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If you are new to e-commerce, you may have very little experience with online retail. If you feel that you need to learn more about the ins and outs of running an online store, there is a trove of resources available online for those who want to take their first steps in the world of Internet sales. Common questions beginners have range from setting up a website to custom e-commerce software development; answers are just a click away. We have prepared a list of advice from our experienced team of e-commerce specialists to explain the core elements of a successful online store so you can start with a strong foundation.
Recipe for Success: Does It Really Work?
While there is no one universal formula for success in the e-commerce sector, there are some key principles that can help you have a smooth start. Let’s take a look at what professionals recommend to take into consideration to set your online shop up for success.
Find a Niche
This is something that cannot be stressed enough – making sure there is a market for the products you want to sell is an obvious first step. In some cases the product may seem like something that will sell well, but is ultimately not in demand. Conduct thorough market research to identify what would be your target audience and what are the chances of success in that particular niche. Additionally, consider the competition – if a market is oversaturated, even a great online store may struggle to stand out.
Outline Your Plans
Starting an online store without having a clear idea of your goals and strategies is a recipe for failure. The same goes for stores built without proper preparation. To ensure success, you need to first determine how do you want to get there. Always assess your resources and budget, plan the steps needed to build your store, and think about marketing strategies even before you launch your business. Build a plan for attracting first customers, for building the website, for every process involved in running an online store. By outlining your plans before actually starting, you make it easier for yourself to stay on track.
Choose Your Platform
With so many different options, it may be hard to choose the platform for your store. There’s Magento, WooCommerce, Shopify, and much more – each with its unique benefits as well as drawbacks. To know which one will work best for you, you need to familiarize yourself with their features, pricing plans, and user reviews.
Learn what each platform has to offer for sellers like you – for example, if you want to run a small shop with artisan items, you likely will not need the same features as an enterprise-level chain retailer. Keep in mind your needs and preferences, as well as those of your future shoppers.
Be User Friendly
When the time comes to design the website, your potential customers should be at the forefront of your mind. Yes, budget and technical capabilities are important, but ultimately the website will be used by other people, not you or your team members – make sure that what you build is what your customers want to see.
Make the website user-centered, with easy navigation, seamless and secure checkout, high-quality visuals and engaging content that will keep the shoppers coming back for more. You need to think not only about attracting new website visitors, but also taking care of return customers.
Think About Mobile Optimization
Smartphone users make up for over half of all the online traffic, so it’s crucial to ensure they can all use your website. Missing out on such a huge demographic could be detrimental on your business, so why risk?
Outside custom website developers can work on mobile optimization for you, if you do not have the expertise in-house. A mobile-friendly website will likely cost you a bit more, but the expense is justified by just the sheer number of potential customers you could be reaching. Make shopping at your store convenient for people and let them purchase straight from their phones wherever they are.
Invest in Top-Tier Marketing
Your products and your website are not everything. You may work on your store for months and polish it to perfection, but without enough traffic to it, it will not reach its full potential. To get people to visit your store, you must have a good marketing strategy.
Whether you choose to hire an in-house marketers or work with an advertising agency, make sure the people working on your marketing efforts are experienced and knowledgeable in the industry trends. Sometimes reaching new audiences requires taking a risk, but a skilled marketer will know how to navigate these challenges and help your store grow without losing money.
Offer Seamless Checkout and Shipping
The average cart abandonment rate in online stores is over 70%. That is a big number, and anything you can do to make it smaller should be done. Out of the different strategies to reduce cart abandonment, offering a seamless checkout process and fast shipping options are two of the most effective ones.
A complicated checkout process or the lack of a variety of payment options can deter customers from completing their purchase. By providing a smooth payment process and different ways to pay, you can increase the chances of your customer finishing their shopping. The same goes for shipping – if you only offer one shipping option, or your checkout page is unclear about its costs, customers may lose interest and turn to your competitors.
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Success in E-Commerce: Effort and Attention to Detail
There are dozens of different tips our experts could give you about how to improve your e-commerce business, from checkout optimization to website UI design, but listing them all would take up a significant amount of time and space. What we have provided here are just a few key things to work on, and by no means are they all that is needed to be successful.
With effort and attention to detail, anyone can succeed in e-commerce. It is such a huge and varied industry that there is always room for new ideas. Remember: everything will work out as long as you are willing to learn and adapt.
