Whether you already have a brick-and-mortar store or are considering starting your own business, having an online presence is essential.
An e-commerce site is a crucial tool for business owners to utilize. But, for those who aren’t familiar with what that means (or with the internet in general), starting a website for their business can be scary.
See why your business needs an online store and get tips to help you build your website.
Why You Need an E-Commerce Website
More and more people are shopping online these days. Global e-retail sales are expected to reach $4.8 trillion in 2021. It is estimated that one out of every four people is an online shopper. Your business could be missing out if you don’t have an online web presence.
If that’s not enough to convince you, here are some other reasons you should have an e-commerce site:
- Your store will reach more people, giving you a larger potential customer pool. This could, in turn, increase your sales and profit.
- A website costs less than owning a storefront, making e-commerce sites popular for new businesses.
- Your products will show up in online searches, boosting your store’s visibility.
These are just a few benefits of being online. The reasons you should be there are really endless.
9 Tips for Building Your E-commerce Site
Don’t let the thought of designing a website scare you. Here are some tips to make it easier and ensure you get the most out of your online presence.
- Research your niche, customers, and products you want to sell and reach. This is especially important if your e-commerce store will be a new store. Know what your customers want, what’s trending in the area you are selling in, and what products will perform best. You’ll want to keep your products pretty narrowed down so as not to overwhelm users.
- Set up an e-commerce merchant account. This account will allow you to process credit card payments for your customers, a must when it comes to online shopping. Without having a merchant account, you can’t make a sale on your website.
- Bring in the professionals and build a team. There are many professionals and companies that offer e-commerce marketing services. They can help you with everything from designing your website to providing an e-commerce copywriter to help with content.
- Keep the design simple and functional. People will be viewing your website on many different mediums, phones, tablets, and even desktop computers. A simple design will make it easy for users to skim and navigate.
- Go mobile. Build an e-commerce app to make it easier for customers to shop on the go. People are doing more and more on their phones these days. These include everything from having doctor’s visits to paying bills, grocery shopping, and of course, shopping in general. An app makes it easier for customers to navigate your site on the go.
- Utilize SEO tools. Part of selling your products online is making it easy for people who need your products or services to find you. An e-commerce SEO expert or company that provides e-commerce SEO services can help. They utilize best practices as well as e-commerce analytic tools to help improve your viewability, and in turn, reach more customers.
- Make checkout easy. The more barriers in place when people try to check out from your store, the less likely they will buy anything. Allow users to checkout using a guest account, and they can decide later if they want to register. Having surprises like high shipping costs at checkout can also cause users to abandon their carts.
- Have a shipping plan in place. To ship out online orders, you’ll need everything from packaging supplies to a preferred shipping method. You’ll also need to know what you plan to charge for shipping to cover these expenses.
- Keep everything secure. When customers buy online, they are trusting you to keep their information safe. Check with your merchant account provider to see what services they offer. You may also want to consider investing in other security features for your website.
Your E-commerce Site: In Summary
Having an online presence has never been more important for businesses than it is today. Having an e-commerce store offers so many benefits, including expanding the reach of your business to more customers than a brick-and-mortar storefront alone would.
Whether you choose to create a website on your own or hire a team to help, it is important to think like your customers. Make sure your site is appealing, easy to navigate, and has no hidden surprises for customers come checkout time.
A functional website that is easy to use is not expensive to build and is well worth the work and investment.
Sources:
https://99designs.com/blog/web-digital/ecommerce-website-design-tips/
https://www.hostgator.com/blog/get-ecommerce-website-running/
