Taking your offline business in
online vertical is e thing, but to stay afloat and to make profits out of that
business is a different thing altogether. Online business is comparatively easy
to start. However, there are many challenges that an online retailer needs to
face while operating an online store.
While some eCommerce platforms
provide analytics for getting a clear picture about the number of customers that
visited the online store or the visitors that had clicked on a particular
product or percentage of visitors that have actually purchased from the store.
Howbeit, it is difficult for the online retailer to find out and focus on that
criteria that is the actual differentiator that satisfies the customer’s
expectations. Optimizing is definitely one of the surest ways to ensure that
the customers’ expectations can be met which also results in increasing the
sales.
Below mentioned are a few of the
points that are helpful in optimizing the eCommerce platform:
- Images & description: The only way that an
online visitor is able to see & judge about the quality of the product is
through the product images and the description. Using high quality images helps
online visitors to check about the product, their features and the quality of
the product. Online retailers must offer multiple product images that help
online visitors to make-up their minds about the product. Including images
clicked from different angles provide a clear and comprehensive view of the
product and also highlights minute details about the product.
In addition to this, online retailer must ensure that
the products are sufficiently described and all the relevant information is
provided about them. Additionally, online retailers can offer recommendations
to the online visitors so that they have additional information about the product
that are not offered by an online retailer.
In addition to this, an online retailer, for
optimizing the product web page, should include product related keywords that
are helpful in finding out the product on the search engines.
- Displaying related products: This is one of the
ways to increase the sales of the online store by displaying related products next
to the products that are searched by the online retailers. For example, if the
online visitors are searching for any mobile phone, online retailers can give
the products such as cases, their chargers or data cables as their related
products. Online retailers can also offer different products that are high
priced as compared to the products that are searched. This enables that online
visitors to get a complete product and also helps in getting information about
the different products that are available in the market.
- Simplifying the processes of shopping cart: The
shopping cart should be such that the internal processes related to order
placing or navigation or payment gateways should be simple to understand so
that online visitors are able to place orders easily. In case if the processes
are confusing and not easy to comprehend, it drives away the online visitors.
In addition to this, online retailers should ask for only that information that
is necessary for placing an order. Asking for additional information means that
it takes time to place orders & online visitors are reluctant in providing
any extra information.
- Highlighting ‘Add to Cart’ button: Highlighting
‘Add to Cart’ drive online visitors to add products that they are searching to
their shopping cart. This is the call to action button that needs to be
highlighted so that the customers need not to find it. This also facilitates
the online visitor to revisit the shopping cart & purchase products that are
added previously. The web store should provide facility to save the products
that are added to the shopping cart.
- Enhancing customer services: Customer service is
the most important aspect for any eCommerce company. Online visitors need
support for completing their online shopping. In this case, it is necessary for
the online retailers to have an impeccable online customer service facility so
that they can help visitors to clear their doubts about the products & help
them in completing the purchase processes. This also helps online retailers in
finding out the pain points that are faced by them.
- Customer Reviews: Online retailers should
provide the facility to online visitors write reviews about the products. This
helps online visitors to get more information about the products that are not
being displayed by the online retailers. Additionally, customer reviews also
provide information about the products, its usage, and the features that are
not mentioned by the online retailers. It’s apparent that all the reviews are
not worthy to be displayed, however, it is important for the online retailers
as well as visitors to have reviews.
- Multiple payment options: To facilitate the
online visitors, retailers should multiple payment options so that they can
complete the purchasing process. The most frustrating thing for an online
visitor is not getting the payment option through which the shopping can be completed.
Offering various payment options such as cash on delivery, or through a debit
card or credit card or through online banking helps visitors to shop online.
- Security and trust: Since the eCommerce
companies deal with online payments, it is necessary on their part to offer
security to transact through the payment gateways. The online visitors need to
fill their account related information while transacting through the online
store. Therefore, it is mandatory for the online retailers to display some
trust seal so that customers have information about the steps that are taken by
them to fully secure the transaction process.
The above said points are
definitely going to help online retailers gain trust and confidence of the
online visitors and increase the customer service experience while transacting
through their online stores.
