Business

  8 Best Practices for eCommerce Businesses

 

In 2019, the global market size for eCommerce was valued at a staggering 9.09 trillion. That figure will grow to 10.36 by the end of 2020.

These statistics are encouraging for entrepreneurs aspiring to invest in the e-commerce industry. They indicate how lucrative this marketplace is in an increasingly web-focused world.  More than 75 percent of consumers now shop online at least once every month.

But the rapidly increasing number of eCommerce businesses has made for a highly competitive online market space. In the United States alone, there are more than 1.8 million eCommerce businesses at the time of writing this post. No doubt that figure will increase significantly in the coming years.

So, how do you stand out from the rest and attract more customers to your eCommerce business? How can you encourage more conversions once clients have visited your online store?

If you’re asking these questions, you’ve come to the right place. In this comprehensive guide, we discuss eight top eCommerce business best practices that will take your business to the next level. Read on to learn more.

  1. Avoid Clutter

Arguably your most important asset when running an eCommerce business is your business website. A top-quality web design is vital to building a brand online that’s compelling to your target audience.

Hire a competent web designer to create a website that keeps current and potential customers coming back. Websites with simple, straightforward designs tend to have higher conversion rates.

Avoid clutter as much as possible. Not only do they slow down your website, but they also distract and confuse prospects.

Keep the point of focus clear. Ensure that it’s easy for consumers to see your products and the CTA button.

  1. Keep Your Menus Simple

A website menu is an effective way for you to stay organized and group the items you’re selling. As we hinted earlier, simplicity is the key. Avoid overcomplicating things. For instance, you shouldn’t have too many menu categories that confuse your consumers, making it difficult for them to find exactly what they’re looking for.

Instead of being overly specific with the items you sell in your main menus, it’s best to use broad terms. For instance, if you sell clothing items, such as long-sleeve shirts, t-shirts, vests, tank tops, and sweaters, you can group them all under one category, such as “tops” instead of creating a menu option for each.

  1. Have a Search Bar

Even after you’ve decluttered your website and made your menu options as simple as possible, you’ll still need to make more changes. Now that consumers have fewer selections, they’ll need to click on a specific category to see more products under the category.

Even if you don’t have a huge store with tons of products for sale, chances are you still have hundreds or thousands of options from which customers can choose. You don’t want to force customers to scroll through countless options to find what they’re looking for.

That’s where a search bar comes in. A search bar makes it possible for customers to find exactly what they’re searching for easily. Customers can type in the product they’re interested in, which narrows down the options available in your store to products based on use, gender, age, and so on.

  1. Invest in a Premium Webhosting Service

Speed is a critical element of a great eCommerce business. Customers love a site that loads quickly, and this alone can yield high conversions.

One of the best ways to keep your eCommerce website lightning fast is to invest in a premium web hosting package from a top web host. Such service will also eradicate annoying issues such as site crashes, error reports, and glitches. Generally, it’s best to spend some money now on a top-notch web hosting plan than to have to deal with these problems in the future.

  1. Have Fewer Steps in the Checkout Process

If a visitor sees something they like and wants to purchase it, it should be easy to do so.

Every additional process in completing the checkout process increases the chances of a consumer abandoning the transaction altogether. A significant number of people abandon a shopping cart because they find the process too long and sometimes too complicated.

Easy checkout is all about getting a buyer’s essential information. There’s no need to ask such details as their favorite spot, which soccer team they support, and so on. All you need to process the transaction is a customer’s shipping address and billing information.

  1. Don’t Force a Shopper to Create a Customer Profile 

As we’ve just said, it’s essential to help buyers complete the checkout process quickly and without unnecessary stops. Provide a guest checkout option rather than forcing each shopper to create a customer profile first.

However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t encourage shoppers to create profiles. There are certainly benefits of having a profile when shopping. For instance, it makes future checkout processes much faster since the client’s information is already saved in the online store’s account.

  1. Display Top Quality Product Images

When you run an eCommerce store, it means that your potential customers can’t touch and feel the products physically. They have to rely on images to get a sense of what they’re purchasing. That’s why you need lots of pictures from various angles of each of the products you’re selling.

Prioritize image quality. It may seem like additional investment and work, but it could just be what differentiates you and your competitors.

  1. Make Customer Service Easily Accessible

Some transactions will not go smoothly. Many of your customers may have questions or experience problems during or after the checkout process. It’s absolutely vital to ensure that they can get help as quickly as possible.

Have a readily available customer service team that easily reachable through a variety of options, including phone, live chat, and email.

Ecommerce Businesses Can Thrive by Observing Best Practices

Running an eCommerce business does not need to be an overly challenging affair. Sure, the online marketplace may be highly competitive, and today’s consumers more demanding than ever before, but there are creative ways to stay ahead and drive more sales. Ecommerce businesses that adopt the strategies included in this guide can keep thriving even in the toughest of marketplaces.

Would you like to read more content on how to grow your eCommerce business? Please keep browsing our blog.