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The E-Commerce Website Myth


The E-Commerce Website Myth


The thought of having a website that generates income while you sleep, is alluring. It's something I think that everybody would love to have. And an e-commerce site seems like a great way to achieve this.
However, this should not a "build it and they will come" plan.

First of all, you need to make sure that you are selling a product on your website that people will feel comfortable purchasing. If it's an item that people generally would need to try on, or try out for themselves, they will be hesitant in purchasing from a name they don't recognize, understandably.

Remember to always put yourself in your customer's place.

Building a name for yourself so people begin to trust your brand is one thing, and a whole other monster all together.

But while you're waiting for people to dive in and start buying, you may need to offer discounts or free samples of what you're selling, if you are able. Whether you are doing that as a vendor at an event, or offer it on your website in exchange for an email, you need to somehow begin to build the trust that allows people to give out their credit card number.

Use pop-up advertisements to exchange a free sample or discount on your product for an email address.




You also, need to work very hard at driving traffic to your website. I have written multiple blog posts about this, but I'll give a quick summary of things to do here:

  • Get listed on all free directories available.

  • Utilize social media, not just on your own page you've created, but post on local and non-local buy and sell pages on Facebook. (For example: San Diego Buy, sell and trade) Join the group and post (make sure to offer a discount, or free sample). Or join groups that relate with your product you are selling, for example: specific groups dedicated to clothing, jewelry, food, etc. Whatever it is you are selling, find the group that matches that interest. Offer specials, coupons and/or free samples for this to be really effective!

  • Pass out printed material (brochures, flyers, etc) offer a discount if they buy online. 

  • Attend events where you can be a vendor and get the word out! Let people know that they can go on your website to order more.
All of these should contain your web address so people can visit if they are interested.

You need to build trust!

Hoping that people will buy your product online requires a level of trust. If they don't know your brand or have tried your product, they will be hesitant. Because they can easily buy a product similar to yours through a site or company that they already trust. Think, Amazon, ebay, Target, etc.

One of the ways that you can build trust to your unknown audience is by offering a guarantee. This makes people feel safe and secure about their purchase, knowing that you will back it up if they are dissatisfied. So keep this in mind.


Blog to get your product out there

Using the blog world:
You can blog about relevant articles or posts on your website. You can also do guest posts on other blogs that your prospective customers will visit. Get other people to review your products on their website. Focus on getting prospective customers to visit your blog or website. Use your site stats or Google Analytics to see which sources bring the most prospective customers and which convert best to sales.*

If you are a new e-commerce site to the scene (less then a year on the web) then it may just be that you need more time. You need more time to rank higher for the people searching for what it is you are offering. You need to time to build trust, and to educate people on what you sell, and why it's the best!

For more aggressive techniques, you may also want to look into advertising on Google Shopping Campaigns

So, to conclude, just having your e-commerce site on the web in an of itself isn't going to be enough to drive traffic/sales your way. Selling products online is just like starting any other business, it's going to take a lot of work and creativity, and offering incentives to build trust. Make sure to ask for reviews from your existing customers so you can post online to build more trust, or utilize yelp.

You will need to invest a considerable amount of time and energy each week to promote yourself/your website/your products.

Also please let me know if you need to create a coupon for your shop. This will be done through your shopping cart software.

Hope this helps

Kate
www.exquisitepixeldesigns.com


* 5 secrets to selling online successfully

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