Small business owners are missing out on significant sales opportunity if you do not have ecommerce presence. Online sales continue to grow at double digit rate and are expected to do so for many years to come. Amazon and eBay reported solid online sales for the Black Friday last week. More and more customers are now comfortable buying online, which is why every retailer in the world is trying to set up online presence.
As a small business owner, you may not be able to spend the money and effort that large retailers can, but that should not prevent you from setting up online shop. With advanced technology access at affordable rate it is easier than ever to set up online presence. You need to keep in mind key features expected by customers and ensure your website works flawlessly and responds fast. The look and description of your products play a big role in attracting your customers and keeping them on your site longer, and eventually making them click that “Buy” button. Below are few tips to help you set up ecommerce site.
Include Product Photos
When people are thinking about buying products from your eCommerce site, they want to see exactly what it is they are buying. Since they are not able to see and feel the products in person you want them to feel confident they are buying exactly what they are looking for. Using HD images of the products allows your site visitors to see the products in great detail. Offering multiple pictures of products from different angles also makes it possible for site visitors to get better idea of the product.
Describe Your Products in Detail
In addition to great photos, you also want to include detailed description of the products you are selling. Offer descriptions that relevant and succinct and explains key features of the product. If you can offer suggestions as to how the products can be used as well as ways in which the product will make their life easy, you have a much better chance of selling it. One great way to offer these descriptions is with a short description close to the purchase button and a longer description below all of the photos.
Use a Quality Shopping Cart
As your site visitors click on items they are thinking about buying, a shopping cart should be populated with all of these products just like in real world. There should be a clearly designated method for retrieving the shopping cart and making a purchase. One great suggestion is to have the shopping cart, along with at least some of the products listed in the side bar of the open page. This allows your visitors to see what they have purchased, which will help them identify other related products, thus increasing your sales. Have a button for visitors to see the total cost for shopping cart, including shipping and total costs. This is where customers can edit the purchases or go ahead and process a payment to have the items shipped. It goes without saying that you need to be able to accept payments online so that customers do not have to jump through hoops to pay you.
