Do You Have designs on an Ecommerce Website?

WHEN IT COMES TO ECOMMERCE IN 2014 AND BEYOND, WHERE DOES YOUR COMPANY STAND?

If your answer is we’re not sure or even nowhere, you have some work to do. In fact, you better start designing an Ecommerce site today and not wait for tomorrow.

As more and more business owners have discovered in recent years, Ecommerce is an invitation to added customers and additional revenue. As reported by the U.S. Department of Commerce, online shoppers spent money to the tune of more than $225.5 billion just two years ago, an uptick of 16 percent from 2011. So, still think an Ecommerce website isn’t for your business?

GET THE RIGHT SITE FROM THE START

Now that you see the potential for having an Ecommerce site, don’t just throw something together in a short amount of time and hope it sticks.

Unfortunately, some business owners may rush to put something together, ultimately seeing it get little traction, and then decide that it wasn’t worth it when all was said and done. If done correctly the first time, the site could prove a moneymaker for a long time to come.

In order to get it right from the start, keep these 5 items in mind:

Who are you going after? First and foremost, who is the audience you want to attract to your site? This may sound like an easy question to answer, but keep in mind there are unlimited customers out there, not to mention many competitors. Take the time to research exactly who your target audience will be. Spend the time (and money if needed by hiring a company that specializes in this area etc.) to narrow down your audience. You can also use online tools from Google and others in this search. If you have a company blog (you should have one) and are active on social media (you should be on sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ etc.), put feelers out there for what consumers want to see from your Ecommerce site;

Feel the need for speed – Okay; we’re not talking about speeding tickets or the like here. Face it, how many times have you gone to a site and sat waiting for it to fully download? In the end, did you take the time to wait or click away from the page. For the smart business owner, a fast-working Ecommerce site is a necessity. Consumers not only see that your site is easy to access and navigate (see more below), but also that you put some time into the technology side of things;

Easy to get around – Have you ever gotten lost driving somewhere? The last thing you want current and potential customers to do is feel like they’re running around a maze on your site. Make the experience fun from the get-go. After welcoming them to the site, make it simple for them to navigate to the products/services page, allowing them to shop for what it is exactly they need.

The checkout process should also be smooth, giving them their payment option (never underestimate the importance of a smooth credit card process).

Lastly, make sure they get a receipt option they can either print out themselves or can receive via email. When you keep it clean and simple, your customer will thank you;

Don’t be pushy – All business owners are also customers in everyday life. With that in mind, you don’t like it if a business or organization is trying to push stuff on you that you really do not need. When your customer goes to close out their online purchase, avoid peppering them with questions and/or additional items for sale. While it is fine to email them occasional offers and specials or ask for occasional feedback (see more below), avoid becoming a spammer during the sale itself and afterwards. Always remember how you yourself want to be treated as a customer;

Reload and review – Finally, never take for granted that your site is running on all cylinders. Periodically review it to see that all the mechanics are working the way they should. Along these lines, definitely provide a section on the site for customer feedback (including what needs to be improved).

So, isn’t it about time you got your Ecommerce site up and running? Give us a call today 858.677.9931 or contact us online.

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