Creating an ecommerce store is only one step on your business journey. Once you have your store set up, you have to make sure to draw in customers and convert browsers to buyers. Here are some ways that you can make sure that your ecommerce store becomes a success.
Use High-Quality Photos
The pictures you use on your website will be the first thing that most customers notice about your store. Never use low-resolution images or pictures that have not been properly optimized for web usage (they should be in png of jpg format). Whenever possible, include a zoom option that allows your customers to look over your products in detail. Finally, present product pictures from multiple angles whenever you can. High-quality images give you an immediate leg up over the competition and you can even go one step further and create videos.
Keep SEO in Mind
You should make sure that your product titles, descriptions, and all additional content is as friendly for search engines as you can possibly make it. Use plugins such as Yoast SEO to help determine whether your store pages are correctly optimized for SEO. By forming a consistent habit of keeping SEO at the front of your mind, you can make sure that your products and articles have a better chance of reaching page one on search engines.
Make the Checkout Simple
Once a customer has decided to make a purchase, they don’t want to spend a lot more time clicking through menus and answering questions before checkout. You can implement several features to streamline the process, including adding an auto-fill option for certain information or enabling a one page checkout to get the purchase completed as quickly as possible. The easier you make the checkout process, the less likely you are to have customers abandon their carts.
Offer Multiple Payment Options
Every customer has a preferred payment platform, and few of them are willing to create an account on a brand new platform that they don’t currently use. If your store offers multiple ways to pay, such as through Amazon Payments, Stripe, PayPal, and traditional credit cards, you can make sure that you have all your bases covered. This provides customers with the choices they need and increases the chance that they will come back to use your store again in the future.
Don’t Skimp on Security
If you want to run a successful store, site security needs to be one of your top priorities. Make sure that you are PCI compliant and that you use an SSL certificate for your website. Run security checks daily and make sure that you have a backup plan in place should a breach ever occur. By providing you with their information, your customers are placing a great deal of trust in you. Make sure that you reward that trust with good security.
Don’t Hide Information
Make sure that your policies and procedures are easy to find and even easier to understand. Customers should have an idea as to when they can expect their products to ship, how they should report defects, what the return policy is, and more. Your language needs to be easily understood, so avoid confusing legalese. Make sure to compile frequently asked questions into a FAQ page so customers can find out what they need without having to contact you first.
Keep Mobile Users in Mind
The majority of customers who access your store will do so on mobile devices. This means that you have to keep their smaller screen sizes in mind while making sure that your site is both responsive and properly optimized. You should check to make sure that Google and other search engines list you as a mobile-friendly site. Whenever you make a new addition to your store, be sure to test it on a mobile device as well.
Pay Attention to Abandoned Carts
Not everybody completes the checkout process when they go through your store. Some add items to carts, then wind up leaving the site due to real-life distractions, sticker shock, or simply because they change their minds. Keep track of abandoned orders and follow up with customers. Reminding them that they have items in their cart or even offering a coupon can help turn those abandoned orders into real sales.
Provide Additional Content
A blog, newsletter, or even (as mentioned above) a robust FAQ page can help your customers enormously. Take the time to create and curate useful content that people can use even if they choose note to make a purchase. Doing this boosts your SEO and your word of mouth marketing. It establishes your store as a source for information, which increases traffic and sales down the line.
Following the tips above can help to set your store apart from the competition. By doing these things, you create a better experience for your customers and boost your reputation as a store.
