Are you just starting a new eCommerce business from scratch? Or maybe you found a great eCommerce website for sale and, now that it is yours, you want to make sure you run it better?
Customers nowadays know what they want and when they want it. And oftentimes, their expectations can be quite high. In fact, about 80% of all eCommerce businesses fail, with customers saying that the 3 most common reasons for leaving an eCommerce store are:
- Not being able to figure out how to use your site
- Navigation is difficult
- Product value isn’t clear
So, what can you do to make sure you don’t end up left in the dust?
In this article, we are discussing 5 factors that play a critical role in the success of your eCommerce business.
1. Website Design
Web design is a crucial factor for all websites, but it is especially important for eCommerce websites. A well-designed eCommerce site can give customers better shopping experience and potentially increase sales.
E-commerce Website Design by Shah Alam
In online shopping, the first impression is everything, so you need to make sure it counts. Think of it this way: how would you feel if you entered a messy and disorganized brick-and-mortar store? You’d probably form a negative opinion right away and walk out the door. The same happens when you land on a website that has a cluttered layout, mismatched fonts, and poor quality images.
When designing your website, check out your competitors to see what their websites look like. In addition, ensure that everything looks professional and clean. Use high-quality images and ensure to keep everything consistent.
2. UX Design
It’s very important to make sure that your eCommerce site is user-friendly and that it allows for a seamless journey from beginning to end. You don’t want your customers feeling lost or spending ages to find what they’re looking for.
Ensure that your navigation is simple, there are links for info pages like the contact page and the FAQ page, and that the CTAs show where customers can go next.
Don’t forget to optimize for mobile as well. Your eCommerce website needs to work well on smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Bear in mind that it will be seen on smaller screens, so include bigger calls-to-action, concise and clear copy, and condensed menus in order to save space (for instance, burger menus and icons for cart).
Bike Configurator by Den Klenkov
Of course, if you can afford it, it’s best to hire professionals to do the job for you. For instance, if Shopify is your platform of choice, consider hiring a Shopify development company that will improve both online user experience and business efficiency.
3. SEO and Content
You might have already heard that in order for any website to be successful, it has to make the first page of the Google search results. In other words, it has to rank well, and in order to rank well, it needs a solid SEO strategy and high-quality content. This is especially true for eCommerce websites.
Why is it so? First of all, useful and unique content has become one of the most important factors to rank in Google.
Start by picking the right keywords you want to target. Make sure they aren’t too broad as these keywords are highly competitive and are therefore much harder to rank for. Go for long-tail keywords instead. That way you’ll avoid the masses and at the same time target visitors who are looking for what you are offering.
Once you’ve selected your keywords, start optimizing for them. Besides on-page optimization, you’ll also need lots of backlinks to help with your off-page SEO. However, even though more is generally better, try to avoid spamming. Instead of quantity, focus on quality. Grow your SEO organically to make sure it looks natural to search engine bots and the results will come soon enough.
4. Customer Service
Even though eCommerce has become the preferred way of shopping, it does lack face-to-face interaction between brands and consumers. Understandably, when customers face issues, their frustration grows because they can’t find a representative to talk to. Many eCommerce companies are too slow when it comes to responding to customer concerns, or they fail to do so altogether.
Did you know that it costs 7 times more to acquire new customers than to keep existing ones? Providing superior customer service not only boosts sales but it also helps companies stand out from the competition. Luckily, even without personal interaction, there are many ways to offer outstanding customer online:
- Provide live chat to instantly address customer concerns.
- Use social media to track when your business is being discussed and join the conversation.
- Offer simple return policies to allow customers to make purchases with confidence.
- Send follow-up emails asking customers to rate their experience or to write a short review that you can place on your website or on social media.
5. Email Marketing
Email marketing is vital for eCommerce businesses because it allows you to reach your customers directly. In fact, email is one of the most effective marketing strategies, reaching up to 90% of your customers and converting at a higher rate than search or social media. Not to mention, it is also cost-effective, bringing in almost $40 for every $1 spent. Finally, email marketing is very measurable, which enables you to detect problematic areas that need improvement.
Here are a few types of emails you could include in your eCommerce email marketing strategy:
- Welcome emails to start cultivating a relationship with new subscribers or customers.
- Cart abandonment emails to help you recover part of the lost revenue from customers who put products in their cart but didn’t check out.
- Win-back emails to help you bring back lapsed subscribers and customers.
6. Final Thoughts
Succeeding in the eCommerce industry is a lot more difficult than it seems. With thousands of eCommerce businesses struggling to stand out in the crowd, finding your place can be a real challenge. Fortunately, you can take control of your online store’s success. Work through this list and make sure you’ve got everything in order so that you can make your eCommerce venture a success.
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