Fundamental E-commerce Tips For Your First Online Store Sales
In today’s day and age, your business must be online. And that shouldn’t just include stuff like website, social media, or great content, because you also need to be able to sell your products or services online. Of course, you can take the easier route and sell your stuff on Amazon and eBay. But, in that case, they control the entire customer experience, enforce their policies, and ultimately, undo most of the hard work you have invested in the branding of your business or company.
The alternative would be to create your own online store. This should be a given for all E-commerce businesses. According to statistics, 95% of all purchases by 2040 will be done through E-commerce. However, that is easier said than done, because not only do you have to compete with Amazon, but you also to research your customers, produce content that will intrigue them, come up with marketing campaigns, and so on.
To help you start off on the right foot, here are fundamental E-commerce tips that will boost your sales in no time.
- Start a Blog
You might be quick to point out that you have no interest in blogging, but hear us out. Content marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing. It doesn’t cost a whole lot since you can either hire a freelance writer or do it yourself, and it allows you to boost your SEO and climb up in terms of ranking. But in addition to increased visibility of your business, you can also use your blog to establish your company as a place of authority.
For instance, you gather the most common questions, concerns, or issues that your potential customer might have regarding the type of products or services you are offering, and then answer them in future blog posts. Also, all this useful and helpful content will have an impact on social media as well, since it will be liked, shared, and commented on. Blogging will not produce immediate results, but it’s one of the best long-term E-commerce strategies out there, whether you are selling essay paper writing services or sporting goods.
- Create an Engaging and Responsive Website
According to research, even though E-commerce is growing 23% per year, 46% of small businesses in the US don’t have a website. This means there is still a huge online market for you to tap into with your website. if you have a poorly designed website, it’s going to turn people away even if you have a spectacular product on your hands. First of all, today’s customers are choosing for brands that can provide them with the best possible experience, which includes a website that is engaging, well-designed, and easy to navigate.
Second, Google looks at your website as well, and ever since it has rolled out mobile-first indexing, it’s been prioritizing websites that look great on mobile. Now, you can either create one yourself if you know how to code, hire a professional web designer, or buy a predesigned template that uses full-width images and sparse text.
- Create an Impressive “About Us” Page
Once your potential customer is on your website and deciding whether or not they want to purchase a product from you, having an awesome “About Us” page can provide that little extra push. People like to choose brands and companies they are familiar with, and your “About Us” page allows you to tell them everything they need to know about who you are, what you do, and as well as provide social proof in the shape of reviews, user testimonials, nominations, awards, and achievements.
Also, make sure to include your contact email, address, phone number, and social media channels. That should be more than enough, as you will want to avoid cluttering this page with too much information.
- Include Popular Payment Methods
In order to sell your products online, you need to provide a variety of payment options for your customers, other than standard payment using debit and credit cards. That way, there is a lower chance of your customers abandoning their shopping carts just because your online store doesn’t support their preferred method of payment. Now, the number of available online payment options and services is huge, so you won’t be able to include all of them, but some of the most popular ones should be supported.
This includes PayPal, which is by far the most popular option, but also Skrill, Payoneer, Due, Stripe, 2Checkout, Venmo, Google Wallet, Apple Pay, and so on. You may also want to consider accepting cryptocurrencies as a method of payment.
- Offer Free Shipping
Largely thanks to places like Amazon, today’s customers have gotten used to incentives such as free shipping. When a customer decides to purchase one of your products, the additional shipping cost may dissuade them from doing so, which is why you may want to consider including free shipping. Will this create an additional cost for your business? Yes, but on the plus side, you will see a greater return that comes with an increased number of purchases. If you decide to offer free shipping, make sure to point it out clearly on your website.
- Rely on Email Marketing
Nothing can beat email marketing when it comes to ROI, but another reason why you should implement it into your overall marketing strategy is that it allows you to build a better relationship with your customers. How so? Well, if you take the time to segment your email list, you will be able to send out targeted emails which will address the specific needs of each group of customers. This, in turn, boosts your sales and revenue.
Building your email list is a process and it will take some time, but there are also plenty of opportunities for you to ask your customers whether they want to receive emails from you or not. For instance, you can ask them during the checkout process or inside a pop-up window on your website or blog. You can also enable them to create an account with their email, which will save their data and speed up future purchases.
- Offer Sales, Discounts, and Limited Offers
As an owner of an online store, you don’t have to follow the usual rules of the market, in terms of scale, reach, and the sort of content you can provide to your customers. You don’t even have to have an actual physical store. This allows you to save money and offer incentives as result, which may include discounts, sales, limited offers, and well as discounts for customers who decide to buy more than one item. You can also offer discounts in case a customer decides to buy complementary products. For instance, you offer a discount if they decide to buy a camera and a memory card together.
Conclusion
Getting your E-commerce business off the ground and scoring those first sales is not an easy feat, but with the tips laid out in this article, you will be able to boost your sales, as well as your customer base, in no time. And you will be able to increase the visibility of your business and grow its reputation. Good luck!
Author Bio:
James Murphy is a full-time app developer and a part-time content creator from New York. Although being an IT specialist, James writes about a wide range of other topics such as social media and digital marketing. James is the father of two lovely toddlers and a dedicated supporter of the New York Yankees.
