptly and reliably.
  • Follow Shopee's seller policies and maintain a penalty-free record.
  • Attain high ratings for both your shop and products.
Performance CriteriaRequirements
Non-fulfillment rate (NFR)5%
Late shipment rate (LSR)5%
Unique buyers (last 30 days)35
Net orders (last 30 days)75
Chat response rate85%
Shop rating (All-time)4.7
Current number of Seller Penalty Points1
Days of pre-order listing violation5
Product Listed100% authentic
Intangible ListingNone

Meeting these criteria shows your commitment, making you eligible to become a Preferred Seller and demonstrating your reliability for a positive buying experience.

How can you get on the Recommended Sellers list?

The Shopee team picks a few standout sellers each week. To be considered, they look at:

  • Popularity (Likes, Views, Follows, Comments, and Orders)
  • Good Service (low Return Rate, low Seller Cancellation Rate, and positive Ratings and Reviews)
  • Following Community Rules.

10 Proven Tips To Become A Successful Seller on Shopee

Setting up a store and listing products on Shopee is way too easy, right? However, the ease of doing business on Shopee leads to a huge number of sellers increasing year by year. Currently, Shopee has over 7 million active sellers (According to Overseadia). 

Therefore, just having a store on Shopee is not enough; you need to equip yourself with these 10 top-notch tips for effective selling and boosting sales on Shopee.

Perfect your product listing

The heart of any Shopee store is its products, and how you present them directly impacts your sales.

When customers click on a product, the first things that catch their eye are the price, images, and product description. Put the price to the other side, you can make your product stand out by enhancing your product listing and store.

Here are two main tips to enhance the attractiveness of your product listings:

Use professional images. Provide at least 3 product images and 1 video. You should upload high-quality images and videos with your brand logo to achieve customers' trust.

An example of a high-quality product image on Shopee
An example of a high-quality product image on Shopee

Write a compelling product description. Provide informative descriptions about your product so customers can understand it better. You should highlight the key features in bullet points for easy reading. Remember to insert relevant keywords into the product title and description for SEO optimization.

An example of a good product description on Shopee
An example of a good product description on Shopee

By putting these tips into action, your products and store will become more eye-catching and visual-wise, resulting in more sales and helping you achieve your objectives of boosting your Shopee sales.

Leverage Shopee in-app advertising

If you're willing to invest a bit to boost your product's visibility, go for in-app advertising on Shopee. This can significantly enhance your product's exposure by placing ads in high-traffic areas like the homepage, search results page, and product details pages.

Through an advertising campaign, you can target relevant customers likely to make a purchase, and you only pay when they click on your ad. Shopee offers three types of Ads to showcase your products:

  • Search Ads: Present your products prominently in search results when customers search for particular keywords that you have bid on. This gives your products a bigger spotlight.
  • Discovery Ads: Display your products in various parts of the Shopee platform, reaching out to buyers who are interested in similar or complementary items.
  • Boost Ads: Enhance the visibility of your products in multiple locations and effortlessly boost your sales with minimal effort.
Three Shopee ads campaign types
Three Shopee ads campaign types

Join Shopee Sales Campaigns

Another way to boost your sales on Shopee is by taking part in Shopee's sales campaigns. Whether sellers or buyers, you might hear about special sales events like Shopee 11.11 or Shopee 12.12.

  Shopee Double 11 is the biggest shopping festival
Shopee Double 11 is the biggest shopping festival

According to Kenneth Soh, Chief Marketing Officer of Shopee Malaysia, Shopee achieved record-breaking results on November 11, 2023, reaching a global gross merchandise value of USD 1 billion in just one day.

These are monthly sales that both Shopee sellers and buyers eagerly expect. It's a great chance for you as a seller to seize selling opportunities.

When you join Shopee's campaigns, you will attract more customers and sales during these events, leading to an increase in orders for your products.

Apart from the Shopee monthly sales, there's also the Shopee Flash Sale, a daily campaign where sellers choose specific items and apply discounts for a short period. This type of sale encourages customers to make quick purchases.

Use the Shopee Live feature

Shopee Live is a cool feature that allows sellers to host live sessions to talk about and promote their products. During these live streams, it's crucial to share your product link with livestream-exclusive prices and provide enough information.

Besides, actively interacting with buyers like answering their questions is a great way to increase the chances of making a sale and boost conversion rate.

Shopee Live insights
Shopee Live insights

A notable example: during the 10.10 Shopee Live Festival in Malaysia in 2023, there was an incredible 120 times increase in add-to-cart conversions.

Using Shopee Live is a game-changer to engage with current and new followers, turning them into your customers. Live streaming not only boosts your online presence but also spreads the word about your brand.

Use the Shopee Top Picks feature

Shopee provides the opportunity to promote cross-selling products to potential customers through the Top Picks feature. With this feature, you can exclusively pick up 4 - 8 items to your Shopee store to show at the end of each product page.

The products you choose for the top picks feature are organized into collections based on different niches. For instance, if you're selling eyeliner, you can create a collection relevant to makeup products such as mascara and eyebrows, which appear right under the main product.

This strategic placement encourages buyers to consider adding these items to their carts.

Shopee Top Picks placement
Shopee Top Picks placement

Promote with vouchers and discounts

What's something that every shopper enjoys? Undoubtedly, it's a discount. Around 93% of buyers use a coupon or discount code for shopping online during the year.

That's why offering discounts and vouchers is one of the most effective strategies to promote your products and boost sales. This will encourage customers to spend more during their shopping experience in your store.

Shopee allows sellers to create custom vouchers for specific products, offering them to customers who make purchases of more than a certain amount. Additionally, you can generate store-wide vouchers accessible on your store homepage.

Shopee store vouchers
Shopee store vouchers

On Shopee, the principle is simple: give more to receive more. By rewarding your customers with vouchers, you not only enhance their shopping experience but also encourage them to return for more.

Build responsive customer service

Top-notch customer service is always the cornerstone of all businesses, Shopee store is no exception. If you're looking to up your sales game, it's crucial to step up your customer service and be there for potential buyers whenever they need assistance.

On Shopee, the effectiveness of your chat response is evaluated by two metrics including Chat Response Rate (CRR) and Chat Response Time. These are based on how promptly and consistently you engage with customers.

Here are some practical tips to increase your customer service ratings on Shopee:

  • Reply to chat messages and offers within 12 hours.
  • Regularly check Shopee Seller Chat to stay updated on new messages and offers.
  • Use reminders to respond to potential buyers at scheduled times within a day.
  • Use the Shop FAQ in FAQ Assistant to address frequently asked questions.
  • Set up automated responses to engage customers when you're away.
  • Don't forget to follow up with customers who've made purchases, asking for feedback and reviews to improve your products and the whole store.
Chat Assistant from Shopee Seller Centre
Chat Assistant from Shopee Seller Centre

Enhancing your customer service across all aspects will ensure to deliver of an exceptional online shopping experience to customers, ultimately leading to increased sales.

Maintain a healthy Seller Account

Just like any other online marketplace, Shopee has its own rules and guidelines that sellers need to follow to have a smooth selling experience. Before you start selling, take the time to read and understand Shopee's guidelines and terms of use.

Making sure you stick to the policies and guidelines of Shopee, along with actively managing a strong seller account, is the key to ensuring the ongoing success of your Shopee store. This involves providing excellent customer service, effectively handling disputes and negative feedback, and keeping your contact information up-to-date.

Manage your order fulfillment efficiently

Doing a good job on the Shopee platform doesn't seem enough. This means you also need to do well behind the scenes: order fulfillment.

This involves a bigger picture: maintaining regular inventory updates, efficiently picking and packing orders, partnering with a reliable logistics provider, and keeping buyers informed about delivery times, and other related steps.

By optimizing your order fulfillment process, you not only improve the overall shopping experience for your customers but also nurture long-term relationships with them.

When selling on Shopee, you have to use the platform's partner couriers for deliveries. Yet, you do get to choose your preferred courier and can deselect the ones that don't work well for your business.

When picking a courier, consider factors like shipping cost, delivery time, the strength of the local logistics network, pickup frequency, service quality, customer support, and return policy.

Bonus Tips

There are certainly a lot of different selling tips out there. Here are some:

  • Offering bundle deals
  • Use Free Shipping programs
  • Share via social media like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
  • Leverage “Boost now” promotions
  • Do market research
  • Offer competitive prices

If you have any great tips, please share them with us and other readers.

👉 Read More: Shopee Vietnam To Philippines Service 

👉 Read More: Shopee Vietnam To Malaysia Service 

The Bottom Line

Selling on Shopee can open up significant opportunities for growing your business, especially considering the rapid growth of Southeast Asia and the increasing influence of eCommerce.

If you plan to run an online business on Shopee, you are now well-prepared with our comprehensive guide and tips on how to sale on Shopee.

However, entering a completely new e-commerce market is tough, especially Shopee in Vietnam where competition is increasingly fierce and consumer behavior is constantly changing. This requires good preparation in terms of market knowledge, a clear understanding of local sales policies, laws, and taxes along with effective logistics management.

Sounds like a lot of tasks, right? Please share a little burden with EFEX. With extensive experience in sales consulting in Vietnam for foreign businesses, we always stand prepared to be your partner in expanding your business successfully in Vietnam. Let's sell with EFEX!

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Ngoc LeeNgoc Lee is an Content Creator Manager at EFEX. She wields her long-term expertise in Logistics and Supply Chain, harnessing her top-notch writing and research skills to bring incredibly valuable content. Whether you're a small startup or a well-established enterprise, Ngoc Lee is here to equip you with the essential knowledge of e-commerce, fulfillment, and all things business-related.