Hello Hello again!
It's been a fantastic journey so far learning the nits and grits of digital marketing and the little details it entails.
Today we will be talking about E-Commerce. E-Commerce is basically buying and selling products and sometimes services online.
Setting up an online platform where people can buy your products is based on your business goals really. I think I have said this in every post. Before you can do anything at all that involves digital marketing, you have to have defined business goals and what you want to achieve with what you are doing. The goal is what drives you and keeps you on track to be sure of what you are doing. So, setting up an account is solely based on your business goals. For example, do you need a complete e-commerce platform or just a payment gateway for business transactions? This question is necessary so that you don't waste money on something you don't need or stunt the growth of your business.
After you have answered this question, the next step is to set up your E-Commerce account (that is if that is the route for your business). For starters, you can start with either WordPress or Square Space. If you want just a payment gateway, you can use platforms like PayPal, Flutterwave or Paystack. If you want to go all out for E-Commerce, you can use Shopify or Magento.
Now, let's get into the setting up proper. There are a few things to put into consideration when setting up. The most important thing is to focus on two things; your business goals and your customers. Whatever you are doing, you have to consider these things. Put yourself in your customer's shoes, what would customers want to see? What should their experience be like? These are important to guide you on how to set up properly.
Take a lot of pictures and videos of the products you are selling. Make sure they are very clear, give a glimpse of what your product is about and are fast to load on your site. You have to give your customers an experience as though they were in a physical store. You could include a slideshow of your products on the homepage so that when they get to your site, they have a glimpse of what to expect.
Make sure you implement a responsive design for all gadget types for your platform. Test to make sure that your site works well on all gadgets for your customers to have a seamless experience.
Your customer's experience is very important. What is one thing customers love? Ease. Nobody wants to use a site that is stressful. Categorize and sub-categorize your products. For example, if you sell makeup, you can categorize them by brands like Mary Kay, Fenty, etc and sub-categorize them by makeup items like lipstick, eyeshadow palette and so on. Another way to make search easy is by creating a search option at the top of your website screen so customers can search specifically for what they want from you.
Analytics...... I think I have mentioned Analytics in almost every post. These guys are the cheat code to success in online business.
Let me ask you, has there been a time that you saw an item on a website but you didn't buy it and somehow somewhere you visited a random site and then an ad about that exact product? Yes. Now, let me explain how it works.
When setting up your site, there are a few lines of code you can attach to your analytics that monitor the activities of users on your platform. The downside to it is that the users are anonymous so you can't outrightly tell who exactly it is from your analytics dashboard. The analytics software or setup tracks the activity of the user. For example, if the user adds a Lady Gaga lipstick to her cart and leaves the site, the software records that and whenever the user visits a website that allows display ads, that lipstick would pop up as an ad for that user. This reminds the user of an item they almost bought and they either go and purchase it or leave it. So, you are being watched on the internet, lol. This shouldn't scare you by the way.
A way to keep your customers interested is by creating a sign-up page where they create an account. That way you have their details and you can send them occasional newsletters or send them product recommendations based on their search and activities on your platform.
Phew! This might be a lot to take in but it's worth it. In the long run, E-Commerce is an easier way to grow your business and give your customers an excellent experience. Remember, plan and be specific about your goals and work from there. You can do this!
I hope this was helpful.
Till the next post.
Franny.
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