Launching your online store in 2016? Here is what you should be doing now.

There are a lot of decisions involved with the launch of an online store and focusing your attention on some of the more important aspects of ecommerce can save you time, money, and frustration. Here are the key areas to consider:

 

 

1. Picking Your Online Platform

The first decision should focus on the type of online platform appropriate to your business. There are basically three options:

• Build your own ecommerce platform;
• Use an existing online marketplace like Etsy, Amazon, eBay;
• Set up with an ecommerce site such as Shopify, Magento, or Bigcommerce.

However, you're not limited to just one option. Many stores host their own ecommerce platform and still sell on Amazon and Shopify. Other e-retailers prefer the convenience and corporate or community support of an established online marketplace or ecommerce site. Self-hosted stores give you the freedom to do it all your way, but the expense and expertise required can be a burden for some. 

2. The Amazon Advantage

The biggest advantage of using platforms such as Amazon or eBay is the sheer scale of their online presence. Amazon, for example, draws an estimated 85 million unique visitors each month to their site. While these consumers are looking for specific products rather than your store, if they purchase your product there's an opportunity for repeat business through excellent customer service or fulfillment.

3. Billing and Order Fulfillment

A key area of concern for ecommerce merchants is how to fill and ship items processed through the shopping cart and payment collection. Consider tracking systems for inventory and shipping as well as a shipping service. Payment options can be limited to just PayPal, or opened to include all major credit cards.

Amazon and other major ecommerce marketplaces offer complete packages for shipping. "Fulfillment by Amazon" (FBA) lets you store your inventory at Amazon's warehouses where they pick, pack, and provide customer service for the sold products.

Shopify offers numerous third-party apps to help with fulfillment, invoicing, and shipping. Indeed, Shopify even supports FBA if you choose to sell on Shopify and use Amazon for fulfillment.

Your choice of how to fulfill and ship orders will depend largely on the type and number of products you sell and all the associated costs.

4. Hello, World

Another consideration in launching an ecommerce store is how to boost sales and boost your brand awareness. For email blasts, write engaging and relevant content to hook your readers and inspire them to visit your store and buy. Choose an email content marketing provider that offers the services you need at a price you can afford. According to PC Magazine, questions to ask yourself before choosing an email provider include who's your audience, what do you want them to know, how often do you want to send them emails, and how much support do you need?

5. Like Us

Social media is a must for ecommerce stores. Offer a variety of ways for your consumers to interact with your store. Invite them to "Like" you on Facebook, be active on Twitter, and/or upload videos on YouTube. The more you can engage with customers, the more they'll feel loyal to your brand.

6. Thank You and Come Again

Services such as Picreel offer exit strategies for people visiting your ecommerce store. Such marketing providers can let you survey a select group of customers or provide pop-ups to entice people to stay and shop longer.

Conclusion

It takes time and effort to create an online ecommerce store. Pre-planning is key. Start your research and decision-making now – reap the benefits later. 

Shopping on the new Apple TV; a game changer? We're about to find out.

Online Shopping with new Apple TV; A game changer?

On September 9, 2015, Apple launched its latest iteration of the Apple TV. It has all the usual bells and whistles you'd expect from Apple - a remote control that lets you "swipe" quickly through lists, Siri's voice command feature, and so on – but the big news for ecommerce is the ability to download retailer apps.   We've grown to accept that there are apps for just about everything on our mobile devices. Order a meal, learn a language, play a game, buy a pair of shoes; there are very few areas of our lives devoid of an app. Now Apple is bringing them to a TV screen near you.

It’s the new click & shop

The redesigned Apple TV has an App Store, just like any Apple mobile device, with apps that can be downloaded to the TV. Using the new glass touch surface Siri remote, a shopper can choose a retailer app, swipe through categories of products for sale, view product details and even complete a purchase. Already, at the September 9 launch, e-retailer, Gilt, announced the integration of its online shopping services with Apple TV. And you can bet it won't be long before other ecommerce stores will want to follow suit.

What’s the BIG Deal…?  It’s the screen!

Will there be challenges and opportunities arising for e-retailers from the new Apple TV launch? Definitely.  Well-merchandized products will always be essential for successful ecommerce retailing. Apple TV isn't going to change that. What will change is the scale and opportunity that a 50-inch or larger TV can present to engaging your customers. Retailers will now have to be prepared to merchandize products for both a 5.5-inch mobile device and a 55-inch smart TV screen. Think about reading a product description or looking at product images from 20 feet away while sitting on the couch. What is that experience going to like for your shoppers?

Get it Done

As the new Apple TV rolls out in the next few weeks, we’ll begin to see how online shoppers receive it and also what new opportunities it offers retailers. Perhaps the biggest opportunity will be for retailers to turn their focus to what will make their ecommerce store experience unique at this new scale.  It is inevitable that retailers will have to rethink how they merchandize products to ensure their customers are getting the best out of this new platform. 

If they haven’t already, many retailers will begin developing their own apps for the Apple TV.

So what, I don't have great product photos? No BIG deal right? Wrong!

So, your site is designed, product descriptions are written, the shopping cart is all ready to go, so what if you don't have great photos? No big deal right?  Wrong! It is a very big deal. Not having clear, original, and professional-looking photography could make the difference between a purchase and a pass in your online store.

The Touchy/Feely Syndrome

When you go to a physical store to buy something, typically you want to see it. There are very few occasions, if any at all, when you'd be willing to buy something sight unseen. You want to hold it, look at it, feel the fabric, compare the colours. The only opportunity your online buyer has to this "feeling" experience is through visual images.

Buying on the Go

More and more consumers are taking to mobile devices to buy online. Phones, smartwatches, tablets, they all allow for shopping on the go. Now more than ever you need to be able capture the fleeting attention span of the consumer who's browsing while walking down the street, on the train, or sitting in the restaurant. Fabulous photography can catch their eye and hook them in.

Being Social

Instagram's Sponsored Posts

Social media marketing efforts through sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, are becoming the rule rather than the exception. Social media audiences crave visual content. The old adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words" rings true here, especially with character-restrictive sites such as Twitter. You can't wax poetic about that new product, but you can post a stunning image to entice a purchase.

Standing Out from the Competition

With an ever-increasing number of consumers making online purchases, stores such as yours are investing more and more money into digital marketing strategies. Whether you sell pots and pans or luxury lingerie, there's probably dozens of other e-commerce sites selling the same product, possibly at a lower price. First-rate photography will help your products stand out from all the rest. Consumers look for value for money. Professional-looking, well-placed images can help create that value.

Now, before you rush around the warehouse clicking photos with your smartphone, give some thought to hiring an experienced, professional e-commerce photographer. Why? The intent of e-commerce photography, as opposed to recreational or creative photography, is to show the product exactly as it is. Fashion photography is gorgeous and creative, but will it let your customers imagine how that dress would look on them? E-commerce photography concentrates on presenting the product in accurate detail, without distracting or superfluous poses. That takes know-how and experience.

Good product photography is meant to promote sales and minimize returns. Never underestimate the power of the lens.

Want to improve usability on your e-commerce site? Psst…Pay attention to your product Taxonomy!

Product Taxonomy

Product taxonomy organizes merchandise into hierarchies and categories to help customers search and browse items using both drop-down menus and left-hand navigational bars. A well-designed taxonomy keeps the user's needs front and centre, taking into account how they typically search or browse for products.

When looking at your existing taxonomy, or when designing a new system, keep in mind that there will never be one "right" taxonomy for any set of products. Your customers are a diverse group and are likely to browse and search using their own defined sense of taxonomy. The key is to thoroughly research how shoppers search for products on your site now, then design a taxonomy that responds to those typical search requests. The aim is to get the customer to the desired product quickly, make it easy for them to buy, and ensure that the whole shopping experience is one they will want to repeat.

Designing a taxonomy takes time and shouldn't be rushed. The challenge with any taxonomy is that it usually presents a complex problem with no best solution, but rather a best compromise. Often a single product can, and should, be placed in multiple categories. For example, envelopes might fit into the "Office Supplies" category and also the "Paper Products" category; a winter sweater could easily slot into both the "Clothes by Season" and "Clothes by Fabric" categories. Define the categories and figure out which products are related to which categories.

Faceted Navigation

Facets are vital for larger e-commerce stores. Faceted navigation works on the basis of allowing the shopper to filter a category by a number of classifications, such as price, size, or colour. While facets can be costly and time consuming to develop, they offer more options to the customer. Working on the principle that you can't buy what you can't find, faceted navigation has been shown to improve product findability in general.

By relating products through their attributes and facets, your e-commerce store can cross-sell/up-sell other appropriate products to potential buyers. Interested in a laptop computer? Then how about one of these great cases to put it in? Buying a Valentine's gift? Take a look at February's red product sale items. By the way, make sure to build in a spot for gifts or promotions to highlight seasonal items or great deals.

Optimized Taxonomy

Especially important in today's world of mobile devices and smart wearables is a quick result. Whether on a smart phone or an Apple Watch, mobile users demand a minimal number of clicks to get to where they want to go. Taxonomy designed with the mobile shopper in  mind allows consumers to get there fast.

Studies have shown that there is generally an improvement in cart additions and conversion rates that coincide with the introduction, or improvement, of a taxonomy system on an e-commerce site. Customers find products quickly, are given options, and can easily compare different items, making for a pleasant and productive shopping experience.

It's definitely worth your time to pay attention to product taxonomy.