The e-commerce industry is thriving. Statistics show that more than 90% of global internet users have purchased products online. It means that each e-commerce business has millions of potential customers. E-commerce businesses have access to a massive audience and generate a quick and consistent profit. However, there’s aggressive competition in the industry.
Since the startup costs can be low, new e-commerce businesses pop up regularly. If you want your online store to attract attention, earn consumer trust, and transform trust into revenue, you will need to take extra steps and stand out from the crowd.
Here are five tips for taking your e-commerce business to the next level.
Consider Fulfillment Services
Receiving an order from a customer is an exciting moment. However, there’s a long and stressful path to follow until the product reaches the customer and the customer declares himself satisfied with the product.
When you do everything on your own, many errors can make their way into the process of order fulfillment and delivery. Customers who receive a wrong or damaged product, or receive the right product but with delay may lose trust in your business. Similarly, customers who have a bad interaction with an unreliable delivery driver may be reluctant to order from your shop again.
To ensure your customers will have a memorable experience with your brand, consider fulfillment services. The best fulfillment companies will take excellent care of all the front-end operations of your e-commerce business. They can store your products, package them, ship them directly to customers, manage returns, and provide customer support. Working with a fulfillment service will substantially reduce your workload and simplify logistics. You will have a lot of free time to focus on other growth areas, such as advertising or marketing.
Create a Mobile App
If your online store does not have a mobile app, you are missing out on valuable growth opportunities. Many people access the internet predominantly on mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. By creating a mobile app, you can reach consumers anytime, anywhere, regardless of the device they’re using.
Most people check their smartphones dozens of times throughout the day, especially if they have a few minutes of downtime. The potential of a mobile app is limitless because people always keep their phones an arm’s reach away. They use their phones on the bus and train. They use the phones while waiting in line or while on a coffee break. Potential customers may feel more tempted to check your products if they have a user-friendly and attractive app available.
Having a mobile app is also essential if you invest in social media marketing. Most people check their social media accounts on their phones, so you want to make it as easy and as convenient as possible for them to reach your site and place an order. If they see your ad on the smartphone but cannot place an order on the same device, they will postpone the purchase and may even forget about it.
In the e-commerce industry, a mobile app can change the game and give your business a huge boost. However, creating a well-optimized app can be costly, so it’s important to see it as a long-term investment.
Seek Global Reach
Another way to take your e-commerce business to the next level is to seek global reach. The unique advantage of running an online store is that your customers can be from anywhere.
If you sell physical products, international delivery can be either challenging or expensive, or both. Even so, it’s crucial to research your options. You may uncover many exciting possibilities. Of course, logistics are a non-issue if you sell digital products.
Expanding globally is not something reserved for large e-commerce companies. Every online seller can use e-commerce technologies and solutions to reach a global audience and perform international business transactions. Selling online across countries is not an impossible dream, not even for small e-commerce businesses.
If you think your products have universal appeal, consider expanding to the global market, and your business will skyrocket.
Improve Your Product Photography
People consume online information quickly. To attract attention and convince your audience to give your products a good look, you need excellent product photography.
The visual component of your website, app, and social media pages will have a bigger impact than the written component. High-quality product photography can arouse interest quickly. It also suggests professionalism and inspires trust. Since customers cannot touch the item, they will form an impression solely based on what the photos show.
Professional product photography can be costly, but all the research on consumer behavior suggests that most people decide on a purchase based on photos. If you opt to take your own product photos, ensure you get help with editing. You can edit thousands of photos by using reliable outsourcing services. Remember, attractive images will travel across the internet and widen your customer base.
Go Where Your Customers Are
Knowing your target audience is crucial but not enough. You also need to go where your target audience is. For an e-commerce business, this means figuring out where your customers love to hang out online. From which online sources do they get shopping recommendations? Certain social media platforms are loved by specific demographics, for example. TikTok users may have different needs and preferences than Facebook users.
Many business owners have a general marketing approach and think they need to pay equal attention to all different marketing venues. This approach is fine as long as you have an unlimited budget and time for marketing.
Another, more effective online marketing strategy is to focus only on websites and social media platforms that your target audience loves. This can bring you exponential business growth at a low cost.
Final Words
Launching and growing an e-commerce business is a straightforward process if you incorporate the right solutions. Moreover, there’s no limit to what you can achieve. The more you refine your business model and the more attention you pay to market trends, the more successful you will be.
Use the tips above to ensure your e-commerce business will always occupy a solid position in an increasingly competitive market.