If you have a brick and mortar store, it’s unwise to depend on word of mouth alone to publicize your business. It’s critical today to have an online presence as well. Creating and linking a web site to your physical store helps customers not only find your physical store but also brings added attention so your business can grow. Following a few easy website tips is worth the effort.
Additionally, thanks to the power of e-commerce, you can utilize a website to sell directly to customers who work odd hours or aren’t in close proximity to your actual location(s). An online store is open 24 hours a day, so you can keep selling even when your physical store is closed. You don’t have to pay for employees to man the online store either or all the typical overhead that comes with brick and mortar stores. All you have to do is follow these tips.
Set Up Your Website with E-commerce in Mind
Your website should do more than just offer information about your business. Many of the people visiting your website are already familiar with your business, or they have a general understanding of what you offer. What you need to do is provide the information they’re really looking for, which is detailed information and pictures of your products and services.
If you’re looking to get more serious visitors on your site that will lead to sales, add information about your products on static pages. When you’re setting up your website, offer details about the products your customers would normally have to ask a sales representative about in the store. You’ll discover many of your customers will go to the website before they go to the store, if they go to the store at all.
You should also consider setting up your e-commerce site so the checkout system is tied in with your physical store. This way, all of the sales from both online and the store will draw on the same inventory. It will allow you to maintain your stock more easily.
Know How Your Users Think When Designing Your Website
If you know how your users think and what they are looking for when they come to your website, it’s even that much easier to create a platform they will enjoy. According to Smash Magazine, one of the first things people do when they land on your site is find something clickable. If they do not find anything interesting right away, they’re more likely to hit the back button and keep searching than they are to keep browsing your site.
Make sure you have important information and clickable content above the fold – what appears on the screen without having to scroll down or click on any navigation buttons. Also, design your site using eye-catching colors and highlighted areas for important information you want your visitors to pay attention to.
While the ultimate decision about whether they will click on the content is up to the users, the easier you make it for them to navigate your site, the more likely they will react the way you want. You may want to consider a few design elements that are animated as well. After all, the human eye automatically detects movement and changes. By including these elements in your web design, you increase the chances that your site visitors will focus their attention where you intended and can convert more people into customers. Just don’t overdo flashing and popup elements or you will lose visitors due to annoyance.
Make Your Website Responsive And Mobile Friendly
Incorporating a responsive design in your website is more important than ever before. With global smartphone ownership now outpacing PCs, you can see how important it is for your website to be just as viewable on mobile devices as it is on desktops. To put this in perspective, soon more than 22 percent of the global population will own a smartphone while only 20 percent will own a PC.
While the tablet industry only commands 6 percent of the market, remember that these devices are still pretty new in the grand scheme of things. By creating a responsive design on your site, your customers can get all the information they need, even while they’re standing in your store. You can include QR codes to provide more information about products to get customers into the habit of using the site as well.
Utilize Social Media Effectively
Social media is something your customers are most likely already using. If you allow them to connect to your site through their social media accounts, you’re going to have a much easier time connecting with your clientele. Consider for a minute that Facebook alone has more than a billion active users throughout the world.
If you’re tapping into this through your website with links to your social media, customers can follow you to learn about sales and more. Make sure to mention the ability to follow your social media inside both your e-commerce and physical stores as well. Modify your receipt templates to include your social media information and website URL. The more you promote your website and social media platforms to your existing customers, the more likely they will be repeat visitors and will spread the word to their friends about the great products and services you offer.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1) AWEBER You should also consider setting up an email marketing delivery platform. An easy to use and affordable option is Aweber, which offers a lot of customizable features and helpful analytics. They offer a free trial period for you to test out the entire platform as well. They have really helpful customer service and tutorials that make it easy to setup even if you don’t have any prior experience.
2) PROFITABLE ONLINE STORE COURSE Additionally, if you need help figuring out how to set up an e-commerce store on your website, there is a fantastic resource course created by Steve Chou, Profitable Online Store, that you should definitely check out. Steve is a good friend and highly experienced in e-commerce. His course offers over 120 instructional videos, exclusive forum access, weekly webinars and live office hours, helpful questionnaires, spreadsheets, checklists, and more.
3) BLUEHOST Bluehost makes it super easy to create your own website for super cheap. It only takes a few clicks to create your own account and the interface is incredibly user-friendly. Get started on your own website today!
Updated: 2015
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