Ten Tips for Successful eCommerce Online Business

It’s no secret that E-commerce is huge- and rapidly growing. As a business owner, you want to be successful against the competition, but how do you stand out? While there’s no end-all solution to driving more sales, these ten tips will get you well on your way to maximizing your E-commerce success.

1. Quick Communication

With the ease of fast communication that the internet brings, customers expect it each and every time they reach out with concerns or questions. Make yourself available. Providing quick and helpful feedback is the equivalent of good customer service and fosters the relationships with your customers that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to maintain without face-to-face communication.

2. Keep Your Site Organized

The presentation and layout of your site is so important because it’s the first thing potential customers see even before they read any of the content. Take the time to construct a cohesive and visually appealing home page that matches the style you want to present. With that being said, keep it simple. There should be easy navigation to product listings, blogs, reviews or anything else the average customer might be looking for when they come to your site. Always have a search option the customer can utilize if they can’t directly find what they’re looking for on the homepage itself.

3. Simplify the Checkout Process for Customers

Have you ever been the victim of WAY too many steps in an online checkout process? Online buying can be more of a hassle than it’s worth if you have to fill out 20 different forms before completing the purchase. It’s also a hassle if the site forces you to create an account in order to complete the order. Simplify the process. There are a lot of different components to a good checkout page, so check out this link for a more in-depth guide on how to do so.

4. Personalize the Content

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is blending in with the competition and with the manufacturers. Take the time to make your product listings stand out from the rest. This will not only help with the placement of your listing on Google, but also leave a lasting impression with those that view products on your site. Incorporating original and creative blogs is another great way to feature your products and descriptions while adding some creativity and your own voice. Lastly, spend some quality time on your “About Us” page. If your customers visit this page, they clearly want to learn more about you and your brand. This is your chance to captivate them with who you are and what you can offer them. It’s a smart idea to link your direct contact information and social media pages here for easy access.

5. Update Social Media Regularly

Using social media should be a no-brainer when attempting to grow your business online. Which platforms you choose will depend on the audience you are trying to reach and what information you wish to present. With that being said, having a consistent voice and presence on these platforms will bring success in the long run. Social media allows you to build direct relationships with your customers and present not only your products, but your brand’s image. The key here is consistency. Don’t post too often or too infrequently. Use captivating images that will grab your followers’ attention. Consider incorporating giveaway opportunities to encourage interaction. Lastly, make sure you take the time to go through your comments and mentions. As stated in tip #2, quick and helpful responses are extremely important. Your social media pages should make your customers feel like they have a direct way to reach you.

6. Go Mobile

You could have the most impressive looking website out of all your competitors, but if it doesn’t transfer onto mobile devices, you’re going to lose out on a lot of business. In a recent 2018 study, it was found that 62 percent of smartphone users have made an online purchase using their mobile device in the last six months. Create a site that fits nicely onto a mobile screen. This includes making things tap-friendly so that customers can easily tap on links or call buttons to contact you directly. Mobile users are less likely to want to read text-heavy sites, so consider relying more on photos and graphics to relay your message.

7. Provide Fast Shipping Tracking

Everyone likes being in the know, and the same goes for online purchasing. This is why it is important to have a way for customers to track their shipping from the beginning to end. They should receive a confirmation notice as soon as the order is placed and they should be able to check in at any time after that to view the progress of their shipment. There’s a significant amount of pressure on you as a seller to ensure a no-hassle shipping process, but it’s one of the most important factors in whether that customer will decide to buy from you again. You should give the buyer an estimated number of days that their purchase will take to ship, but make sure that it is achievable and accurate, otherwise you’ll be faced with many customer service issues in the future.

8. Use SEO

Search engine optimization can be confusing if you’re not familiar with all of the elements, yet it is so important in generating traffic to your site. SEO starts with lengthy research into your competitors, your audience and what keywords you want to use. It also entails the structure, speed and usability of your site. It’s a lot, but luckily for you, that’s what we specialize in. When SEO is implemented well, you’ll begin receiving the types of conversions you want while staying in your budget.

9. Value Customer Reviews

You should always welcome and even encourage feedback from customers. Add a review feature to your website and product listings. Good reviews from previous customers on products can persuade new customers to buy since the opinions are impartial. Even not-so-good reviews can give you an idea of what you need to change about your site and the products you sell. To take it one step further, you could add an incentive for customers to leave reviews such as a small discount or free shipping on their next purchase. If given the motivation, many happy customers will be more willing to take the time to leave a positive review.

10. Continuously Test Your Performance

This might be the most important step because it’s a reminder that the scope of E-commerce is always changing. An E-commerce campaign that drew great success five years ago won’t necessarily work today, so keep track of what’s changing in your target field and mold your campaign around it.