You have just started with your eCommerce business. Or wait! You have been running an eCommerce business for a few years now. Or maybe, you are a brick and mortar store thinking to switch online. Well! Your business can be at any stage, these 8 best eCommerce practices will not only help run an effective eCommerce website but rather also boost business growth.
It doesn’t matter what kind of product your business is selling. An online presence is a must for your eCommerce business. This is because there is much competition among local and regional brands. Additionally, international companies with good brand presence have also taken the lead. A few of the big names include Amazon, Flipkart, Walmart, etc.
Need For An eCommerce Website
Now that you know your need to create an eCommerce website, its now time to consider these 8 best eCommerce practice as your guide for an efficient eCommerce business.
eCommerce Practices For eCommerce Website
Keep It Simple, Don’t Distract
Your eCommerce website is your most important and reliable source for your eCommerce business. It is a medium that attracts your audience, your customers. Hence keeping them it up to the mark is the key.
Firstly, know what your target audience wants. A user-friendly and simple design that gives them the right information that is needed. There are thousands of visitors but very few who convert and make a sale. As per statistical data, the average conversion rate is around 3%.
The few things that a visitor notices when they visit the eCommerce website:
- Homepage Design
- Knowledge-based content
- The right information
- Way-finding CTA (Call to Action)
- Bold Visuals
The point to keep in mind here is too much clutter on your homepage itself will make it difficult for your audience to take action on your website. If there isn’t any clear cut message and a focus to point at, there will be selling, no conversions. An action on a website should be taken in less than three seconds as that is the average time a person would change his/her decision in. Too much information will distract his/her mind. It will confuse the buyer.
Don’t Confuse Through Menus
Once a user visits the homepage, they will want to explore what’s in store for them. Either they know what they are looking for or they would want to know something about what they are looking for. For either of the two purposes, a drop-down menu navigates them right. However, a menu should consist of categories and not the names of the product. For Example: If your eCommerce website is selling a range of bakery goods and services and your audience want’s to buy a cake topper, do not put cake topper as a menu category, rather let is fall under cake decorating accessories. Under this menu, you can add a lot of other product listings such as birthday candles, knives, etc.
Do not be very specific when it comes to a drop-down menu. Also, the title of the menu should be an umbrella term of what’s in there. For instance: Home, About Us, Products, Contact Us, Blogs. Do not confuse rather just guide. That’s the best way to give your users great shopping experience.
All Your Users To Search
Out of the thousands of visitors visiting your website at one time, most of them have a reason. Once they have landed on your homepage, provide them with a search bar. This would allow your audience to directly jump to find out what they are looking for.
Once the users have typed, the search results should match the search requirement. Additionally, the website should also provide alternatives or similar options to the search requirement entered. For example: If the search was made for a t-shirt, provide your users with all the variants of available t-shirts at the same time give them similar alternatives, i.e. maybe tops, jackets, sweatshirts, hoodies, etc.
All of this is done so that your user doesn’t have to scroll through all the listed products available. They are driven to the specifics as they demanded.
Invest in Web Hosting Services
A web hosting service plays a huge role in any eCommerce service. The speed of the website, i.e. the loading time taken on a particular web-page is determined by the web hosting service you choose. A user generally stays for about 15 seconds on a particular webpage and around 7.5 minutes on an overall eCommerce website via a smartphone.
These statistics call for a premium web hosting plan that ensures everything is operating at high speed. If one thinks that a budget place will suffice the need, well you may be right for a short term plan, however it causes heavy expenses in the long run. Also, you may lose visitors just cause of the loading time, even if your products or services lack no faults.
Apart from loading time, one can also face website crash, 404 error, or certain other setbacks. This can be even more problematic than just the loading time. Hence, investing in a premium web hosting plan is an ideal eCommerce practice.
Keep SEO a Priority But Take Away The Ads
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a marketing tool that helps your eCommerce website to rank within the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). While searching for a product, research states that the first go-to option is Amazon and the next being via search engines. The percentage of website visits via a search engine is about 36 percent.
Hence, if your eCommerce website doesn’t appear on the top 5 or the top 10 searches of the SERP, there are chances for fewer visitors through this pathway. Your competitors benefit through this and hence your prospect is converted via your competition, thus profiting itself.
Another thing to keep in mind is the spamming of ad pop-ups on your website. While the customer is exploring your website, ensure that there is no distraction by ads. Well, one or two with the right CTAs is ideal, so that immediate action is taken. But too many of them will frustrate the customer, and will eventually leave your website.
All of this requires minimal cost and more of your time and effort. Handle and manage your website in a correct manner right and this will ensure heavy returns.
HQ Images, Detailed Product Descriptions, and Video Demonstrations
When you display a product catalog on your eCommerce website, ensure all the products are HQ (High Quality) images, detailed product descriptions, and video demonstrations if an add-on. Keep it consistent for all the products and keep a standard format.
Additionally, do not forget to mention the minute details. For example: If your product is a clothing brand, say a t-shirt, make sure to display the sizes available, the right price of the product and description of the material, etc.
On the other hand, if its a grocery item, things to consider are the nutrition, ingredients, weight of the product, availability, and so on…
While you write the product descriptions, ensure that there aren’t large paragraphs rather bullet points for better understanding. Clear, concise, and crisp writing is the key. Additionally, the images you upload of your product are the actual visual representation in a customer’s mind. Video demonstration costs higher than just an image and description, but if one can pull it off, you are giving a realistic 360-degree view of your product.
Customer Support to Answer Customer Queries
Since everything is online, customers wouldn’t understand your product in a wholesome manner. They will surely have a doubt or two. And like in a physical store, a salesperson is present to guide the customers. However, when the store is online, a salesperson is present in the form of either a chatbot or a customer service representative who is available over a phone call.
A smooth customer service includes:
- Quick responses to customer queries
- Available for at least 12 hours
- Correct product knowledge transfer
- Provides update about the product and its shipment process
- Is polite and responds in a kind manner
- Provides the customer with real-time tracking of the product when asked for
Free Shipping
Free shipping is one of the best eCommerce practices that a business owner can work upon. If you are a start-up, you can provide a flat rate shipping, i.e. a single shipping rate despite the location the customer is located in. Or else, established brands have free shipping on most of the products or selected ones. Here, free shipping attracts the customers, as they pay for only what they purchase. This is a good marketing tool to convert prospects quickly as well as efficiently.
Moreover, when you say free shipping, customers also doubt the company as it sometimes is too good to be true. they will wonder about the manner in which the product will be delivered, the time it will take and how will the product be delivered. Here as an eCommerce business owner, ensure you inform the customer about each and every shipping detail along with the company name, delivery person’s contact details, and date and time of when the product will reach their doorstep.
This will not only ensure good customer experience, rather build trust and loyalty in the minds of the customer and they will purchase again. Well! Isn’t that your ultimate goal?
Hence, Dash101, your eCommerce shipping cum business partner at your service. At Dash101, one can avail of cost-efficient pricing starting at Rs23/500gms. Additionally, we ship PAN India across 26,000+ pin codes as well as have the facility of RTO available. That’s not it! Dash101 offers courier integration to choose among the best and popular eleven courier services.
The above 8 practices are surely to increase sales as well convert potential prospects into consumer purchase to boost business growth.
