With the technological advancement, more and more people have started buying products online for the convenience that these online stores offer not just in terms of the travelling efforts that they eliminate or reduce but also in terms of amazing search options that they provide in order to let users find specific items from a huge collection of products.
Hence, there are innumerable opportunities available to launch e-commerce stores. However, not all e-commerce stores are able to run successfully. Here, we’ll unwrap some secrets of growing a successful e-commerce business:
Figure out where your customers are- If there is something or someone who is highly responsible for the success of your online store or for that matter any store or business, it is your customers. Know who your target audience is along with their demographics and figure out where they are likely to hang out. Accordingly, you will be able to make appropriate marketing strategies to connect with them and encourage them to make purchases via your online store.
Make your checkout process as simple and easy as possible- Remove any possible friction from the checkout process. For this, you can eliminate the need for users to create an account in order to place an order. Further, reduce the number of screens or steps that the user has to go through to place orders. Also, use as few form fields as possible and make sure you provide several ways for your customers to pay for their order.
A happy and satisfied customer is probably the biggest secret of any successful business. Isn’t this a big enough reason that your online store should provide a great customer service? It sure is, right? For your customer service to be on point, make sure you respond to emails or social media requests. If a customer contacts you, aim to reply them as quick as possible. For this, you could even set up autoresponders just until a human response would be possible to make.
Regularly update your social media accounts. For online sellers, having a social media presence along with a great social media strategy is a must. Showcase your latest products and offers, share engaging and enticing content to engage and draw people to your brand. Take advantage of the fact that consumers spend a considerable amount of time on social media. Advertise your brand on social media, post about different products and also actively answer user’s questions.
Make sure your e-commerce store is fully optimized for mobiles by getting a mobile-friendly version of your site designed by an experienced e-commerce web development company. Consider launching a dedicated app for your online store to make the shopping process simpler for your customers and give them a positive navigational experience and great functionality.
Build a positive relationship with your customers- Use email and direct marketing methods to regularly communicate with your customers and build a relationship with them in order to earn their trust.
Use SEO to get a higher rank for your online store in Google search results. It should be a top priority for any e-commerce business today. Some SEO tips to help your online store to rank higher in search engine results page include: writing keyword rich product descriptions, using less competitive keywords, SEO friendly URLs, using HTTPs optimized content throughout your site, optimizing all your product images, getting rid of duplicate content.
Website should be user-friendly in the sense that it should be quick to load, have an easy navigation to enable users to move from one page to another seamlessly. Further, users should be able to easily find complete details of all products. Also, the site should support multiple payment methods to enable users to choose a preferred mode of payment for making purchases.
Use email marketing to encourage repeat business and increase social followers. There are a number of different approaches you can use in email marketing to attract and nurture your target users. Send relevant and targeted emails to your subscribers.
Add a sense of urgency in your offers on special dates and occasions, add an element of urgency. You can do this with a countdown timer. Also, you can consider using a plugin that would show social proof of others making a recent purchase on the site.
Have a physical presence of your store. Showing your products to users in person cannot be matched to products listed online. For this, you could attend fairs or have pop up shops for your merchandise so that your users can touch and feel your products. This is also a great way to promote your online e-commerce store.
Discover your USP i.e a feature or an element that makes your brand distinctive and highlight it well on your online store as well as on all your social media pages.
Use high quality images to showcase your products. Users rely mostly on images of products while deciding to make purchases. Hence, the images you show in your online store need to be as professional as possible. You can also use short videos to show off your products.
Build a strong relationship with your suppliers because they are responsible for distributing products. It becomes important to have good control over their distribution channels. Develop long term relationships with all your suppliers.
