5 Key Considerations for New eCommerce Businesses
Ecommerce has been one of the leading industries in the last five years on a global scale.
The fact that the total revenue generated in this field keeps growing attracts new business owners to jump on the bandwagon.
While it comes as no surprise, new eCommerce entrepreneurs need to be aware of the potential issues awaiting around the corner.
This article explains the five key considerations for new eCommerce business owners and offers some actions to ensure a comfortable start.
1) The eCommerce website and shopping cart
As you’re starting your eCommerce business, you need to take proper care of your website and the shopping cart.
Your website needs either to be responsive to different types of devices (desktop computers, mobiles, tablets), or you should launch two separate versions: mobile and desktop. As you keep generating more leads and buyers, think about launching an eCommerce app, as well. It will improve your customers’ experience with your business and most probably increase sales.
As for the website shopping cart, it must be simple and omnipresent. This means that you should avoid placing ads or other distracting elements at the checkout. Also, the shopping cart icon should be available to your customers on every single website section. So, whenever they decide to buy something, they can click on the cart and store the item for the checkout.
If you card abandonment rate is a bit high at the beginning, don’t fall into despair. Many established businesses face this problem at certain periods. Make sure to track the cart abandonment stats and adapt your sales strategy to make them grow.
2) Reports and analytics
The cart abandonment rate is only one factor that shows the eCommerce business success rate.
All eCommerce merchants, especially new ones, need to use other analytics and reports to spot the weak spots and reinforce them.
For starters, use website heat maps. These tools show will show you what sections your website visitors mostly click on. For instance, if you expected that a certain section would generate more clicks and it didn’t, use heat maps to understand how they behaved on that section.
Apart from that, use Google Analytics to monitor your advertising ROI, website performance, and other data that will tell you how people interact with your business on the Web.
When it comes to analytics, don’t overlook search engine optimization. Every business should use keyword research tools to understand what search queries your target audience mostly looks for on Google. Knowing the right keywords will help you adapt the content marketing strategy to your market segment needs.
3) Shipping and logistics
The fast growth of eCommerce has led to the unparalleled expansion of the shipping and logistics industry.
Simply put, every item purchased online needs to be delivered to the buyer.
This is where shipping and logistics companies come on stage. Due to the rapid development of this market, new services providers are emerging as we speak.
On the one hand, eCommerce entrepreneurs can choose among hundreds of shipping services to work with.
On the other hand, it’s easier to miss the target and choose an unreliable provider.
Therefore, do your homework and shop around before signing a contract with a shipping partner.
Try to arrange discounts on higher volumes of sales and delivered items.
Define the liability section in that contract to detail. Let them know that your refund policy and their shipping services are mutually related. If the provider is irresponsible, you might end up with dozens of damaged items and, consequently, additional costs through refunds.
4) Product catalog and presentation
Ecommerce business owners need to enable simple and user-friendly website search. In that light, it’s important to create a visually appealing and easily navigated product catalog.
For starters, divide the products into several main categories and as many subcategories as necessary. The total number will depend on the business type and the product you sell.
If you take product photos on your own, without outsourcing, make sure to have the best possible quality images. This is where applying 3D rendering to image production becomes a valuable asset for your marketing department.
It can help you make, change, and manipulate various images for product photos, or package print, if you happen to produce and pack your own products, as well.
5) Online security
Last, but not least, every eCommerce business needs to take great care of online security.
This is so because they get paid for their products and services online, with a payment card, e-checks, or direct transfers.
So, make sure to apply various , from asking payers to additionally identify themselves as true card owners, to find the best payment processor for your needs.
Also, secure your eCommerce website and other belonging features as highly as possible. Do your homework and find out more about the most suitable hosting and domain provider for your business needs. Inquire about the integration options with the most popular shopping platforms. That way, you can use their ready-made solutions for shopping carts or apply some of their security features instead of paying for such options from scratch.
If you’re planning to launch an eCommerce business, bear in mind that it’s a dynamic and growing field. While this means there’s a lot of room for growth, it also brings more competitors and data thieves.
The tips shared above will help you cover as many bases as possible in preparing a user-friendly and secure eCommerce solution to attract customers from day one.
Author Byline: Liam Collins is a tech pundit and Web enthusiast working at TuiSpace.com. He spends most of his time reading and writing about the current affairs in the world of information technology. When he isn’t working, he likes going for long bike rides and walks in nature.
