Online shopping is experiencing a true boom, thanks in part to the restrictions of Covid-19 which have seen huge volumes of customers head online while physical shops have been closed. Analysts believe that the lockdown has accelerated this trend towards online shopping.
So from finding the best web hosting to optimising your product descriptions, how can you ensure that your business is well placed to benefit from the online shopping boom? Try our tips to get you started.
1. Upgrade your website
Your website will need to be e-commerce enabled which will mean upgrading it with the right integrated e-commerce shop. Start by organising quality web hosting – visit names.co.uk for web hosting – to see which options are available. This will ensure that your site is maintained reliably and can cope with traffic volumes. From this point, embed your e-commerce tools and populate your online shop with your products using great photography and descriptions. Check that your integrated payment processor is working as it should for a seamless purchase experience. Many businesses will use the services of a digital marketing agency to help make this process as easy as possible.
2. Use the right tools
Various off-the-shelf packages are available to make it easy for businesses to build e-commerce stores for their products and services. You might want to integrate this to your website or host a standalone e-commerce app for a seamless shopping experience. Shopify is one of the most popular platforms and it offers templates that make it very easy to create your online store.
3. Work on your product descriptions
Good product descriptions and imagery can make or break your online sales. Good descriptions will also help to boost your SEO so that you rank strongly for your keywords and products. Invest in great photography and research your product keywords for the terms that your customers use to find products like yours. This will help you to better rank for your customers’ searches.
4. Have your marketing plan in place
Social media is a vital way to generate traffic to your e-commerce store, with a regular stream of fresh, engaging content that is designed to appeal to your target audience. Invest in your social media and use other marketing tools such as online advertising, PR, print, referral marketing, social marketing and other tools that build your brand, your reputation and your standing in the market. It is also essential to integrate a reviews platform so that your customers can leave reviews after they shop from your store. Again, this builds your credibility and trust.
5. Review and evaluate
Your e-commerce efforts are likely to require constant development, evaluation and refinement as you learn more about what your customers want, what works and what needs changing or improving. Keep running the figures to assess performance across your site and make the necessary adjustments for the best possible sales figures.
With these steps in place, you can create a high-performance e-commerce website to grow your business.
