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Thursday 05th May 2011 Top 10 Ecommerce Tips Your Store Should Not Be Without

We've bee in the ecommerce industry a long time, and there is a lot of great information out there on the internet about ecommerce and how you can make your ecommerce store as successful as possible. That being the case, it's amazing how so many stores can get it so wrong when it comes to the basics for helping their store succeed.
 
We're here to attend to that desperate situation by offer our top 10 ecommerce tips for making your store a better place. Follow these simple tips and your store really will never be the same again, in a good way!
 
1. Have a Best Sellers List
 
This seems like a really simple thing to do, and it is, yet lots of stores don't seems to show a best sellers list. A best sellers list has numerous functions on any store. Firstly, it gives people a quick overview of the products that are on your store, as well as showing which of those are most popular. 
 
Aside from this, it gives potential customers confidence that other people are actually buying from your store. In an industry where confidence is everything, it's vital that you can show that you are able to provide a satisfactory service to anyone that visits your website. A best sellers list can be one way to show that. 
 
2. Display Customer Testimonials
 
In the same vein as number 1, customer testimonials show other website users that you are active in the online retail world, and that you have managed to make other buyers happy. This boosts confidence and offers a chance for you to boast about your past successes. 
 
3. Be Generous with Information
 
There are a few areas of your site where it's incredibly important to be generous with the information that you have, in order for your ecommerce website to be successful. 
 
The first area is where your products are concerned. No matter what you sell, make sure that you give your viewers every bit of information that you can about the product - size, weight, colour, fabric type and so on. The more information available to buyers, the more they are able to make an informed decision when they purchase. Lots of information about a product can put a buyers mind at ease, ensuring that they're buying the correct item online. 
 
The other area where information is important is in regards to shipping and returns. These are big factors when it comes to operating online, both for you and your customers, so the more information there is available, the easier it is going to be for you and your customers to get along seamlessly. 
 
4. Make Good Use of Offers
 
People often shop online, as opposed to on the high street, because they think that they can get a better deal. Well, it's time that you were proving them right. Make good use of your website as a place to make special offers, or perhaps bundle products together for discount buys. 
 
Obviously you still have to make a living from your store, so be careful, but do what you can to offer your customers a good deal. They'll likely thank you in the long run by coming back to buy more from your store. 
 
5. Learn from Past Orders
 
Making money on a certain product on your website? Well don't keep it hidden in the depths of your product catalogue! Get that product on your homepage, create a banner advertising it, do what it takes to let more people know that you're selling it. Half of the time, ecommerce success is going to come from recognising opportunities when they're presented to you
 
Also, make sure that you generally build your site around your most popular products, rather than having them randomly scattered around. These will provide a strong backbone for your overall business. 
 
6. Your Checkout Will Make or Break You
 
You can spend all the time that you like making your store look great, but if your checkout process isn't up to much, you'll lose customers quickly once they get that far. The shorter the checkout, the better. It should be really straightforward to use, have nothing to distract your customers causing them to leave the process, and you should offer an express option if possible. 
 
All of these things will ensure that your checkout has a higher chance of converting website visitors to paying customers. 
 
7. Get to Grips with Blogging
 
Some people have a fear of entering the blogosphere, but really, it's not as scary as it first may seem. There are millions of blogs out there, and everyone uses them in their own way, to their own advantage. Decide what you want to use your blog for, then commit to being consistent in your efforts. As an ecommerce store you can post news about new products and offers and you can speak to your customer base on a far more personal level. 
 
8. Track Searches on Your Website
 
If people are coming to your website and using your search function to find products that they would like to buy, make sure you're tracking this. If people are taking the time to search, there's high chance that they'll buy those items if they find them, so it pays to know what people are searching for, and altering your product catalogue accordingly. 
 
9. Get the Best Website URL Possible
 
Ensure that your website URL (Your www.websitename.com) gives some indication of what your site does, or sells. Not only will this help you in the search engines, but it lets people know what sort of site they are visiting if they see your link anywhere. 
 
People may also be able to more easily remember your website if they've seen it somewhere, if the URL is intrinsically linked to the content of your website. 
 
10. Get Social!
 
Not exactly a direct update for your ecommerce site, but nevertheless important. Set up a Twitter account and a Facebook page. It's not just the kids, everyone is using these social media platforms these days, so it pays to keep up with your customers in the places that they tend to hang out. 

Posted on May 05th 2011 at 05:23pm
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