Conversions. That’s the heart of your e-commerce business.
When someone buys an item: that’s a conversion. When someone signs up for your newsletter: that’s a conversion. When someone clicks on your PPC ad and comes to your site: that’s a conversion.
Conversions are how we as e-commerce business owners make money.
That’s why, a large part of learning how to start an online store, is learning how to INCREASE your conversions. Increasing your conversions = more money for you!
So we want to help you learn HOW!
To e-commerce owners, conversions are the lifeblood of the business. But shoppers don’t know that – nor do they care. For a moment, put yourself in the shoes of the buyer. What do you like and dislike? What do you want? Here are a few key tips to help.
Offer BONUSES.
We love free stuff. Everyone does. Offer a free gift with purchase; it could be a $5 gift card, a company sticker or a coupon code for another purchase. No matter what it is, it shows you appreciate your customers and want to keep them coming back. If you really want to learn how to start a online store, you have to learn to give as much as you want to receive. Give a little appreciation to your customers, and they’ll give you brand loyalty and repeat orders. They’re happy, you’re happy: It’s a win-win!
Let people share.
When customers find a really great product (or a really crappy one!) they want to tell the world. Post social sharing buttons on your products, allow customer reviews, and post customer testimonials when possible. You could even install a customer rewards program that gives customers points toward purchases just for referring a friend. Customers love to know real people are using and liking your products; use that to your advantage! This is part of learning how to e-commerce. Don’t do all the marketing yourself, let your customers do it for you. It’s a priceless and age-old form of promotion.
Make it easy.
This one should be easy. Even if you don’t know a single thing about how to start an online store, know this: NO ONE likes a difficult task. So make sure your website is clean, uncluttered and easy to understand. Your customers are already about to spend money (something that is hard for many people to do), so don’t make the situation worse for them by making the checkout process difficult and unwieldy. Ensure there are no shopping cart errors and that payment processes are quick and painless. Get those customers to purchase before they change their mind!
Wheel & deal
Offer specials, deals and promotions. Send out newsletters and alert customers of upcoming purchasing opportunities. Cut shipping costs around the holidays, give out special coupon codes as tokens of appreciation and show customers that you value their dollar. It’s one of the best forms of marketing and one of the biggest parts of truly learning how to start a online store.
Want more helpful e-commerce tips? Sign up for Online Store Confidential and learn about our programs, where you’ll learn how to start an online store and how to e-commerce successfully.
Tags: how to -commerce, how to start a online store, how to start an online store