One of the easiest businesses you can start is an online shop. Seriously, people think you have to put in a ton of effort, and this is true if you’re the web development team. But as a business owner, you just have to find products to sell and a team to build you the perfect platform you dream of.
What is trickier, as an online shop owner is keeping it up and running for longer; keeping it functional and attracting visitors every day. But more on the topic, in the following paragraphs.
Engaging, responsive website design
Think of how much time you wait until leaving an online shop if pages don’t load. Very little, probably. Other shops have the same products, and you’re not willing to lose precious time of your life waiting for a page to load. Your potential customers think the same. When choosing a web design team, ensure they are fully able to build an engaging and responsive website for you. What does that mean?
Well, it doesn’t matter if your online shop has some of the best products in the niche. You can also have the best customer support service. In some cases, this doesn’t even matter, either. If the web design is poorly made, you will lose clients from the beginning. According to a series of studies, over 90% of online shoppers pay attention to the visuals of an online store when they shop. This is one of the determinant factors that influence purchase decisions.
You will be tempted to use one of the thousands of website templates available online. Some of them do look fairly impressive. What you don’t know about these is they have poor functionality. You want a store with responsive web design, and for this, you need a team to develop it and to also deal with the responsive web design testing part.
How will responsive web design help you have a higher market presence? For starters, consumers today use multiple types of devices to shop online. Mobile use when shopping online has grown incredibly over the past few years. According to Statista, 52% of the total web searches in 2018 were performed on mobile devices.
In these circumstances, having responsive web design will help you reach desktop and mobile users, at the same time. Besides allowing users to have positive and engaging interactions with your online store, regardless of the device used, responsive web design solutions will help you improve user experience and boost your shop’s conversion rates. When it comes to maintenance, responsive web design will make the process easier and sustainable.
Finding the perfect team to help you with building your website is the most important part you should take care of.
Partnerships
Partnering with other brands and shops to boost online presence is a great strategy you have to take care of after you manage to find a skillful and reliable web development and design team. Buyers are usually reluctant to purchase from fresh online shops. It’s a matter of reliability and reputation.
To grow your new online shop’s reputation, you have to partner with other reliable shops or brands. In shops’ case, consider partnering with online stores selling products complementary to yours.
Small companies with higher degrees of market reputation and trustworthiness will do your shop a huge favor. Try to establish lasting partnerships with as many companies as possible. You will gain more market authority and influence. To make the most of a similar strategy, follow the advice below.
- Tell consumers which are those brands and shops you are collaborating with. They will surround your brand with more authority and trustworthiness.
- Place banners with the partner shops you have on the homepage. This will increase their visibility and grow your reputation.
A killer About Us section
As a brand-new shop, you have to tell consumers the story behind your company. When visitors land the “About Us” section, it means they are already interested in your shop’s products or services. Don’t waste this opportunity by boring visitors to death. Use it to offer detailed information about who you are, how you develop and manufacture your products, your company’s achievements, and how your clients can get in touch with you.
Mention everything that might interest your visitors, including all the social media channels your company uses, a full address, and a contact e-mail. This will boost your company’s image and the reliability you face in the face of your customers.
Safe and secure payment methods
Online stores function on payments. Offering your clients popular payment options will boost your customer base and will make you look more reliable. PayPal is one of the widely-used payment methods for domestic and foreign shoppers. To cross borders without your foreign shoppers worrying about the reliability of your shop, include PayPal as one of the main payment methods on your web shop. Besides, you should consider allowing your customers to create their own accounts that keep all payment methods stored for future purchases.
Reliable and fluid delivery
Once you convince shoppers to buy from your store, you want to keep them satisfied and engaged by your services. To improve their experiences when shopping with you, ensure you choose reliable and fast delivery services. Working with large companies like DHL will be more expensive, but the investment will pay for itself in a matter of months.
Large players in the niche are more likely to deal with all your deliveries professionally and fast. This is what you want to search for when choosing your delivery partner.
Social media advertising and online marketing
Having a strong social media presence, in this day and time, is mandatory for all businesses. To optimize your campaigns and social media advertising strategies, use professional tools like Google Analytics, check the official Facebook Advertising guides and guidelines, and get down to business. To boost your chances to engage better with your audience on social media platforms, follow the advice below.
- Use your creativity with the help of these supplements for creativity on social media outlets to engage easier with your audience. Showcase your brand personality for better results.
- Use analytics tools to boost your campaigns and track the success of your ads.
