10 e-commerce tips for small business | Nett

Last year, Australians spent $22 billion via the internet, and the outlook for online retailers is extremely positive. The online retail industry is set for further growth as more consumers enjoy the convenience and time savings of internet shopping. This is fantastic for our industry, however e-commerce businesses should not be complacent. With new competition opening online every week, and big players in traditional retailing also realising the power of online shopping, online retailers need to work even harder to convert eyeballs.

Being unique is now everything to an online store ? this may be achieved by differentiating from the look and feel of other websites, by products sold and price, but by far and away I have found the way to a successful online model is to maintain a conversation with your customers which adds value well after the final sale.

The next era of e-commerce won?t be governed by the website with the cheapest price, rather successful businesses will be the ones which have the best relationship with their customers and a loyal fan base.

There has been a lot of angst and debate about whether online retail will overtake traditional retail sales in the next decade, and while I don?t believe the current downturn experienced by many bricks-and-mortar stores signals the death of traditional retailing, it does herald an opportunity for traditional retailers to improve their offering.

With that in mind, here are my 10 tips for e-commerce success for your small business:

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1. Design the site for your customers, not for you. There is no appetite to re-invent the wheel of successful e-commerce website design, just as there is no point designing the most beautiful website if customers won?t buy from it.\
2. Utilise technology to monitor customer feedback in real time. The best word of mouth marketing is a happy customer.?
3. Don?t be afraid of social media. We have built up a Facebook community of more than 170,000 customers and use this media to monitor feedback and have a two-way conversation.
4. Don?t skimp on customer service. Nothing is more annoying than waiting on a phone line for hours, or searching a site to find an email address. Make it easy for customers to contact you.
5. Measure response times, customer sentiment and social media, and look for ways suggested by customers to improve your business.
6. Consumers don?t like added costs at the last minute, so include free shipping, and use a distributor you would trust with your most precious item to make sure goods are delivered intact and on-time.
7. Learn from overseas. Australia is a unique market, yet you can save time by learning from peers across the ocean.
8. Talk to your customers. The most important aspect of running an online business is to impress every customer.
9. Empower your staff. Employees are the biggest asset of any business. We encourage all employees to own their role and change it wherever possible to benefit the company.
10. Stay agile. Be creative, it?s a fast-paced world and you need to stay ahead of the game. ?

John Winning is the CEO of whitegoods retailer Appliances Online.?

Source: http://nett.com.au/blog/10-e-commerce-tips-for-small-business/

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