The World of eCommerce
The world of eCommerce is a fascinating place and it’s growing all the time. Bigger stores, newer platforms, more channels than ever to market through – there are lots of opportunities to find success. We attended UKFast’s annual eCommerce event this month, along with fellow marketing professionals and various keynote speakers. Speakers included Roland Bryan (Wowcher CEO), Kate Rylance (Shop Direct) and Emma Warrington (Forever Unique) among others. They discussed eCommerce topics such as:- how voice search will affect the eCommerce world in the coming years
- mobile vs desktop
- user experience
- the use of psychology in marketing
Are you looking to take your business online? Whether you need a website that will directly sell your products or just something to showcase your services, online is where it’s at nowadays. Almost every business out there has a website of some form. eCommerce is just one type of website companies choose to grow their business.
eCommerce FAQs
Here are some common questions people ask about eCommerce. If you need answers to any questions that aren’t covered in this article, send us a message on Facebook and we’ll help you.
What is eCommerce?
eCommerce is commercial transactions conducted over the Internet.
How do I get people to visit the eCommerce site?
There are various marketing tools available to draw customers to your website. Both paid and unpaid options offer great ROIs if used properly. SEO, PPC and social media are just three of the most popular methods used to attract people to an online store.
What makes a good eCommerce website?
There are lots of different elements that make a successful site. The user experience is vital – will people enjoy the process of using your site? Will the experience make them want to return in the future?
What should an eCommerce site look like?
An eCommerce site’s design is hugely important. The design must be of the highest quality to give users the best experience possible. Your design must align with a user’s journey on your site to make it easy to use. Well-designed websites look professional and increase your credibility.
How many products can an eCommerce site contain?
As many as you like. The are lots of different eCommerce websites and some are better for housing thousands of products more than others. You don’t ever have to worry about how many products you have to sell – find the right platform and you’re good to go.
The Benefits of eCommerce
eCommerce is hugely popular thanks to its potential to reach thousands/millions of people you won’t be able to with traditional retail. Companies that aren’t online often rely on local business to keep them going. eCommerce allows you to find a lot more people who might want to purchase from you. Attracting more customers means more revenue. You have to find a way of reaching more people first though. eCommerce is one way to do so. That’s just one benefit. Here are some more:Lower Costs
Taking the plunge into the world of eCommerce can save as well as make you a lot of money. You might begin to see a far greater ROI once you get to grips with all that comes with online selling. Here’s how it can save you £££… 1. It opens up more marketing channels to explore. The likes of PPC, organic search engine results, social media can all turn out to be very cost-effective solutions – if they’re used smartly. 2. Fewer employees are needed to cover costs of processing payments, billing and various other operational costs that are now all done online. 3. eCommerce can also reduce the need for a physical brick and mortar store. You might find that the demand for your products is scaleable far beyond the town or city you’re currently in. If people far and wide want to buy your products online, it might make little sense to continue to invest in a physical store.Remain Open 24/7
If you’re online, your store never closes. How often do you browse online shops in an evening? You couldn’t just nip to the shop because most are closed in an evening. eCommerce eliminates this issue. Your customers won’t have to worry about making it to your shop before five o’clock anymore. And you don’t have to worry about missing a sale because customers can’t always get to you. You improve your customer’s experience as being available 24/7 is much more convenient for your customers and it’s better for you as you’ll receive more orders. Beautiful stuff.Reach More Specific Audiences
Marketing online means you can better refine who you advertise your products to. You can reach more people who are more likely to buy your products. This isn’t limited to just eCommerce but is a big advantage of digital marketing in general. Pay-per-click allows you to target specific keyword searches, social media advertising gives you the option to be specific about the type of person you want to see your ads – age, interests, gender etc. and so on. Target the right people and your ROI will be far greater that it was before you went online.eCommerce will long continue to be a driving force in the world of business and has transformed thousands of companies and allowed them to evolve into far more than they were before the concept existed. There are lots of elements that need to be considered before going ahead, so having high-quality business and marketing plans in place is very important.
If you need help adding an online presence to your business, fill out a contact form below. We can assist with marketing, web development and a whole lot more.
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