Did you know, globally, 93.5% of internet users made purchases online as per a recent study published on the First Site Guide. With this, 95% of all sales are predicted to be made online by 2040. Despite the industry growing by 23% every year, there are still companies looking in other areas and not an eCommerce website.
How is your business doing with eCommerce?
An eCommerce website gives the freedom to sell products, services and other digital commodities through online. No matter if you are business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), business-to-administration (B2A), consumer-to-consumer (C2C), consumer-to-business (C2B), or consumer-to-administration (C2A), from processing orders and receiving payments to handling shipments and logistics, an eCommerce website makes the job easier for businesses. Even the customer care can happen through the eCommerce website.
With the rise of smartphone users, today customers can shop from almost anywhere which has helped boost the businesses. Here are ten key strategies that you can follow to enhance your eCommerce website.
1. Product Listings Page (PLP):
Typically, an eCommerce website that promotes its products on its own online storefront has a specific customer target market in mind. However, there are websites like Facebook Marketplace, Shopify, Amazon, or eBay that allow you to list your products to a larger audience. It is a specific page where items for sale are listed for those who come there with the intent to buy. Some people only use these particular pages to entertain themselves while occasionally making a purchase if anything catches their eye. With a website link, you can list your products and provide a call to action.
2. Best Payment Gateway:
In an increasingly cashless world today, it was predicted that in 2022, more than 80% of transactions in the United States will not include cash. Therefore, be aware of the methods your customers use to process payments. Several different payment gateway types exist, including on-site payments, redirection, and on-site checkout with off-site payment. Analyze the payment gateway preferences of your target audience. Additionally, investigate if they prefer to use credit/debit cards like MasterCard and VISA, PayPal, Amazon Pay, Square, or any other payment method. To give your clients a better experience, you need to integrate these features to your current payment technology that best suit your business.
3. Easy Navigation:
An e-commerce website’s performance can be gauged by how simple it is to use. In order for clients to explore your website anywhere, at any time, without missing any deals, you must make an effort to build a responsive design. Additionally, it must enable users to visit your website from any platform, including desktop, tablet, and mobile. You want your clients to identify your website with a safe place they can rely on in order to increase customer loyalty and sustain a consistent fan base.
A few tactics include making the parent categories prominent and visible in the website’s top area. Use subcategories that enable you to be more precise and that are simple for customers to understand. One of the most effective aspects of good site navigation is having a clear search bar for your visitors to use on your homepage.
4. Data security:
When it comes to data security, you need to look for a platform which provides total protection against the most prominent risks such as Malware and SQL injections. You need to get an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate, which is mandatory for all eCommerce websites under the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard. The PCI Security Standards must be followed by all traders and eCommerce-based businesses. Because, it is beneficial to encrypt the data traveling between your website and the user’s web browser so that only you and the user can decode it.
5. Website speed:
In today’s fast-paced environment, all we want is to accomplish things as quickly as possible. Imagine yourself in a hurry when browsing for some important information online, but the page loading time of one particular website is taking forever. Would you wait or immediately go to another site? It’s a resounding nay, that much is obvious. When we talk about speed, we also mean the speed of processing each page and searching for new products, not only the speed at which a website loads. A website speed test will help you better understand how well your website is performing, identify any areas that need to be improved, and optimize your website accordingly.
6. Shipment methods:
Selecting the best shipping partner is a challenging yet crucial process for an eCommerce business owner. This is something you should be aware of before choosing well-known shipping companies. When a shipping company charges too much, you make less money. When a shipping company charges next to nothing, it could indicate that clients might be unhappy with the delivery, which won’t be beneficial in the long run. FedEx, USPS (United States Postal Service), UPS (United Parcel Service), and DHL (Dalsey, Hillblom, and Lynn) are the four well-known shipping companies on a global scale. Most of these businesses mentioned can be integrated with your eCommerce websites.
7. Product reviews:
Customers trust the opinion and experiences of others about a product. In line with this, product reviews are the most common type of user-generated content shown on e-commerce websites that are most-sought after by customers. It works as a social proof to convince customers that a product would meet their needs. For example, on eBay, customers can rate and review products and these ratings are shown under the product descriptions.
8. Order tracking:
When a consumer puts an order, their main concern is when their order will arrive or the current status such as shipping and dispatch details. So, making the ‘order tracking’ easier for your customers builds trust. The best way would be to provide them with your email address and the order number from your order confirmation email.
9. Chatbots:
One of the best methods to develop loyal customers is to always be there for them when they need you. According to a poll by LivePerson, which claimed that 5000 consumers had given it positive reviews, chatbots are currently working brilliantly. In fact, chatbot traffic has gone from 31% to 61%, between 2020 and 2021, which is almost double. Be it resolving a simple customer care query or finding a specific order or looking for a response, chatbots also known as automated assistants are highly recommended by top digital marketing agencies in Boston.
10. Product filters:
How do you offer pickup and delivery services for your eCommerce business. Allow customers to easily find the products that are offered with their chosen pickup or delivery option. There are tools that help customers use the item availability filter to sort products according to whether they are available for pickup, same-day delivery, shipping, or in-stock. As a result of quick availability, you have the best opportunity of converting buyers.
Final words:
As you implement these tactics, you must keep track of specific metrics that will enable you to analyze and gauge your success by highlighting the customer satisfaction levels and potential areas for improvement. The following are some examples of these metrics: website traffic, pages per visit, cart abandonment rate, visitor conversion rate, time spent, bounce rate, email subscriber engagement, etc. At Cross Digital Marketing Agency, we offer top-notch solutions for your eCommerce website’s optimization. To speak to our experts and boost your eCommerce business, call us today at 888 863 1150. You can also reach us by email at digital@crossdma.com.