This is a Guest Blog post by Victoria Greene, an Ecommerce Specialist.
We understand that the online world is a vast and ever-changing place and the thought of taking a DIY approach to ecommerce can be intimidating. But that doesn’t need to be the case.
Just ask yourself one question:
Who else knows your business better than you?
No one, right?
That’s why you’re in the best place to make a go of it. Especially as there is SO much advice out there and an incredible array of tools to make things easier. There’s never been a better time to give the DIY approach to ecommerce a go.
Here are a few tips for getting started on your very own online store.
Here are a few tips for getting started on your very own online store.Building Your Own Store
The first thing to say is that you’re not alone. There is a ton of content out there which will make building your own site less daunting, as all you have to do is follow along with tutorials and guides. As well as the ecommerce platforms’ (Magento, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Shopify etc.) own excellent tutorials and blogs, there is plenty of independent advice on YouTube.
Spend some time getting a feel for the landscape before you dive in, and don’t just go with the first option you see.
The big question will be whether you opt for an ecommerce plugin, or create your store from scratch using an online store builder like Shopify. It’s up to you, but it’s best to go with an option that you will find easy to update and maintain yourself. You don’t want to be outsourcing every new product update or blog post to an expensive web developer…
The beauty of most modern ecommerce content management systems is that you don’t have to be tech savvy, plus they come with additional support, and some even take on the burden of security. And that’s a big consideration in today’s digital landscape, especially when taking into account managing customer data.
Reducing the stress of the web build will boost your DIY confidence, but don’t get disheartened even if things don’t got 100% to plan. Learn from it and move on.
The Changing Nature Of Web Users
When designing your DIY ecommerce site it’s worth bearing in mind the evolving nature of the online consumer.
As people’s digital attention spans grow increasingly short, so the need for concise and engaging content increases. First impressions count more than ever, so ensure that your menus are uncluttered and your design is minimalist.
Choose a shop theme that fulfils 99% of your ecommerce needs out of the box, and just tweak the final 1% to get it to work for you. Most modern ecommerce themes have built-in minimalist and mobile sites as part of their standard package, so don’t accept anything less than that.
Though there’s still a need for content, it’s especially important that your landing page isn’t a case of ‘information overload’. You want to maximize your chances of securing a sale, not drive potential customers to your competitors — so keep initial brand impressions uncluttered and clean.
It’s not just about the web design. Slow loading speeds and overly clunky processes will turn customers off. Make sure you aren’t making people tear their hair out in frustration when it comes to actually using your website.
Checkout Experience
Once you’ve attracted the right people to your ecommerce site, you want to ensure that they actually go on to make a purchase, right?
One of the main reasons shopping carts are abandoned is due to a clunky and complicated checkout process, so make yours as easy as possible.
A simple one-page checkout process and a guest login are easy to implement, and your customers will thank you for it. Encourage repeat custom with subscriptions, and enable product recommendations for cross-selling and up-selling.
Make sure your site is optimized for mobile checkout. Think about the size and position of your checkout buttons. Normally, this comes as part of your ecommerce theme — but there is no harm in testing it out for yourself.
Free Delivery = An Easy Win
Offering free shipping can be a small way to begin to build relationships with your target audience.
Research shows that in both the U.K. and U.S., two of the most-used phrases in online ads are “free shipping” and “free delivery”.
If this is a service you can offer, then you’ll already be ahead of some of your rivals. It’s an easy win and another example of how the customer isn’t just looking for a striking site design — tangible factors like pricing and shipping are just as important.
The Power Of Visuals
In ecommerce, the best way to grab attention is through killer visuals. With consumers scanning content rather than reading it, it’s the product pictures and videos that often do the selling.
As well as beautiful videos and images taken from multiple angles, make sure you show your products in the correct context. Help people to visualize how they themselves would use your product(s).
Give a prominent place on your homepage to a scrolling slideshow; this way you can display all of your top products at once.
It’s possible to DIY your entire store design, but be ready to put in some long hours with logo generators and design tools to get things right.
Learn lessons from the experts in your field. Take celebrity dietitian Joe Wicks for example. His snappy video shorts went a long way to establishing him as an ecommerce and content star:
Social Media Strategy
Let’s not ignore the role a strong social media strategy plays in the early days of your ecommerce store. In fact, social media is the very essence of a DIY approach, as most of social media marketing can be done on easily available tools.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Snapchat all offer unique opportunities. Don’t be put off by thinking you have to be active on each one. Spend time working out which is best for your business and start from there!
The old 80/20 rule still applies across all social media content. Use your social channels to build your brand story, communicate with followers, and align yourself with brand ambassadors and your business allies.
UGC – Your Not-So-Secret Weapon
User-generated content sounds fancy, but it’s really quite simple. Let your customers do the talking and use their words as part of your store build.
By both gathering and sharing customer feedback and reviews you’re creating authentic and reliable content that people are likely to remember.
It’s also another weapon in your arsenal when it comes to SEO — collecting and displaying customer reviews is a proven strategy for improving search visibility.
Why not run regular photo competitions, offering a prize in exchange for snaps of your products in action?
The Relationship Starts Now
It’s easy to think that ecommerce is all about getting site visitors through to the checkout, but what you really want is for people to return to your site as often as possible and engage with your brand as a whole.
Maintaining a strong post-sale relationship is an easy, but often overlooked, way to help ensure customers return. Consider things like the nature of your email receipts, thank you pages, and offering exclusive discounts on their next order. These are vital customer tools to help you build an ongoing relationship.
Lastly, don’t think you have to master all of these steps in one sitting. You should see it as an ongoing process. Through using your growing experience to test, tweak and improve, you’ll be a DIY ecommerce pro in no time.
Victoria Greene is an ecommerce writer and specialist. She loves to get nitty gritty about ecommerce content and explore topics like customer retention and loyalty in a splintered retail landscape. Read more on her blog at VictoriaEcommerce.
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