Selling Online
How To Drive Up Online Sales
A website with e-commerce capabilities is an essential expense for any business looking to dominate the digital marketplace. However, a website alone will not generate sales. If you are looking to grow your online business and drive up sales, then you need to be strategic. Here are a few things you should consider as part of your next online sales drive.
Web Design
If your website is hard to navigate and products are not easy to find, then customers can quickly be put off. Clear and easy to follow web design gives customers confidence in you as a retailer. Try not to overhaul your website making it difficult for customers to repeat orders but do keep it up to date. A dated website looks less secure and might not work as well on modern devices. Your web design should also reflect your brand identity. For instance, if you are an urban clothing brand then the images, font, and logos you use should be different from a family homeware brand. Every choice you make on your website communicates something to your customers. Think about how you want them to see you. For many customers, your website is your shop window, till and everything in between. Don’t let yourself down by messy unfocused design.
Sell Globally
If your website is a shopfront then it is a shop front that in theory can be placed onto any shopping street anywhere in the world. If you want to take advantage of your potential global reach then you need to put a few things into place quickly. Firstly, you should read a guide to international payment processing to make sure you are equipped to deal with the currencies your customers might use. Secondly, you need to make sure you have a logistics partner that can deliver goods around the world safely and on time. Finally, you should look at getting a professional translator to translate your website. While search engines like google can offer a degree of translation, a lot can be lost using their AI service. If you are dealing in jargon or a niche market work closely with a professional translator who can accurately translate your website for your customers.
Expand Your Customer Base
In the most simple terms, to grow your online sales you need to do one of two things, make your customers spend more money or expand the number of customers you have. Reaching new customers needs a marketing strategy that can be executed by your team without overstretching them. One simple way of growing your research is by using a “refer a friend’ discount. The discount works by reaching out to your current customers and offering them a discount for any friends who become new customers. This encourages your current customers to use the power of word of mouth which is trusted by 86% of consumers. Discounts also help your current customers to order with you again.
Another way to expand your customer base is to deepen your product range. Think about who your customers are and what they are likely to buy from you. For instance, if you specialize in selling fishing rods then it would be very strange if you started selling children’s toys as well but selling camping accessories might attract the attention of the customers you already have.
Use Social Media
The power of social media as a tool to bring eyes to your website should not be overlooked. Internet users spent over two hours a day on social media in 2019. That is a lot of time where you can be grabbing a customer’s attention. Paid for advertising will let you target your audience demographic, but there are other ways to get attention. Providing content that your customers might be interested in is a great way to attract views. For instance, if you sell plumbing supplies then simple tutorials or product reviews could appeal to DIY enthusiasts. Interaction is also a fantastic method for developing trust in your brand. Advertising “ask an expert session” online and trying to encourage customers to interact with you will bring more views on these platforms and create brand awareness.
Learn From Your Data
Finally, remember that your website is also a tool for you to learn about your customers. Try and use the data they generate to spot trends that you can capitalize on. Are customers buying the same products over and over again? Then you could offer subscription discounts to ensure the customer keeps buying from you. Think about the questions you would love to hear your customers answer honestly. Think creatively about how your website data could give you insight on that answer. Analyze the data to find the answers you need to generate more sales.
