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Essentials For E-Commerce Success

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The rise of mobile shopping and ecommerce has spawned a multi-billion dollar industry. If your small business is ready to get a piece of the action and begin selling your products online, pay extra attention to the following:

Brand Identity

Your page should immediately shout who you are and what you offer, so customers know they’ve come to the right place. Your company logo and colors promote recognition and trust: customers who are familiar with your brand will feel more comfortable on your site.

Customer Experience

The goal of your ecommerce website is to drive customers to conversion, therefore, everything about your ecommerce site should be user-oriented. While online shoppers have gotten pretty savvy, you still need to compensate for the fact that visitors cannot physically touch or interact with your products. You should have multiple, high-quality images of your product offerings and a section for customer reviews and expert recommendations from third-party sources.

Search Bar

The search bar should always be in the same place so it’s easy to find. A common home for the search bar is in the upper right corner. If you can, use suggestive search to offer items similar to (or accessories for) whatever’s being searched. Also, use corrective search so if someone misspells a word they’ll see a suggested selection instead of an error message.

User-Friendly Design

People love shopping on Amazon because (in addition to having pretty much everything) the site is incredibly easy to use. There are multiple ways to find what you are looking for and the buying process is completely intuitive. While you probably don’t have the funds to build as sophisticated a platform as they have, you can make the most out of what you do possess. Invest in quality search functionality and avoid overcomplicating things with unnecessary features.

Marketing Support

Your ecommerce site may be beautifully designed, but it’s worthless if it doesn’t draw traffic. Complement your ecommerce design efforts with appropriate marketing plans. Cultivate a healthy social media presence and research which SEO methods may be right for your business.

Smart Shopping Cart & Streamlined Payment System

Every ecommerce site needs a way to capture online payments easily and instantly. If you don’t provide a simple, streamlined payment system, potential customers will shop elsewhere. Invest in solid software that allows you to integrate online, retail, and mobile payments into a single system. Further, your shopping cart should remain intact so your customer doesn’t have to start shopping all over again if she steps off your page momentarily. Nearly a quarter of shoppers will leave their cart to come back later, sometimes on a different device, to make the purchase.

Make Customer Service a Priority

The best way to keep your online customers satisfied, and to make sure that your brand doesn’t lose any value, is to invest significantly in customer service. Depending on who you are, the lack of face-to-face interaction with customers is a significant drawback to online shopping experiences, be sure to offer online shoppers multiple ways to contact you, and support each of those channels with helpful and prompt service.

The future of commerce is digital. Even if your brick and mortar storefront is thriving, don’t miss the opportunity to establish your brand online. Giving special consideration to these elements will create a strong foundation for digital success.