Improving Your eCommerce Website 101

Experiment and innovate on your website to push your business further  

Online retailers are always in competition with each other  to get the most sales but more importantly to stay relevant for long-term survival. Because of this, continued growth and success while standing out can be a challenging task. Online stores need to be constantly experimenting with their marketing tools, business plans and sales channels to stay in the game.  

However, with innovation comes risk. You may have a genius idea, but that doesn't guarantee success. In fact, a great idea at one time can be a damaging disaster later down the line. 

Being innovative doesn't have to mean game-changing success or big risk ideas. Some ideas are more subtle but can prove to be just as impactful as other eCommerce solutions out there.  

Some examples of potential low-risk but high-reward changes are: 

Subscription packages 

Subscription packages have continued to grow in popularity, with clothing, technology and everything in between available as a recurring service.  From craft ales to well-being products to surprise gadget boxes, the market shows there is a demand for this service. 

These services are often purchased as gifts, and offer long term payment options, such as year-long subscriptions. For both businesses online, and brick and mortar shops, creating a subscription service for your products can help guarantee future orders from loyal shoppers and can add a whole new level of customer service.  One of the most popular options is a new member discount for a fixed period, such as the first month half price, which is then followed by a continued subscription when the consumer sees the value in the product. 

Similar to subscription packages, digitised products are being sold and used as rewards for 'subscribers' on websites such as Patreon. The popularity of related sites and services demonstrates how loyal customers will continue to support businesses for long periods, going beyond a one-off purchase. 

Post-purchase services  

Many businesses today, particularly those in the online shopping market, still rely on standard confirmation emails as their only post-purchase service. Changes to this aspect of your customer experience can be as small as offering money off vouchers for future purchases but can see a high return.  A common technique is offering a feedback survey or review with the chance of winning a voucher, which will help increasing engagement on your site. 

A more comprehensive service can be a personalised user experience. This can be achieved using personalised marketing emails and recommendations sent post-purchase, such as related products or services the customer might be interested in. This simple change can raise you above those businesses which still use generic mailing lists and whose customer service ends after purchase. 

Advanced Mobile Websites 

More people nowadays use mobile devices to search for products and services. In fact, mobile searches in the last year jumped to 50.71% of all searches carried out while desktop searches dropped to 45% (Source: SmartInsights).  With that in mind, your eCommerce site needs to reflect this. 

Having an engaging, dynamic mobile site which is also user friendly is key to converting mobile site visits to sales. If your mobile site doesn’t work, or takes too long for a user to get from enquiry to purchase, you are going to lose out on business. 

Redesigning your interface and improving your check-out process are the simplest ways to create a better mobile experience. 

Apps 

A branded app for your store or business is a fantastic but relatively low-risk innovation. With mobile shopping rising rapidly and customers always within reach of their phones having a presence on their devices can help boost sales, customer loyalty and repeat purchases. 

Having an app for online shopping, your social media and brand awareness, or to create a community of your customers allows you to better connect with your most active customers. The sight of your business's logo every time reminds them of the service or product they have got before and can increase future customer retention. 

Additions to your product categories 

By adding to the products or services you offer, you attract new customer bases and boost appeal to existing customers. This can be a whole new category of product or one which complements what you already offer. 

Alternative prices 

Changing the pricing on what you offer is something you won't know the impact of until you try. Lowering the pricing on popular products can give you a competitive edge and invite new customers. 

However, the reverse can also have a positive impact. If you offer an in-house product, or one that is relatively unique, then raising the prices can often make them seem more desirable among some buyers. 

Innovations like these, along with expert SEO marketing and website design,  would give your business the refresh it needs. At Inspire, we can help you to create a more significant impact with your digital presence by reinvigorating your product pages, SEO and eCommerce platform to be more engaging and accessible on mobile devices. We can create a tailored package to ensure your business has an edge on your competitors.