As one of the most profitable industries right now, there’s more than enough market need for ecommerce websites. With consumer electronics, clothing and the food industry providing a wide range of products for costumers, cashing in on this popular trend is easy enough when you have the right tools.
For businesses breaking into the ecommerce space, the process can be a bit of a whirlwind. Ecommerce presents countless opportunities for retailers and brands, so businesses seeking to take advantage of the benefits must also address some tough decisions — site design, mobile and social media strategies, customer service and product pricing, to name a few. Here are three tips for improving your ecommerce strategy.
1. Remove entry barriers
When your customers can’t physically see and touch the products you’re offering online, convincing them to break out their credit cards can be a harder sell. Pricing products appropriately and delivering a user-friendly, all-around personalized experience is one way to encourage customers to fill their digital shopping carts.
A user-oriented approach to ecommerce helps drive brand loyalty, which is crucial to the bottom line — almost no online retailers can break even by relying on one-time shoppers. Personalizing users’ experiences also helps businesses segment their audience, which can translate into more effective marketing via targeted advertising campaigns.
While requiring customers to create an account can lead to future sales, the added step pushes customers out of the buying mood. The last thing you want to do is delay a purchase from being made. And with the popularity of shopping on the go through smartphones, the cumbersome process of registering on a mobile device can be enough to drive away any potential customer.
If you remove the “sign up” barrier and offer guest checkout as a default option, you can speed up the process and deliver fast and effective e-commerce service. Once all the required information is there, simply ask them to add a password if they’d like to have an account with you. Don’t forget to outline the benefits so they know what they are getting into.
2. Customer feedback is important
Any business knows that customer service is part of the foundation for success, but small and medium businesses in particular rely on their customers for word-of-mouth promotion and brand loyalty.
Every product page on your website should have a place where customers can share their opinions and reviews. Provide rating and commenting spaces for every product. Encourage comments, social shares and conversations to improve your conversion stats. Even bad reviews can have a positive impact on sales as they indicate that you are being genuine and don’t generate false customer opinions.
3. Don’t forget mobile in your ecommerce
Optimizing your website for mobile is no longer a fad, but a necessity. Major tech companies like Google have been fostering this information and industry shift for a while now. Mobile traffic has surpassed desktop traffic and over 50 percent of e-commerce traffic comes from mobile. Ignoring these numbers could be costing you business.
The basic elements of an efficient mobile ecommerce website area large text, simple checkout, single call-to-action, and highlighted essential features. Prioritizing your content will help move you in the right direction, but also optimizing your images (and site) for mobile will work greatly to bring your business to new clients.
Bonus: evolve
As the online marketplace evolves, so must businesses that want to stay a step ahead of the competition. Continuously listening to customers, keeping up with the latest trends, analyzing metrics and conducting vigilant research help companies stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and effective strategy. Experiment with new tools and make tweaks in real time to improve the experience for your users and the bottom line for yourself.
