Starting your first online store?
Starting an online store can be extremely daunting for someone new to the world
of online businesses, but, for a good reason. There are so many aspects which
create success for a shopping cart in a world of powerful search engines,
directories, affiliates and word of mouth, the chance of making it big can rely
purely on a big budget or a brand new idea.
If you’re thinking of building your online extension of a current business or
even starting a purely online business then hopefully the following will outline
some of the most important aspects of getting started.
Market research
Ask yourself, is there any point in setting up any kind of online business at
all, if there is no demand or so much competition you will be lost in the crowd?
There have been a few exceptions in the past where small businesses are so well
structured and marketed that they grow quickly and succeed, however this can be
very difficult without the right support.
So how are you going to set yourself apart? What will be your image? And what
are your goals?
These are questions you need to think about when you are researching. Find out
if there is truly an opportunity for your company to succeed. The worst thing
you can do is simply jump in and hope for the best, did the most successful
companies in the world do that?
Setting Targets and Goals
Figuring out where you will be in 5… 10… 15… 20 years from now plays an
integral part in the way your shopping cart is structured, managed and performs
now. Target and goal setting makes an incredible difference to the level of
success or success at all a company can enjoy.
Start thinking about the steps your online store will make at each stage of it’s
life.
When it starts to grow needing new staff
When it needs financial assistance
When changes to tax structure is important
What new markets you wish to tap into
Your staff rewards when targets are met
Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly sales targets
and the list goes on. Think big! If you aim higher than the rest, the chance of
your shopping cart being successful is also higher.
Setting up Your Store - general rules
- Business Contact information
The following information should be posted to the website in an easy to see
location:
A corporate address
Product return address
An e-mail address
A contact number
Big detailed pictures pay off
Just like in a physical retail shop, your customers want to really know what
they are buying and need to see it close up. Make sure you are uploading images
larger than just the detailed product view. Upload at least 400 X 400 pixels and
up to 700 X 700 pixels for every product image so your customer can get a clear
detailed view of what they plan to buy from you, otherwise, they will simply
click away.
Testimonials
Do testimonials work? Can testimonials be rigged and seem unauthentic? Sure. It
seems like most testimonials are generic. If you include the first and last name
as well as possibly an email address of the testimonial, you will earn trust and
credibility.
- Graphics
While a flashy site with neat graphics may catch someone’s eye, well written,
descriptive, persuasive text is the ticket to sales conversions… it’s the
difference between the prospective buyer exiting your site and opening their
pocketbook. Avoid any annoying music and long loading flash movies on your main
pages.
- Only knowledgeable people to take phone calls
Consumers shopping online are no different than regular retail customers, they
have questions about your product, your business and your delivery methods. It
is important to greet any phone calls or emails with well trained staff who are
knowledgeable about your company and products. The more your company can assist
consumers, the better the conversion rates and repeat buying. Don’t forget to
cross sell and up-sell at this point!
- Return policies should be easy and fair
A good return policy can promote trust in the buyer and multiple orders. It is
important to include return labels with the packaging and provide refunds when
requested. Repeat business is your best business. Provide them with your best
customer service and they will reward you for it by ordering from your shopping
cart- not someone else’s.
- Navigation
Make sure you maintain a simple navigation throughout your shopping cart. There
should be no reason to steer customers more than two to three clicks deep within
your site, the home page should always be only a click away. The clearer your
site is presented, the more time customers can spend looking at all your
products and info without getting frustrated. It is important that your build
your shopping cart using a quality programmer and designer or well
designed/built shopping cart software.
-Be sure of your postal methods
Ever not received an item you ordered online and paid for upfront, only to find
out no-one knows where it is? Ever received an item in the post only to open and
see it damaged? This is one of the most frustrating things about buying online.
Make sure you back yourself up with tracking codes and trustworthy shipping
companies.
Content
Make It Count!
A method to inducing the first click is providing a strong call to action or
incentive. By featuring discounts and free shipping offers, the offer may
intrigue the user to commit another click.
Don’t let them go
Once you have the prospective buyer “on the hook” don’t kill the sale with
poorly written product descriptions. Nothing kills a sale quicker than a product
that is as enthralling as reading the ingredients of a bag of frozen peas. You
have invested the time and effort to build your shopping cart; don’t miss out on
sales due to poorly worded product descriptions.
Being personable is also important. Instead of having the most exciting part of
a television product description be it’s “titanium silver color” talk about how
the consumer’s home will be the place to come and watch the big game (on a
screen so big you can see the sweat coming out of the players’ pores). Speak
about how the “picture in picture” capability means there will be no more
flipping back and forth- saving the fingers precious energy for snatching up
potato chips.
Do all you can to involve the person’s emotions and senses into the product
description. Sure, the technical stuff should be included, but put it at the
bottom of the description.
Provide a strong reason for why they should buy
Ever see the phrase “buy from us” in an online store? This has to be one of the
biggest turn off’s to visitors. Consumers are fragile, you need to provide
strong evidence to why anyone should buy from your store, this needs to be your
POINT OF DIFFERENCE.
Make your point of difference obvious, something which truly give someone a
reason to look further into your products and proceed to the shopping cart
checkout. Simply telling them to buy for no particular reason apart from you
wanting the sale is not good enough…. and they know it.
Now that your site is built.
It’s one thing to have a fantastic site with great content, products and
designbut. What good is it if no one can find it?
Stay tuned for part two, “how to market your online store”
James O’Brien
http://www.ashop.com.au
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