Once it’s appropriate for your business, adding an e-commerce component to your web presence can greatly improve the overall value of your website and your business. However, having an e-commerce component (or “e-store”) will also add to your administrative and managerial duties. So before adding e-commerce capabilities to your website, here are five points to consider:

1. Be Clear on How e-Commerce Fits Within Your Business Strategy

First, ask yourself whether it truly makes sense to try to add an e-commerce area to your website. An auto repair shop or hair salon can’t sell repair or hairstyling services online (though quality websites can serve as excellent promotional and informational tools for those types of businesses), but a flower shop or organic food store can. You should identify which of your product lines you can effectively market and sell through your website, and focus on doing a good job with those items.

2. Let People Know Your new e-Commerce Area Exists

Having an e-commerce area on your website won’t help your bottom line if no one knows it’s there. Make sure your e-store is easily accessible from all relevant points on your website. For example, if you have one or more pages on your website that discuss your product offerings, include a prominently “Buy Now” or similar link to the e-store. Also, consider having an “Online Store” or similar link on your home page.

You can boost the launch of your e-commerce area by announce to existing customers and clients, whether through newsletters, in-store flyers, sending notice along with normal customer communications, or other means. If the market justifies it, perhaps also consider a broader “hard copy” promotion (such as a targeted mailing to key prospects), and using internet advertising or “search engine optimization” techniques.

3. Treat Your E-commerce Site as You Would a Physical Store, and Then Some

Even though e-commerce sites don’t have a physical location in which customers come to shop, you should make many of the same considerations that bricks-and-mortar stores do. Is your e-store an attractive place that is easy to navigate? Can potential customers browse your various offerings in a quick and efficient manner? Can a customer quickly find a specific item that he or she is interested in?

Make sure the organizational structure of your e-store is intuitive and likely to meet customers’ expectations for your type of product. A grocery store that organizes its products by size of container or color of the label certainly isn’t serving its customers well. At a minimum, your store should be structured in such a way as to permit an interested customer in getting to the desired product with a minimum of clicks.

In addition, you can take advantage of the design flexibility inherent in the web and include features that traditional stores can’t, such as “display by price” and similar types of sorting, and providing detailed product specifications and other information.

4. Safeguard Your Sensitive Customer Information

Your e-store will likely involve the transmission or receipt of sensitive customer information, including contact information, and credit card details. Before opening your e-commerce for business, take the time to verify that you have mechanisms in place to ensure your own compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. If you are using a third party to handle or assist in your credit card processing function, ask what steps they take to protect this information.

5. Follow-Up with Customers

There’s only one thing worse than losing a customer, and that’s losing a customer but not knowing why. Consider following up with each e-commerce customer after their purchase (perhaps by email, after they’ve received the product). This could enable you to correct an error or deficiency in a customer order, while demonstrating that you value your customers and genuinely care about providing them excellent service. In addition, the feedback you receive (which you might not receive otherwise) could provide new insights on how to refine or improve your site.

One last thing to keep in mind. Like any other part of your website, your e-store should be kept “fresh” so that new products are highlighted, seasonal products are displayed prominently, and outdated items removed from the store. If you neglect or ignore your e-store once it’s up and running, many of your customers may do the same.


Source: www.easycgi.com