Ecommerce is about more than having the right products on your website. With so many different ecommerce websites on the web nowadays, there is a lot of competition for user attention. If you want to be successful, you need to have the right strategy for reaching customers and creating the best buying experience. The Internet is changing the way people shop. People no longer have the same interactions with businesses in person like they used to up until recently.
Now, people are more likely than ever to make all types of purchases online. From groceries to exotic cars, everything imaginable is available for purchase on the world wide web. So how do you keep your ecommerce business competitive in a market that already seems to have it all? Keep reading for seven key tips for improving your ecommerce strategy so your business can get noticed.
1. Know Your Market
Many new marketers and business owners don’t take the time to really get to know your market. When you’re starting an ecommerce business, your market knowledge is essential. Who are you selling to? You need to dig deep with this answer. Huffington Post outlines ten questions you should ask about your target marketing before you start doing business in this article. It’s about more than just your audiences gender and buying habits. It’s about really understanding them on an intimate level.
The better you know your target customer, the easier it will be to market specifically to them. It’s okay if your marketing strategy doesn’t speak to everyone. You just need to make sure you’re speaking to the right people if you want to get heard at all in this competitive marketplace.
2. Understand Buyers
Ecommerce websites need to have an understanding of how buyers make decisions. First, realise people are more likely to buy based on their emotions. They want things that make them feel good. The average shopper feels first and thinks later. Brand Quarterly claims people actually buy emotions, not things. How can you evoke these feelings with your ecommerce website?
Once you understand the feelings of your consumers, you can give them the logic to back it up. Consumers abandon their carts once their logic catches up with them, so make sure you cover all aspects of this customer journey. Once you understand how customers approach buying decisions, you can design your website to work with this process.
3. Go Mobile
If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re missing out on customers every day. There’s no excuse for your website not being optimized for all screens in 2018. There are too many devices to choose from nowadays and desktop computers are taking a backseat to smartphones and tablets. The easier it is to use your website from the palm of your hand, the more customers you’ll have. Most selling platforms nowadays are optimised for mobile devices, but always double check to make sure all features of your website function on mobile.
4. Easy Checkout
As a business, you need to make sure it’s as easy as possible for customers to purchase their selections. Abandoned carts are a real problem for ecommerce websites, and you can combat this through an easy checkout process. The more steps customers have to take between adding products to their cart and entering their credit card information, the more likely their logic will catch up to them. While brick and mortar businesses need to research card machine costs and fees, ecommerce websites need to research the best checkout process.
5. Listen to Feedback
Feedback is your most valuable resource as an ecommerce website. All businesses have room for improvement, so actually take the time to listen to your customers. Implement a strategy for collecting surveys after customers purchase something from your website. Ask if they ran into any problems or if there is anything they would change about the process. Include a survey if users abandon their cart mid-purchase. Don’t just listen to feedback, but act on it.
Related: Why Gathering Feedback on Amazon is Crucial for Sellers
6. Offer Support
People are more likely to pay more for brands with strong customer support. Everyone wants to feel they’re being heard, especially if they’re making buying decisions. According to Help Scout, 3 in 5 Americans would try a new brand just because they want a better customer support experience. The problem with shopping online is not being able to easily ask employees about shipping, sizing, or anything else that pops up. Combat these concerns by offering support through your website.
You can offer support in a lot of different ways, and you might even want to offer it in more than one way depending on your website. You can include frequently asked questions, contact forms, 24/7 hotlines, live chat, or in-depth guides. Anticipate questions and have common answers ready to go on the website and easy to access. The fewer obstacles customers run into during the buying process, the more likely they’ll complete their transaction.
7. Be Human
One of the reasons people still shop at physical stores is because of the human interactions. A lot of ecommerce websites seem like nothing but a robot behind the screen. Add the humanity to online shopping by breaking down barriers between yourself and the customer. Use human copy that doesn’t read like a stale sales pitch. Be active on social media with genuine interactions with customers. Encourage communication in a way that doesn’t sound like a machine. The more human you are, the more of a connection you’ll build with customers.
Conclusion
The world of ecommerce today is like the wild west. There are no clear rules, and it’s hard to get noticed with so much competition. One thing is for sure: ecommerce isn’t going away anytime soon. Jumping on board the ecommerce bandwagon can be a great business opportunity if you have the right strategy. Making an impact in this market is all about knowing your customer and knowing how to appeal to people’s humanity.
In this new world of one-click shopping, your ecommerce business needs to live up to stiff competition. You can do that by being proactive with your innovations, and by listening to feedback from your best customers. Are you ready to build your ecommerce business to new heights? Follow the tips above to see your growth skyrocket!
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