|
Online Stores can be successful businesses |
|
|
We have created many e commerce sites and online stores over the past 7 years, and many of our clients are now successfully operating their business online. However it is fair to say that not all of our clients are equally successful.
We would like to share with you the most common reasons why online stores are not living up to expectations. In the main there are 5 Reasons why e commerce sites and online stores often fail to produce the desired results.
A lack of advertising.
Many online store retailers think customers will find their online store by magic, or by accident. But please take just one look at the Millions of websites on the Internet today, and it is not difficult to see, why just having an online shop is not enough to attract customers.
If online stores and their products are not advertised the chances of customer’s especially new customers getting attracted to the online shop are not very high. However, one does not have to spend a lot of money promoting an e commerce site or online shop. Professional SEO (Search Engine Optimization) will help a great deal as well as direct targeted email campaign newsletters are good and very cost-effective ways to attract new customers who are already interested in products such as you are selling.
Poor customer service
If you can't keep your existing customers happy, you can forget about attracting new ones. Word travels quickly on the Internet, and it only takes one unhappy customer to start a snowball effect that can ruin your company.
This also applies to stores that don't post their contact information prominently on their site. This can give customers the impression that there's nowhere for them to turn if they have a problem, which can lead to a loss of sales. You don't need to offer round-the-clock phone support — just post an e-mail address and let your customers know your response time.
A stale site
If you have not updated your site in the last few months, you run the risk of looking like a dead company. Even if you only add new updates on your products, more information, or restructure your site even a little, it gives the impression that you are still there and interested in your company.
And just like in the real world of retailing, you need to conduct market research and be competitive. Find out what your competitors offer that you do not; find out who beats your prices.
Not optimizing your site for search engines.
It's been estimated that as many as 70 percent of all online purchases start with a Web search at one of the major search engines. If your site doesn't appear within the first 2 pages of search results, you can say goodbye to that 70 percent of sales. Make sure your content reflects your product offerings and is rich in relevant keywords.
A sloppy Web site
If your store looks like it was thrown together and is difficult to navigate, customers will look elsewhere. Your Web site is your link to customers; as such, it should look as professional as possible. It will inspire confidence in your users and assure them that you take your business seriously.
Even if you are not a Web design expert, you can use templates to build a sleek, simple site. Invest the time to make your site the best it can be. The reward will be a professional site that is appealing to consumers. If you have no experience at all in building websites why not contact us and let us create a sucessful online platform for your business. Whats more, we will get you these precious page 1 Google Rankings.
|
