1. Find a niche market
The first step to building a successful eCommerce website is finding a niche market. There’s no point in trying to compete with Amazon or eBay – you’re never going to beat them at their own game. Instead, focus on finding a niche market you can serve better than anyone else. This could be a particular type of product, a certain demographic, or even a specific geographical area. Once you’ve found your niche, you can start building your eCommerce website around it.
2. Build a great eCommerce website
Your website is often the first interaction that potential customers will have with your brand. That’s why ensuring your website is designed for success is essential.
If you want people to buy from your eCommerce online store, you need to make sure it’s easy to use, looks professional, and captures your brand. It should be designed with your user in mind and quickly identify what your offer:
- Simple to use, especially the checkout process.
- Easy to navigate and find where things are.
- Mobile responsiveness
- Quick to load
- An up-to-date reviews page (reviews are everything!)
- Contact Information
Investing in quality eCommerce website design and development services is a great way to do this. This will ensure that your website looks good, functions well, and is optimized for search engines.
3. Use the right platform
Many platforms are available for eCommerce websites, so choosing the right one is essential. You need to make sure the platform you choose is easy to use, has all the features you need, and is scalable so that it can grow with your business. Top eCommerce companies use popular and influential platforms such as Shopify to build thriving business that grows with them.
4. Drive traffic to your website
Once you’ve built your site, you need to start driving traffic. This is where marketing comes into play!
There are many ways to do this, including utilising gold-standard SEO methods, social media marketing, and paid advertising. Whichever method you choose, ensure you’re driving targeted traffic that will likely convert into paying customers.
5. Optimise for conversion
Even if you’re driving traffic to your eCommerce website, it will only matter if those visitors convert into customers. That’s why it’s crucial to optimise your website for conversion. For example, ensure your products are well-presented and easy to find, your checkout process is quick and smooth, and your website is easy to navigate.
In addition, make sure you have clear Call-To-Actions (CTA’s). This will tell you what your customers want, such as buying or clicking through to a different product. Just be sure to make them simple and clear!
6. Provide excellent customer service
If you want customers to return to your eCommerce website, you must provide them excellent customer service. This includes responding promptly to customer inquiries, offering refunds, returns, or exchanges, setting clear terms and conditions, and dealing with problems efficiently.
And let’s not forget engagement! If they are commenting on your social media posts, reply back! If they leave a review on a product they bought, send them a thank-you. These simple things create top-notch customer service that organically promotes your small business and grows a loyal customer base.
7. Email Marketing for eCommerce stores
Email marketing can be a very effective way to promote your eCommerce website and products. By building a list of email subscribers, you can regularly stay in touch with customers and remind them of your brand. You can also use email marketing to run special promotions or offer discount codes to gain new customers and subscribers.
This is what will help boost retention and engagement with your small biz brand.
8 . Constantly innovate and update your eCommerce website
The final success factor for any eCommerce website is innovation. For your business to grow, you need to constantly look for ways to improve your products, your website (such as adding meta descriptions), and your overall customer experience. Doing this will ensure that your eCommerce business stays ahead of the competition and is always up-to-date.
These are the top 8 eCommerce website success factors you need for your small biz to grow and thrive:
- Find your niche marketing
- Build a great website
- Use the right platform
- Drive traffic to your website
- Optimise for conversion
- Provide excellent customer service
- Email Marketing
- Constantly innovate.
And if it all sounds overwhelming and scary, our team at eMkrtg has your back. We are passionate about helping small eCommerce businesses succeed and have the skills, knowledge, and can-do attitude to make it happen! We can help with eCommerce optimisation, design, marketing, and emailing. So contact us today and get started building an eCommerce website for success.