Even though ecommerce sites provide many opportunities that in-person shops don’t – being open 24 hours a day, letting customers shop in their pajamas from the couch, and stocking a wide variety of items – a large number of them struggle to survive. 

This newsletter outlines ten important aspects to keep in mind when creating an ecommerce site – they will either make you, or break you.

1. Images and Product Descriptions

At a physical store, a customer can hold a product in their hands and examine it. They’re able to ask an employee for clarification if confusion arises. Those two things aren’t available in the same way on an ecommerce site, but it’s your job to make the customer’s experience as close to in-person as possible. 

By using good quality images and detailed descriptions, customers won’t find themselves stumped when it comes to what you’re selling. Don’t use generic descriptions – those are boring and stale. Make sure to photograph the product from all angles, too. 

2. Contact Information

Like we said, in-person interaction isn’t available on an ecommerce site. But you can offer the next best thing, meaning live chats, a phone number, or email. If customers can’t find contact information on your site, it leaves a bad taste in their mouth. They’ll wonder why you don’t want to be contacted. It’s always good to be as transparent as possible. 

3. Checkout

Simplicity is always better than a multi-step, messy process. If a customer gets frustrated during checkout, they’re less likely to follow through. This means taking out the complication – to buy something from your site, don’t make someone register. It will deter them from completing the purchase. If anything, offer to save the details at the end of the transaction for future use. 

4. Hidden Fees

No one likes to be surprised by a total that skyrockets once you click ‘checkout.’ Allow customers to calculate shipping costs as they go, so by the time they’re done, they’re aware of the final price. 

5. Think Mobile

A lot of people shop on their phones instead of on their computers. It’s always good to make sure your site is mobile-friendly, because if it’s not, there’s no way a mobile customer will stick around to check out your wares. 

6. No Guesswork

Make the steps to your ecommerce site cut and dry. Customers should always know where to go next, and how to get there. If you leave a customer in the dark, the chance of them giving up and moving their business elsewhere is very high. 

7. Marketing

You might have the best ecommerce site around, but no one will visit if they don’t know it exists. By creating an inbound marketing funnel, you target the right traffic that leads customers to your site from places like Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc. 

8. Implement Social Media

One of the worst things to do is ignore your customer. If you engage on social media, especially in a way that matches your brand’s tone, customers will be interested in coming to check out what you have to offer. 

9. Get the Right Audience

If you’re barking up the wrong tree, it won’t matter how good your sales tactics are. The people who aren’t interested in your product simply will never buy it. This is why you have to make sure you’re advertising to the correct demographic. There’s no use being generic. 

10. Pricing

It’s much, much easier to compare pricing online than it is in person. This is why you have to make sure your prices are absolutely correct. If you’re pricing products too high, your customers will buy them from someplace else. But if you price them too low, the customer might assume the materials are low quality. There’s a fine line between the two. 

There’s no better time than right now to build your ecommerce site and make it work not only for you, but for customers that utilize it. By following this simple guide, you’ll have no problem creating an online space that people will enjoy.