Being an e-commerce business owner comes with a lot of pros and cons. Not only do you get to be your boss and decide how and when to work, but you have the ability to make as much money as you want, without caps, as long as you can generate sales. Of course, there are many challenges involved in selling products online, and e-commerce is an evolving business with lots of competition. You must constantly seek out new ways to attract customers and convince them to make a purchase, so here are a few savvy business tips to help you increase sales and save money.
Provide a Good Experience
Providing a good experience makes a good first impression on customers, keeping them coming back for more and preventing them from getting scared off. Confusing navigation, poor image quality, and bad design can drive customers away, but having a good user experience can keep them on your site. E-commerce websites must invest in quality website design to improve user experience. You should also build your website on a reliable platform that makes it easy to design your website structure.
Show Customers You Care
The e-commerce industry is full of competition, and you must find ways to stand out. Luckily, most other online shopping sites don’t offer quality customer care and may even make it difficult to contact them for issues with orders. Being customer-centric allows you to connect with customers on a deeper level. Since your customers can’t meet you in person or touch or try products before making a purchase, they need some guarantee that if an issue should arise, it will be taken seriously.
You must show your customers that you value them, and you can do this in a few different ways. First, you can offer competitive pricing on your products and free shipping to give customers an extra incentive to become customers. In addition, you must have quality customer service in which you can answer customer inquiries as quickly as possible. You should also have a process in place for how to handle common customer issues, such as shipping delays. Even if someone isn’t happy with your products, they can still have a positive experience with your business as you show them how much you care about making them happy.
Use Social Media
Your customers are on social media, so why aren’t you? You have a digital business, so you need a digital presence beyond your website. Social networks like Facebook and Instagram allow you to grow brand awareness and boost sales. You can even use Facebook Shops to sell products directly on the platform to provide customers with a seamless experience without the need to visit your website. When using social media to promote your e-commerce business, you must post regular content, engage followers, and leverage different social media marketing trends. Of course, you should also make it easy for customers to find your website. You can use a link in bio tool that links to your website to ensure customers can shop for products easily.
Optimize Your Website
Whether you sell shoes, cars, or pet supplies, you must ensure your customers can find you online. Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most cost-effective ways to attract customers; instead of paying for advertising, you can let customers find you online by offering engaging and informative content. When optimizing your website, pay close attention to your product pages and keywords your customers would use to find products like yours online.
Use Calls to Action
While you might think what customers should do on your website is obvious, providing website visitors with clear instructions will help facilitate sales. Calls to action produce higher conversion rates and improve site usability by standing out from the rest of the website. Buttons are design elements, so consider using contrasting colors, different sizes, and testing different positions.
Tell Your Story
Consumers are no longer looking for the best deals. While your products should be priced competitively, customers want to learn more about your business and what it stands for. Your brand story is more important than ever, especially online, where you have tons of room to share more information about your identity and values. If your values align with those of your customers, they’re more likely to keep coming back. In addition, when customers connect with a brand on this personal level, they become your biggest advocates, sharing information about your company and all the good it does for the planet or society.
Gather & Use Reviews
Reviews are an important part of a customer’s decision-making process. Consider when you shop online. If you don’t know a certain brand or seller, you may look at reviews from other customers to determine if the products are high-quality. Remember, your customers can’t touch the products you sell, and if they don’t know anything about your business, they may read reviews to determine whether or not they should spend their hard-earned money on your website.
Many e-commerce website builders make it easy to gather reviews with the right email marketing software. With automation, you can automatically publish reviews on your product pages to facilitate customer decision-making.
Track Analytics
To know whether or not you’re reaching your goals, you must track all your website analytics. Of course, there are a lot of metrics you can track, so you may have to prioritize some over others. Tracking analytics can help you determine your website’s performance and find new ways to convert customers. You can also A/B test different elements of your website to determine which changes increase sales.
Final Thoughts
Running an e-commerce business is similar to running a brick-and-mortar business, but it comes with its own set of challenges. Since customers don’t have access to a salesperson like they would in-store, and they can’t physically touch products, you must find new ways to build trust with them. While reviews are a good start, you’ll also need to provide exceptional customer service to make customers feel valued.
Author:
Megan Isola
Megan Isola holds a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and a minor in Business Marketing from Cal State University Chico. She enjoys going to concerts, trying new restaurants, and hanging out with friends.
