Quite often, new retailers online fail because they do not know how they should be running their business. It is still relatively new territory, and starting an ecommerce shop, whether you are working solo or with a larger team, can be quite daunting. Here are some tips that can help to make working in the realm of ecommerce a bit easier to handle, and some ways to make your customers happy, which can ultimately lead to a stronger business.
Make It a Community Affair
A mistake that the average retailers make is that they don’t give their site or their business any personality. They quickly become a faceless member of the legion of other ecommerce shops. The companies might make some money, but they will not likely be a true success. By adding a bit of personality, taking to the social networks, and creating a community around the business made up of blog readers, connections on social media, and employees, it’s easier to start building a real brand. It takes time, but those ecommerce companies that do it will find that it really can make a positive difference.
Give Your Customers True Value
While you want them to buy the products you are selling, you should also give to them by providing quality content on your social networks and your blog. Give them good content for visiting those sites, and start to build trust with them. In addition, have discounts and coupons available for customers. Consider having special deals for repeat customers. By showing your customers how much you value them, chances are much higher that they will build a greater level of trust with you.
By going the extra mile to provide your customers with the best possible service, you can build a great reputation. You can be sure they will go onto their social networks and talk about your company, and they will tell friends and family in their actual lives, as well. This word of mouth really is still very important in today’s online world.
A big part of this is also going to be your customer service. You need to have high quality customer service that is always on top of what’s happening with your company. They need to be proactive about looking for issues that people might be talking about online so they can seek fast resolutions. They also need to be responsive when people call or email with issues.
Put Effort Into Getting a Great Ecommerce Site Running
You need to have a quality site for your visitors. It needs to be up and operational around the clock, and it needs to be easy to navigate. Don’t make the customers jump through any hoops just to buy from you. Don’t make them have to become a member, or sign up for a newsletter. You can give them the option, but never make it a requirement. The process always needs to be as simple as possible.
The site also needs to be very fast, and the pages for the categories and products need to load in less than two seconds for most customers to be happy. The shopping cart should be easy to see and understand, as well.
It takes time to get your footing with online selling, but you can succeed if you focus on the right things. By making it about your customer and giving him or her the best experiences possible, you will find that you can be more successful as a new online retailer. It might do some good for some of the larger companies that have been around for some time to remember this as well.
Resource: http://www.retailonlineintegration.com/article/10-dos-donts-online-retail-startups/1