Every online store exists to make money. As an e-commerce business, how do you know what to focus on to ensure you’re getting the best possible return from your investment?
Let us show you how to maximise profit from your online store.
Here are our 5 top ways to maximise profit from your online store
1. Easy Navigation & Searching
Nothing frustrates potential online customers more than struggling to find what they are looking for.
Make sure your products are clearly labelled, intuitively categorised and easy to locate in just a few clicks. This will ensure your customers can find what they want quickly and increase your chance of a sale.
Make sure your website has:
- Clear Product Headings
- Easy to read descriptions
- ‘Search’ functionality
- ‘Sort By’ functionality
- Categories that make sense to the buyer
- A maximum of 2-3 clicks to get any where.
2. Inspiring Imagery
Since your customer can’t physically hold your product, your images really are the key to their engagement.
Poor quality images lead to customers believing what you are selling is poor quality. On the other hand, high quality images that inspire your customers will lead them to buying your product.
Try to think about your website as if it were a physical store. For example, if you were selling a glamorous cocktail dress, you would put it on a mannequin in a display window to entice buyers. You wouldn’t leave it crumpled on the floor in the corner of the shop.
The bottom line is – image is everything!
So make sure your website images are:
- High Quality – Well light, sharp and accurately portrayed
- Consistent across the website (Lighting, positioning, level of zoom)
- Offer multiple angles, close ups or show colour varieties if needed
3. Simple Payment & Checkout Process
Imagine finding the perfect product, only to be frustrated and stuck in the purchasing and checkout process.
Successful online stores always make sure the buying process is even smoother than the browsing process.
Make sure your website:
- Caters for all cards – VISA, Mastercard, AMEX, Diners etc.
- Offers Bank transfer and Paypal (if desired)
- Has a simple 1, 2, 3 checkout process
4. Allow Guest Checkout
Gone are the days when websites tried to sign every new buyer into their system.
Make sure that you make the buying process as simple and easy as possible. Prospective buyers shouldn’t be put off by having to sign up to something.
Allowing guest checkout is a terrific way to get people to buy from your website, without feeling the obligation to sign up to your system.
5. Speed means money
Website speed is another crucial key to a happy customer experience. And a happy customer is a paying customer.
Make sure your website is hosted on a suitably web fast server and features a CMS platform that functions effectively.
Remember that cheaper website hosting may sound like a good idea, but it can cost you big time in lost sales.
Food for thought: That Amazon estimate a 1 second delay in load speed in their website can result in $1.6 Billion lost revenue in one year! Source
In Summary:
As you can see there are some very simple ways you can ensure your online store is running effectively and giving you the best possible ROI.
The key to everything is making you customers life as easy as possible!
Suggested additional reading:
8 proven successful online store product types
How to find the perfect Niche for your eCommerce Product
Top 5 places to find eCommerce product ideas
