There’s no doubt about it…
Ecommerce giants like Amazon have set the bar high for all online sellers.
And if you want to compete in this space, you’re going to have to meet them at that bar.
Don’t worry! You can create an Amazon-like shopping experience without an Amazon-like budget Yes, you read that right: small ecommerce stores can compete with the giants… if they do it right.
To help, here are 5 ecommerce tips that will give you quick wins and help you grow your store as soon as you’re done reading this post.
Like today.
Whether you’re selling clothing or vitamins or beauty products, and no matter if you’re just starting out or are a goliath or household name like eBay or Dollar Shave Club, we think these quick ideas will help your site to be even better. So read, learn, and get started selling more… right away.
Ecommerce Quick Win #1: Up Your Store’s Wow Factor
The
ecommerce space is filled with beautiful sites. Like seriously.
Have you seen Soko Glam?
Or Allbirds?
And what about this guy…
Not picking on ARNGREN here, but let’s be honest: ecommerce sites that are clunky or visually unappealing scream, “I don’t know what I’m doing!” And no one wants to buy from someone who doesn’t know what they are doing. Your potential customers will bounce as soon as they’re done sneering at your theme.
Customers have come to expect beautiful, seamless interfaces from ecommerce stores, so the first thing you need to do is look at your site and see if you can quickly and effectively up the aesthetics.
Sounds… complicated.
But before you freak out, you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours to make your site look great.
But how can you give your site that Amazon-like experience without the Amazon-like budget?
Use a tool.
There are amazing tools out there—one of our favorites is FunnelKonnekt. Tools like FunnelKonnekt are designed to help small businesses build ecommerce sites that look great, drive conversions, and give users that fast, seamless experience they expect. Best of all—if you use a tool, you get the benefit of someone else’s thousands of hours of trial and error and QA and development integrated onto your site.
Ecommerce Quick Win #2: Make Sure Your Site Has Upsell Offers
Raise your hand if you have ever bought a book… and then before you checked out they enticed you with this awesome coffee mug with the quotes from the book (that you obviously needed if you were going to read the book)… and then a reading light so you could read the book at night… and then if you’re buying all of that, you might as well pre-order the sequel that’s coming out next month…
Sound familiar?
Upsells are on ecommerce sites because upsells work. It’s that simple.
Basic ecommerce strategy has informed us all that acquiring a new customer is the hard part—and the expensive part. Once that customer has seen your product and bought it and loved it… well, they’re likely to buy from you again and again.
That’s why it’s important to have upsell offers on all of your products. Upsell offers are low hanging fruit for your ecommerce business—so without them, you’re missing out on easy sales. With upsells, not only will you increase your average order value, but you’ll also make more profit per customer, which will make your ad spend even cheaper.
A super simple way to know what upsells to offer with specific products is to look at what customers have bought together in the past and add a “you might like this” button at the bottom of each product page on your ecommerce site. And again, to make it even easier, you can also use a tool to easily integrate upsells into your site.
Ecommerce Quick Win #3: Have a Contact Us Page
Nothing makes a customer angrier and makes them lose trust in you than being unable to reach you should an issue or question arise. (And, inversely, nothing makes a better brand advocate than a customer who has been effectively and efficiently helped through a problem.)
Perhaps the easiest way to build trust and increase your chances of getting the sale is to add a clear, concise Contact Us page. (It probably goes without saying that once you have your contact information out there, make sure that that customer’s interactions with your team via that page are trust-building as well.)
Ecommerce Quick Win #4: Answer Your Clients FAQ’s
It may seem like a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page is a great way to help your customers when they need something, but we have a little secret: It is actually more helpful for you.
When it’s easy for your customers to find the answers to their questions and concerns, they are not only more likely to buy from you, but it also frees up your customer care team to work on other tasks instead of having to answer. The. Same. Question. Over. And. Over. Again.
To make the page the best it can be, you’ll want to include answers to questions about…
- Shipping times and costs
- Refunds and returns
- Common questions about your product such as sizing or weight
BONUS TIP: If multiple customers are regularly asking the same questions about your product, it’s a sign you need to add more details to your product page, not just another answer to your FAQ page.
Ecommerce Quick Win #5: Put Thought Into Your Copy
If someone is just getting to know your brand or is on the fence about buying one of your products, you can bet that they’re reading the copy on your store’s homepage and product pages.
So it is essential that you include well-thought-out copy on your pages.
The most compelling copy uses words like “imagine” and tells a story. In your copy, you’ll want to convey how your product will benefit someone. Don’t just focus on the product features like size and color. Include benefits that speak to how this product will transform their lives and solve a problem they’re experiencing. Some copywriters have even had success being a little bit funny or kitchy with their copy. (But beware: When it comes to copy, there is such thing as too much of a good thing. Too many words, too many jokes, too many cute quips can turn a good ecommerce site into an annoying one.)
Your copy should show how your product will take someone from their “before state” where they’re bored or unhealthy or self-conscious to their desired “after state” where they’re now entertained or fit or confident, making the shopper feel like they must buy in order to get the things that they want the most.
Each of these ecommerce tips can have a big impact on your store… and your bottom line. And the best part is, you can start working on one (if not all) of these tips today! But if we had to pick just one, we’d start with #2 (no jokes) because upsells will have the fastest and the biggest impact on your revenue.
So pick the tip (or tips) you’re going to start working on, get yourself an effective ecommerce tool, and get to work.
