I made my very first sale at a lemonade stand. Well, it was technically a soft drink stand set up at my mother’s yard sale. I’m sure my misspelling on the sign helped: “Buy a drink! Help me go to collige!” (Hey, I was marketing and didn’t even know it.)
Fortunately for Little Entrepreneur Me, I was selling a known commodity in a high-traffic location. E-commerce sellers aren’t always so lucky. You have to fight for page views, and then, once they’re actually browsing your store, getting a customer to click “Buy now” is a whole other story.
It might not be as easy as selling cold drinks on a sweltering southern summer day, but these e-commerce tips will help ensure that your store stands out from the pack:
1. Accept all kinds of payments. Different customers are comfortable with different kinds of payment options, so be sure to offer alternatives to traditional online platforms like PayPal®. You can learn more about merchant accounts and payment alternatives here.
2. Include user reviews. Every time a user leaves you a review, include it on the page with your product. Send an email to users who didn’t leave reviews to ask for their feedback — and ask permission to publish it.
3. Feature important products. Don’t make your customers dig through your online store to find your bestsellers or most interesting products. Showcase them on your site.
4. Add product videos. We all know that great product photos are an absolute requirement in order to sell successfully online, but a product video tour will really make your store items stand out from the competition. Check out some tips for creating videos with your smartphone.
5. Post a clear return policy. Customers will appreciate knowing that they easily can return the item if it doesn’t turn out to be exactly what they wanted.
6. Capture email addresses. When a customer orders from you, ask their permission to send them emails about sales, discounts and new products. This can turn a one-time buyer into a repeat customer. What’s the best way to manage an email distro list? We’ll tell you.
7. Keep up with your store on the Web. Use Google Alerts™ or a site like Social Mention to search online for mentions of your store, your products, your name and your business name. If someone is dissatisfied with your business, take that opportunity to make it right.
8. Connect with customers on social media. Don’t wait for customers to praise or complain about your products or services! Create social media profiles for your online store on sites like Facebook®, Twitter®, Pinterest® and Instagram®. And be sure to display links to your social sites prominently on your website.
Feeling inspired? Give us a call at 480.505.8877 to get started with your online store — and your own “collige” fund.
