Boost Your Ecommerce Sales Now

Published January 6th, 2012 by Farin Innovations

Once the Thanksgiving holiday was over, it was pretty apparent that online retailers saw a huge increase in both stay-at-home black Friday Internet deals as well as mobile sales. Because of this, a large number of businesses are actually starting to change their business model in order to accommodate those online shoppers who were more than happy to spend money as long as they were able to stay at home in their pajamas while doing so. Unfortunately, there are many companies who don’t know how to successfully transform their business model to accommodate online shoppers. If, however, you pay attention to a few crucial components, you will not only know how many visitors you're getting, but you can also increase the money that you make on your website exponentially.

Customer Service Is King, Even Online

Customer service is a huge part of any business model, as well as should be. But unlike offering real customer service, virtual service is a little different. Companies that focus on ensuring customer service is a vital part of their online operation often have a great deal more success than those who don’t.

Look, for instance, at the site Zappos.com. This website not only offers quick e-mail responses, it also offers 24/7 phone support as well as online chat, making it easy for customers to reach somebody to get any of their questions answered the matter what time or day it happens to be. They also make sure that their customers are happy with policies like 365 day returns and free overnight shipping on any sort of exchange. With customer service policies like these in place, it is difficult for customers to get upset even if an error occurs during the process.

Connecting with Customers

When you have a brick and mortar shop, you can connect with customers very easily. Just take a moment to chat with them as soon as they walk in. With an online store, though, that personal aspect of the deal disappears, which means that any customers you have aren’t quite as loyal as you might imagine. In fact, if they see a better deal elsewhere, you can bet they’re about to take it. Taking the time to connect your customers online means that you're building a customer base and that you are creating a sense of loyalty in these customers. While the process is a little different, it’s an absolute must.

Content is one of the best ways to connect with your customers. Writing fresh content is important, but may be difficult to do on a regular basis. At the very least, you should have a nice write up about how your company got started as well as your overall goals. Try to avoid making it dry or boring, and inject a splash of humor or a poignant true life story that will not only help to keep your customers with you, but that will help them to remember what you've written, thus remembering your company. Even writing juicy product descriptions is a fun way to help your customers to connect with your business a bit more as well as to remember you.

Making it easy

One of the easiest ways to scare off potential customers is to have a website design that is difficult or confusing. Your e-commerce design needs to be clean, visually appealing, and very user-friendly. Customers should be able to navigate through your store and your products quickly and easily, and they should be able to find what they're looking for without a lot of hassle. There are a number of elements that you should try to incorporate into your site design including:

  • Customer reviews and testimonials
  • Search filters and quick search options
  • Detailed product photos
  • Item availability
  •  Contact information
  • Shipping options

There are number of factors that need to be considered not only when you are building your site,  but when you are running and maintaining it too. One of the best ways to ensure that your e-commerce website is a successful venture is to consult with people who have experience in creating successful online websites and stores. Make sure that you speak with somebody who has created a successful store, not just someone who has created a website. Almost anyone can create a website, but it takes a bit more knowledge and skill to create a website that can be a successful e-commerce site.

Companies like Farin Innovations, a Miami, FL based website design and development company, are a great option for a company who is looking to create a successful online e-commerce website. With experience dating back to 1999, you get the knowledge and skills your company needs now.

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