Is your e-commerce enterprise on the right business track? There are several metrics that will help you determine if you are. But for starters, here are five habits that all highly effective e-commerce merchants–big or small–should have.
1. Think like a customer. Once you become an entrepreneur, it is easy to forget what it feels like to be on the other side of the fence. But to be an effective e-commerce merchant, you have to access your own insights as a consumer to help you reach out to your market. For example, place your products in more than one category. If you are selling fashion items online, come up with a category where you have recommended looks created from your most popular products. Also, be sure to give your customers options. When presenting your products, start from the least expensive to the most expensive. They will be more likely to purchase the higher priced items if they are presented as options.
2. Keep it simple. Simplicity, as a rule of thumb, applies to the design and layout of your e-commerce website as well as the presentation of content. Do not beat around the bush when it comes to payment and shipping policies. It also helps your customers feel more secure if your contact information can be seen easily.
3. Focus on the photos. A picture really is worth a thousand words ,so make sure you have great photos of your products (taken at different angles, if applicable) with minimal text to support it. Be clear and concise, present your product descriptions in bullets rather than in long paragraphs. Remember, online shoppers tend to scan the text and look more closely at the photos.
4. Do not forget to market. There is a wealth of knowledge available both online and offline regarding the principles and techniques of Internet marketing. So as an e-commerce merchant, you have no excuse to not try any one of these online marketing techniques.
5. Make it easy for customers to pay. You do not want to lose a sale because of a payment glitch. One way to ensure repeat business is to make the transaction as smooth as possible. There is PayPal, which is a household name in online payments. If your business is growing fast, you may want to consider investing in an online merchant account to help you better manage your payment process.
