The rise of online shopping and the increase in mobile usage has spawned a multi-billion dollar industry. In 2017, eCommerce was responsible for $2.3 trillion in sales, and it’s expected to reach $4.5 trillion by 2021. In the States alone, online shopping already accounts for 10% of retail sales and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 15%.

But did you know that 95% of eCommerce stores fail? That’s right, eCommerce offers countless opportunities, but the competition is extremely fierce. What’s more, one of the most common obstacles that stand in the way of success is the eCommerce website. So, if you want to survive in this highly-competitive industry, having a functional, visually-appealing website is essential.  However, another important aspect is having the help of the right price monitoring tool.

To help you out, we’ve put together a list of 6 tips. Follow them and you will be able to build a profitable eCommerce site.

1. Put the User First

One of the main disadvantages of online stores is that customers don’t have a chance to touch and feel the products. That’s why, when designing your website, you need to put the users first and provide them with tools that will make them comfortable to make a buying decision. 

To achieve this, you have to know your target customers’ motivations and needs. By applying UX best practices, you’ll be able to create an e-store that is trustworthy, useful, and easy to navigate. Here are a few principles to have in mind: 

• Keep things simple. When it comes to user experience, simpler is always better.
• Make sure your site is intuitive and your customers find it easy to use. Your customers should be able to browse your store and find what they’re looking for without too much thinking.
• Make sure that your site looks (and is) legitimate and trustworthy. Your content should always be up to date and all errors fixed. You also need to add an informative ‘About Us’ page and add links to credible third-party references. 

2. Leverage the Power of Social Media

When it comes to online shopping, social media plays a big part. Today’s customers turn to social media for information and to check out reviews before making a purchase decision. They’re even shopping through these channels. For that reason, you need to take the necessary steps to attract social customers. 

When building your eCommerce site, think about at which touchpoints customers will interact with social platforms. Make sure your products are integrated with social media to enable customers to share the info about your products. Here are a few ideas to help you incorporate social elements into the site:

• Provide social sign-in options.
• Share social media plugins on your product pages.
• Share user-generated content on your website. 

3. Give SEO a Try

As we mentioned earlier, competition is a serious problem in the eCommerce industry. One effective way to set yourself apart from your competitors is by using SEO. eCommerce SEO (like any other type of SEO) requires a lot of work. Covering everything is impossible in just one paragraph, but here is what you need to do in a nutshell:

• Start by researching keywords and phrases to find the types of keywords customers are searching for.
• Make sure your site architecture is based on your keyword research.
• Include your keywords in the meta tags and throughout the content. 
• Don’t forget about technical SEO as it will help ensure search engines can crawl your website efficiently.
• Link building is another aspect of SEO that aims to improve the authority of your site.
• Finally, make sure to measure your SEO success with tools like Google Analytics.

4. Optimize Your Product Descriptions

Once potential customers land on your website, it’s time to persuade them to buy your products. One of the best ways to achieve this, besides high-quality product photography, is by writing great product descriptions. Here are several tips to help you write compelling, informative, and optimized product descriptions that sell:

• Don’t have the same description for all your products. The best product descriptions are unique and different for all the products you’re selling. This is also important for Google as the largest search engine doesn’t like duplicate content.
• Always have your audience in mind when writing your descriptions. Are your customers young or older? Would they appreciate wittier descriptions or is it wiser to stick to generic ones? How do you want to portray your brand? The words, phrases, and the tone you’re using should resonate with your target audience. 
• Make sure your descriptions provide enough details about each product. Tell customers how your product can be used, what are its benefits, and how your product will be the solution to their problems.
• Ensure there aren’t any grammar or spelling errors as that would make your online store look unprofessional. 

5. Be Mobile-Friendly

According to eCommerce stats, nearly 80% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their phones in the last 6 months. By 2021, the worldwide mCommerce share in eCommerce is expected to reach 72.9%. Mobile is also the dominant platform for searches with nearly 50% of shoppers using a smartphone to begin searching with a search engine.

Obviously, mobile commerce is growing at a fast pace, so it’s extremely important to ensure that your site is primed for mobile viewing.

When building your e-store, focus on responsive design. Businesses adapting to the popularity of mCommerce are reaping the rewards, whereas those who haven’t yet invested in this area are missing out on a growing segment of the customer base.

6. Take Advantage of Customer Testimonials

Including customer reviews and testimonials is a great way to not only decrease shoppers’ anxiety but also to integrate with social media. We’ve already mentioned that with eCommerce, customers don’t have the opportunity to touch the products, so providing reviews and testimonials can help them get over the fear of shopping online. 

The majority of today’s shoppers trust other people more than they trust a brand’s product information and that’s why social proof is very important for pushing your website visitors a step closer to the checkout page. 

To collect as much feedback as possible, encourage customers to write about their experience with your e-store and your products, and integrate social media comments on your products 

page. 

7. Remove Any Checkout Barriers

Make sure there aren’t any obstacles for your customers to complete their purchase. The best way to achieve this is by making your checkout process as simple as possible. Here are some tips to help you:

• Eliminate the need for account creation.
• Reduce the number of screens customers have to go through.
• Require only necessary information in form fields.
• Save billing, shipping, and payment info.
• Provide different payment options.

Final Thoughts

Building an effective and successful online store is not easy, but the effort will pay off once you see the amazing results in your sales. eCommerce is growing rapidly and this year, it is expected to make up more than 14% of the total retail spending. So, you’d better get to work and make the first step to becoming a successful eCommerce retailer!

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