Online commerce continues to thrive in our collective digital world. From giant eCommerce enterprises like Amazon to small niche shoe marketplaces like KixRx, eCommerce has something for everyone. And this goes for consumers and eCommerce entrepreneurs alike.
The estimated global market segment value of eCommerce is $6.5 trillion by 2023. In the U.S. that estimated value is nearly $600 billion by 2024. That’s a lot of money on the table for future eCommerce entrepreneurs, even if you are in a niche market.
There is certainly no doubt that the eCommerce industry will grow exponentially over the next few years. And this growth is global, as well as in the U.S. Why not throw your hat into the ring of online sales?
But not so fast. You simply can’t jump in head first and hope for eCommerce success. Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy. You need to consider customer experience, or implement eCommerce cloud solutions to grow your business into a success.
To help, we compiled a few eCommerce business tips smart entrepreneurs can’t afford to ignore. Let’s get to it!
Enter user experience. User experience is an essential business tip entrepreneurs can’t afford to ignore. If customers do not have a great experience on your eCommerce site, you probably won’t sell much.
Here are some eCommerce user experience must-haves:
SEO can help your product pages rank higher. You can also optimize your blog content. Another important SEO tactic is website speed. Utilizing SEO techniques, you can ensure your site is fast. This means page load time is under one second.
There is a lot of technology that can go into creating an online marketplace. This technology can fail without warning. Having team members continuously checking and testing pages and functionality will ensure your customers can buy items without any serious issues.
Investing in social media to maximize growth and success means using social to raise brand awareness, serve up timely product offers, deliver coupon codes and run giveaways, directly market items, and much more.
Many eCommerce platforms are using Instagram Shopping to sell products through Instagram. This has opened up a whole new way for entrepreneurs to sell.
The estimated global market segment value of eCommerce is $6.5 trillion by 2023. In the U.S. that estimated value is nearly $600 billion by 2024. That’s a lot of money on the table for future eCommerce entrepreneurs, even if you are in a niche market.
There is certainly no doubt that the eCommerce industry will grow exponentially over the next few years. And this growth is global, as well as in the U.S. Why not throw your hat into the ring of online sales?
But not so fast. You simply can’t jump in head first and hope for eCommerce success. Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy. You need to consider customer experience, or implement eCommerce cloud solutions to grow your business into a success.
To help, we compiled a few eCommerce business tips smart entrepreneurs can’t afford to ignore. Let’s get to it!
1. The User Comes First — Period
One of the biggest disconnects consumers have when purchasing products online is the inability to touch, feel, and try out the items they’re interested in. There is no way around this. But you can make customers a priority in other ways.Enter user experience. User experience is an essential business tip entrepreneurs can’t afford to ignore. If customers do not have a great experience on your eCommerce site, you probably won’t sell much.
Here are some eCommerce user experience must-haves:
- Navigation on-site must be simple (zero friction)
- Website search must return accurate results
- Each product needs to have plenty of images, and even video if possible
- Product descriptions must be detailed
- Checkout needs to be as simple as possible
- Provide fast shipping options at no cost, or minimal price
- The list goes on, but you get the idea. There are a ton of UX tactics you can employ. It just takes a little research and willingness to implement.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Is Critical
The eCommerce space will become increasingly crowded in the coming years. You will definitely not be the only entrepreneur trying to reach online consumers. How do you stay competitive? Search engine optimization (SEO) is one strategy you need to compete in a fierce industry like eCommerce.SEO can help your product pages rank higher. You can also optimize your blog content. Another important SEO tactic is website speed. Utilizing SEO techniques, you can ensure your site is fast. This means page load time is under one second.
3. Make Testing An Everyday Thing
Testing and quality control is an absolute must. It is one of the most essential business tips eCommerce entrepreneurs can’t afford to ignore. What does testing mean exactly? You and/or your team needs to check payment processing, checkout, product pages, and more daily.There is a lot of technology that can go into creating an online marketplace. This technology can fail without warning. Having team members continuously checking and testing pages and functionality will ensure your customers can buy items without any serious issues.
4. Invest In Social Media To Maximize Growth
Social media is a very important part of your eCommerce success strategy. If you are not leveraging social media channels to grow your online business, you are leaving a lot of money on the table for your competitors.Investing in social media to maximize growth and success means using social to raise brand awareness, serve up timely product offers, deliver coupon codes and run giveaways, directly market items, and much more.
Many eCommerce platforms are using Instagram Shopping to sell products through Instagram. This has opened up a whole new way for entrepreneurs to sell.
5. Ensure Your eCommerce Platform Is Mobile Ready
The desktop buying era is pretty much over. People are more mobile than ever before, and this means people are buying items via their smartphones more than ever. If you want to make those sales and stay highly competitive in the eCommerce industry, you absolutely need a powerful mobile site experience.In Conclusion...
The above five eCommerce business insights for entrepreneurs are only the tip of the iceberg. They are, however, among the most important business tips you need to implement into your online marketplace strategy. What has been your top tactic for growing your eCommerce platform into a successful one?
