It’s no secret eCommerce stores are getting more and more competitive. All the major brands with products sell online today. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start a store on the back of your existing brick and mortar store or create an eCommerce store from scratch
Ecommerce platforms like Magento provide opportunities for smaller businesses to carve out a portion in their online industry via better store design, allowing them to compete with some of the bigger players.
Here is what we mean:
Improved Customer Support Systems
Have you ever tried tracking down someone on a customer support line only to deal with voice recorders before being passed around from person to person? By utilising your eCommerce design you can provide a way for customers to contact you easily and ideally speak with a real person, converting sales that otherwise slip through the cracks. This means minimal phone numbers, clear instructions (opening hours and info they will need) and if possible, a live chat function on your site.
Design Around Your Niche Customer
A large brand has to cater for a wide range of customer demographics. If you can niche down to a certain age group or demographic, your site can look unique and functional to your ideal customer.
For example, if you are targeting senior citizens who are buying fitness equipment for the home, you may want to decrease the clutter on the site. Targeting entrepreneurs? Providing highly detailed benefits should be the focus. You get the idea.
Make The Shipping Process Better
Shipping costs are a burden for a buyer. Figuring out how much the product will cost to ship to their home address can take longer than checking seven different websites to compare prices.
Work out a way to let the customer know the cost of shipping for them as soon as possible, get creative with this and you eliminate a barrier to purchase. Keeping things simple for your customer is always your best option.
Creative Content Marketing
Content can be the focus of your eCommerce store easily enough and how you present the content matters. Many companies have a blog and social media accounts but do not think long term about how they all sync. If you create a seamless experience by incorporating content with your product pages your customers will naturally fall into the sales cycle.
You should always be looking to get any edge you can over your competitors. Competing on price is not always the best option when big players can easily match your price drop. Competing on design however, is where you can be unique, so spend time on your design and meet the needs of your target audience.
If you want expert advice on utilising the Magento eCommerce platform to get you a competitive advantage, get in touch with Alinga today.
