Amazon and eBay are two of the biggest names in e-commerce. Entrepreneurs who have aligned themselves with these online sales juggernauts have been able to make money. However, many have found it difficult to grow their personal brand as Amazon and eBay downplay merchant’s branding with the goal of promoting their homogenous image. This has caused many sellers to set up their own online store. They can play by their own rules, brand themselves as they like, and provide customers a tailored experience. While the freedom of setting up one’s own marketplace is enticing, it can also be overwhelming. The following are several tips that you can use when creating a successful e-commerce store.
1. Let Your Customers Know That You Care
The big names in e-commerce have created a stellar reputation for customer service, which keeps customers going back. As a new and unknown e-commerce store, you must build the same trust. Customers need to know that they will have support after they have made a purchase. You can do this by offering free consultation prior to a purchase or guaranteeing troubleshooting or returns post-purchase. The most effective form of support is a 24/7 live chat feature. If you don’t have the manpower to offer round-the-clock support, you can still have a chat feature that’s active during business hours.
2. Accept a Variety of Payment Options
Your e-commerce store will not last long if people cannot pay you. When you have received visitors to your site and they are willing to pull the trigger, you need to make it as easy for them as possible. This means that you need to offer all the go-to payment solutions, including all major credit cards and PayPal. Dwolla, Apple Pay, Payoneer and Amazon Payments are just a few of the other popular payment options you can offer. Part of making the payment process easier includes letting your customers create an account on your store so they can save their payment information. This makes future payments seamless. If you will be storing the sensitive banking information of your customers, your security must be top notch. Many e-commerce merchants partner with companies when setting up online merchant accounts. This way, they know that a lot of the security issues are taken care of.
3. Tell Your Story
Your “About Us” page is where you get to tell your story. It is not where you try to sell your product. In fact, if a customer has already visited your About Us page, they are showing that they like what you have for sale and want to know what you are about. Keep your About Us page short and sweet. Try to boil down your core values, ideals, principles, and aspirations in a few sentences. When your customers click away from the page, they should have a clear idea of who you are as a person and what your brand represents. Hand-in-hand with the About Us page is the Contact Us page. The Contact Us page should include pertinent information about your business, such as your address, your email, and how you can be reached via social media.
4. Take Advantage of Search Engine Optimization
Your online store can be perfectly designed, you can be ready to interact with your customers, and your About Us page can tell your story. However, if no one visits your site, all of it is for nothing. This is where search engine optimization comes in. When you incorporate SEO keywords in your product titles and your product descriptions, your site is likely to rank higher when people search for the products or services you sell. This will increase visibility and the chances that someone will visit your page. A lot of search engine optimization is about research. Type in SEO keywords that you are thinking about adding to your product pages to get an idea of the sites you are competing with. If you find that you are competing against big name brands, then you may want to change your keywords to something that is less competitive.
There is a lot that goes into creating a successful e-commerce store. The design of your website, offering free shipping, including user reviews, creating an engaging blog, advertising on social media, and partnering with other brands are just a few of the other tips that can help make your site successful. A successful e-commerce site does not happen by accident. It requires work, but it can pay dividends.
