Have you been wondering about how to start achieving eCommerce success? Then you are in the right place!
On the panel with your host and Director of Marketing and Communications at WSI, Cheryl Baldwin, Sharon Herrnstein, BA, MBA, and Chief Marketing Officer at WSI Digitaledge Marketing, and Heidi Schwende, Chief Digital Officer and Chief Marketing Officer at WSI Digital Moxie Inc., answered FAQ in an insightful conversation about adopting or improving eCommerce to help your business soars! ICYMI, you can watch the webinar here.
What’s the Big Deal About Ecommerce?
Ecommerce is everywhere! It does not matter if your focus is B2B or B2C, you can eCommerce just about everything. The statistics on the growth of eCommerce speak for themselves:
- At the height of the pandemic, ten years of eCommerce growth happened in just three months.
- Over 2.14 billion people worldwide are expected to buy goods and services online this year.
- By 2023, global consumers are expected to spend up to $4.8 trillion (yes, with a “tr”) online.
- Digital channels are used by 87% of shoppers as the start of their product hunt.
What is The Best Way to Make Online Shopping a Great Experience for Customers?
Wow! If the last year has taught us anything, it’s the value of adapting to doing business online. There is a caveat, though. Ecommerce must be done well if it’s to help you find new revenue streams and breathe life into your business. To get the online customer experience right, it needs to be simple and easy… on their side. That requires hard work behind the scenes i.e., on the part of you and your purveyor. But trust our experts, the tough graft is so worth it!
Use customer data to tailor an online store that nurtures relationships with your client base to enhance growth. To gather data, draw from your email marketing, web analytics, Google analytics, and automation tools.
Provide users with an incentive to share, e.g., by creating an account rather than logging in as a guest each visit. Then leverage their purchase history to segment customers to send messages that are perfectly personalized.
Is Ecommerce Automation Worth It?
Ecommerce automation allows you to automate your online store in a similar fashion to the way you would your supply chain and so on.
There are third-party apps available, but many require complex workarounds that are too time and energy-intensive. It is advisable to get help from your digital marketing agency because it’s important to find an automation solution that fulfils your needs.
How Important is Shipping Urgency?
Shipping urgency directly impacts the end-to-end user experience. Shoppers expect no more than two days of shipping thanks to the Amazon effect. (But using Amazon as a platform for your online offerings is better suited to businesses already at scale, rather than SMMEs.)
Your customer’s experience includes the delivery. Prompt and excellent order fulfilment increase loyalty while decreasing cart abandonment – often leading to positive online reviews.
How Important is it to Track Stock Limits?
The first prize is inventory levels that allow you to fulfil all your orders all the time. Realistically, though, consider what users will experience when something is out of stock – what will they see? Do you allow backorders? How will you contact them when restocked, etc?
Does an Ecommerce Store Need to Integrate with Existing Systems?
Properly integrated systems require careful and deliberate planning. Don’t rush. Rather wait for guidance on the deliverable best suited to your technology stack.
What Business Data Needs to Be Imported?
Before you go any further – do a complete data backup!
An exacting task, complete business data migration imports a significant amount – from images to data about your customers, orders, products, and endless variants thereof – to be accessed on your eCommerce site.
What Ecommerce Platform is Best?
Part of your online business strategy is knowing the differences between eCommerce platforms. Partner with your marketing technology specialist to find a hosting site that is appropriate for your budget, web development and support needs, and growth potential.
What Online Shopping Trends Are Predicted?
Online shopping trends may have accelerated and escalated because of COVID-19, but the trajectory was already in place. Even as we open up, the convenience of eCommerce will be appreciated and stay popular.
What is the Key to Winning Market Share Going Forward?
With droves of online shoppers, focus on pulling them in with offers exquisitely relevant to their habits (as gleaned from your tagged data). Win market share by knowing how to meet users in their moment of need.
What are the Next Steps?
Determine what the marketing spend will be to achieve your goals. Progress a step at a time, setting aside money for a strategic eCommerce marketing plan that delivers sufficient ROI and ROAS for growth. Only then should you consider investing in further technology to scale.
Seek out ways to improve your online shopping experience with an eCommerce strategy that will help your organization meet its goals. If you are ready to start achieving eCommerce success, get in touch with your local WSI internet consultant without delay! You can also watch the full webinar recording here:
