While ecommerce can be profitable, it can also be challenging. Here are four ways to make your online shop shine by utilizing savvy concepts...
Make Your Online Shop Shine With These Savvy Ecommerce Concepts
The world of ecommerce is a crowded one. Trying to make sure that your online shop:
- Stands out
- Attracts customers
- Builds a loyal following
- Remains profitable
It is a tall order.
Even if you find a niche, it's hard to be unique, and customer expectations concerning timing and service are sky-high. Providing an excellent customer experience is just a hygiene factor these days, rather than a selling point.
So, is it possible to stand out? How can you give your business a little extra edge?
Here are four ways to make your online shop shine.
Get Your Branding Right
You may think of branding as an abstract concept, but actually, it is the main factor that will set you apart from the competition. In turn, it is well worth developing a small business branding strategy.
Start with the values and knowledge that your company has and the change that it wants to make in the world. If you can clearly articulate why you do what you do, you’ll have an authentic voice, and that is the first step to convincing customers to come along on a journey with you.
Decide what kind of shopping experience you want to offer your customers - exclusive access? Unmissable deals? Might a good choice be to offer a seamless identity verification with effortless customer experience?
Make it your mission to refine this vision of how you are going to do business. By combining unique attributes in your product and the unique experience you offer, you put forth a strong identity for your ecommerce business that will help you to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Offer Social Proof At Your Online Shop
Customers know there are lot of fraudsters and sharks out there online, so building trust is a crucial ingredient in making your shop successful. But how do you build trust when you never meet your customers in person?
The answer lies in providing strong social proof. This can be any or all of:
- Reviews and testimonials from previous customers
- User-generated content - Example: Flooding your Instagram feed with images people have posted of themselves using and enjoying your product
- Displaying customer ‘likes’ and comments on an item
Or even branching out into using influencers and their networks to give your shop a viral buzz.
Find A Cause To Celebrate
Especially with today’s Generation Z audience, allying your business with a cause is a great way to make a favorable impression. They care deeply about the world, and they want companies to have a strong sense of corporate social responsibility. Examples include the footwear brand Tom’s, who donate a pair of shoes in the developing world for every pair sold.
The cause you select must align nicely with your brand values to give it the stamp of authenticity.
Improve Your Offer
Using social media as your antennae, you can stay on top of emerging trends in the ecommerce world, and new technology that affects what you can bring to customers.
You must engage in a process of continual innovation in order to give your audience a constantly fresh offer - that could mean developing your own products, or bringing new trends to the fore.
