Online merchants of all sizes are subject to the growing list of demands from shoppers who expect improved on-site service. Forrester Research expects online commerce to grow almost 45-50% between now and 2016, which means huge opportunities for e-commerce store operators, and increased competition for customers. The stores that will fare well in this highly competitive and specialized marketplace are those that are willing to scale their sites by investing/outsourcing of 3 major e-commerce components:
- Custom product descriptions. If your product or service isn’t unique, how you position it needs to be. By including engaging and informative product descriptions, you can set your brand apart from the masses and cultivate a following.Memorable and unique product descriptions can take time to write up-front, but the pay off in the long-run is well worth the investment.
- A consistent look and feel. Again, if your e-commerce site sells widgets that are offered on hundreds or even thousands of other sites – what’s the reason for customers to buy from your store? At even the most basic level, creating consistency of the images on your website can attract more customers and close more sales. Take e-Bay as an example – two merchants can post the same product up for auction, but the merchant with the better product (branded) product photos is the one who will likely not only sell, but for a higher price as well. Establish some type of photo guidelines – with consistent use of white space, shadows and reflections, and take the time to invest in outside photo re-touching to provide customers with a look that is a positive reflection of your brand.
- 24/7 Customer Support. Shoppers today don’t just want to shop 24/7 – they want the support to back it up. By investing in an outside company to manage and streamline customer relations, you can increase the likelihood that customers will give you a positive review, recommend your site to a friend, and most importantly, return again for a repeat purchase. If you work in an industry where technical support is required, you can still opt to keep that in-house, while outsource tiered levels of customer support. This helps to keep wait times down and keep customers happy. Gone are the days of automated responses and 9-5 hours – today’s e-commerce customer demands to be heard whenever they are ready to connect. Thankfully, it’s now easier than ever to implement such programs and track the results.
With e-commerce growth moving a rapid pace, the best way to prepare is to bring in experts and outsource where needed. This gives e-commerce owners the time they need to focus on innovation and long-term expansion strategies required for sustainability and continued success.
