In 2020, for the vast majority of retailers, offering an online Ecommerce shopping option has become an essential part of the business. With fewer people shopping in physical stores than ever before, creating a successful online store for your business is a priority.
The reason so many consumers opt to buy online is due to the endless number of benefits it can bring. Some of these benefits include easy and straightforward retailer price comparison, a wider selection of products and services to choose between, more competitive prices can be found, it is hugely time-saving and can be done from anywhere in the world. As a result, retailers with an online shopping option instantly become more appealing to consumers.
According to recent research, in just 6 months’ time in 2021, 2.14 billion consumers worldwide will be engaging in a virtual shopping experience when buying goods and services. Without opting to set up an Ecommerce site for your business, you could be missing out on almost a third of the entire world’s population! So with this in mind, the question is: How do you set up a successful online store?
| Here are our top 5 tips for achieving long-term Ecommerce success: |
1. Choose a unique and memorable domain name
Choosing the right domain name for your business is as important as choosing the right physical location to set up your store. Consider your business domain name to be your ‘virtual address’. A similar amount of thought and time should go into choosing this, as would your store address. Choosing a suitable, unique, and memorable domain name has many benefits. It will attract consumers to your website, will provide credibility for your business, and will bring with it positive brand awareness.
A good domain name can contribute massively to generating traffic to your website, which will, in turn, generate sales. To be seen as a trusted website and brand, paying to register an appropriate domain name is necessary. Opting for a trustworthy top-level domain (TLD) such as .com, .co.uk or .org, makes your business look both reliable and credible. Generic web addresses do not inspire trust or confidence in brands. Choosing the right domain name makes your business look professional from day one.
If you’re looking for ideas and a quick way to look up domains, we highly recommend Domainr – https://domainr.com/
2. Design an easily navigable website
If your retailer website is straightforward and easy to navigate, it enables consumers to find what they are looking for quickly. There is no benefit of having a fantastic product or service to sell if the customer process from search to purchase is slow and difficult to follow. Designing an easily navigable website results in a lower bounce rate, longer visitor duration, and more product/service purchases.
Investing in a great web designer, or spending time learning how to code yourself, can be the difference between a business that succeeds and one that does not. When clicking onto a new website, if a consumer encounters difficulty, the likelihood is that they will leave and look elsewhere. Choosing design elements that make it easy for consumers to find what they are looking for is the key to a successful online business.
3. Use high-resolution imagery
Shopping online removes the opportunity for businesses to communicate with their customers on a human level. If a customer physically walks into a retail shop, the first thing retail workers do is connect with them by engaging in conversation and directing them towards the in-store products. With Ecommerce, there is no opportunity for a customer to touch or experience the product in real life before deciding to purchase. This must be achieved through top-quality, high-resolution imagery.
Images provide consumers with an idea of the product they are purchasing and hold huge value on a retailer’s website. Choosing high-resolution, visually appealing imagery gives consumers an immediate impression of the product and provides them with a natural sense of scale. Choosing to display poor, low-quality imagery is often seen as worse than including no imagery at all. It immediately gives your business a low-quality brand name and does not make your products desirable to the consumer. We recommend creating clear and high res imagery for all products.
4. Create an informative ‘About Us’ page
An informative ‘About Us’ page on an Ecommerce website can paint your brand as trustworthy and reliable to shop with. Be sure not to overload this page with irrelevant business details. Focus on what’s important and keep your customers engaged with simple and minimal design.
If a consumer clicks into your brand’s ‘About Us’ page, they are likely looking to learn more about your brand and be given a reason to choose your products over others. Use clear language to explain the key components of your business and what you do, along with some links to your social channels and how to get in touch. Avoiding information overload here is important. It is an opportunity to gain a customer and should be easily digestible and comprehensible.
5. Offer quick and responsive online customer support
Developing positive customer relations is key to ensuring customers will return to your site again and again. If your brand’s customer response time is less than your competitors, the likelihood of your consumers returning and ordering again is high. Offering quick and responsive online customer service support creates positive ties to your consumers and is key to retaining a long and lasting relationship with them.
Many online retailers opt for a live chat option on their websites. Responding to consumers in a timely manner such as this, and employing the use of relatable language, will result in the development of positive customer relationships. In 2020, customers expect their queries to be heard and dealt with in a prompt and timely manner. As if not, the option to go directly to your competitors is only a click away.
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