As the years go by, more and more consumers are turning away from physical stores, opting to shop online instead, which is causing businesses of all fields to go digital. If you’ve decided to follow suit, you may not know how to transfer your physical operation into an online world. The tips below will help you make the transition easily without losing customers.
Pick the Right Platform
Your first step in the transitioning process from in-person to online is to pick the right platform. There are dozens of e-commerce platforms you can use to conduct business on the web. Just like your storefront is the foundation of your physical operation, the online platform you pick is the foundation of your online store. You may decide to use an all-inclusive online store builder to help you create an online store, while some people look into buying an established website that already comes with high traffic volume and revenue.
Go Mobile
You’ll find shoppers all over the country use their smartphones to make purchases. Whether it’s clothing, tech products, home appliances, or groceries, whatever field you’re in, your website must be optimized for mobile viewing. A mobile-friendly page enables users to find exactly what they’re looking for within seconds. Should they have difficulty navigating your page, they may click off and go elsewhere. Make sure to test your website regularly so you can be confident it’s straightforward to navigate on mobile.
Concentrate on Design
It’s essential that you concentrate on the design of your business website. With experience running a brick-and-mortar store, you’ll know the importance of creating a nice environment to shop in. This means you need to share the same sentiment when moving your operation online. No one expects you to be an expert at website design, however. You can hire a professional to design your page to attract customers, rather than having to do everything yourself. If you want to build an online presence, focusing on your design strategy is key for standing out. You must engage with customers too, just like you would in person. Therefore, make sure you include social media links in the design process so users can contact you and find out more about your business.
Simplify the Checkout Process
When running an online business, you’ll soon find one of the biggest obstacles for any online company is abandoned carts. Users will add products to their virtual shopping cart, only to abandon it right before they enter their credit card details. A major reason for this is a complicated checkout process. You can cut down on this by simplifying the checkout process and minimizing how many steps users have to take between finding and buying a product. Other things you can do include using the right payment service, designing a highly visible call-to-action button, auto-filling addresses and validating in real-time.
Protect Your Customers
Sadly, there are risks attached to running an online business. Regardless of the size of your company, you could find yourself the target of a data breach. It’s your responsibility as the owner to protect your customers from third parties who may try and steal their information. Every user wants to feel safe when they shop online. Thankfully, there are many ways to secure your website. This includes installing security plugins, keeping your website software up-to-date, and having anti-malware software in place.
E-commerce has taken the retail world by storm, with commercial revenue running into the hundreds of billions annually. If you are a brick-and-mortar store and want to get your slice of the pie, going digital and operating online is a no-brainer.
