Ecommerce is a part of small business that can be the most misunderstood and, for some, the most complicated.
But it doesn’t have to be. You can properly brand your ecommerce with a bit of help and these good tips.
Support is a Key Feature
Don’t skimp on your support options. First, don’t think your company is large enough or doesn’t sell enough to have a support center. Second, don’t farm out your support to India or another area, keep it at home where customers can call with concerns and be welcomed. When you outsource your support, you’re already angering many of your customers and add to the issues they are already having. Have either a U.S. based company do your support, or have your actual workers do the support.
Advertise Like Crazy
When you have an ecommerce site, you need to keep it in the forefront of your marketing campaign. “Shop with us online”, have online only sales, do whatever you need to make sure your customers know you sell online and that they can browse the site 24/7 on their own schedule.
Have Personality and Style
Don’t have your site be in Flash, don’t have walls of text, and don’t make the colors loud and irritating. Create a welcome environment that shoppers can spend some time at. As an additional plus, have a “bookshelf” type page where shoppers can read how-tos and other items that are tie-ins to your product to educate them. If you sell paint, great painting tutorials are a good way to keep customers on your site longer. Keep your site always thinking about the customer, and not about the sale.
Get Your Payments Under Control
There are some business ecommerce sites I’ve seen where you find your products in a catalog, and email them a list. There is no online shopping cart, no merchant account, no secure site for payment. I’m immediately turned off at this, wouldn’t you be? To have your business be more attractive to customers always have a good shopping cart and a variety of payment options. Credit cards are a must, but online payment options such as Paypal are another. You should have a simple account to where your money is deposited into your account and there is little to no bother on your part.
Items All Ecommerce Sites Need
There are a few things that you will definitely need on your ecommerce site, no matter what you are selling.
These are:
- Online store that is easy to navigate and has a good shopping cart.
- Descriptions of all the products, along with size, use, and any other useful information. Don’t list just a part number.
- Orders that are tracked and have delivery dates so the customer can see them.
- Customized delivery options.
- Support options for shoppers, such as email, phone, or live chat.
Branding your ecommerce business doesn’t have to make you crazy. It can be an easy process, once you know the ways of doing it correctly. Seventy percent of shoppers want to research the item online before making a purchase.
Make sure your company doesn’t lose those shoppers because of failed e-commerce branding.