12th in a series about website basics

E-COMMERCE: CHECKIN’ IT OUT - ONLINE!

In my last message, I listed some of the advantages of having an e-commerce site. No doubt it can be a real revenue builder. There are some real challenges, too, several of which are common to any business selling products and services. Besides reliable suppliers which all businesses require, you need to think about the customer services you offer and what kind of relationship you want with your customers.

The thing about e-commerce is, you’re not the only store on the block. Unless you have a well-designed, well-advertised site that’s different from your competitors’, easy to navigate, and – most important – really easy and secure to purchase from, with a top-notch shipping system, it’s doubtful you’re going to maximize your returns. And, as with any business, you need to keep in mind that your prices are extremely easily compared online.

Planning ahead is important when building your e-commerce site. There are some very desirable functions of an e-commerce site which are difficult (and costly) to add later, such as:

• \tgift-sending capability
• \tspecial discounts
• \trepeat customer programs
• \tseasonal sales
• \taffiliate programs
• \tcertain shipping and payment options

You may also want to strategize how you’ll interact with your customers in a way that will keep them coming back, along with the people they refer to your site. There’s an abundance of ways to interact: social media, newsletters, forums, email, suggestions, chat, and blog response forms, for example, but the benefit to you of customer feedback only comes when you use it to make the improvements or changes that your customers ask for.