Increases in eCommerce sales continue to skyrocket past brick and mortar retail sales rates. The US Census Bureau shows $263.3 billion sold online (in 2013), a nearly 17 percent increase year over year. Offline sales increased at a sluggish 4.2 percent.
If you are not selling online, we can help. If you are, then our experience working with ecommerce companies across dozens of industries can give your sales a boost.
We have experience with many of the popular shopping cart platforms, including and not limited to:
- WooCommerce
- CS-Cart
- Magenta
- VirtueMart
- Volusion
- Shopify
- and more!
Build the Foundation First
Your eCommerce effort relies upon a host of software tools, services and applications, a few of which include:
- A product catalog that makes it easy for visitors to find what they want
- Shopping cart software that’s simple and secure
- Overall security for each transaction using SSL
- A secure payment processor that settles credit card purchases to your bank and eliminates the need for you to maintain customer credit card data on your servers.
Beyond those basics, eCommerce technology is changing year by year. You’ll be more successful when you take steps to remain current; to build your site so it handles the trends and best practices that evolve to redefine eCommerce from year to year.
Mobility and Responsive Web Design
With the ever-increasing number of online shoppers using their mobile devices, your eCommerce site needs to give them an easy, convenient experience. Expecting shoppers to visit a site designed for the big screen of a laptop or desktop PC frustrates would-be customers. You can accommodate your mobile customers by building a dedicated app or a site designed for mobility. Alternately, you can use software tools that automatically convert your traditional site to mobile-friendly experience.
Share the News
Give shoppers a way to rate their experience with your company and your products. Amazon, the pinnacle of eCommerce, encourages customers to share their satisfaction and their disappointments through customer reviews. If your site skips over that critical feature, we’ll show you easy and effective ways to bring your site up to current eCommerce best practices.
Please Their Eyes
Shoppers can’t pick up the product, touch it or feel it as they can in a brick and mortar store. Give them great tools that let them see what they are about to buy. Images with rollovers that display a magnified image are helpful. Short videos that demonstrate the product, or display it in more detail, can give the consumer confidence and tip the scales toward completing the purchase.
The Bigger Picture
Your overall success in eCommerce relies on the design and features of your site. However, understanding how visitors navigate your site can uncover problems that may be stifling your sales. Why do they abandon the shopping cart so frequently? What common patterns can you identify that show which elements on your site lead to abandonment. Why is the bounce rate so high on some pages? Why is the average time-on-page so low?
ECommerce site analytics give answers to these and similar questions. They allow you to make adjustments and remove the stumbling blocks that prevent visitors from making the final click that results in a sale.
Whether you’re just getting started or need to refresh your eCommerce site, contact us to discuss your needs and what you’d like your site to bring to your bottom line.