E-commerce has become one of the most important features on the web and utilised properly can prove to be cheaper and more convenient than traditional bartering techniques.
It is hugely important that a business get their e-commerce strategy right as consumers who shop online are more inclined to return time and time again if they feel their online shopping experience was swift and convenient, below are a number of tips to help improve your e-commerce strategy:
This is key to beginning any e-commerce strategy, find out what kind of demographic your business seeks to attract, once you distinguish it research it and establish your territory.
Make sure to define your niche market, you can then penetrate this market with various promotions and special offers, once you know your market and your audience you then have the right foundation to implement the rest of your strategy.
When a consumer goes online shopping the feature they look for most is a user-friendly interface, nobody wants a slow and sluggish site that takes an age to move from shopping to checkout, this could deter the consumer from buying and may even drive them away from your site.
The best way to avoid this is to give the consumer what they want which means developing a user-friendly interface which is easy to navigate, slick and convenient but most importantly create an experience for the consumer that they can’t get in a walk-in store or business, get this right and the consumer will want to do business with you on a regular basis.
In order to attract consumers it is imperative that you know what they desire, find this out through your research then develop your system and interface based on your findings, always make sure to appeal directly to the audience, a good personal touch could be a key factor in building up a good business relationship with a client or consumer.
Always cater to the target audience you’re selling to, for instance, if you’re selling to a young demographic try to use a flashy design with bright and vibrant colours, on the other hand, if you’re appealing to an older demographic try to keep your site formal and streamlined with an easy to use interface.
More and more people are using their mobile devices and Ipads for conducting e-commerce transactions, with this in mind it is important that you invest in a compatible mobile platform.
Mobile commerce is growing at a rate of over 130% annually so in order to stay competitive you need to offer mobile-accessible services like delivery updates, push notifications, click-to-call and general product information.
If your business fails to provide an accessible mobile platform then you will watch your revenue figures plummet significantly so be smart about it, invest the funds and stay ahead of the game!.
Think about it, everything seems to be going great, things are running smoothly so far and then out of nowhere, there’s a dip in revenue and you start to wonder why.
Hang on, had you asked for feedback at any point from the consumer? Nope! There was a problem right under your nose that you didn’t pick up on but the consumers did and now it’s affected your revenue.
It is hugely important to consistently ask for feedback from your consumers, this gives you the power to change and modify your website in areas that need improvement and also provide interaction with valued consumers, you can do this in a number of ways including, email, surveys and feedback forms on your website.
When it comes to e-commerce, social media is most certainly your friend, due to its popularity, social media is an ideal medium to raise brand awareness.
Sharing your website on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter is a great way to attract potential consumers to your site as it gives you the ability to provide a better engagement, share details on promotions and special offers and run competitions
Using affiliate marketing tactics and promotions with deal-of-the-day business models such as Groupon is another great way to entice consumers to business with your company as it provides them with an excellent value-for-money option.
OK, let’s face it everyone has received nuisance emails at some point from websites they have previously purchased from and unwittingly signed up to, some businesses are extremely clever in manipulating the opt-in system often using distraction tactics to get people to sign up.
Do not take that route!, If used correctly, regular emails to your existing consumer base can have a hugely positive impact in ensuring return business, have a clear and precise opt-in system at your checkout and a well-presented sign-up form and an accompanying thank you form, after a successful sign-up, showing this courtesy will go a long way in securing the business and indeed trust of a potential consumer.
Online Advertising 101: What Works Best?
By Matrix Internet
By Conor McCaffrey