Every online retailer dreams about the same thing: to be as popular as the biggest e-commerce companies and to have the knowledge and experience of the well-known online retail mavens. Every big dream has to start from making small steps and improving the functionality of your online store. Follow our simple tips to increase your chances for success.
You need to cater to all your customers’ needs
Most e-commerce retailers do not realize that their beautifully designed websites look so attractive only when they are viewed on desktop computers. Most websites, which were not optimized for mobile devices, will take at least several seconds to open on smartphones and tablets, or even worse – some parts of the website will not be displayed accurately.
The last thing you want is for a customer, who waited for 5 minutes for the website to load, to next discover that he can’t locate the Checkout button on the page. Some retailers are aware of the problem, but do not realize how big of a problem it really is. They think that the lack of a mobile website will not damage their conversion rates.
After all, how many customers will they lose, if they do not have a smartphone and tablet-optimized website? The answer is: half of all your prospected and regular clients. Currently, mobile devices are at least as popular as desktop computers. In fact, for many customers under 20 years old mobile devices are the only platforms for accessing the Internet. If your website is not optimized for mobile devices, you will never win those customers over.
Regularly add new content to your online store
More and more online retailers realize that search engine optimization is important, but they usually fail to understand what they can do to improve their website’s visibility. SEO is more than just keywords. If you run a regularly updated blog implemented into your online store, you are significantly improving your website’s ranking. Why? Because Google favors websites with fresh and regularly updated content.
Unleashing your inner blogger gives you an opportunity to reach out to your customers and build your brand image, so there are definitely more advantages of having a blog. If you want to add an integrated blog to your Magento store, call a Magento development company and ask for the service.
Get rid of the shipping rates
There is no other thing, which discourage customers from buying products, than expensive shipping fees. Even the best deal is suddenly less attractive, when you have to pay for the shipping.
There are a few ways to get around this problem: you can offer free shipping for orders exceeding certain amount of money; you can join an affiliate program and offer free shipping for customers, who buy items from you and your partners; finally, and it is the least attractive option, you can add the shipping cost to the price of the product, instead of having two separate fees. Whichever option you choose, make sure that you inform your customers upfront about any extra fees and costs.
Marta Gromadzka is a writer and editor with a wide variety of experience, including writing for websites internationally and editing books on many different subjects and in a variety of formats. Twitter and Google+
