eCommerce Success Factors
It’s quite ironic in a way that I have an e-Commerce store. Because I’m not much of an online shopper. The only things I buy online are Kindle Books and my Nu Skin products (because I’m essentially buying from myself). Oh and maybe Tickets to events because that’s the only way. And sometimes toys for my son. And lots of online courses. Oh haha… maybe I do buy a few things online.
I guess I just never thought of myself as an online shopper because I don’t buy clothes and groceries online (yet). I prefer to try clothes on before I buy them and I prefer to pick the fruit and veg and meat I buy.
How much do you buy online? And do you have your own online store? Here’s a fabulous contributed post about the factors that will make your eCommerce website a success. #ecommercesuccessfactors
The Fundamentals of eCommerce Success
Since the Internet blew up, broadband made surfing enjoyable and smartphones made shopping irresistible, Moms have been flocking to the world of ecommerce in a bid to be stay-at-home successes with the bank balance to prove it.
And we don’t blame you. There are no signs that online shopping is going to do anything but keep skyrocketing.
Basically, it’s one of the most interesting, intriguing and promising home business opportunities out there.
Scrap that. It is THE most promising. And now is the time to get your foot in the door.
But before you go rushing in with your fingers crossed and hopes pinned on supersonic growth, it’s important to understand success is not guaranteed. Not by any stretch of the imagination. In order to get the kind of delicious results you’ve been dreaming of ever since discovering ecommerce was a thing, it’s imperative you approach it the right way.
So, without further ado, here are our top tips to help every Momma make a success of themselves and never have to leave the nursery where your baby’s (hopefully) napping:
1. Never, Ever Rush Into Things
The most common mistakes Entrepreneurs, Solopreneurs, and Mompreneurs make when trying to launch an ecommerce business is rushing the launch of their website. It’s a big no-no.
The reason is simple: you only get one chance to launch your brand and wow the people that stop by, so you cannot mess this up.
That doesn’t mean you can’t create a little bit of buzz by buying your domain name and throwing up some sort of “Coming Soon” page with a giant ticking clock on it and a subscription box but you need to try and avoid the big reveal until everything is absolutely perfect.
That means laying the groundwork for SEO, content marketing, blogs, social media, and paid advertising. It’s all essential.
2. Help Your Visitors Out More
While ecommerce businesses have so many incredible benefits and advantages, their major flaw is how intangible the products are for those looking to buy. The people stopping by your virtual store can’t touch, feel, smell, see firsthand or try your products before committing to a purchase. The worst part is, there is no sign of this ever becoming a possibility.
That said, you can make up for this downer with a little bit of ingenuity.
With things like:
- offering great pricing
- offering free shipping and returns
- making sure people know what sizes things are
- having a review system in place and
- making the checkout process as smooth as possible.
3. Test Everything And Test It Again
You need to constantly have someone using your website and testing everything about it. Every link, every product, every button, everything.
Not just before you launch, but during the launch and after it.
Yes, it’s an investment, but it’s one of the best investments you can make because it will highlight any errors, any areas you can improve on and the sort of analytics that make success possible.
Don’t do it with your Mompreneur hat on though. Do it from the point of view of the customer.
That way you can figure out which parts of your store are working really well, what’s not working quite how you want it to and the reasons why (which is super-duper important).
4. Become As Social As Possible
For an ecommerce business, the heartbeat of everything you do revolves around your social media use and strategy, which is why you need to focus on this all the time.
Don’t think it’s a nice to have and then hand over responsibility to other team members or outsource it; take responsibility for this. Not only is it a great way to increase website traffic, it also gives you an incredible insight into the lives of your customers and that’s what it’s all about; it’s all about knowing about your target audience.
That doesn’t mean you can’t hire a social media manager. In fact, we urge you to have one. Just make sure you are heavily involved in this part of your business as well.
5. Make Mobile Your Masterplan
In the same way, the laptop took over from the desktop, tablets and mobile phones are going to shove laptops into extinction.
We’re talking about a mobile spending estimate of $626 billion this year, which is a pretty staggering increase from the $205 billion spent just four years ago.
We’re not just talking about having an ecommerce business that allows for mobile use, we’re talking about making your ecommerce business mobile-first.
If you don’t you’re lining yourself up for failure because you will become totally irrelevant within the next few years. That’s the way the world is going.
6. SEO Has Superpowers
No one can deny that the ecommerce-sphere is an incredibly crowded space and one that is only going to get more crowded with each passing week.
That’s why you need to get on top of all things SEO, know what is going to boost your brand’s chances of being on top of page 1 and stand out from the rest of your competition.
The problem is, understanding SEO for a noob is as complicated as a four-year-old trying to wrap their head around algebra.
Thankfully, there are people out there who know all there is to know about SEO, which is why you need to contact them, bring them onboard and then soak up their knowledge like a sponge. It will help you stay competitive in the long run, that’s for sure.
7. Information is The New Power
Even with the whole GDPR thing sweeping the world thanks to Cambridge Analytica and Facebook’s misuse of data, there is a huge need for you to collect your customers’ information and use it responsibly.
This is because launching an ecommerce business is an evolving practice.
As such, you’ll want to get email addresses and whatnot so that you can inform people of launches in the future, whether that be another site or just a new line of products. It will be the big leg up you never had the first time around.
How much do you buy online? And how much do you sell online?
What goods are you happy to buy online and what goods are you selling sell online? Physical or Electronic?
Are you cashing on the eCommerce phenonema? I’d love to hear your story. Please leave a comment below.
Overall, this is a great article and I especially agree with you on the point #2: help your visitors more. It pays off big time, because you make things easier for them and therefore it is easier to close sales and build a strong bond with your customers and clients. I believe that many entrepreneurs can take their business to the next level by solely investing in improving their customer support service.
Thanks James. I agree. In a world where customer support is often severely lacking, providing great customer service can be a defining factor in your success.