The figures make it clear: online shopping will only become bigger. A recent study by Roy Morgan Research revealed that consumers aged 14 and over spent more than $24.3 billion online from March 2012 to 2013 – up 11.9% from the previous year, with 23% less likely to visit a physical store, compared to 10% in 2003.
If you’re a retailer without an online presence, here are a few tips to take your business to the next level.
E-commerce software & sales tracking
A good starting point is investing in a user-friendly e-commerce software package that offers an enjoyable shopping experience and compels people to become return customers. Of the software packages available – such as Shopify, Magento, Volusion – it’s a matter of choosing the one that best suits your needs.
According to Chris Cooper, web developer at Digital Thing, when looking for the best e-commerce package, ‘Choose one that offers the flexibility to add on extensions’. WordPress software, for example, allows you to install specific extensions for functions like shipping, marketing and social media. Installing a program that allows you to enhance the site yourself helps in reducing cost and offers you the control to make changes on your own schedule.
You should categorise your stock into categories, subgroups and subcategories if needed for easier website display and better management of incoming and outgoing stock levels.
Installing sales tracking can help you learn about the customers who visit or buy. By using Google Analytics to track sales, you can determine which products are most and least popular, how many visitors are engaged enough to stay on the site longer than a minute, and where your customers are coming from (i.e. referred by social media, email campaigns, online remarketing etc).
How will I get found on Google?
It’s one thing to set up a store on the web; it’s another to get people to find it. Sure, friends and family might be aware of your store, but you want a bigger customer base. This is where search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay-per-click services become important.
If someone was to enter, for example, ‘buy children’s t-shirts online’ in Google, you would want your online children’s T-shirt store to be on the first page of search results, second page at the worst. A good SEO campaign is your best shot at ranking higher among Google’s organic search results.
SEO involves numerous factors that work in conjunction with each other, including having well-written, informative content on your website and links from other related, credible websites going to yours. With these in place, Google has a better chance of ‘finding’ your site, and you a better chance at ranking higher on Google.
You would be surprised at how many people treat their Facebook page and e-commerce store as two independent entities.
Pay-per-click services like Google AdWords or Bing Ads provide an alternative where you pay for guaranteed exposure on Google, Yahoo or any of the search engines. Paid search results, which can work in tandem with SEO, are generally prominently located on the first page of results and can be very effective in getting fast, easy sales through your site.
With Google AdWords, you can control the ways in which your paid ads are displayed. You can set a monthly budget and set a bidding price for specific keywords and phrases that people search for online, and also nominate the time you want your ads to appear. This allows you to best reach your target audiences. We recommend you understand how Google AdWords work prior to starting your pay-per-click campaign to ensure you do not blow your budget prematurely.
The importance of social media
Finally, it’s crucial to use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to engage with your customers and create interest in your brand. Maintaining a strong presence will show your customer that you are as engaged with them as you want them to be with you. By encouraging your customers to like your page on Facebook, your brand then gains exposure on their friends’ newsfeeds. Facebook also offers a paid advertising feature, much like Google Adwords, that can provide a cost-effective way to gain guaranteed exposure to a targeted audience.
Kate Kirkwood from Hug Me Harry, which sells giftware and fashion accessories online, started by selling her products on Facebook three years ago; it was ‘an effective way to reach hundreds and hundreds of people with next to no start-up costs’.
However, as she moved her store to a dedicated e-commerce site, the Facebook page took on a new role. ‘The role of the Facebook page evolved to become a way for me to build relationships with my customers, without that pressure to sell to them. I try and update the Facebook page at least once a day, but it’s really about getting to know my customers and what they want,’ said Kate.
It is important to link your social media profile(s) to your actual online store. It may seem obvious, but you would be surprised at how many people treat their Facebook page and e-commerce store as two independent entities. The social media profile should be the support act for the online store, not the headliner.
With these factors in place, your online store can have the best possible shot at being found not only by Google, but by a willing and receptive customer base eager to buy what you’re offering.
David Pocock, ROI Connect
