Small ecommerce companies face a plethora of challenges.
Stock control, accounting, HR, fulfilment, the list is endless.
Juggling profitability vs growth.
ROI KPIs, SEO, PPC, CRO – there’s always some new ecommerce acronym to be scared of.
You started your online business to follow your passion and all of a sudden you’ve got a logistical nightmare on your hands. Running a successful ecommerce business is not for the faint-hearted.
We understand, and we want to help ease your managerial burden so you can focus on the parts of your business you do best.
We want to share three simple ecommerce solutions for your small businesses and we’ve collected a tonne of resources to help you execute.
#1. Ask your customers what they want
We could try and build this up to be a huge, lightbulb moment.
We won’t.
You’re too busy for the dramatic orchestral crescendo.
This isn’t some mind-blowing silver bullet. You’ve heard this advice in different forms many times before. But for an ecommerce business – there is no more important strategic exercise.
Your brand has a collection of social media accounts and an email database – Use it! Don’t be afraid to ask for your beloved customer’s opinion. Give your subscribers a voice and ask for their advice to improve different aspects of your service.
If you actively encourage your community to interact and engage with your brand, you are throwing a little piece of ownership their way. When you incorporate new ideas and suggestions, suddenly your customers have an emotional investment that your competitors will find desperately hard to overcome.
You can entice your email audience to contribute with a discount, freebie or a sneak-peak of a new product.
Tempt your social media followers with a fun competition.
It doesn’t matter how you get the information, just go forth and retrieve it.
How can you include your customers in your ecommerce brand?
Whenever you’re considering a new customer service initiative – run it by a cross section of your fans.
Here’s a helpful example:
There are plenty of options around for shipping, in fact, we’ve got a whole article explaining them. Maybe you’ve been offering free shipping when all your customers want are their goodies on their doorstep within 24 hours. Maybe your customers want to be charmed with eco-friendly packaging, instead of all the bells and whistles. Maybe your customers would like free returns instead of free shipping.
You’ll never know if you never ask.
It’s a free, simple and fast way to improve your ecommerce business decision making.
#2 Think outside the box your ecommerce brand delivers
Many couriers base their shipping costs on the size and weight of products. Your ecommerce shipping and packaging is a significant cost centre, so you need to think smart about your fulfilment strategy.
Here are a few helpful resources dedicated to helping you improve your shipping and packaging –
- Rethink your packaging to improve customer experience
- Consider pros and cons of free shipping
- Never forget the power of a clear returns policy
Use these resources to get your goods delivered to the welcoming arms of your customers faster, cheaper and more effectively than ever before.
#3. Optimise your online store for conversions
Another out-of-the-box solution – improve your website.
Sure, it sounds simplistic.
But so many ecommerce entrepreneurs focus all of their marketing efforts on attracting new potential customers.
Problem is – attracting more customers to an online store that won’t convert is a tragic waste of your time, money and stress.
You need to create a customer-delighting experience rather than a digital version of an offline catalogue. Only after optimising your online store for conversions should you start trying to drive more customers to the site.
In the ecommerce world – having a website nobody visits is the equivalent of having a bricks and mortar shop nobody enters.
It’s a huge waste of time and money.
There’s no point having beautiful packaging and stellar shipping if no one is ordering.
So how do you optimise your website for ecommerce sales?
- Use a platform optimised for ecommerce such as Shopify or WooCommerce
- Improve the content on your website. You can start by learning about key word phrases, the importance of h1s, h2s and meta descriptions, and how to write fantastic product descriptions
- Spread your website across your social media platforms
- Use Google Analytics to gain insights into your website
These handy resources will help you find the solutions for your ecommerce problems. You’ll be turning those online store visitors into customers in no time.
#4. Shop Around
Every savvy consumer shops around these days – and you should too.
Don’t feel trapped by your current shipping and packaging strategy.
Mix it up.
Packaging inspiration isn’t far away – Pinterest is always an underestimated source. Shopify also has some helpful resources to help you improve your packaging strategy.
If you’re not happy with the costs, or the service provided – shop around.
Don’t settle for anything less than what you and your customers deserve.
Find a courier and packaging supplier who helps your business grow.
If your ecommerce business needs to create a postage strategy to save you time and money, download our Shipping Made Easy guide.
