Having a successful eCommerce website is not as easy as it looks and if you think that you can just go out and develop a website and expect it to be a huge success then you are very much mistaken. Consumers are far to internet savvy to hang around on a website that they don't like ot they find hard to use. They expect instant information and to be able to navigate throughout the site with a sense of total control. Any hurdles or speed bumps and they are going to abandon the site – be warned – this requires the skills of professionals who understand what will drive a consumer to buy from you. So choose your web or digial agency wisely.
Having a really great e-Commerce website
There is no silver bullet or guarantee that your new ecommerce website will suddenly become a huge overnight success, but there are a few ‘must haves’ which cannott be neglected when developing an online shopping cart store.
You Have to Make Your eCommerce Website Sell Hard
Many online sites are designed by web studios with absolutely no thought put in to the sales funnell process and what goes on in the consumers mind online. Ideally, you want to funnel the consumer from the home page right through to the buy now page, with as little effort as possible. Many sites may look spectacular, but clearly ignore the fact that the ultimate aim of the website is to sell a product. This is why you need to speak with a web team like Hopping Mad Designs that understand the psychology of the online consumer, and are able to design your site that will drive slaes and push your brand hard online.
So if you have a eCommerce website and it is not converting into sales or if you are thinking about setting up your first online shopping cart, following are some golden tips to help your business survive online.
1. Be clear with your branding
Make sure that your identity or logo is prominent on the site. If you have a recognisable brand, then make sure the public can see this. Trust is a huge issue online, especially in the eCommerce environment, so you should have a logo that clearly reflects the trust, reliability and credibility. People are afraid of getting ripped off online, so your logo is the first step in calming people nerves. Make sure you look at your social media and what you are posting on these platforms as that too can and will affect public perception.
2. Offer some gifts, free deals etc etc.
Having users come to your site is one thing, but having them stay on the site and buy your product is another matter. People absolutely love freebies and your site should pander to this. Offer them free shipping or even free gift wrapping. Make these statements very bold and in their face as soon as they land on the site. Perhaps even offer a 2 for 1 deal. I know this may sound crazy, but if you are in a competitive area, nothing will get people to buy your goods more than discounts and special offers. Be sure to get your web designers to create very visual banners on the homepage to really push this point. Hidden boxes with small non existent call to actions just won’t cut it. Be in their face and make it very loud and highly creative.
3. Do you have exciting news?
If you need to tell your customers something, then let them know straight away. Perhaps a new remarkable product has arrived that people have been waiting for, or perhaps you have a event that will be a ‘must attend’. In any case, have a news icon on the site that is easy to see and is updated regularly.
If you have a newsletter sign up area, and have captured the email addresses of your customers, then always keep them updated with the latest news, events, special offerings and company changes. Fresh up to date news will keep people returning to the site and will have the added bonus of improving your search engine rankings.
4. Password Protected Login Box
Every website that has a eCommerce functionality should have a password protected area where users can register their details and be able to see what they have bought in the past; a history of their purchases. They should be able to update and edit their personal information as well. Once they register for the first time, they should receive a polite email acknowledging them as a preferred customer. This information should be kept by you for future email marketing campaigns.
5. Eway + PayPal
Give users the option of paying directly through their credit card as well as PayPal. The latter is a lot easier to set up and may be the way to go if you are just testing the waters with a new product. Getting the banks involved using eway is time consuming and should only be implemented if you will be in this for the long haul.
6. Remember your Social Media Icons
People want to see that you are part of a community, this is why your site should have all the old favourites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Marketing your products on these platforms is a great way to reach out to more customers and users will often click on these sites before they actually make a purchase. Reason being, is that they want to make a connection with you in the first instance. Kind of suss you out and see who you are before buying.
7. Prominent phone number
Having no number on your site makes people wary. They like to be able to know that they can contact you if there is an issue or a problem when they receive the goods. Most eCommerce sites will sell nationally so having a 1300 or 1800 number is a good idea. If you just have an email address as a point of contact, expect some angry emails if things go wrong. If this happens you may have to deal with some online reputation issues, which will harm your brand online. Be very careful about this point. Nasty comments or reviews will only serve to drive users and potential buyers away.
8. Do you have physical stores?
If you are a retailer with an online eCommerce presence, let users know where to find you. Perhaps give them an incentive to pop on by your store. Having a physical location adds heaps to your credibility as well as trust. If you have multiple locations then have a page on your site, with a map. This will make it easier for people to find you..
The above points should be enough to help you get started with your ecommerce site, but if you really want to succeed online, then you need to speak with a t web professional company like Hopping Mad Designs – or call 02 9360 8514.