If you run an eCommerce store and worry that you’ve spent too much money without being cheap when funding your business, but still, the outcome isn’t flattering then damn visitors! It does happen; to several entrepreneurs; it happens all around.
However, if you don’t know the reason behind unachieved targets, then it’s a major problem. The bell is ringing, but you are too busy or too occupied to listen. How can you hope to cope up with the situation or make better choices when you aren’t even aware of the problem??
Do you know?
The secret sauce of the success of an eCommerce store is – ‘Customer Experience’. To know, how it has impacted or can impact the digital economy, read this blog: TRANSFORMING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY: STRATEGIES AND CHALLENGES
Let’s firstly shed some light on the possible issues only so that we know for what questions we are searching answers for:
- How do you hire your first employees when the business starts to blossom without shooting yourself in the foot?
- How do you deal with shady copycats begging for a small profit off your back after your accomplishment?
- How did your brick-and-mortar store impact your online store?
- Who will manage bookings for the service and deal with grumpy clients?
- How do you strike a multichannel balance for popular orders?
- What is the policy regarding the returns of your product?
- What logistical options would satisfy clients without compromising profit?
- How to accommodate fulfilment/shipping?
- Why do you handle the sales tax?
- How do you perform quality management while you are producing from overseas?
Let’s keep these vulnerable points in mind, now let’s talk about some factors that can help you increase your brand value and attract customers’ to shop from your online store.
1. Better Prices
We, as customers, value businesses that bring the best deals for us. It’s similar in the digital world, too. Since information is easily accessible in the IT world, customers browse the web in the hope of getting better deals on their favourite products.
However, if your products have a wee bit more prices than your competitors, you can still do many conversions. There’s no shortage of shoppers who consider a lot of factors other than the prices.
But adding up exciting deals, offers, seasonal gifts and coupons can be your road to success.
2. Your Website More Secure
As customers’, if we are buying from your portal, then we must have to feel secured in doing it. Not all eCommerce stores bring that feeling even if they have best prices on the product. Many start-ups have been shut down because they focused too much on prices that they forgot or completely overlooked to creating a feeling that connects with the shoppers on an emotional level.
For instance; by giving multiple checkout options will help your miles because customers’ can choose to pay the option they feel safe with. Since COD (Cash-on-delivery) has been in full-swing, a lot of shoppers prefer.
This feature is necessary to survive for the long term and earn loyal customers your way.
Contact details have been given where a customer can contact you to remove any doubts.
In addition, there is an ‘about us’ page that tells about the credibility of your business and offers ample proof of the kick-in trust factor in the mind of potential leads.
Ensure that all the important information is easily accessible to the visitors so they can decide about your business. Content can turn the tables, and if you drop those signs in the easily accessible place, then you have the edge over your rivals.
3. Your Website Loads Faster
No one likes to wait for the website to load for ages. Since the online world is highly dynamic, the customers have no patience or love towards slow loading websites.
If your website takes less than 2 seconds to load, then you are really managing the business professionally and effectively. Know that just a 1-second delay in the loading time can result in a 32% bounce rate, and with 3 seconds, the drop in sales is scary of 53%.
It is because online users have an array of options available. Hence, you have to be just the best in the industry. It’s the survival of the fittest.
Source- (https://www.bluecorona.com/blog/how-fast-should-website-be/)
Faster websites create a great user experience, and buyers prefer business over others. Shoppers are likely to return for shopping if your website loads faster in comparison to your fierce rivals.
4. You have better reviews
Having positive reviews certainly help in promoting the business with confidence and without compromising on various counts. Note that; not only your business but the products in your portal need to have positive ratings, either. It will generate trust and loyalty factors among your customer.
Moreover, the website’s positive product reviews will help in decision making and will likely be in your favour.
5. Better navigation and site search
Having a crystal clear hierarchy for your products and pages will take you upfront and give you an edge over your competitors. It doesn’t matter if you have a fast loading website, competitive prices, and a secure feeling eCommerce place; however, if you have awful navigation, you are rupturing your business image.
By having a layered filtering option, you make smart site searches, which result in better business revenue.
6. Easier to find
If you understand the importance of SEO, then you should know about the significance of ranking on page one, Google. Make sure; you do superb search engine optimization of your business, which shows in search engine results. No one has time to search the entire web for the best deals on prices. Moreover, only a handful of people look at the page 2 Google in their searches.
With these basics in check, the need is to pump some cutting-edge out-of-the-box approaches that can make your business boom within no time.
Handle your eCommerce store as though it were an independent online, thriving business:
With all the latest shifts, be it in economic, environmental or financial terms, companies are seeing the light in digital existence. You cannot just thrive conventionally but also have to upgrade and exist in the web world parallelly.
The business that has a robust digital backbone can make through any unforeseen circumstance just like COVID 19.
Rather than keep your digital front as a support section, handle it like a franchise and see the profits sprouting through it.
- Match the technology as per your needs:
As a company owner, you need to have the depth of vision to see possible pitfalls long before they occur. Technology is something that needs to be discussed and assessed regularly. For many eCommerce company owners, it is fundamental to the entire project and cannot be ignored.
Make the right choice with software and technologies that are accessible, safe, user-friendly and have a robust set of conversion and marketing tools.
Find your customer and where they stick around most often:
Most company owners don’t take this move seriously and end up spending much of their time and money on messaging that doesn’t convert.
This doesn’t automatically mean that you can go to the deal sites as well. It depends on what’s the focus of your business, what products you sell and who’s your target audience.
You do have to take this principle seriously, though. If you can figure out where your marketing dollars will yield the highest investment return, you’ll find it easier to bring in a steady stream of leads.
- Remove checkout frictions that can stop any successful business from coming in:
If you’d like to sell more stuff, make sure your audiences don’t get annoyed, quit their carts and leave your websites to check another retailer where they can buy a rival company product.
Refer to this list for more clarity:
- Eliminate the requirement to create an account.
- Reduce the number of screens the client has to pass through.
- Ensure your proxy delivery option is the least expensive unless a faster option is available for the same price.
- Use as few fields of the form as possible, and use auto-fill where appropriate.
- Save information regarding billing, shipping and payment as and where possible.
- Provide your customers with several ways to pay
- Make your customer the king:
You can speak about yourself as much as you want, but ultimately it is what people think about your company that will have the most significant effect on buying decision making. Your clients are the most significant assets you’ve got, so learn how to maximize them.