eSpire Marketing

eCommerce- That is the term more commonly used to describe an online retail store. There is one thing to remember when starting an online business, an idea that needs to be paid close attention to, and that is that your website still serves the consumer. It is easy to get lost in the numbers of how many visitors your site is getting, the bounce rate of your home page, your conversion rates, and the all important ROI. I understand why. It’s tough to see those visitors, conversions, and bounces as people. But that is precisely what they are, people.

Alright, I’ll get off my high horse now and explain what exactly it is that I mean. The internet and internet commerce are completely changing the way the retail world works. From the small mom and pop corner bakeries, to the large corporations with the branding and marketing teams, everyone needs to be on the internet to succeed anymore. Think about it, when a customer wants to learn about a new product or a new trend where do they go to? The internet. If their research leads them to your page then they are more likely to buy that product from you.

Comfort=Conversion. What do I mean by that? I’ve read a lot of great material on optimizing my website to get better rankings in the search engines, I’ve read countless numbers of blog articles talking about more targeted pay-per click campaigns, and I’ve seen a lot of information about getting noticed through social media and social networking. Those are all great things to implement and certainly very helpful in creating a strong customer base for your website. But when it comes down to it, none of that means a darn thing, if your customers don’t feel comfortable when they visit your site. Comfort, by the ease of navigation, the product knowledge, helpful suggestions, and most importantly by giving your visitors the comfort in knowing that your website is a legitimate place for them to buy a product.

When I talk to people about how to create the best eCommerce website they can I tell them one thing. I tell them that they need to give the customer the in-store feel on the Internet. I realize that it isn’t as simple as it sounds, but think of it like this: Say you are selling clothing. Most people buy clothing because it conveys a certain type of lifestyle. That lifestyle is apparent when you walk into a store and is apparent from the sales associates. To gain better sales online, especially in parts of the country where customers cannot go into a store, you must create that same in-store atmosphere on your website. Also you have to make them feel as if they can get as much, IF NOT MORE, information on the product they wish to purchase on your site than in the store with a salesperson.

This can be be done in many ways, from the way you display your products, to suggesting other products they might like, to giving as much information on the product as possible. All of this needs to be done, and all of this is much easier to talk about in a blog article, than it is to implement on a website.  I have not seen anything yet on any website that gives me that true in-store feel that I am looking for. But it is certainly something to strive for. So I will leave you with these words of wisdom, when you implement any new idea to your website ask yourself this one question, “Does this add to the comfort and/or usability that my customers expect on the internet?” Think about that in everything you do and you will do just fine.