We live in a digital era and that means constantly finding
ways to get our hands on what we see on our screens. Being
able to purchase anything, anytime from groceries to gadgets
is a huge convenience offered by online ordering. The need to
order online has also become an essential over a convenience
in trying times like these where the pandemic keeps us
confined to our homes.
An e-commerce index of key demographic, consumer behavior,
and purchasing trends of online shopping in Sri Lanka shows
a 1.5X year-on-year growth of active users with a 2.5X
growth in the number of orders from last year -
9 July 2020, Daily Mirror
As a business owner, you can minimize the negative effects on
your business if you own a large base of online customers.
However, if you recently jumped on the e-commerce bandwagon or
are considering moving your business into the online sphere,
then you’re in luck. With a few simple adjustments your
business can grow online orders and reach new customers in no
time. Here’s some tips to get your started
- A Mobile Friendly Theme
- Regular Content Engagement
- Invest in Automation
- Segment & Conquer
- Consistency is Key
“74% of people will leave a mobile website which requires
over 5 seconds to load” -
November 2019, Machmetrics
Let’s say your customer wants to order an extra-large pizza
with seafood toppings through their smartphone. Your web
store should meet this request and reduce chances of a
shopping cart being abandoned due to a time lag. Given that
so many customers browse products through their phones; it’s
best to ensure that your web store optimizes itself to any
mobile screen, and guides the user to complete an order.
“There are many brands, both B2C and B2B, that have
massive followings with no real engagement. The bottom
line is your online presence should expand your reach, to
ultimately drive more conversions.” -
January 2020, Smart insights
One of the most cost effective mediums to communicate with
your customers is social media. It’s important to know what
content your customers consume regularly and start relating
to them through your messaging. Be consistent, and get
creative with fun online challenges, promos and product
giveaways. Social media is also a great listening tool to
understand how customers feel about your product. The more
you communicate, the higher the chances you have of
conversion.
“Manual stock management in online retailing not only
requires a large fraction of your time, but it is
challenging too.” -
September 2020, Understanding ecommerce
Free up time for your team to use their talent on what they
do best by automating repetitive administrative tasks. Your
restaurant could make the best pasta or hand craft beautiful
packaging, which requires time and effort. Tasks such as
order management, inventory handling and data entry can be
digitized by using software which will give you the clarity
and time you need to plan your next strategy. Consider this
a long term investment that will yield profitable returns.
"One size doesn't fit all" has become the mantra of brand
communication." -
December 2019, Business.com
So, you researched your audience, launched your products,
and you’re ready to market: right? Not necessarily.
Marketing can be tricky because customers are complex, just
like you and I. You can manage this complexity over time, by
segmenting your customers based on physical demographics
(age/gender), geo demographics (marital status/job title)
and psychographic (personalities/lifestyle). You’re free to
decide on the number of segments if they match the customers
you are targeting. Remember that the focus is on YOUR MARKET
and not on your business.
“The more uniform, consistent, and steady your messaging
and flow of content, the easier customers and potential
customers will be able to recognize your brand” -
January 2019, ThriveHive
You’ve put in the effort, crafted some great content and
followed every rule in the book. Yet you still aren’t seeing
the results you expected. Our advice? Don’t panic. Creating
beautiful eye-catching content is important, but what’s more
important is the frequency of quality content seen by your
audience. The more visibility, the higher recognition your
brand gets online. Keep at it, you’re doing great.
Conquering the ecommerce landscape is a skill that every
business will develop a unique approach to. These 5 tips
will serve as guiding principles to help you identify what
works for you. Instant results will give you excitement but
repeated orders from loyal customers is what sustains your
business. Positive reviews will support your business
credibility when new customers visit your store; so aim to
build trust, create a quality product and give your customer
a pleasant overall experience.
Subscribe to a FREE demo with us to create your own web store to increase online orders!