You can now find every business online in some capacity. Any product or service you could ever dream of is available to purchase online from numerous websites. This means the competition online to stand out and achieve sales if rife.
In today’s market, online businesses must be the best of the best to be a success. Affordable technological advances give little excuse to online businesses that fail to hit the mark. Customers are comfortable and used to shopping online and can immediately decipher good from bad.
Here we look at some of the expectations customers have become accustomed to:
1. Strong photography…
There is no excuse for poor photography. E-Commerce has very much become a part of everyday life, no matter how large or small a purchase is. Without being able to physically hold a product, consumers expect to be able to see the product they are considering purchasing from a range of angles, with a zoom feature and in focus. Companies invest large sums of money into their product photography, knowing that unless they present their products in a professional and alluring manor, then it is likely their customer will navigate away from their site, straight onto their competitors.
2. Unique content…
Your content, or alternatively product descriptions must sell the product. Each product description should be unique, rather than copied and pasted. For example if you are an affiliate site or some of your products are similar, the easiest option is to copy and paste the standard product description. However unique product descriptions not only help your website stand out in SEO terms which lead to increased traffic, but it also provides you with the opportunity to be descriptive and really sell the product to your specific target market using the appropriate language and tone.
Most customers will want to know delivery date estimations, dimensions, colours, materials, weight, and care instructions- generally any information applicable to the specific product, which can answer any questions they may have.
3. New technology…
Technology is constantly developing. Some of the higher end e-commerce stores capture customer interest by utilizing available technology such as video, online chat or 360 degree photography. These more unusual features can really make a website stand out, as it provides the customer with more and shows them the product in the best way possible. These features also indicate your business is up-to-date and current.
If you are selling a product which has a function or is potentially confusing to use; videos demonstrating someone using them or providing set up instructions can be really valuable to a confused customer. The customer service online chat feature can also allow them to instantly gain the answer to a query which could be putting them off making a purchase.
Information is golden, the more you provide, the more doubt you remove from the minds of unsure shoppers, the more sales you will make.
4. Customer reviews…
Customer reviews can be extremely useful to some customers needing that extra reassurance to make a purchase. If they see strong reviews about something they are considering, it is naturally going to be a huge encouragement reading unbiased opinions. The risk associated with allowing customer reviews to appear on your product pages, is that one bad review amongst one hundred good, will stand out and plant doubt.
However, if you work hard to make sure your customers are happy with the service you provide, and supply good, reliable products; you should face no issues or concern. You could always approve customer reviews before they appear live on your website, you can then intercept anyone who is not entirely happy, and try to resolve any issues, or provide vouchers if there was a problem; strong customer service is a huge benefit to any business and you can actually turn one negative review into a strong positive review.
5. Terms and conditions…
Always make your terms and conditions visible. Customers like to know where they stand in terms of returning goods or exchanging them for an alternative. If you hide you terms and conditions, not only do you appear to be untrustworthy, but you also will lose customer’s patience if they have to hunt through your website to find them.
6. Easy navigations…
Customers must be able to add the product to their basket easily and find the basket in order to start the checkout process. A clear well organised product page which is not too busy, will allow the ‘add to basket’ button to stand out. Another method is to select an eye catching complimentary colour.
7. Related products…
Some of your products might be part of a collection of have a matching part or you can simply create ecommerce gallery to show for your visitors. A small ‘related products’ box can be a great way to cross sell and encourage further sales. It can also be helpful for customers looking to purchase multiple items, for example jewellery sets.
All in all an online business must dedicate time and effort into the website design as a whole, but also into their product page layouts and also focus on providing as much information as possible in a clear and concise manor. It is not an easy process to attract traffic and regular sales initially, but creating a strong website which focuses on customer care, coupled with some marketing will pave the way to a successful online business.
