E-Commerce Advice

How to Show Customers That Your Ecommerce Store Is the One to Buy From

by Lucy Reed

Ecommerce has been steadily growing since the internet was made available to the public in 1991, and it’s not showing any signs of slowing down. While it’s now more accessible than ever to open up shop online, there’s also lots of competition from big-timers like Amazon and Walmart — not to mention all the smaller startups that are popping up all over the place. For your ecommerce store to grow, you have to show people that your company can offer what they’re looking for. Here are some tips to get you going in the right direction.

Develop a Top-Notch Website

For starters, you need a good website. Especially if you don’t have a physical store, your website will be the primary tool through which you run the business. Even if you sell on Etsy, eBay, or the like, you need an official site that presents your company to customers and potential customers exactly how you want it to be presented.

Here are a few essential tips for creating your website:

• Make sure you have a solid domain name.
• Use the right web hosting company for your needs.
• Use a clean layout with balanced colors and fonts.
• Provide updated content (e.g., blogs, videos).

Your website should be attractive and easy for people to use. Moreover, you should always have up-to-date photos and descriptions of all your products.

Many business owners turn to web developers to create their website, allowing them to focus on the other responsibilities involved with running a business. A good web dev can meet with you to discuss your company’s vision and create the perfect site that promotes your brand and meets the needs of you and your customers. As Upwork notes, when interviewing web devs, look for candidates who understand the fundamentals of web design (HTML, CSS, etc), front-end Javascript frameworks, and basic user-interface designs, to name only a few. While the cost of hiring a web developer can be significant, having a qualified professional create and maintain your website is well worth the investment.

Manage Expectations

Whatever form it comes in, when people are dissatisfied with a company, it’s typically because their expectations were not met. It could be bad customer service, a defective product, a delayed shipment, or any other number of issues. But at the end of the day, it’s critical to meet or exceed customer expectations. So how do you make sure you do this?

While no company is perfect at managing expectations, there are some things that your ecommerce business should prioritize on a daily basis:

• Provide accurate descriptions and photos of your products on your website.
• Clearly communicate when customers can expect their deliveries.
• Respond as quickly as possible to customer questions and issues.
• Follow up with customers after they’ve received a shipment or assistance from your customer support.

Create a Seamless Checkout

Another way to build your customer base is to make your checkout process smooth and quick. One of the main advantages of shopping online is that it’s fast and convenient. If your website’s checkout process is slow, many customers will abandon their shopping cart and look for someplace else to purchase their products. A lot of this has to do with the hosting company you use, which should help ensure your site functions well. But it’s also important that your site is designed so that customers don’t have to go through numerous steps just to buy a product.

The ecommerce world provides many opportunities for entrepreneurs, but you have to stand out among the competition if you want to achieve lasting success. Remember to create a superb website, prioritize your customers’ expectations, and offer your customers a seamless checkout experience. Like with any career, there are always new things to learn in ecommerce. So, learn as much as you can, and evolve as you need to.

Photo Credit: Unsplash