An e-commerce Web site has tremendous potential to transform a business--after all, how many business approaches can both reduce costs and increase a companys market reach? This enticing potential almost seems like magic, and theres the rub. E-commerce development requires much more than simply putting up an e-commerce Web site and waiting for the orders to pour in. Rather than magic, successful e-commerce development relies on active promotion.

These promotional strategies should be aligned with four fundamental goals:

1. Drawing people to the site. Traffic is not the end-all, be-all of e-commerce development, but it is an important first step. Strategies for attracting people to an e-commerce Web site include:
   • Search engine optimization (SEO): SEO boils down to putting content on a site that will cause that site to come up prominently in searches on related topics. With several sites typically jockeying for position, this is an ever-evolving science
   • Internet ad placements: Placing Internet ads on related Web sites, or paying to have them accompany related searches, can help bring an audience to within a mouse click of the site
   • Cross-promotion with physical locations: Companies combining a traditional retail presence with an e-commerce development effort should not look at cross-promotion as cannibalizing their existing customer base. Getting those customers to use the Web site can cut costs, prompt additional purchases, and defend that customer base against e-commerce competitors
2. Getting them to click. Once people are drawn to a home page, the idea is to get them engaged by clicking on some of the content. This is akin to getting customers talking to a sales person once they walk in a store. Things that can prompt this include:
   • Posting intriguing content headlines. Too much information takes up too much space on the front page and doesnt prompt an action from the visitor. Its better to give them a tease and see if they react
   • Offering tempting specials. Having a time limit can also create a sense of urgency to find out more
3. Getting them to buy. They dont call it "browsing" the Internet for nothing--most people are there to look rather than buy. Here are some ideas for turning browsers into shoppers:
   • Offering compelling specials. No company can afford to give away the store, but great deals on low-end loss leaders can help people open up a shopping cart and buy other things. Offering great deals in conjunction with a certain minimum purchase is another way of doing this.
   • Making products accessible. E-commerce Web site design should be focused on minimizing the number of clicks between entering a site and putting a product in the basket
   • Streamlining checkout. Research shows that some 80 percent of Internet shoppers abandon a shopping cart somewhere during the process. E-commerce site design should funnel shoppers through checkout quickly and encourage them to continue the process
4. Getting them to come back. Strategies for repeat business include:
   • Special status for repeat customers. Whether it is special discounts or expedited checkouts, repeat customers should be rewarded
   • Deliver great service. Poor customer service is a pet peeve of Internet shoppers. Now that the novelty of Internet shopping has worn off, customers expect this convenience to be accompanied by traditional levels of service.

By keeping a Web sites design updated, efficient, and nice-looking, companies can take those e-commerce seeds and grow a successful--and profitable--new way of interacting with customers.

Source

Businessweek.com