With fewer people shopping in physical stores than ever before, creating a successful online store for your business is no longer a choice, but a priority to keep up with the rapidly changing industry. Be it rewriting a witty product description or highlighting a special discount, merchants are able to use their website to attract and connect with more customers.
Here are our 8 killer tips for establishing a successful online store. These recommendations will cover how your customers interact with your website, including bonus expert tips on how to fuel sales.
1. Design an attractive and mobile-friendly website
According to a study by Kissmetrics, 93 percent of consumers take into account the visual appearance of a website as a vital factor that influences their purchase decision.
Humans are visual creatures and a lousy web design will contribute to failing conversion rates. In this day and age, merchants do not have to sell an arm for a fantastic web design or a website that is mobile-friendly. eCommerce platforms such as EasyStore have an array of professional design templates that are readily available and easily customizable to suit your business needs. No prior knowledge of coding is required.
2. Make your website SEO-friendly
You’ve got your website up and running. It looks great and all the buttons work as they should. Now let’s take a look at driving traffic to your store and the key here is Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Here are a couple of actionable tips to boost your website’s SEO optimization:
- Utilize SEO keywords in your product titles and descriptions
There are a number of SEO tools out there that will help you in identifying the top keywords that have high search volume. Use keywords that are most relevant to your website in order to increase your ranking on search engines, making it easier for more customers to find your business!
- Prioritize internal linking
Internal linking is a hyperlink on a web page that brings users to another web page on the same website. By focusing on internal linking, your readers will be able to easily navigate around your website while you are able to reinforce the authority of your online store on the Internet.
3. Use high-resolution images
Building on the point that humans are visual creatures, we depend on images to increase our understanding and form opinions on a product or situation. With that in mind, using high-quality product images will drive customers to your website by increasing your site’s SEO.
High-quality and engaging images will encourage visitors to spend more time on your website, increasing the likelihood in which they will discover more products and the integrity of your website.
4. Track analytics
Online stores owners are unable to track improve their overall strategy without tracking their progress. In order to monitor and evaluate the website’s performance, you should utilize analytics as it provides you with actual reports and actionable insights on user behavior on your website, how they found your website, conversion rates, and so on. With this information, you will be able to devise strategies that are effective and efficient.
Tools such as Google Analytics provide you with information such as the number of page visits, abandonment rate, and the best-selling product on your website. Continuously tracking your website’s performance will help you make more informed decisions moving forward.
5. Provide popular payment options
A fully functional online store is able to accept payments. The goal here is to make it simple and seamless for customers to pay you which entails removing any blockers that may stand in the way. Choose a payment option that has a big network of users and is proven to be a secure method of payment.
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) is currently a rising star in the region. BNPL services help by reducing the upfront cost for shoppers, making their purchases more manageable financially. This increases the likelihood of customers “checking out” their purchases and reduces the abandonment of shopping carts.
As the usage of BNPL grows rapidly, merchants like yourself would benefit from offering FavePay Later at your online and/or offline store by giving your customers the freedom to split purchases into 3 interest-free payments. As this service makes purchases more financially manageable for customers, merchants have enjoyed a 46% increase in average order value.
6. Offer incentives
Business owners with online stores don’t have to concern themselves with the conventional rules of the marketplace that limit the promotions they run or communication with their customers. Online store owners have full control over the promotions they can run or incentives they are able to reward their customers.
Top tip: Reward your customers with Cashback without discounting your prices. With Cashback, you are able to provide a financial incentive to buyers which usually needs to utilize within a certain period of time and only at your store. Hence, encouraging them to revisit your store where they can repeat purchases and discover other products that you carry.
7. Encourage social sharing
All marketing in the world will do you no good if your product or service is not reaching the right customers. In a hyper-connected world, organic word-of-mouth has a far greater impact than any marketing tactic out there. As reported by Nielsen, 92 percent of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over any type of marketing. Public discussions about your business or offerings on any social media platform serve as social proof which increases the integrity of your business, overall.
Did you know that 88 percent of consumers pre-search their purchases before making a single transaction, online and in-store? Encourage social media buzz around your product or business by launching a campaign that encourages social sharing.
Top tip: Make your social media accounts easily accessible and provide links to your website to make it easier for your customers to find you.
8. Keep an eye on the competition
The 88 percent of consumers who conduct research prior to making any purchase will likely land on a competitor’s website. In order to keep consumers engaged with your website, you should identify these competitors and your unique selling point. What can you offer that is different? Could you offer free shipping or a gift for every purchase?
Realizing the difference between your company and your competitors will enable you to determine the things you need to improve on to ensure that your website comes out on top. What’s the saying again?
“Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer?”
Aim for Long Term Success
Building a successful online store is not an overnight task. It takes time and knowledge to curate a website that is a reflection of your overall business. By following this guide, merchants will be able to understand how customers interact with each element and apply the insight gathered to curate your online store. Curating an online store that is aligned with your targeted customers’ wants and needs will fuel conversions and a competitive edge over your competitors.