Simple Tips For Stopping Your Online Sales From Snoozing

As a business owner, you’ve probably been told one thing – your brand doesn’t exist nowadays if it isn't online. As a result, you may well have dedicated hours to product photography and spent a substantial amount of your budget on an online store that you imagine will make you more popular. But what happens if you do all this, only to discover that it doesn’t buy you a ticket to success? 

The sad reality is that while a well-done online store certainly stands to help your brand, it’s not a guaranteed solution for success. And that’s not altogether surprising when you consider that while 20% of retail sales now happen online, 48% of shoppers prefer in-store experiences. This is especially true for many small businesses that rely on passing trade. 

However, you’re spending enough to sustain your online store and have heard enough about its potential that you’re probably keen to stop that space from snoozing any longer. Luckily, we have a few times to help you make that happen. 

# 1 - Select the Right E-Commerce Platform

Many small businesses make the mistake of either underpaying for the most basic e-commerce platform on the market or overpaying for a platform that’s both too expensive and too complex to use. Either of these mistakes can prove costly and put your online store to bed, which is why it’s vital to take the time to research the best platform for your needs. 

According to consensus, e-commerce platforms like Shopify are generally preferable for beginners due to their user-friendly interfaces and quick setup solutions. As seen from this Shopify guide, Shopify also provides a range of payment plans, including affordable monthly options for businesses just starting online.

You may also find it useful to consider things like the e-commerce platforms with the best compatibility for your site host and simply which platforms other competitors in the industry are using with success. That way, you give your online store the best chance of getting off the ground by being both cost-effective and fully usable. 

# 2 - Get Proactive

Many budding businesses make the mistake of launching online stores without putting in anywhere near as much legwork as they do with, say, a physical launch. After all, in many ways, an online store feels like an add-on for the business you’ve already got. But, it would be a mistake to overlook the importance of promoting this part of your business, too. 

This is especially vital because, most of the time, your online store will appeal to a whole new audience, meaning that you need to develop focused, relevant marketing targeted to that niche. Making your existing audience aware of your online store through social media or email newsletters is the most obvious place to start. Still, you’ll also want to take steps to kick-start organic traffic across those new audiences via techniques like keyword enriched product descriptions and well-tailored paid online ad campaigns. 

# 3 - Let Your Products Do the Talking

Speaking of keyword-enriched product descriptions, letting your products talk in your online store can also be effective, just as they do in your physical space. Think about it – with your in-person store; you set up the best product displays to attract attention, highlight key features, etc. Your trained sales assistants then swoop in and seal the deal. By comparison, you’re at an automatic disadvantage online: consumers can neither feel your products nor talk directly to your team about what’s on offer. 

That can stand in the way of sales if you let it, but finding ways to help your products shine online will likely prevent that eventuality and essentially involves finding online-friendly ways to recreate that in-store set-up. For instance, high-quality product photography and a practical store layout can serve the same purpose as your in-store displays. Then, instead of a sales assistant, you’ll want to curate the best, most persuasive product descriptions possible to prove that your online store is more than worth spending time in. 

Conclusion

Online sales might not soar straight away as you’d imagined, and it’s all too easy to stress about the money you’ve spent here, but the reality is that there are plenty of options for waking up to sales in an online space. Put these tips into action in ways that work for you. 

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