Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Anica Oaks, who is a freelance writer and web enthusiast.
The unwavering increase in online shopping is launching e-commerce to greater heights. Businesses that will turn a blind eye to this potent opportunity risk fizzling out into obscurity.
This underscores the importance of businesses having a system that adequately addresses consumer needs on the internet. Here are some crucial ways to help you enjoy maximum benefits from an e-commerce platform.
Proper Web Hosting
You can invest megabucks in building your e-commerce and still turn your business into a big-time failure if you are not keen on web hosting. Look for a web host that’s keen on optimizing your online business through quality delivery of services. Some of the features to look out for include customer support, hardware setup, SSL availability, free shopping cart setup and prompt ticket response.
Embrace Mobile Shopping Strategy
According to Internetretailer.com, 30 percent of online shoppers in the U.S use smartphones so ensuring that your e-commerce site is mobile-friendly is a necessity. Keep your site fully integrated and ensure that the infrastructure allows mobile deployment with ease. In this regard, ensure your site’s check-out features are usable on a mobile gadget. Similarly, ensure that page navigation and buttons have sufficient space for easy tapping. The mobile version of your images should also be clear so that customers can clearly see the products on offer.
Security and Compliance
Ensure your e-commerce site is Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) compliant. As a matter of fact, this should always be at the core of your online business strategy. The fact that online shopping runs around-the-clock nowadays is making it hard to keep in-house staff, so it would be worthwhile to consider hiring an Ottawa IT services company or other security infrastructure specialist in your particular locale. Safeguarding your site against potential threats not only protects loss of revenue, but also enhances your image remarkably. This is more important if your business is raking in high returns..
User-friendly Checkout Process
One of the key factors to improving customer satisfaction is to make their shopping experience as rewarding as possible. Make sure the check-out process’ usability and functionality are excellent as this will help build your customers’ trust. For example, ensure the site allows for easy editing of contents, shows clear shipping details, the checkout button is clear, the images of products in the cart are clear, and that the process loads faster. In addition to the above pointers, you need to embrace a proper marketing and SEO strategy to ensure your site ranks higher in SERPs. This way you will be able to keep your e-commerce site fully operational and profitable.
Ultimately, this isn’t just about the end-game of making more money. It’s about being there for the customer throughout the experience arc. A consistent and positive experience will bring them back. It will also make them more likely to do that most valuable form of marketing for you: word-of-mouth.
Author bio: Anica Oaks is a freelance copywriter and web enthusiast from California. Next to writing, she´s an outdoor lover, poet, bathroom singer, and chronic internet lurker You can find her on Twitter @AnicaOaks.
[cta-variant1]
