With the novelties brought by the Internet world, several business lines have opted to build their websites to reach more people. In the case of companies that sell products or services, the digital world represents a great opportunity for growth in terms of sales. Here we will tell you everything you should take into account to create a successful e-commerce.
What is an e-commerce?
The e-commerce or electronic commerce business model is the one in which transactions of purchase and sale of products or services are made through the Internet. It has become increasingly popular due to the large number of users of digital technologies.
What does e-commerce imply for business?
Applying the e-commerce model involves establishing an online store or digital platform where users can browse and purchase products or services. Businesses that opt for this business model can be companies that are dedicated to traditional sales and seek to expand into the digital world, as well as ventures born exclusively to operate in a digital environment.
Which platform to choose to create my e-commerce?
To choose the right platform to create your e-commerce, you should take into account the needs of your business, the budget you have allocated and the costs of the platform, the ease of use, the design and customization capacity, the functionalities and features it offers, as well as the security it offers to your users.
You can read about these and other points that you should take into account in the article In which platform should I develop my e-commerce? Where we also recommend platforms according to your needs.
Elements to consider
Identify your business niche
You must clearly define who you are targeting. This will help you tailor your products, messages and strategies to meet their specific needs. It is also helpful if you can conduct market research and use analytical tools to obtain information about your target audience.
Create an attractive online store
Your business e-commerce should be attractive and easy to navigate. So it should have a professional design, high quality images of your products and an intuitive navigation flow. Likewise, your design should be responsive so that it can adapt to different mobile devices because many people will make their purchase from cell phones and tablets.
Offer a personalized shopping experience
When a customer wants to make a purchase, they expect a personalized and relevant experience, so use data analytics tools to better understand your customers and offer them recommendations and promotions tailored to their interests and preferences. This can make all the difference in the customer loyalty process and, therefore, in increasing conversions.
Implement digital marketing strategies
To get better results with your e-commerce site, you should resort to tools such as SEO (search engine optimization), to improve the visibility of your site in Google search results. In addition, you can take advantage of your social networks to start creating a solid presence and interact with your audience while promoting your products and services. Also, start considering a budget for ads on platforms such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads to increase your visibility and reach a wider audience.
Optimize the user experience and the buying process
If your users have a seamless user experience, they will have no trouble making a successful purchase. For this to be possible, you must optimize the loading speed of your site, offer different secure payment options and make the purchase process as simple as possible. In addition, you must take into account that it is necessary to have a customer service that must be efficient and personalized so that customers feel cared for at all times.
Analyze and improve continuously
Both the Internet and e-commerce are fields in constant growth and evolution, so we recommend you to analyze your metrics regularly to adjust your strategy and your website. You can do this by analyzing analytics, performing A/B tests and identifying areas for improvement.
Which companies use it?
If you are still not 100% convinced that this is the best option for your business, here we will tell you about some international companies that use this model and are successful.
International E-commerce
Amazon
Amazon is one of the most recognized e-commerce companies worldwide, initially started as an online bookstore and now offers a wide range of products.
eBay
It is an extremely popular site for online auctions and sales where companies and individuals can buy and sell a wide variety of products from new products to collectibles.
Etsy
An e-commerce platform offering handmade products, Etsy is very popular among creators and artisans who want to sell their products online.
Best Buy
It is an electronics store that has been very successful in e-commerce. It offers televisions, home appliances and mobile devices.
Aliexpress
Allows consumers to buy a wide variety of products from sellers around the world, with international options.
Advantages
Now that we've told you a big part of what e-commerce is all about, we'll tell you the advantages.
Global reach
Since your store will be available on the Internet, you will have the possibility of reaching customers all over the world, overcoming geographical limitations and accessing a much wider market than if you had a physical store in your city.
24/7 availability
An online store, unlike a physical store, has no closing hours, so your products will be available 24/7, so customers can buy at any time. This way your sales opportunities will increase.
Lower operating costs
If you choose the option of having an online store, you will be able to save on renting a store, maintenance costs and hiring additional personnel. Therefore, you will reduce operating costs and increase your profit margin.
Greater flexibility and convenience
It offers these benefits for you and your customers, since there are no time constraints and you can shop from any time.
Increased customization capabilities
You can offer a personalized experience tailored to the preferences of each of your customers (learn more in the article The magic behind personalization: how AI predicts user behavior). You can use data and data analysis to learn about and improve your customers and offer them products and promotions.
Access to marketing tools
By building an e-commerce you will have access to a wide range of marketing tools that you can use to promote your business (depending on the platform you use). You can make use of SEO, online advertising, social media or email marketing to increase the visibility of your brand.
Scalability
E-commerce platforms allow you to expand your product catalog and add new categories easily so you can adapt to customer demand without the limitations you would have in a physical store.
Data analysis
Because your e-commerce will be hosted on the Internet, you will be able to collect a large amount of data about your customers (buying preferences, shopping behavior and navigation, which will help you make informed decisions about your business and your strategies.
Now that you know the basics about the world of e-commerce and the advantages it can have for your business, what are you waiting for to be part of it?
At BluePixel we have e-commerce development for you, if you are interested in learning more about how to acquire our services contact us at [email protected].