posted bydopweb26/05/2020
Don't you want your e-commerce store to receive the best possible results? If so, take advantage of our website builder and build a website that will have the right tools for all of your e-commerce needs.
In this comprehensive guide, you will learn everything you should know about e-commerce websites. We will review the following important points:
E-commerce or electronic commerce is defined as the buying and selling of goods over the internet.
This capability has allowed many businesses to achieve tremendous amounts of success.
E-commerce is one of the most successful forms of shopping. In 2016 m-commerce or mobile commerce increased by 39.1% compared to its previous year.
In fact, studies show that e-commerce sites stand to earn $4.058 trillion in sales by the year 2020.
The big boom in e-commerce could be largely due to the comfort and sense of convenience that individuals feel with online shopping.
In dealing with the e-commerce framework, there are many different types to consider:
- B2B - Business to business is an exchange of products over the internet between businesses.
- B2C - Business to customer is the exchange of goods online between a business and a customer. The most popular example of this is Amazon.
- Consumer to Consumer - This type of e-commerce is the exchange of goods between two consumers.
Auction sites serve as a third party medium. Popular examples of these would be eBay or Craigslist.
- B2A - Business to administration is when companies and organizations or government bodies exchange in online transactions with one another.
- C2A - Consumer to administration refers to exchanges between consumers and organizations or government bodies over the internet.
Popular examples of this type of transaction include education, social security, taxes, and health services.
- M-Commerce - Mobile commerce is a type of e-commerce that deals with transactions on mobile devices.
These devices range from mobile phones to tablets. Mobile commerce also includes banking apps, bill pay, and shopping.
There are many steps that go along with putting together an e-commerce store. However, our digital marketing agency is always here to help. Below, we'll outline what it takes to create a successful online shop.
- Business Structure - Decide on what type of business you have. Are you a sole proprietor? Perhaps, you're a partnership, LLC, or corporation? This is something that is imperative to know.
Should you choose to operate as a sole proprietor your assets are at risk, so you'll want to be sure of your decision.
Both a corporation and LLC separate your business from your assets. They also provide other tax benefits.
- EIN - You'll need to obtain an employer identification number in order to open an account for your business. This also needed for business taxes.
- Licenses/permits - It always necessary to check with your city, state, or county to determine what if any credentials you may need in order to own and operate your business.
- Product - Before you can have a successful store, you'll need to be fully aware of the product that you are selling.
You should give a great deal of thought to this. In doing so, there are many questions that should be answered.
Is there a need for it? Is it profitable? Once that's been determined, you'll need to decide on the manufacturing and shipping methods you'll employ.
- Make a plan - Part of creating a successful business plan is scoping out the competition. You'll need to decide what works and what doesn't work.
A pricing strategy and marketing tools will also be needed. From here, a trained and experienced professional will draft a detailed plan and help you to visualize your growth strategy.
- Branding services - After determining your product and your marketing strategy, branding is another thing you're going to need to consider.
Customers need to associate your brand with a certain idea, a certain set of core values.
You'll need the right company name, logo design, color scheme, etc. Nothing should be left to chance.
The help of a team such as dopweb can assist in putting all of these major components together.
- Early Marketing - Begin your marketing campaign even before your store launches. That way, customers will already be filled with anticipation just waiting for your products to arrive.
This will also help you avoid starting from scratch on the day you launch. Keeping your social media followers and email list updated on your launch plans will ensure that your e-commerce store receives the web traffic it needs and deserves.
Once the technicalities are taken care of, you must get down the business of planning and preparing for your e-commerce store. Here, is a step by step plan of what do before and after the launch of your e-commerce store.
- Before the Launch - Though you may be anxious to get your e-commerce store up and running, there are a few things you must get together first. Social media profiles are a must.
This way, you can drive your online followers to your store and your content can be shared across the web organically.
You must also prepare your email marketing campaigns. This will also help you turn leads into future customers.
Once your store is completely set up, check your store's responsive design and optimization.
These will prove to be important when judging the results of your e-commerce business' success.
- Post Launch - This is where the magic happens! When your store launches, you'll have to keep your promotion consistent.
Marketing and tracking conversions are going to be on your mind morning, noon, and night. In addition to keeping your promotion alive, don't be afraid to periodically add new pieces to your inventory.
This shows that your business can stay on the cutting-edge and will allow you to test what your target audience likes and dislikes.
If you're in need of an amazing e-commerce website, our web design agency is more than equipped to take great care of you.
We've created wonderful e-commerce sites across an array of platforms for tons of satisfied clients and we'd like to do the same for you.
These platforms include WordPress, Shopify, Magento and the like. We will build and maintain your store with all the proper components in place so you won't have to stress over the details.
When considering implementing e-commerce to your brand, you should ensure that there is a high demand for your product.
You need it to be an item or service that will set you apart from all others.
Your perfect site will need an eye-catching homepage, a descriptive "about us" section, and a contact form.
Informative blog service, news or other fun trivia about your business would also make for a nice touch.
One of the most important features of an e-commerce page is the shopping cart. Our technicians will create it without a hitch to ensure that customers have a smooth user experience.
When all the necessary factors are put into place, your site will be on it's way to achieving the results that you seek.
As part of our outstanding services, our team will maintain your site and ensure that the content and product listenings are always up to date.
Aside from increasing your business' revenue, there are a myriad of reasons as to why launching an e-commerce store is a brilliant idea. The following are just a few examples.
- Overcoming Geography - A physical store has its limitations. However, a store that is online is available to everyone, no matter where they are.
- Visibility - Creating an online store is a fantastic way to gain more visibility for your business.
- Less Cost - By not having a slew of active staff, you'll reduce your total cost. You'll actually make a great deal of profit with your earnings from pay per click campaigns and organic traffic.
- Quicker Product Location - With an e-commerce store, customers don't have to search high and low for the item they want. They simply point and click. Shopping has never been so easy.
- 24/7 - With an e-commerce store, your shop can remain open 24 hours a day. That means you'll never miss out on a sale. What could be better than that?
- Add Personalization - By implementing the use of cookies on your website, your web analytics can track customer behavior and preferences. This will help you recommend other products that they might like.
- Niche Products - Online stores offer the opportunity to locate hard to find products. For instance, if you're trying to track down old car parts or collectible items, online retailers make it easy.
- Flexibility - As your e-commerce business continues to gain visibility. You might want to increase your product line and attract a new target audience.
Having an online platform such as an e-commerce store will give you the flexibility you'll need to make changes as smoothly as possible.
- Retargeting - With the help of social media marketing ads and customer email addresses, retargeting potential buyers is easy.
You'll be able to reach out to those shoppers who place items in their cart but don't buy, or, those who leave your shop without purchasing anything.
- Working Remote - Most times, when you operate an e-commerce business, you aren't called on to have a regular office space.
This means that you can work from home, a coffee shop, or just about anywhere. Not only is online shopping convenient for your customers, but it's also convenient for you.
If you're going to handle consumer transactions, you've got to be able to guarantee that your consumers will have a safe experience.
People will be coming to your online store with sensitive information so you'll have to ensure that your cybersecurity methods are in place.
The following are all the necessary cybersecurity components that you'll need as part of your e-commerce business:
- Reliable E-Commerce Platform - Choosing the right platform will place you well on your way to great cybersecurity since they are guaranteed safe from the start.
Be sure to run the latest version of your chosen platform so your site won't fall prey to malicious hackers.
- SSL Certificate - Ensuring that your e-commerce business contains an SSL certificate is a great way to keep your site ranking high.
- Two-Factor Authentication - Two-factor authentication will give you the peace of mind that you seek. Two-factor authentication is also guaranteed to keep your users' data safe.
- VPN for Financial Transactions - A VPN will aid in keeping your clients' financial information safe. It's a virtual private network that is guaranteed to keep hackers away.
The most important thing you'll need when deciding to dive into the e-commerce area is an e-commerce strategy.
This is a plan that will help you determine what your goals are for your business' online store.
How do you plan to generate more revenue? How do you plan to increase the value of your goods?
These are just a couple of the questions that come into play when formulating your e-commerce strategy.
Once your goals are in place, a talented team of web developers can swoop in and perform a SWOT test for you. What's that?
A SWOT test helps to assess your business' strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
This analysis will give you a complete overall view of your business so you can determine what changes may or may not need to be made.
Having the results of the SWOT test will also go a long way in helping you to determine your goals for the future.
What do you hope to see for your business in the next 10 years? What will it take for you to get there? This is the time to ask yourself those all important questions.
As with every business, you must take the law into account. E-commerce law has its own set of rules and regulations.
E-commerce business owners must deal with their own requirements for privacy, security, and taxes.
Most e-commerce activities such as emails, adverting, and consumer privacy are regulated by the federal trade commission.
This helps keep the sensitive data from your customers protected.
E-commerce businesses need to be aware of numerous laws such as copyright infringement and service provider responsibility.
For proper web & conversion optimization for your e-commerce store, there's plenty of steps that come into play. Below we will highlight some of the most important tips.
- Avoid Too Many Choices - Adding in a lot of options to your toolbar is simple. However, having too many choices can confuse your customer and make them overwhelmed. Instead, stick to a few of your signature pieces.
- From Checkout to Purchase - Ensure that your potential customer is more likely to buy by deactivating the navigation features from the checkout page.
This will allow your customer to focus on making a purchase and remove access to other pages that may serve as distractions.
- Add Reviews - Never underestimate the sales power of your customers. It may seem tough to gain quality reviews at first, but as long as you stay persistent the reviews and conversions will come rolling in.
- Perform Quality Checks - One of the keys to e-commerce success is making sure that all of your site's features actually work.
The last thing customers want is to make it to the checkout process only to discover they are unable to purchase their items.
What's worse is they may be unable to click on the inventory they want. In an effort to avoid this, when you create a website, you and a team of professionals should ensure that every feature of your website runs smoothly.
Our digital marketing agency will handle your product listing form A to Z. If you're in need of bold and beautiful product photographs, our talented team can take care of that as well.
We'll showcase your items beautifully. Whether you're promoting clothing, food, or furniture, we'll take care of it.
If you've already got your own images that you'd like included on your e-commerce page, our professionals can provide you with detailed and optimized descriptions.
We'll include relevant keywords and engaging content marketing services that will be sure to convince potential customers to purchase your goods.
Because we understand how hectic managing all of your business' details can be, the dopweb team can even manage your store's initial inventory.
We'll keep track of everything from merchandise to product shipping so you can focus on what's really important.
The online marketplace has quickly become one of the most popular avenues to buy and sell goods. Not utilizing this platform wouldn't be to your benefit.
Our web agency will place your products in some of the most popular online marketplaces so your success is guaranteed.
By having your products placed in the leading online marketplaces, you'll be sure to expand your company's reach. The added visibility will work wonders for your business' financial success.
Wouldn't you love to watch your products rank high on Amazon? Here, we can make it happen.
How can we ensure this happens? It all starts with proper optimization. First, we'll take a look at your product title. Believe it or not, this matters!
Customers want to see that your product will satisfy all of their needs. However, because readers have a short attention span, the title should not be too long.
Our team will help you to strike a happy medium between the two.
We'll also provide concise, yet detailed descriptive information so your customers will be well-informed without losing interest.
Utilizing trusted and respected Amazon SEO service techniques we'll see to it that your e-commerce is set up for success.
Along with Amazon Seller Central, your business can also be placed in your choice of marketplaces such as eBay, Google Shopping, Etsy, Walmart, and more.
Here at dopweb, you can trust us to take your business to the next level.
Analytics is another extremely important element of e-commerce. Without it, you wouldn't have accurate reports on how your business is performing.
At dopweb, we employ a series of tests to measure the strengths and weakness of your store.
The metrics that we'll employ are as follows:
- Customer Lifetime Value - This metric will measure the value of any customer over a long period of time. (LTV) and profitability is linked.
The higher LTV a company has, the more they are able to invest in attracting new customers.
- Returning Visitors - This metric takes into account the percentage of visitors that return to your website after their initial visit.
It's ideal to have a return ratio of 20%. This means customers are pleased by what they saw and are willing to remain a repeat customer.
- Time on Site - This is also known as dwell time. It's important to take into account how much time a user spends on your site.
It shows that potential customers enjoy what they see and are having a good experience. An average score for time on site should be around 120 seconds.
- Pages Per Visit - This is the number of pages visited on your site by users one visit. If customers visit 4 or more pages on your site in a single visit, that indicates high quality user experience.
- Bounce Rate - This measures the number of users that browse your site and leave without completing the goal. It's imperative to keep this number as low as possible.
A high bounce rate indicates that there is a problem with your website. Possible factors could include poor web design, slow loading time, or un-optimized content.
With our carefully designed testing process and accuracy of reports, you can trust that your site will perform better than ever before.
For the best possible results, your e-commerce mustn't leave anything to chance. All of its features should work properly and it should function at lightning fast speed.
Our team highly recommends the implementation of AMP technology so your store doesn't get left behind.
If your store doesn't meet these criteria, the chances are you won't see much web traffic. But with a properly optimized website, you'll be well on your way to achieving success.
All it takes is the right platform and the right team of technicians to bring your e-commerce store from practically non-existent to thriving.
If you're looking to transform your e-commerce for the better, dopweb is here to offer you the solutions that you need.
From building your platform and optimizing your store to placing you in top performing marketplaces, we will guide you through every step of the process.
Our experienced specialists will sit down with you and discuss your product listing details as well as our marketing strategy.
You can rest assured knowing that we'll take great care of your business.
