Many entrepreneurs have entered the ecommerce industry in the last few years as it continues to grow. While there certainly is the potential for great success in the ecommerce industry, it is important to be aware of just how competitive it can be which can make it challenging to succeed. If you are to attract and retain customers and compete with the bigger stores, it is vital that you know ecommerce best practices and you are willing to put the work in. So, if you have just opened an ecommerce store or you are simply looking to improve performances then read on for a few tips.
1. Website Performance
First, it is important to consider the performance of your website. Nothing will deter a visitor faster than a clunky website which is poorly designed and slow. You need to make sure that you have a good layout, that the navigation is smooth, the website loads quickly and that you have high-quality product photos and descriptions. It should also be a smooth experience to place an order through the site.
2. Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are essential for converting visitors into customers as it adds social proof to your store. With so many ecommerce stores, it can be hard to determine the quality of products so people often first look to customer reviews so that they can be sure that they are buying quality and will have a positive experience with your store.
3. Ecommerce Health Check
An intelligent step to take to improve your online store is an ecommerce health check from a specialist like weaveability.com. This can help you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your store and identify ways in which you can make positive changes to boost sales and improve the customer experience.
4. Social Media
Social media is an excellent tool for ecommerce store owners but is often misused. Here are a few key tips for good social media usage for an ecommerce store owner.
- Create content that shows your expertise
- Advertise your products
- Engage with your target audience
- Encourage likes and shares to grow your base
- Avoid posting anything controversial
- Respond to comments and queries quickly
5. Digital Marketing
One of the biggest challenges that ecommerce store owners face is making people aware of their store and placing their products in front of people searching for what they can provide them with. Digital marketing can increase visibility, level the playing field and direct more traffic to your ecommerce store.
6. Customer Service
Customer service is often overlooked in the ecommerce industry because it is all carried out online. A customer still needs to feel valued and have any questions or concerns dealt with rapidly. Make sure that customer service is a priority no matter what form of communication you are using and it should help you to develop a positive reputation which can be helpful for attracting and retaining customers.
It is easy to see why so many people are opening their own ecommerce stores, but it is also highly competitive and challenging to succeed. These are the best practices to adopt which should help your store to find success.