Depending on where you have your online store (e.g. Amazon, eBay, your own site), jazzing it up will require different approaches. But there are some basic techniques that can be applied to all, and using them will elevate your store to the next level. Because when profits and customer retention are two of the top things every online merchant looks for, it’s only a good thing to use these tips from RepricerExpress.
Use Social Media Relevantly
This is an admittedly vaguely-titled tip, but that’s because it can be applied in a number of different ways (and it should go without saying that you should be using social media as a necessity, not an option). However, the mistake a lot of merchants make is simply posting a link to Twitter or Facebook and thinking that’s the end of that. It’s not.
What some merchants don’t realise is the online world is just a digital extension of an analogue conversation, and any successful conversation requires giving and taking. If you’re only posting what’s relevant to you, you’re doing all the taking. What are you giving your customers? Occasionally post a funny meme to break up the monotony, link to a newspaper or magazine article that fleshes out the idea you’re posting about, and take time to respond to your shoppers.
Mix Up How You Present Ideas and Information
People learn in so many different ways (e.g. with their hands, with their eyes, with their ears, etc.) that sticking to one method of presenting your information will fail spectacularly. Sure, the written word is the dominant way of getting your ideas across, but don’t stick to just that — or you’ll risk alienating a great deal of your visitors.
Instead, combine different methods to include as many people as possible. Buzzfeed does this fabulously well with their listicles by blending pictures, GIFs and written content. And if you’ve got more complex ideas you want your consumers to understand, barraging them with just words won’t work. Instead, use pictures and/or videos to help flesh out your thoughts, and watch how your hits increase.
Become a Storyteller
Storytelling is the oldest way us humans have passed information on to our friends and relatives, whether it’s by painting sequential pictures, writing down our experiences, or just telling them to others.
What does each one have in common?
They each follow a linear narrative that takes readers from Point A to Point B to Point C, starting with an introduction, building to a climax, and ending with a resolution. Do the same with your page, whether it’s for your product descriptions or your “About Us” section. Readers will gravitate to a block of text that follows this linear narrative, especially if you can liven it up with punchy language.
Provide Instructions on How to Use Something
You’re very, very familiar with your products — because you sell them for a living. And it’s natural to expect that your buyers also share a comparable degree of familiarity, as they’re already on your page looking for something.
But assuming that they know everything they need to know about a certain product is a mistake. Some consumers are just browsing, still in the initial stages of learning about what they want, while others need an extra little push to expertdom. Either way, you want to fill in any missing blanks by providing basic instructions on how to use your merchandise. After all, no matter how ubiquitous the iPhone is, you never know if there’s a grandparent on your page looking to get a Christmas or birthday gift.
Show Your Products in Action
It’s important, yes, to have great, high-quality pictures of your items, but that’s not going far enough. Just as we talked about how people learn in different ways, not every one of your buyers will be able to apply a product to its everyday use just by looking at it against a white background.
So, what to do?
Simple, show your shoppers how something is used in real life. Selling GoPro cameras? “Pose” it while it’s strapped to a snowboarder’s helmet as she’s soaring through the air. Got blankets in your inventory? Show a couple snuggling underneath it in front of a roaring fire. Whatever your product is, show your users how it can fit into their lives.
