E-Commerce Guide
With the world becoming a global village, internet shopping has also become popular. E-commerce sites are thus growing everyday to quench the requirement of most of the people who love to shop from anywhere round the world without having to move out of their cozy homes. With the rapid growth of sophisticated technology and internet payment options, e-commerce sites are thriving at a faster pace.
The growth of e-commerce sites has now lead to tough competition online. Each site is trying to lure customers in its own way. Authentication and validation of such sites play a vital role. In fact, the look and feel of the websites is counted as well. It is because of these reasons that you should go for a meticulous plan when choosing to set up an ecommerce website.
Here are some pointers to follow:
Select the right web address: The first thing before starting an e-commerce website is to select a proper web address. This web address should always be followed by a proper domain name. Try to find out who your target audience is and the location. Based on who you want to target and where, you can make the selection of the right web address. The website name should also go well with the purpose of your site or the nature of business you are about to create with your site.
Selecting a web designer: Select a website designer whose work you have seen before. The concerned web designing company should be efficient enough in handling all the requirements of your website. Low download times, easy access and security of the site should always be maintained.
Make it easy for customers to navigate your site: Always develop a user friendly site so that people who visit your site can easily understand how to go about it. If it is too complex then the visitors may find it boring and be tempted to move out even before the home page loads. Always remember that users are not technical experts and will not understand how your website is supposed to function. They only know that it is supposed to help them shop fast and easily.
Minimize the risks of e-commerce: There are several risks associated with this business. Proper payment gateways and authentication services, including SSL, can help you to overcome such situations and make your website a trusted one. Encryption, digital certificates and authentication help build more visitors for your websites.
Various modes of payments: Include all the common modes of payments like, well know payment gateways, credit cards etc for your website. This will attract a variety of customers to your website.
Promote your site: After having created a visually and technically effective e-commerce site always promote it in the best way possible.
Always remember that you are one of the many players in the vast internet and e-commerce space. You can only survive if you have something unique and interesting to offer and you need to keep this in mind when you create your e-commerce website.
A simple solution to more footfalls; your website URL must be visible everywhere, online and offline.
For greater online visibility, first set your house in order. Get the right web content that will throw up your URL in the first 10 among search results. Update the content regularly to retain or even upgrade your search engine ranking. Keep the URL static and not dynamic; search engines do not recognize alphanumeric strings very well.
Advertise on other related websites. Opt for only the best banner or spot. There are always good deals to be had. The design of the banner is all important. Choose bright, but not gaudy colors; static graphics over the irritating jack-in-the-box variety. Most important, however, is the tagline that will tug at a prospects heart, mind, credit card or whatever. An attractive, strategically located banner with the right image and right text would tempt customers to click and connect to your website.
Visit related forums and get yourself noticed with sincere, intelligent comments. Leave your footprint in the form of your URL for interested parties to click on. Further, make a short and interesting video about the benefits of your product, highlighting the ease of ordering from the website. Post this on YouTube. There’s tremendous traffic out there that you can exploit to your benefit. Needless to say, leave your footprint here too.
Now go offline.
Print T-shirts with catchy slogans or even tongue-in cheek witticisms if those go down well with the locals. Have the name of your website on the other side. Have your guys wear them on their way to work. Display or vend your merchandise at a popular hangout or at gas stations. Tap the local TV station or radio station and air your ads and jingles with the name of the website incorporated. Don’t cut corners here. If there is not adequate in-house talent, pay a professional to do the job. The benefits you reap will far outweigh the investment you made.
And remember the interesting video you made for You Tube. You can show it at the multiplex as well. In short, bombard the viewers till they are humming your jingle in the bath.
And if this entire optimistic exhibition does not get you your footfalls, then there is one more thing to do. It is called negative marketing or some such thing. You bring into prominence the misery of the people who did not use your website, but used a rival’s. But there is danger in this. It will not work everywhere. It might backfire if the community psyche is sunny and open. So, basically, keep your ear to the ground and make sure the name of your site is seen often and everywhere. The traffic will soon follow!