Sigh, there’s no denying we’re well into the new year and 2015 is gone for goodsies. But instead of lamenting all that was, look ahead to the rest of the months of this year and get your ecommerce business in rockin’ shape for 2016. How? Never fear, RepricerExpress is here and happy to help. Party on, Wayne. Party on, Garth.
7 Ecommerce Checklist Items for 2016
1. Mobile Optimisation
Depending on where in the world you are, mobile use is either the vast majority of device use, or a huge component and growing every year. Either way, it’s something that should be regularly getting your top attention, whether it’s configuring your site for mobile device use (check out responsive web design), rewriting product descriptions so they’re concise and palatable, and using images that show up easily on small devices. As an acid test, use either your own smartphone or a software simulator.
2. Personalisation
People want to feel special when they’re parting with their hard-earned money, so never forget the element of personalisation. Remember that they could take their money anywhere else but they’re choosing to spend it on you, so invest in the kind of software (whether it’s basic algorithms or more sophisticated browsing history data use) that adds a human touch to the shopping experience. Stuck on ideas? Implement things like smart searches, name recognition or related products.
3. Interesting-isation
One of the biggest downsides with having an ecommerce business in 2016 is that there are so many other people doing pretty much the same thing. And when that happens, it’s easy to get sucked down the boring hole. If you’re at risk of having that happen to you, liven up your site right away.
Do things like make fun how-to videos, read up on Material Design to make sure you’re using the right colours, shapes, sizes and specs, and constantly put in novel content in a variety of media.
4. Expand Payment Options
You’ve probably got a few different ways customers can pay, but are you really offering all that you can? If you accept Visa and MasterCard, consider expanding to a couple other credit cards, too. Put in PayPal if you haven’t already.
Play around with Checkout by Amazon to gain a new cadre of customers. And try out mobile payments because of the first point we made.
5. Up Your Communication
We don’t just mean increasing the amount you communicate with your customers (although that’s a good idea, too), but also the methods you use for communication. Implement a live chat on your website to go along with email and phone options (and make those latter two options highly visible on your site). Provide links to the social media options you use and respond quickly and politely. And do something a little different, like setting up a subreddit.
6. Invest in Marketing
Sometimes you gotta spend a dollar to make a dollar, and one of the smartest avenues you can choose is marketing. And when it comes to spreading the word, we really like what Google and Amazon have to offer. You’ll be piggybacking on their names and reputations (hundreds of millions of users) to further your own cause, as opposed to having to go at it alone.
7. Diversify Your Shipping Options
Most shoppers are okay waiting a bit of time to get their product, but for the few that aren’t, give them exactly what they want in the speedy manner they’re looking for.
In 2016, you have plenty of options to choose from, whether it’s the biggies like UPS or FedEx or smaller companies you really believe in. The key here is to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket so that you maximise the number of consumers you can make happy.
