Growing your e-commerce business is much easier said than done, especially with the amount of competition out there. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible – here are 12 tips that are sure to bring more customers to your virtual door.
1. List Your Goals
To start, you should make a clearly-defined list of goals. It doesn’t matter what they are or what stage you are at; simply having the goals in front of you will help you focus on what needs to be done. The list could include reaching your hundredth customer, earning more than your last job, or growing your email list. After writing the list, you could then pin them up above your desk, so your goals are always in view.
2. Networking
When it comes to business, networking is endlessly important. Fortunately, you can do this both online and in real life, so you have plenty of options when it comes to connecting with the right people.
Sometimes, you will need to travel to network, and while it might seem like a lot of effort, the outcome might be worth it and more. Just remember to plan in advance so you can focus on your networking skills rather than the fear of being late for check-in. For example, if you’re boarding from Orlando, remember to book your Orlando airport parking.
3. Know Your Customers
Knowing what you sell, you most likely know the kinds of customers you have. If you sell kids clothes, for example, then your target is going to mostly be parents. You can dig a little deeper, though, and by doing so, you will be able to improve your marketing strategies.
By using google analytics, you will get an even clearer idea of the type of people who come to your store and buy your product. Plus, you can keep an eye on your site’s performance.
4. Use Social Media
Social media is one of the easiest ways to grow your e-commerce business. Set up an account on the most popular platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, to start connecting with your customers and bringing in new ones.
You can advertise your products, reply to your customers, and connect with other business owners for collaboration. With the amount of control you have over your accounts, it’s easy to create the perfect brand image for your business.
5. Consider Your Suppliers
To grow your business, you must provide the best quality product to your customers. If you are selling clothes, for example, then you should look around for suppliers who offer great quality material. While you might end up paying a little more, you are more likely to gain returning customers.
6. Work on Your Website
As an e-commerce business, your website is the face of the company. Like cafes and bookshops have their interior design and atmosphere to lure in customers, you have your web design, so make sure it’s second to none!
When designing your website, make sure it is easy to navigate, not too over-crowded, and the aesthetic matches what you are selling. If you are selling high-brand watches, for example, then you should aim for a more clean, professional look than if you were selling kids’ toys.
Navigation is particularly important for an e-commerce business, as you need your customers to easily find their way from the products they wish to buy to the shopping basket. The whole experience should be as simple as possible, with the option of help readily available if they need it. If a potential customer can’t find the ‘add to basket’ button easily, then there’s a high risk they’ll look elsewhere for the product offered.
7. Ship Overseas
An easy way to expand your e-commerce business is to ship overseas. It’s simple, really – the more areas you ship to, the more customers you open your business to. It’s like opening an extra footpath to a physical shop!
8. Know When to Hire
You might find that you can manage your e-commerce business all on your own for a long time. If you plan to keep growing, though, one day, you will need to hire someone else, and you must know when it’s time.
Hiring your first employee can be scary, especially when you’ve always had complete control over the business. Just remember to take your time and think deeply about the qualities you want in a worker. For example, you’ll probably prefer someone reliable and confident over someone disorganized with little passion.
9. Be Open to Tech
As the owner of an e-commerce business, you will already use technology, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be more that will help you out. There is plenty of tech out there that can help businesses manage their workload and grow – it just takes being open to it. By trying out some new gadgets, you might just find a way to decrease your workload or produce your items quicker.
10. Know Your Competitors
Knowing your competitors is nearly as important as knowing your customers. By figuring out where your potential customers may be taking their business, you have the advantage of being able to offer an even better product. If your competitor is offering a one-month free trial, for example, then you could offer a two-month trial in an attempt to gain more customers.
11. Make Website Mobile Friendly
Your website might look amazing on a desktop, but if it is isn’t mobile-friendly, then you will be losing tons of potential customers. When designing your website, make sure that it runs just as smoothly on mobile. After all, more and more people are doing their online shopping through their small gadgets! One can take help from WooCommerce professionals like auq development for optimising their WooCommerce website.
12. Don’t Be Afraid of Change
In the world of online business, anything can change. New tech is always in development, new marketing strategies hit, and competition pops up all around. To keep up with it all, you must be willing to adapt to the times. By doing this, you open your business up to endless potential.