How To Launch A Successful E-Commerce Store
Are you looking for the best ways to launch your e-commerce store in 2020? You’re not alone, but you’ve also found the right place to help you do so!
Unfortunately, many people find themselves in e-commerce because they think it’s as easy as dropshipping a few items or simply letting the internet ‘do its own thing.’ This isn’t the case. You have to strategize and work hard for your business, but by doing so, you will see far better returns!
We have compiled a few of the best strategies that you can use to help launch, re-launch, or rebrand your e-commerce store with minimal effort on your part. We’re going to tell you exactly what you should be doing in order to build a bigger, better, more successful e-commerce brand.
Buy An Already Successful E-Commerce Store
Let’s face it, launching an e-commerce store isn’t the easiest thing to do. Running an e-commerce store that already has brand recognition and a decent following is generally far easier.
Although this might not be your ideal situation, choosing to find an e-commerce store for sale might help with your learning curve. Once you’ve purchased the store, you can choose to keep running the business as-is or you might want to change a few components or further build the site.
This works well for someone who might not have the time to fully develop a website but still wishes to be an e-commerce business owner. You’ll end up having an already working site, a loyal customer base, and the ability to dive into operations.
Additionally, choosing to purchase a site that is already operating will allow you an inner look at what is working for them – and what isn’t. If the website is relatively small, you can use it as a tool to help you learn what to do and what strategies to stay away from.
Optimize Your Instagram & Automate Your Social Media
Instagram is a fun tool to help you build your following and your brand. It also often falls flat and doesn’t yield the results you’ve been hoping for. Usually, this happens because you’re missing a certain element or two.
Generally, you’ll want to make your Instagram page into a business and give a short, to-the-point bio that includes your contact information. (If you’ve ever needed help with a purchase and couldn’t reach a company, you know exactly how frustrating NOT being able to find this information is!)
Your personal Instagram might include some funny selfies, cat videos, or memes, but for your business page, sticking to your product is necessary. This doesn’t mean you can’t get creative, though! Show off what you have to offer by using photos, short video clips, story highlights, and Instagram Stories Stickers.
By utilizing every feature that this social media platform has to offer, you are showing that your e-commerce site is multi-faceted and able to keep up with whatever the trend of the moment is.
Creating posts – to any social media platform – is time-consuming. Be sure that you don’t waste your perfectly crafted post by sharing it at a time when most of your users aren’t utilizing the app. Instead, take the time to craft several posts at once and set them to automatically share at the optimal time.
There are many social media automation tools that can be found through a quick internet search; they are not created equally! Look for a tool that offers several features including post automation, along with tracking and reporting options, and what platforms these tools cover.
Of course, pricing should be a factor too. Don’t struggle to pay exorbitant rates for these tools, as many do offer custom pricing. Take into consideration which features you want, which ones you need, and which ones you can live without. Doing this will help you make an informed decision, find the most beneficial tool, and not require a small loan to do so.
Choose A Personalized Email Campaign
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you knew your e-mail campaign wasn’t being instantly deleted as soon as it pops into your consumer’s inbox? Unfortunately, even when a buyer receives an email from a company they know and trust, it usually ends up in the trash.
The truth is, most people don’t have the time or the desire to read a spammy-feeling email that they know was mass-produced and sent to every other person on your email list. This is true whether they have purchased anything in the past or if this is your first time sending a cold email.
To avoid this, you need to personalize and make the person feel as though there is already a connection. Once the connection is established (usually by a personalized subject line and greeting,) you can explain your product and why it will benefit them.
With the right outreach automation tool, this can happen by using an old email exchange and creating a reply from that conversation, no matter how old it is. Look for the ability to use templates, find first names, and that can incorporate important information such as your customer’s birthday or the last time/item they purchased.
While this may sound like a bit more work, it ultimately pays off because your customer feels as though your company cares about them. They don’t feel like ‘just a number’ or ‘just another sale.’ Instead, they feel as though they’re a part of something bigger and appreciated.
Understand Your Liabilities
No one likes to think about their liabilities; whether they are personal or within a company.
However, it’s a hard fact you must realize in order to help you minimize the risks that come with running an e-commerce store.
So what might be some of your e-commerce site’s liabilities?
Well, there can be quite a range! One of the biggest issues is data breaches. In fact, it is thought that a business can lose at least half of their customers when they fail to properly secure their data. That can be a huge hit to anyone’s budget and reputation that frankly, you don’t want to have to come back from.
Testimonials are another huge issue. If you happen to have honest reviews from previous buyers, great! Use them!
Although it may be tempting to use paid testimonials or create them yourself, your customers may end up feeling duped. This breaks all the trust that you’ve worked to establish and can cause customers to spend their dollars elsewhere.
Another huge liability that goes overlooked far too often is a business’ customer support. Sure, you have a phone number that customers can call, but how long do they have to wait to reach an actual person who understands their problem?
Consider using a live chat option as a way for customers to contact you in a direct and quick way. Not all issues will be resolved on the spot, but customers will feel as though your business isn’t impossible to reach and that their problem is being heard and understood.
Know Your Audience: Enhance Your Mobility
By 2025, almost 3.5 billion people will only be using their smartphones to access the internet, meaning that mobile-friendly sites are more important than ever.
To stay ahead of this trend, you will need to plan to keep your website optimized for mobile use and stay on top of all the new technologies and operating systems. No, this doesn’t mean you have to dive deep into upcoming mobile trends (though it’s not a bad idea,) it just means that you should be aware of emerging technology and the impact on your business.
There are almost always glitches when you choose to mobilize your full e-commerce website. However, if you can help optimize your full website for mobile users, you will find that many buyers will return to make purchases just because of your site’s ease of use!
The Winning Combination
If you’ve read this far, you might be wondering where you should begin in order to implement these strategies. This might be the most difficult part – but the best advice is to choose one that you’re slightly familiar with and dig deep into it.
Once you figure out the best way to implement one strategy, pick another one and do the same. Continue doing so until you’ve reached the results you desire and have the sales numbers to back it up!
We hope you enjoyed this promoted piece as much as we did!
