3 Quick ecommerce tips for 2017
E-commerce is not an addon to business in the digital age it is an essential integral part of digital age. Business owners must stay on top of the ecommerce challenge. Research estimates that over 40 percent of consumers worldwide now carry out some of their shopping online, with the frequency and value of these online sales steadily increasing.
As your customers move online, are you hiding behind excuses to avoid investing in an ecommerce channel for your business? By avoiding and investing in ecommerce, you may be selling yourself short. If you find that you tell yourself the following four lies, it might be time to reconsider your position.
Put the focus on the user.
Ok this isn’t new for 2017 but it is number one because online sales are very similar to offline sales- you need good customer service and a store (eCommerce website) which focuses on the users and provides a great experience for the online customer. Some of the best tips include offering appropriate pricing, giving free shipping and making the checkout process easy with simplified shopping carts and checkout processes. Think about why the customer wants your products and why your products are better than anyone elses in the marketplace. Or if you are selling the same products as other sites why online customers should buy from you. It could be free shipping, or fast shipping but the key is to think about what the customers needs are and how to satisfy them!!
Market to get the first purchase and the repeat purchase.
To be successful you want to take people from not knowing about you, to visiting your ecommerce website, then enquiring, to ordering for the first time, and then get them to buy again and again. Many ecommerce businesses only focus on the first order and forget all about getting the second order – which is crazy because it’s easier. You’ll find different marketing methods suit each of the stages of this journey, so you’ll have to test and analyse and change your plans accordingly. One simple idea is the followup discount code. By simply sending a limited time frame follow up discount code goes a long way in getting that next sale and building their brand loyalty with you.
Keep optimising.
Nothing you ever do in your business will be finished; in some ways everything is permanently in test mode. So you have to have a policy of constant optimisation – find the area that is working the least well and make it better. Once that’s done, find the next area you need to focus on and repeat. One month it might be the delivery strategy, the next your repeat customer strategy and the following month testing a new marketing method. It is a bit like when you buy a new car- no matter how much you paid for it -it still needs regular servicing and eventually you will have to invest in a new one but the more you look after it in the first place the better and longer it will run for you.