These days, if you run any kind of business, it’s essential you have a presence online and some form of e-commerce provision. The shift away from the traditional high street shopping experience has been relentless and determined over the last few years, recently further highlighted by the lockdowns and isolation caused by COVID-19.
The expected growth of e-com this year and into the future
The revenue generated by online sales is expected to reach $4.13 trillion in 2020 and industry experts forecast the sector could account for 22% of all sales by 2023. Moreover, internet shopping is predicted to account for a whopping 95% of all sales by 2040.
With traditional retail in a seemingly never-ending spiral of decline, there’s no time like the present to get your business online and start selling to a local, national and – potentially – international market.
Being online is just one small part of the equation
The internet has afforded companies huge opportunities to reach previously untapped audiences and tap into a global marketplace. However, setting up an e-commerce-enabled website is only the first step in the process of transforming your company from traditional retailer into a bona fide internet business. Here are four tips to help guarantee your success in the world of e-commerce:
Choose the right development partner:
While it’s possible to go it alone and build a website yourself, when it comes to e-commerce, you really shouldn’t take chances and should instead hire the services of a professional development company like magecloud.agency. Web development firms have years of experience dealing with businesses just like yours and will make the process of setting up online much quicker and easier. Perhaps more importantly, they also have the skills to make your online business secure from hackers and other malicious threats. When you’re dealing with your clients’ sensitive information and credit card details, you really can’t afford to take chances – hire a professional developer.
The importance of Search Engine Optimization:
In a world where there are now more web pages than people, the competition online is intense and you will need to find ways to make your site stand out from the competition. Pretty much every web journey starts with a search engine these days – and almost all with Google (the platform now accounts for 92.16% of all search queries). Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a range of tactics used to propel your website to the top of search engine results and is essential if your site is to start attracting foot-fall.
Ignore social media at your peril:
Search engines aren’t the only place people find businesses online and increasingly people are using social media sites in their search for outlets. At very least, you need to have a presence on the major social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube) but, ideally, you should be posting regularly to build up your list of followers. Successful social media marketing could save you a fortune compared to traditional advertising and can have a huge impact on your sales.
Just because you’re targeting an online market, don’t forget offline promotion:
It’s incredibly common for companies to just focus their attention online when they set up a new e-commerce site, almost forgetting the potential for offline promotion. A new website should be seen as just one part of an overall marketing and branding strategy and you should remain aware of the opportunities that exist offline for marketing. Remember to promote your site as often as possible, on everything from point-of-sale merchandise to business cards, brochures and flyers.