Conventional retail still exists, but is slowly, yet surely losing its prominence in the face of eCommerce. With consumers’ shopping preferences shifting, the eCommerce industry has recorded exponential growth, opening up new avenues for retailers to rake in a healthy stream of profits. But how does one get started on the right footing? Before launching your store, here are six things you must cross off your checklist: #1: Choose the right platform: There are several eCommerce platforms you can choose from. Opt for something that aligns with your needs, is easy to use, develop and deploy. Also, make sure the platform could be scaled to accommodate future expansion. Magento is a good option. #2: Set up a secure payment portal Without an efficient payment process in place, you cannot tap into the purchasing power of customers. The payment channel must easily integrate, and work well, irrespective of the user location. It’s also better to deploy multiple channels to give your customers the freedom of choosing an option they’re comfortable with. #3: Work out the delivery plan Whether you’re selling physical or virtual goods, you need to make sure that the customers get what they pay for – and at the right time. Shipping speed is crucial, and you’ll have to figure out a strategic plan to make sure the product reaches your customer promptly. #4: Devise your sales campaign Generate leads, set up ads, sell your brand, make people aware and drive them to your store. You can also use re-targeting as an efficient way to win back customers who’ve visited your site at least once. #5: Drive customer engagement Strive to build valuable relationships with customers. Stay connected with them on social media, address their queries or complaints, send newsletters, exclusive deals, share tips, or fun information. Make sure you set up provisions to boost engagement well before launch. #6: Include online reviews Most of the consumers take a look at reviews before buying online. You risk losing out on business if you do not offer online reviews on your store. Encourage buyers into leaving reviews, or even provide special incentives for them to do so. With these tips, you can get started off in the online retail space and head in the right direction. If you require professional help, you need to get in touch with expert eCommerce developers in Singapore to build a quality store and accelerate your business performance.
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The Retail Industry has experienced a massive shift, moving from brick-and-mortar shops to the wonderland that is the internet. Customers are now courted online rather than on the streets and all aspects of life from shopping and entertainment to even interaction happen online. The shift might seem sudden and enormous to some, and newcomers to the field are sure to have a hard time grappling with it. Here are a few useful tips for those finding their footing on the web space. Narrow Down your Customer Pool for Marketing Having a rough grid of the kind of customers you want to invite to your site is pivotal when building your base. Get to know your customers by their background, and then set-up appropriate marketing channels that target the particular pool of visitors. Make the Website Clean and User-Friendly Visitors need to be impressed at the design of your site, but at the same time, not feel befuddled when navigating through it. Your website needs to have a dashing look, but also stay neat and user-friendly. Increase Influence through Pop-Ups Pop-ups, or hover ads, have a significant impact on your marketing operation. Apart from other advertising channels, implant a pop-up or two in your website. However, be careful not to overload the site with these ads as they tend to distract visitors from the substance of your service, and create hindrances for them. Exploit the Visual Element Regular content has a limited reach. On the internet, patience for reading runs low, and you need to use the visual dimension to trigger visitors’ interest. Incorporate images, animated graphs and also videos in the main page. This helps to conjure a more interactive environment that visitors are sure to like. Optimize Marketing Channels through Social Media Facebook, Twitter, and Google-Plus are more than just social networks, they are engines for marketing. Expand your web of influence through these channels. Keep a constant update feed on all of these channels, and ensure that you link them back to your website. Make a Statistical Approach The web brings the power of data by your side. Compile a regular, statistical evaluation of your performance to judge how you’re doing. This helps you identify flaws, and to build on your current performance. Customer Service is Critical The focus of your entire business should rest on the customer. Connect with them through social media channels, and also incorporate messaging or chatting interfaces on your website to give visitors the feeling that you’re listening to them. eCommerce has taken the world by storm, and to have a thriving business, you need to exploit the web. Openwave has decades of experience in bridging the online divide for retail stores and building success on the web B2B / B2C eCommerce. Partner with us to explore the possibilities and opportunities today. Shopify is one of the top-rated eCommerce platforms in the world this year, and for a good reason. It lets you build powerful web stores that look good, run amazingly well, and provide a great experience overall for customers. Unlike Magento - which is its biggest competitor - Shopify is a hosted platform, which means you don’t have to waste time searching for a host and you can get started with building your shop directly. Here are some undeniable reasons why Shopify should be your eCommerce platform of choice in 2017: Shopify is budget-friendly Shopify is perfect for startups on a budget. They have several pricing options - the lowest of which can help you get set up for a small amount of investment each month. You get a secure, fast server for the cost and you can scale up your store as your business grows. You get great technical support Shopify's technical support is legendary. Their team is available to help with any problems you have with the platform 24/7. The team is very friendly and offers helpful advice for users that aren't very tech-savvy. Build fully-customizable stores The platform lets you build stores according to your specifications. You can modify and change nearly every aspect of your store, from how it looks to how visitors are supposed to navigate it. You can go for a professional or a more casual look via multiple design options. Mobile-friendly design Your web shop will be mobile-friendly, as the platform supports responsive design. As a large percentage of your visitors will access your site from their smartphones, this is an essential feature if you want to be successful. Build a futuristic store quickly The platform lets you set up a futuristic store with all the latest bells and whistles. Get advanced features like a shopping cart saving tool and personalised recommendations with the help of hundreds of third-party tools. If you're planning to make a significant impact in the eCommerce world but don't have the experience to know what kind of a store you'll need to succeed, you can hire a qualified eCommerce development company to make you a fully fledged store for cheap. With the advent of smartphones and other modern technology, a majority of people today are choosing to shop online instead of at a local brick-and-mortar store. Convenience, low prices, ease-of-access, and variety - combined with fast delivery times - are allowing online businesses to overshadow their real-world counterparts when it comes to securing return customers. It is estimated that the eCommerce industry will generate $3.5 trillion dollars in revenue by the year 2019. As such, any online business stands to make a lot of money, provided they have the groundwork in place to take advantage of the eCommerce phenomenon. What is an eCommerce Platform? An eCommerce platform is a technology that lets you design a virtual store for customers. A well-designed virtual store will help you beat competitors and secure more customers for your business. Magento is an eCommerce platform conceived by experts that understand what is needed to help an Online Store business succeed in today’s world. Here are some reasons why Magento is the best eCommerce platform out there for your fledgling business:
There are two approaches that your business can take - one: you’re satisfied with the current revenue it generates and want to maintain it consistently, two: you want to reach new customers and expand your business further. If you prefer the second approach, what you need is an eCommerce website. The booming online retail sector has paved the way for a revolution in itself. The eCommerce sector is no longer restricted to Amazon, Alibaba and other big-wigs of the industry, as an increasing number of small retailers are taking their business to the online realm. Here’s why your retail store needs to incorporate an eCommerce website as part of its strategy: 1) Search engines can bring new customers There are multiple ways you can rake in new customers. Posters, banners, and flyers can only reach so many people. On the other hand, the internet has the potential to reach millions of potential clients. From SEO to pay –per-click adverts, there are numerous ways you can ensure your website appears in search engine results, thereby, bringing new customers to your brand. 2) Go tech-savvy, go global An eCommerce store allows your customers to shop from anywhere at any time. The necessity of a physical store to buy/sell products is eliminated as customer’s can get products delivered anywhere in the world. 3) Brings back your old customers Let’s face it; there’s been a behavioral shift observed in recent times that has brought down the number of people who’ve been visiting your store. An E-commerce website can help you reach out to the individuals who’ve lost interest in offline shopping. 4) It’s a great way to collect leads Phone numbers, email IDs, and other contact info are an excellent way to stay in touch and market your brand to customers. An E-commerce website can give you that edge by providing a valuable database of customer info to deploy E-mail and other marketing strategies. 5) Increase sales An eCommerce website can help you boost your sales and generate more revenue. With the right promotion strategy, a well-stocked product inventory, engaging content and a robust internet site, you can drive traffic to your website. More traffic implies a higher chance of people buying your goodies. Need we say more? All your competitors own an eCommerce store, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t. Get the right developer on board who can develop a high-performance website and employ effective marketing strategies. Contact Openwave's eCommerce Web Development experts! |
AuthorExpertise in Web & Mobile App Development as done many projects in eCommerce, CMS, Dot Net, PHP technologies Archives
October 2018
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