E-Commerce Development Depends on Active Promotion of Web Sites, Not Magic
A companys Web site is a face that clients and potential customers see. As such, it is an extremely important part of any e-commerce venture to keep and maintain a well designed Web site. To generate sales on an e-commerce Web site, e-commerce development should align promotion with four fundamental goals.
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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:
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
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
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
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.
