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melordean

10 things your website NEEDS for a SUCCESSFUL E-Commerce business


First Impressions


We all know a great first impression can work wonders. This might be a cliché, but it’s one you need to live by. The minute anyone enters your website, that’s the most crucial bit. What’s key here is to make the very first thing they see extremely pretty! And not just aesthetically pretty, but use this opportunity to reel them in with a promotion (that’s pretty, alright)! For example, you can offer a 10% discount for the first purchase when they subscribe to your mailing list. The best way you score here is with lightboxes. A push to subscribe is all you need to capture the important data you need (their deets). So attach that subscription form on the lightbox pop-up, and you’re all sorted.


A Warm Welcome

After getting their deets, next thing to do would be to follow through with your promise! Make sure they get that email containing the discount voucher you promised. But don’t stop there. The first week after subscription is the most crucial. Your email marketing at this point should be intense, pleasantly intense of course! Your goal here would be to drive their first purchase.

Tip: pictures won’t hurt 😉


Wishlisting / Back-In-Stock


Say the items you’ve successfully attracted your customers to buy are out of stock. “Damn!”, they’ll say. But don’t let it be left on a negative note, instead turn this into a positive one! Make sure they have the option to wishlist / subscribe to notifications telling them when that particular item comes back in stock.

And you might think what a pain it is to have to wait for these items, but actually this impacts them rather positively, because humans do value more the things they have to work for (in this case, wait for)!


Time-Sensitive Promotions


In the same context, it brings us to promotions, specifically time-sensitive promotions. They work exactly the same way as wishlisting and derive amazing results. Things are always more appealing when we have to work for them. And it being time-sensitive, creates a sense of urgency, which makes it all the more exciting. We’ve all heard of FOMO!


Interactive Packaging

If you’re an e-commerce selling physical products, you might find it beneficial to attach things (in the package) the customer can respond to. One example could be QR codes that lead to competitions they can enter into, to win a prize. People love fun, so no matter what it is, make sure it’s fun (and user-friendly)!


Referrals


Probably a common thing but one must never overlook, referrals! These wee buggers help you expand your pool. When customers are happy, word goes around. So reward them by giving a mutual discount for both themselves and the friend they’ve referred. No one dislikes discounts!


Birthday Coupons

Speaking of discounts, another way to extend one to customers (without freely pouring gallons their way, which can seem tacky), is to give discount coupons / codes to customers on their birthday. This works rather well because we all love feeling special.


Abandoned Carts


It might be safe to assume that both you and I have been guilty of adding items to a shopping cart and not go through with the purchase. Don’t worry, we all do it! So whenever this happens, take advantage of this to shoot an email to customers containing their abandoned carts, and more importantly, a checkout button that makes the process a whole lot easier. They will appreciate it.


Cart Suggestions

On the matter of carts, another way to score more sales is to have suggestions pop-up, of things you think the customer might like based on what’s already in their carts. For example, if it was a suit jacket that the customer had placed in their shopping cart, you might want to suggest a matching pair of trousers they can easily checkout with.


Personalised Suggestions


The power of suggestion gets its name from none other than it’s own ability. It is powerful, and why not use it to get more purchases. Existing customers need never be neglected and with all the data they provide (and behaviour or preferences), you can roughly suggest items you think they might be keen on. Using a robust data platform will ensure you have a deep understanding of what your customers like and want. So make sure that that next email they get from you is full of things you just know they’ll love!



If you’re keen to have a chat about any of these exciting things, and then some, shoot me an email at melor@thebreathedot.com.


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