Buyer’s advantages of using an e-Commerce website to make purchase decisions:
• Accessibility – buy anytime, anywhere regardless of location.
• Speed – buy quickly without the need to travel or stand in lines
• Price comparison – ability to check out and compare multiple sellers at once to save money.
• Variety – better selection
• Time saver and cost reducer
• Convenient

Seller’s advantages of having an e-Commerce website to sell products:
• Time saver & cost reducer
• Brand reach expands beyond local customers
• Paperless environment
• Less time resolving invoices and order discrepancies
• Lower Overhead
• Ability to provide multiple payment gateways
• Affordable marketing, advertising tactics
• Easier Catalog and product management
• Streamlined communication

Converting your target market into customers or simply: helping a visitor make a positive purchase decision is the ultimate goal of an online e-Commerce website owner. Let’s take a look at basic principles that make all websites great and e-commerce website convert.

Every website needs to possess the following basics:
• Professional branding & attractive design to foster trust and help legitimize the business.
• Graphics and other visuals must enhance not hinder the online experience.
• Well organized content in order for visitors to easily find what they’re looking for.
• Website’s core message and text must be legible, clear and understood by the the visitors.
• Appropriate website architecture, technology and features to yield desirable results.
• Free of errors (broken links, buttons, forms etc)
• Enable easy contact with the company.
• Basic SEO in order for the site to be found by users and crawled by search engines.

If above is true for all websites regardless of business goals, what makes e-Commerce websites conceptually different than other sites? Plenty!

For starters, e-Commerce website’s core focus is to convert (turn a visitor into a customer by inspiring them to make a purchase). There are selling principles that must be followed in order for that sale to occur, otherwise visitors will continue browsing and possibly finalize their purchase with your competitor.

e-Commerce website differentiators:

• Website’s User Experience must have a strong call to action that drives customers to make a purchase, provide feedback, share info, respond or whatever else you want them to do. Call to action is usually driven by the use of clearly defined buttons, links, action oriented messaging and content, banners/ads, promo codes etc… Telling your visitors what to do and when is key.

• Professional look and feel of the website, page elements and correct design principals (color, scale, location of important features, balance) should aid customers in their decision making, purchasing process, grab their attention, keep them on your website and inspire them to come back. If the site is too busy, unorganized, low quality, outdated and poorly built, the visitor will hesitate to buy from you. Why would they take your business seriously if their perception is that you don’t take it seriously.

• Well organized, keyword rich content that is informative, helpful and inspires purchase is crucial to the success of an e-Commerce website.
Too many e-Commerce sites lack basic product descriptions, provide incorrect information or repetitive product labels that do not help visitors make up their minds. Why are the products superb to competitors’ offerings? What sets them apart, makes them unique and better? Why should they buy from you is what must be clearly conveyed while writing each product description.

• Establish strong “Trust Factor”.
With e-Commerce websites, for obvious reasons, trust factor must go beyond the basics of providing phone number, contact info and about us section on the site. Adding privacy policy, FAQs, alternative payments methods, ensuring and emphasizing the transaction process is secure, showing good rating with BBB, including testimonials and user feedback on the site will help your visitors feel more secure.

Unlike shopping at the mall or a grocery store where store owners can influence shopper’s sense of smell, taste and touch to influence their decisions, Internet relies on our vision and emotional state which can be altered depending on the visitor’s experience with your website and your brand. Communication and the ability to relate to the audience and offer them what they need and want becomes crucial.

“Content is King” <– have you heard this phase? When it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies, marketers create keyword rich content to influence website’s ranking score as search engines rely on content to evaluate how relevant it is to search terms. But content is even more important for eCommerce shoppers as it plays a direct role in impacting the visitor’s sense of trust and how they feel about your company and products.

Ensuring consistency between brand image, communication and content determines how much time each visitor spends on your website as unlike with a brick and mortal stores, e-Commerce website visitors have the convenience of leaving your website with 1 click and accessing hundreds of competitors from the comfort of their living room.

A great e-Commerce website design will make shopping a breeze and lead the visitor to the right page in 1-3 clicks at the most. Knowledgeable website designers create user experiences that are intuitive, inspirational, exciting and swiftly move visitors through the shopping experience and checkout.

• Great Custom Service is very important with e-Commerce sites to build loyalty and get repeat business. Pre and post purchase interaction such as abandonment shopping cart communication, follow up emails, confirmation emails, onsite messaging, user specific content, browser cookies, future discounts and exclusive deals build rapport with customers and eliminate confusion or hesitation as well as inspire future purchase.

If you are about to start an e-Commerce website or already own one and need to update it / redesign it or perhaps you already have a great site that requires SEO / SEM to take things to the next level contact us for a free consultation and site evaluation.

• Have a short attention span
• Get lost easily without a single clear direction
• Get distracted, even when given good directions
• Crave a “human element” in their online experience
• Want to read about themselves and their problems, rather than yours
• Don’t want to feel bullied into making a decision
• Want to develop their relationship with you at their own speed
• Need to know they can trust you
• See even small errors on your website as unprofessional
• Need to see a compelling reason to choose you vs. your competitor.
• Need consistency

When these issues are addressed, conversion rate almost always skyrockets.

A big part of adding a “human element” to a visitor’s online experience is simply ditching the corporate talk. This is sometimes the most difficult part to overcome for website owners and website contributors. Naturally, they want to sound impressive, however being understood is more important to your bottom line.

Website Visitors want to be spoken to in their own language; in a way that’s comfortable for them and easy. “Don’t make them think” approach was even turned into a book.

Just think what happens when someone approaches you in real life and immediately begins to boast and exaggerate or use unnatural language. Bad news re: “converting” that person into a trusted new friend becomes nearly impossible later.

Life is what you make it…

“What If ” – Watch 2012 Happy New Year Video Here

Successful ecommerce landing pages include aspects such as bold titles, eye-grabbing call-to-action buttons, easy navigational links and prominently featured promotions.

As the end of 2011 draws near, let’s view some of the best examples of ecommerce landing pages from the past 12 months (by website magazine):

Old Navy

The best part of this landing page is the brightly and prominently displayed prices, which are perfect for consumers shopping for a good deal (who isn’t?). Additionally, the gift guide and “Holi-deals” are highlighted in red for easy visibility. And conveniently, consumers have the option to visit sister stores by clicking on tabs at the top of the landing page.

The North Face

No matter who or what a consumer is shopping for (men, women, kids, equipment or holiday gifts), this landing page features multiple eye-catching links on which to click. Not only does the main photo at the top of the page include links for different departments, but the departments are also featured directly underneath the image in a row of individual smaller photos. The landing page is direct, simple and sleek for easy end-user navigation.

Urban Decay

This landing page includes many best practices, such as the large title of the brand and inclusion of the brand’s slogan. Other best practices include a large call-to-action button that says “Buy It Now,” as well as the word “FREE” in the upper right-hand corner and bottom left-hand corner – which, without a doubt, grabs the attention of consumers. Furthermore, the featured picture box changes about every 10 seconds, and the second featured box features a call-to-action button that enables consumers to view videos from the brand.

Lush

Although a bit busier than the previous examples, one of the best aspects of this page is the gift-finder, which is featured with bright colors on the left-hand side of the page. Not only does it allow consumers to choose who the gift is for, but it also allows them to choose a price range. Other best practices of this landing page include the golden ticket promotion that is featured next to the company’s name, as well as the “New” and “Christmas” tabs at the top of the page, which are highlighted in Green and Yellow.

Ugg

This landing page notably features the Ugg’s Gift Boutique, which is an effective tactic during the holidays. Furthermore, on the right-hand side of the page, boots for both men and women are featured with call-to-action buttons. Lastly, the upper right corner prominently features the company’s shipping and return policy (free), which is an important factor for consumers.

(source: website magazine)

website design, web design, SEO, marketing, social media marketing, social media optimization

Without a website, “you simply do not exist to the average consumer” and before you reflect on your success and totally disagree, consider this:

It’s Monday afternoon and I have realized that the business party I’m attending is on Tuesday and I need to get my nails done, buy a cute outfit and drop off my car to a car wash. Of course time is of the essence so I’m going to look up Google to find the beauty salon and the car wash on a way to the store.

The first couple links all look great, the spa and the car wash are on the way to the mall.  I look at their hours, read a little about the car wash services, call the spa to schedule an appointment and I’m off.

What I didn’t realize though is that your spa is adjacent to the mall and across the street is a car wash just a block away from the Shopping center. I didn’t know that because your website either didn’t come up in the search engine or perhaps you do not have a website at all.

For me and many other consumers, you didn’t even exist when I was making a decision on whom to do business with. Can you afford that? This is why having a website and strong SEO strategy are integral to your success. Existing online is no longer an option it’s a requirement.

Click here for 10 reasons why you should have a website for your business.

website design, web development, web design, websites

ProBlogger ran a poll last december, asking readers how long they had been blogging. Surprisingly, out of the 18,000 readers who answered, 4,000 admitted to never having a blog, with another 4,000 who were just within their first few months of getting started.

If you are reading this, chances are you are among the 8,000+ folks who have yet to really plunge into the underworld of blogging, and there are probably a number of good reasons why:

Time (Never Enough)
One of the biggest reasons that people procrastinate starting their website blog, is they just don’t have enough time to make the commitment. They imagine spending hours behind the screen during their off hours of the day, when they would much rather be spending it with family and friends.

Overwhelmed
A close cousin to the concern of not having enough time, is the overwhelming feeling of starting something new. There seems to be so many steps to success, such as purchasing a domain name, the design/layout, organization, ideas, promotion, learning all the terms (SEO, backlinking, etc.), and finally the necessary time for the blog to take-off and build-up a community of followers.

Fear of Failure
Another big reason for procrastinating to blog is the fear of failure. Blogging is a very personal thing. With each post a blogger gives a little piece of him or herself. What if people don’t like it? What if I put a bunch of time into such a project and end up with nothing to show for it?

Of course, if passion is not what gets you going, profit most certainly will, and blogs are full of potential when it comes to driving consumer and media interest. Here are some of the monetary benefits of starting your own blog:

Gain recognition as an expert in your field- This will bring trust and confidence to both your product and company, which in turn, drives more consumer interest and more profit.

Free advertising- Popular blogs get attention from the media websites who will come to you for a story. These type filler stories in the media are the ultimate in free advertising.

Build a community- A good product has a community of users, whether it is an athletic shoe, software program, or business methodology. A blog is a natural means of creating such a community. Readers will become regulars on your blog, sending links to friends, and coming back daily to see what’s new. This is what customer loyalty is all about.

Search Engine Boost- Google search engine ranking is a big deal, and most successful businesses have at least one to three paid professionals whose job is to make sure they remain at the very tops of these lists. Google search loves blogs, and you will find no easier way to drive traffic to your website, than with your own blog.

Profits- If you have something great that other people want or can create the need for it amongst your audience than the blog is your podium, a place where you can freely engage in conversations with customers, address their candid concerns, discuss features and benefits, do product comparisons and more. A website blog offers many marketing and branding opportunities other communication channels limit and it should be part of every healthy marketing strategy if ranking high and increasing profits is your goal.
Ultimately, the proof is in the pudding. Let’s look at a few successful, “non-techie” entrepreneurs who have made their business a huge success by starting a simple, useful, and practical blog:

CASE STUDIES

Timothy Sykes

Timothy Sykes blog is an excellent example of a non-tech blogger who has found great success in writing about what he knows. What started out as a simple blog teaching readers about penny stocks (among other things), has quickly become a million dollar income source.

Did Timothy use any specific marketing technique, have a particularly fantastic display of colorful graphics, or mind-boggling photos? No. His success is based off a proven track record of information he took the time to share with his readers.

By showing his readers that he is successful at what he does, he has built a network (or community) of trusted members. These people were then willing to go the extra mile and purchased his subscription services, which promise to go further in depth with his knowledge.

Steve Spangler

Another great example of a non-tech entrepreneur growing his business, is Steven Spangler of Steve Spangler Science. His business began as a simple, Internet-based educational toy catalog. Simple, marketable, and profitable, but Steve had much bigger plans in mind.

Steve began a blog focused on parents, teaching them about the benefits of getting kids interested in science through various fun activities. He would feature these great ideas on his blog, and over a matter of time it grew in popularity, and eventually he began to create a community of trusted followers who saw him as an expert on the subject.

What followed was truly amazing. He was invited on television programs, such as The Ellen Show, where he further displayed his expert opinion, and drove even more consumers to his blog and Internet catalog. Today, Steve’s blog directs no less than about 12 percent of his yearly sales, which is well worth his time!

Seth Godin

Seth Godin’s Blog is another great example. It is one of the most read blogs on the Internet, and is consistently number one on the Ad Age Power 150. Seth’s books, which are sold on his site are best-sellers, but what if we told you that he has never once bragged about them in his blog to increase sales. He has never even promoted any of his companies (Squidoo) to his readers (well for the most part), unless it was pertinent to a topic he was discussing.

Seth’s blog is not about his books, but rather about helping other people to succeed in their own business and life. He is truly passionate about teaching, and his readers respect him for that. It is this honest and focused attitude that has given Seth a trusting community of followers who know they can count on him to offer good, solid information each day. It is not about what they can do for him, but what he can do for them!

The benefit of building such a community, is that you do not need to hand feed your product to consumers, as they will seek you out. There is no hard sell necessary when you build a strong Internet community through your blog!

Tim Ferriss

You can’t have a lesson on why to blog, without mentioning Tim Ferris and Gary Vaynerchuck. Tim is a big name today, and much of his community of followers stems from the beginning of his blog. Tim captured the attention of business members by offering tips on making the most of their life, but most importantly, about making the most of their precious time.

It was through these simple blog tips that his successful book, The 4-Hour Workweek, sprung to life. Would this have happened without the help of his blog? Perhaps. But would it have happened as quickly and effectively? Most certainly not!

Gary Vaynerchuck

Gary Vaynerchuck also has a popular blog and best-selling book, called Crush it! Gary’s philosophy is to use Internet social media sites and blogs as a means for consumers to interacting with products and ideas, rather than be sold to.

Today’s consumer no longer wants to be told what they want. They want to be given a voice to express what it is that they want. This is exactly what a blog allows. Chevrolet and Chrysler found this out the hard way. They had been telling consumers that they wanted in a vehicle for years, and now they are finally being forced to listen to what it is the consumer wants for a change.

Gary’s best advice for starting your own blog is to get on Twitter Facebook or Google and find a community that would be interested in your product/service, and then get involved with them. Find out exactly what it is that they want, and then find a way to give it to them!

Final Words

Marketing a product or service today is more about listening and caring about your consumer, than force feeding them PR jargon. Today’s consumer is too smart for that. A blog is a perfect way to get in on their level and create a relationship that they can associate with.

If you can talk to a family member or a friend about issues that are important to them, then you have what it takes to write a successful blog for your brand. This is how you build a strong community of loyal consumers, based on respect, mutual understanding, and above all… trust!

Important Points to Remember

Write about what you are passionate about and the ideas will come easily.

A blog is an opportunity to create a strong community of brand loyalists and customers who will come back, again and again and bring their friends with them.

Having a blog is one of the simplest ways to brand your company as both knowledgeable and authentic.

A clearly written, honest, useful, and practical blog establishes a relationship with potential consumers, creating a pool of trust for your product or service that radiates across the network and beyond building your integrity and credibility. People do business with those they know.

Need a blog?
Our platform of choice at Pixelfanatix is Wordpress. We can launch Wordpress sites in a matter of days. Contact us for more information.

Check out Google’s video and a new book that offers clarity and understanding for those who are interested in growing their businesses online, promoting their brands or products. See what goes on in your consumer’s mind at the absolutely most influential moment of their buying experience. Make sure you’re there when they’re shopping for your product or service and watch what happens!

Download an ebook here or Check it out on Amazon.com here.

View Zero Moment Of Truth by Google.

Please click Facebook “like” below if you found this information useful and spread the word!

The better the cart experience, the more products can be sold, but carts are useless without having any consumers to fill it so acquisition (getting customers to the cart) and retention (keeping them coming back) become the key focus of any smart online store owners.

How can merchants advertise their online stores?

Search engine optimization (SEO), affiliate programs, performance-based advertising, email marketing are just few ways to drive your customers to your cart, yet historically, one of the top acquisition strategies for e-commerce retailers has been paid search where you pay directly for ads to display based on keywords the users search for. There are couple ways to pay for ads, two most popular are CPM and PPC.

CPM- Cost per Mille (Mille= thousand) counts how many times your ad was displayed regardless of user’s action). PPC-Pay Per Click – counts actual instances of users clicking your ads, regardless of how many times the ad was displayed on the page.

Tip:
User review websites are important to every business online in both consumer acquisition and retention. Do you know where your business is being reviewed? Below are just a few of the obvious places:

1. Social sites like Facebook, Twitter, Yelp.com, and Google Maps, Bing, Yahoo Local, City Search and Local.com.

Depending on the industry, products and services, here’s a small sample of sites your company might be reviewed on:
InsiderPages.com, MerchantCircle.com, Judysbook.com, angieslist.com, Tipadvisor.com, OpenTable.com, BBB.org, Buzzillions.com, Epinions.com, Wize.com, PowerReviews.com, SiteJabber.com.

Note:
According to recent research done by comScore, Retail E-Commerce was up 14% from a year ago, whopping $37.5 billion dollar in spending in Q2 2011 to be exact. It is also interesting to note that the top-performing online product categories are: Consumer electronics, computer hardware and software and Event Tickets with each category growing at least 15% from a year ago. Click here to read their press release.

In addition, Email remains one of the best tools for every e-commerce merchant in both customer acquisition and retention. Connecting directly with your customers gives you an opportunity to customize your offerings, plus don’t forget the email goes with them everywhere including mobile and social channels.

Acquiring customers through email can be done with making offers such as 10% off your first purchase. Other ways include offering loyalty programs, early bird discounts, product tutorials, ebooks, whitepapers and more. Over time we will write articles on each to offer tips and advice on how to get attention and keep it.

We help our clients determine which tactics to implement, competitive strategy is the key to your online success. We also help design the online marketing material to match client’s branding and marketing campaigns, develop whatever technical infrastructure is necessary to facilitate successful execution and than help with marketing and data collection to improve results. Curious how we can help your e-Commerce business? Click here to email us with your questions.

ecommerce, e-commerce, online stores, Magento, osCommerce, Zencart

1. Value Proposition: Determine what makes your business better than your competition.

2. Marketing Strategy: Create a cohesive marketing and sales strategy to appropriately highlight your value proposition to the right audience.

3. Business Model: Design scalable business model that grows with your company and keeps up with your customers’ ever changing needs.

4. Plan of Action: Create an action strategy based on lessons learned, history, evaluation of similar companies and their reasons for success or failure.

5. Communication: Be clear, concise, direct. Speak the language YOUR audience will understand, note that that language may be different for each niche market.