Over the past 10 years, e-commerce has changed the face of retail, with shoppers’ habits altering dramatically and continuing to change as the sector itself evolves. Clifford McDowell, CEO of website builder, Mr Site, looks at how our online shopping habits are changing and how small businesses can keep abreast of shifting trends.
High-street stalwarts like John Lewis are reporting that profits for the online arms of their operations are growing steadily in contrast to a slow-down on the high-street, while many major names like bookshop chain, Borders have been brought down by online competition.
If you operate in retail, then your online strategy can be key to success – and if successfully implemented, can give you a real chance to compete against more established brands.
So, the first question an emerging SME owner needs to ask themselves is whether they want to run a pure e-commerce business, whether they want to support a bricks-and-mortar operation with an online shop, or whether online retail isn’t quite right for their business at the moment but is something to bear in mind for the future.
Even if you work in a service rather than product-focused field, e-commerce can still be an interesting channel for generating business. We’ve seen restaurants selling cooking experiences online, schools selling courses, photographers offering shoots, all of which can be ways to support the main business.
When planning to enter e-commerce for business, three key areas will determine your path to success.
Branding
The appearance of your brand needs to work far harder in an ecommerce environment. The message you’re putting across is entirely down to the image you create through the design of your website, your imagery and the copy and tone of voice. You could hire a website designer to help you project the image you’re looking for, but there are also numerous platforms online that will help you create a website from a template using existing, proven layouts for that pro look. These platforms often require a monthly subscription, but they nevertheless offer a budget-friendly solution. If you’re looking for the best e-commerce platform for your small business, you could try Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress.
Whichever option you go for, before you build your site it’s worth coming up with a set of brand guidelines, to ensure consistency and professionalism across your site.
- Determine your brand colour scheme and how you will present it on your site.
- Is your company logo striking and memorable?
- What is your tone of voice and your key messages?
- Do your website visitors immediately know what you do?
- Have you taken professional product photos and can shoppers see products in clear enough detail?
Online customer service
The way you treat your customers is equally crucial to an e-commerce operation as it is to a bricks-and-mortar setup. In fact because you will always be dealing with your customer at a distance, your behaviour and attitude towards them will be amplified. Communications should be polite and professional and you must be aware of the law regarding distance selling and consumer rights.
Make your customer service team (this could be just you) very easy to connect with, and be prompt in your responses. It is useful to set up an automatic reply to emails to confirm you have received communications just so your customers know their message has arrived.
A pet hate of e-commerce customers is the lack of a phone number or an inability to be able to speak to a human. Ensure you include a phone number on your site and don’t make your customers jump through hoops before they get to speak to someone. A remote receptionist service could be an option if you’re short on staff, but they need to be familiar with your business and remember to make clear the times when someone will be available to answer calls.
Include full contact details on your website, including addresses and phone numbers. Far too many companies make do with just a ‘contact us’ form, which, while useful, is clunky to fill out and on its own is not reassuring enough for anyone considering spending their money with you!
Delivery
Delivery and returns will make or break your customer service and if you get it right, it will really reduce the number of customer enquiries you need to field.
- Make your returns policy clear, and make it easy to shop with you by offering free returns. It’s also worth ensuring that your packaging is designed so that customers can easily return products, and include pre-printed return labels with the product.
- Put thought into your packaging – colours, materials and messages included inside can all support your branding and provide a personal touch.
- Can your product be sent easily in the post and what packaging is required to ensure products arrive in perfect condition?
- How expensive will delivery costs be? Will you pass this expense onto the customer? What delivery options do your competitors offer?
- Which delivery firm can give you the best deal and are they the most reliable?
- Remember, if you sell online then you’re obligated to provide returns information to your customers and accept returns 14 days after purchase. Your customers then have another 14 days to return the goods to you, according to The consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.
And finally…
The e-commerce sector moves fast, and you need to keep up with new e-commerce trends and developments in the sector. Take your eye off the ball and you could discover that your competitors have surged ahead with a new site design or app. Save an hour or so every few weeks to browse through blogs, competitor sites and useful websites like www.inspiresme.co.uk; plus it’s worth subscribing to titles like Retail Week and Internet Retailer.
