Every year the ecommerce economy is expected to grow exponentially. Opportunities to invest online are never ending. It is an exciting time to be an entrepreneur and a good time to get in on the base floor of ecommerce businesses. Total estimated ecommerce retail sales in America came in at $3.19 trillion for 2014, which was about 9.5 percent of total U.S. sales. But these numbers pale in comparison to future projections for the next three years. If you have a business and are not online, you are missing out on major profits. The following are critical tips for ecommerce success.
1. Don’t Rush
One of the biggest mistakes a business can make is launching too soon. You only get one chance to launch. Avoid revealing the final product until you’ve completed all the necessary steps like SEO, content marketing, paid advertising, social media, etc.
2. Do Frequent Troubleshooting
Before launching your ecommerce business, invest in testing and analytics. Approach your website like a customer. Is the website visually appealing? Is the site easy to navigate? Is all the information about products and services displayed? Figure out what’s working or not working and why.
3. Focus on the User
Since the user cannot touch, smell, or wear the products when shopping online, your website must have great photos and product descriptions that make up for these shortcomings. In addition, offer competitive pricing, complimentary services like free shipping, and make checkout simple and user-friendly.
4. Use Social Media
Social media is a vital part of the ecommerce business. It gives you a direct line to your customers and vice versa. The best way to know how your company is performing is to talk to your customers. Plus annual engagement with customers creates loyalty.
5. Go Mobile
Tablets and smartphones will play an increasingly large role for online merchants. Consumer spending on mobile jumped from $204 billion in 2014 to $626 billion in 2018. If your business is not laying the groundwork for mobile sales, then it will be irrelevant in three to five years.
EMB has helped many online merchants expand their customer base and increase sales. Now online merchants can have sustainable profits in this new era of ecommerce. Your business will need competent and progressive payment processing to stay competitive in the coming years.