The rules of ecommerce are very different to that in the real world. If you currently run an online business or are thinking of launching one, here are some ingredients that you will need to make your business a success.
Strong online presence
Ecommerce businesses operate entirely online – having a strong online presence is therefore essential. On top of a website, you should consider setting up social media pages as these will help to make your business more credible and attract more customers. Social media sites such as Facebook can even serve as an extra platform to sell your wares, whilst Twitter can be great for connecting with new customers through hashtags and interacting customers. You may also want to put some money into SEO to improve your search engine rankings as well as creating PPC ads to help build brand awareness across the web. Mobile marketing is now taking off, so it could even be worth building your own company app that smartphone users can download.
A user-friendly website
A user-friendly website will encourage people to buy your products. Shopping around for the best ecommerce platform can help you to create a well-designed website that has all the features that you want. Ensure that your check-out process isn’t too complicated and that all your products are easy to find and navigate through (a search bar can be handy if you have a large inventory). You could consider hiring a professional web designer to create something for you.
Fast delivery service
Many people want the fastest delivery service possible. If you sell your products internationally and it takes a month for you to ship them overseas, you could put a lot of people off looking for a last minute gift. Consider paying extra for a faster courier service. Fast delivery won’t just encourage sales but it will improve your company’s reputation – the bulk of negative reviews in ecommerce companies tend to be related to delayed deliveries.
Positive reviews
Talking of reviews, these are essential for your company’s credibility. Many people can be wary of buying from a site they’ve never tried before and will look up reviews to check that your company is credible. Make sure that these reviews are largely positive by encouraging every happy customer to leave feedback. On top of customer reviews, consider trying to get reviews and mentions from professional publications and blogs. You can also build up reviews on social media.
Good customer service
There may be no face-to-face interaction involved when running an ecommerce business, but many customers may still want someone they can contact with queries or complaints. Being able to handle these courteously and quickly is important for your reputation. Provide contact details such as an email address and phone number and respond to any messages you get quickly. You could even consider setting up an instant messaging chatbox on your site for quick queries.
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