What is an ecommerce site?

If you’re selling products to other businesses, then you need to create what’s considered a B2B website. Some common businesses which fit this criteria would be building suppliers offering materials, or a business which supplies technological solutions to offices. The nature of the site will need to be aligned to people who are probably already aware of the products or services you offer and simply want to grab hold of what they need as quickly as possible without poor loading times or incoherent navigation.

When dealing with the general public, you’re known as a business to consumer styled operation. In this case, you may need to promote what you offer with a little more impact with bespoke website design, especially if you operate within saturated industries such as clothing or confectionery. The everyday person will once again desire products or services without too much commotion, so the layout, user experience and modernisation of your site is paramount.

Once a customer has selected their desired items, they obviously need a manner in which to pay. Within any eCommerce website, you need to have payment gateways available, offering people the opportunity to digitally transfer money. In the present day, there’s a slew of payment options typically offered by eCommerce websites, so making sure you have as many options available will mean you’re never alienating certain customers. For example, PayPal is used by many who prefer not to pass over bank details to every single site they visit, and then there’s also Apple Pay, an innovative concept which makes payment incredibly simple for iPhone users.

Whether you offer domestic or international shipping, this needs to be carefully integrated into the structure of your eCommerce website. Make sure shipping details can be added simply, and that you clearly indicate the time frame in which people should expect to receive their goods. One of the key reasons Amazon has risen to such dominance would be their next-day delivery service, as this gives customers exactly what they want without ever waiting too long. This isn’t likely to be possible for smaller businesses, but if you can find any way to streamline shipping to ensure you have a prompt delivery process, then you can expect regular custom from the same people. However, also make sure varied options have been made readily available, as you may have to charge hefty prices for fast-delivery! Don’t put-off people looking to save money, and make lengthier delivery times available with cheaper costs.

Make it simple for people to select items and continue shopping! This can be done with a shopping basket, which essentially collects items selected so far and drafts up a rough price. The shopping basket is also the final stage before you finally get the custom from each customer, so here’s where you could upsell! When they’ve picked a particular item, maybe suggest similar products that match. For example, someone buying a winter coat could conceivably be interested in gloves too. Something else to consider would be adding tax and VAT information, as this would be a legal requirement and communicates clearly why extra costs will have been included. On a more positive note, you could also heighten applicable offers related to certain items, or vouchers that would be applicable to future purchases should the customer move ahead and buy what’s in their current shopping basket.

Handling sensitive data such as someone’s phone number or address is significant enough, but when it comes to bank details, you need to ensure you have made every effort to maintain security across your entire eCommerce website. Many customers are still wary of using online stores due to data concerns, so make sure you have a thoroughly written privacy notice available which explains the measures you take to safeguard vital information, and also the sort of combative strategies you have in place to deter the possibility of hacking.

More people now use the internet on their phones and that includes most people looking to buy things online. If you have an eCommerce website which doesn’t translate naturally into phone view, then customers are all but certain to look elsewhere! One of the main considerations you need to take during initial web development would be whether products are clearly visible and if payments can be made smoothly. Entering an eCommerce website where products are scattered around without any sense of purpose and order will not only make you look bad, but this could also affect SEO, an aspect of digital marketing which determines whether people can even find your products online in the first place.

Reputable brands with a glowing reputation should be able to accumulate a sizable email list fairly quickly. This should be used to your advantage wherever possible, as this helps to promote products to people you already know have an interest in what your business offers. Also think about seasonal campaigns made relevant during the summer holidays or Xmas, bringing more focus to items better suited to the specific time of year. Offers and promotions should also be sent out sporadically, giving people more reason to either return to your site or continue giving you custom.