Month: November 2022

Marketing your online business has become somewhat of a hot-topic recently. The increase of e-commerce in marketing not only changed the way of how customers shop. It is also change the way businesses market their goods.

Retail marketing has had a significant change as soon as companies began using ecommerce as a method of conducting business. The way marketing is done has been greatly changed by the Internet. As have the ways that online retailers target their customers. 

Many people favour doing business online. Businesses effectively reach their target market with just one click, thanks to consumers’ ability to search for the products they desire online. Businesses who use this method benefit greatly from the simplicity it offers to both buyers and sellers. Because it becomes less of a headache, more and more people adopt it. 

Additionally, the way that firms set their goals has been strongly impacted by techniques in marketing strategies. Businesses also tend to adjust to customer preferences as more and more individuals purchase for their desires and needs online. As a result, businesses have turned to internet platforms to advertise what they can offer customers. Before we know it, items are delivered straight to our doorstep without us having to go to stores any longer. 

But how has modern e-commerce affected business marketing plans?

The Operation of E-Commerce Marketing

E-commerce allows companies to connect with a variety of potential customers. Since the advent of television (commercials), it has been increasingly prevalent and has spread to social media platforms. Where the majority of consumers spend most of the day.

Additionally, digital marketing tactics and channels like Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Network Affiliates, search ads, social advertising, and even email marketing have enormous advantages for businesses and their target market.

Given that it is always available, this strategy is also much less expensive than traditional marketing, which can be expensive but offers no assurance of possible returns. E-commerce is now increasingly popular as a means of advertising goods and services. 

Reachability to Broader Markets

Despite the fact that people have different viewpoints, e-commerce defies all expectations; it has changed so that people can still recognise them even when they are not actively looking for them, in such a manner that they can remember a brand and keep it in mind. There is a good possibility that when consumers need the goods or services a business provides, they will purchase them from that business because they frequently see it online.

However, e-commerce has ensured that a wider market, besides those who choose to seek them, constantly see every marketing promotion a company conducts.  

Websites and Pages 

This is a requirement for companies that want to enter the e-commerce industry. While the internet has become the go-to place for people to effortlessly look for and locate things, it also gives businesses a chance to advertise their goods and services. This guarantees a company’s presence as well, allowing them to gain the faith and trust of their target market through the ease they can offer and the quality of their customer service.

Marketing your online business and using strategies to create something virtual offers customers a level of service comparable to visiting a physical location of a brand, if not higher. 

Newspapers and billboards no longer work for e-commerce so there is a reduction in waste as well.

E-Commerce Marketing for Customers

In addition to the benefits offered to consumers, e-commerce is playing a crucial role in gathering customer experiences. Technology has the advantage of providing sufficient specifics for algorithms in customer preferences, which gives businesses a platform to understand what their customers want and need.

With the ease with which client ideas can be gathered through e-commerce, businesses can use this to understand better what is appealing to customers and their needs. Customers will always come first with this, resulting in long-term brand confidence and consumer loyalty. 

The development of business marketing techniques has been significantly influenced by e-commerce. Because they can to reach a wider target audience, client preferences change how businesses approach marketing.

Future technological developments will unavoidably alter marketing strategies even further because they are still developing. Businesses will always be thought of as moving along with their clients if they adapt to what they like. 

Convenience in Shopping Patterns

 

Going to actual stores to hunt for something that won’t be available is already quite a pain. More and more consumers can check the availability of a specific product online via a company’s website or page thanks to the efficiency given by marketing your online business.

Businesses can now advertise their products online, thanks to this. As a result, the shopping pattern has changed from in-person to online, implying convenience and less time and effort on the part of customers. 

The Advantages of E-Commerce Marketing for Your Online Business

There is also a slew of advantages when it comes to e-commerce marketing. As the average person spends an average of 417 minutes online per day, e-commerce marketing is probably just as, if not more effective than traditional marketing.  

Convenience 

Since everything related to e-commerce marketing is done online, it doesn’t matter where you are as long as you have access to the internet.

Affordable 

Sending emails and publishing on social media are two examples of important e-commerce marketing elements that are free to use. That excludes paid campaigns and advertisements, but you can live without them if you don’t have the funds. 

Measurable 

Data collection is the most advantageous aspect of e-commerce marketing. It is possible to analyse and measure a variety of data sources, including website visitors, e-commerce store clicks, social media impressions, and many more. 

Automation 

Set-it-and-forget-it marketing tactics make up a large portion of e-commerce marketing methods.

Everything from scheduling posts to sending emails can be automated with the correct tools. Making the content and designing the campaign will take some time, but once everything is set up, all you have to do is press a button, and everything will go as planned. 

Personalization 

While SEO addresses the whims of search engines, you may engage with your consumers and website visitors more effectively by delivering personalised content to them via your website, social media, and email thanks to e-commerce marketing tools and techniques. 

Global Reach 

If you employ effective e-commerce marketing techniques, it won’t cost you anything to reach a global audience. You can draw some attention from all around the world for your small business with a lot of effort and some good fortune. 

Should You Take Advantage of E-commerce Marketing?

Take advantage of different e-commerce marketing tools and start developing your marketing plan to boost sales. Set up your e-commerce business on a platform with the main elements of e-commerce marketing if you’re just starting one. 

If you need assistance setting up your website to start marketing your online business you can read about How to Set Up an E-Commerce Website for Beginners, or you can contact a web developer to do it for you.    

Upscalix has a very talented team who can build your website to showcase your products or services while simultaneously utilising e-commerce marketing to grow your online presence. Contact us and let’s get started! 

Whether you’re a new business owner or if you’ve successfully run a business without an e-commerce website, investing in a platform for your business has never been more crucial to stay ahead of the competition.

An e-commerce website offers a variety of benefits and each year these benefits continue to grow. It not only generates a new way to attract customers, but it also gives your business look more credible and allows you to showcase your products and services! 

The most daunting task, however, is beginning. Where do you even start? We are going to walk you through how to build an e-commerce website in 5 steps.  

How to Create an E-Commerce Website for Beginners

These are some steps that you can do to make your own shopping portal:

1. Obtain Your Domain 

Your domain or URL is your web address and how shoppers visit your website. It’s important to choose a domain name that represents your brand, so your customers know from the get-go what you’re selling.

Using descriptive keywords or key phrases in your business and domain name can also help your search engine optimization (SEO) and allow visitors to find you easily on the web.  

After settling on your domain name, it’s time to purchase your domain using domain registrar sites like Google Domains, GoDaddy or Bluehost. Just visit one of these websites and see if your business name is available.  

However, if your name is taken, these sites will give you variations like .net or. shop that you can choose from. It is recommended that you stick with a .com site since it’s the most common usage.  

In general your domain name will typically cost between $10-$20 a year. This cost can vary widely depending on how popular the domain is.  

2. Choosing the Right Tools 

This is where you’ll build your platform. While there are so many different options the three options we recommend are: 

• Using an e-commerce platform OR; 
• Using website builders with e-commerce features OR; 
• Finding a web hosting company. 

E-commerce websites such as Shopify, Shift4 shop or BigCommerce offer strong built-in features including secure payments, shipping labels, email marketing, and multichannel sales assistance.

Although not free, they are also very stable and expandable.  Be that as it may, these solutions offer a wealth of tools starting at about $30 per month. 

Website builders with e-commerce features like Wix, Squarespace or Weebly make it easy to customize your website and add features that integrate sales and marketing to your business as well. It offers e-commerce functionality for $23-$30 a month. 

Web hosting companies enable your website to be hosted by a web hosting provider in order to be published and available on the internet. These providers give you a safe location on their server to keep all of your website content. 

If a different host better suits your organization’s needs, you can either opt to register your domain name and host your website with the same firm. Monthly fees for web hosting can vary depending on the package selected for your company needs.   

3. Design Your Website 

Several things to consider when constructing your website include what you want to tell your customers, what you want them to do on your website, what queries they’ll have, what they should do, etc. 

The e-commerce website should be set up so that users may easily find and complete the necessary tasks. Looking at websites of companies similar to your own to see how they have developed their sites and what features they have incorporated may be helpful. 

Your company will stand out if its website is attractive and simple to use so by creating a visual site map, you can quickly determine what your website may need. Typically, you’d want a website specifically for each line of products or important service you provide. Here you can read about the benefits of having an immersive website.

The elements and data listed below must be gathered before you may develop your company website: 

Images for Brands’ Logos

You may build a simple type logo on all e-commerce websites, or you can utilise a third-party platform like Canva to design your own logo from free logo templates. 

Product Images, Details, and Information

Some things to think about include the following information on your website, along with these suggestions for successful product promotion.  

Excellent Product Photography 

With a little imagination and a cell phone camera, you can take excellent product photographs. Make careful to snap pictures from several perspectives and, if you can, show your products being used. In addition, videos of your products in real life are effective sales tools, and you can record these on your phone. 

Product descriptions should be thorough and include all pertinent information. For every item you offer, include its size, weight, and material, as well as a list of commonly asked questions. When it makes sense, include keywords in product titles and descriptions to improve your rating on search engines. 

Your Account

Make the “About Us” part of your e-commerce website shine if you want to establish a connection with potential customers. To keep customers coming back for more, share your own journey, adorn it with pictures and videos, and make it interesting and engaging. 

Pages for Customer service

Having excellent customer service encourages repeat business, so clearly define expectations on your e-commerce website’s customer service page. Here, important components include: 

Shipping Costs and Schedules 

Before writing a thousand words for your shipping policy, here are some notes that you may consider:

Return Policy

Give an explanation of your standard shipping turnaround, the fees you charge, and the typical delivery periods. 

Exchanges and Returns

Explain your return policy and make it clear who is responsible for paying return freight. 

Privacy Statement

You are required by law to post a privacy statement on your website, and the majority of e-commerce platforms give you the option to insert one. 

4. Build Your Website 

When choosing how to construct your e-commerce website, think about how it will be updated and how simple it will be to make changes. Your website’s content may need to be updated frequently, for instance: 

• Upgrading the advertising and adding details about the current deals and sales. 
• Changing contact details to reflect changes in costs, offerings, and services. 
• Modifying the look and feel of your website, such as by updating operating hours for holidays. 

Mobile devices

It is equally important that on mobile devices, such as smartphones, your website should display proportionally.

Mobile optimisation is a feature that is automatically included in websites and CMS platforms so it’s important that you find out if mobile optimisation is part of the build or if there will be an additional fee if you employ a web developer. 

Website Content

Next, once you’ve decided what material you want on your website, you’ll need to either develop it yourself or purchase it. Some examples of website content are: 

Landing sites to assist marketing efforts with images, videos, copy, and interactive tools like estimators and calculators. Customers will be more comfortable conducting business with you if you provide relevant and expert content and visuals that help them comprehend your products and services. 

Likewise, you may want to think about paying a professional to produce photographs or write and organise your content, just as you could do when having your website designed or a movie made.

Besides this, custom plugins, Images and videos can be useful for attracting attention by making a positive presentation of your goods, services, location, or prior work. 

Above all, content should be easy to read and understand. Because of this, utilise clear language and start with the most crucial facts. Make use of clear headings and make sure the text is easy to scan and maintain concise, easy-to-read paragraphs. 

Administration and Maintenance

Moreover, you should update the material on your website often like events, specials, and seasonal product promotions are examples of new website content which aids in maintaining client interest and engagement and enhances your position in search engine results pages. 

For examples of websites we’ve built, check out this link.

 5. Launch Your E-commerce Website 

The completion of a few test orders ushers in the final stage of creating an e-commerce website. Although each e-commerce platform conducts testing in a different way, they all allow you to place a few pre-launch test orders.

Even though these orders communicate with your payment processor, your card is not charged. You’re prepared to start taking orders once you’ve successfully processed a few test orders or fixed any flaws you found while using your e-commerce website. 

A launch of your e-commerce website does not guarantee immediate sales, so keep that in mind. Search engines need some time to identify and index your new online store. Once your online store is up and running, you can utilise Google Adwords advertising and social media to spread the word. 

Conclusion

Building your own website can definitely seem daunting, but by following our guide you can have your own e-commerce website up and running in no time! If you’re still unsure, that’s no problem- lots of companies hire developers to do it for them.  

However, if your website has a more technical function that you would like to add-on but don’t know how, that’s where custom software developers come in to help build them. 

At Upscalix, that’s precisely what we do. We have an experienced team who is ready to see your vision come to life. Send us a message and let us build your e-commerce website!