At this point you’re probably thoroughly bored of hearing about how ecommerce websites are big business. The reason the point bears repeating (and repeating again!) is that good ecommerce websites are booming and show absolutely no sign of slowing down. The UK high street may be struggling but, in cyberspace, British online businesses are flourishing.
E-retail now accounts for 17% of sales in the United Kingdom and ecommerce in the UK is growing by a steady 16.5% year-on-year, despite the effects of a serious economic recession. Astoundingly, Brits spend more money online per person than any other nationality in the world! If you are considering starting a British-based ecommerce website, it really has never been a better time.
Of course, just like every business, there are ecommerce websites which sink and ecommerce websites which swim. There is a real art to creating an online business which takes off which is why experts have spent years learning to make the online shopping experience highly user friendly and highly persuasive. In this article we’ll be talking you through the top 3 hot tips which will help turn your e-business into a success:
- Keep it Simple, Stupid
Big stores in the real world spend thousands of pounds researching where to put the bread, where to locate ‘this season’s collection’ and how to arrange the window display. You’re probably all familiar with the concept of placing the bakery at the back of the supermarket to lure customers deeper into the supermarket, so why should ecommerce websites be any different?In fact, using ecommerce websites makes it far easier to predict consumer behaviour and to create the perfect layout accordingly. The key is to keep everything as simple as it possibly can be. As tempting as it may be to go ‘all out’, clutter will only confuse visitors and may stop them from making a purchase. Use simple navigation links, place everything where you would traditionally expect it (i.e. ‘shopping basket’ in the top right) and keep everything as clean and simple as possible. - Slow and Steady Does Not Win the Race
Here’s another reason to keep ecommerce websites simple. Slow loading times will not only damage your site’s organic search ranking, it will also seriously put off customers. Do not use unnecessarily fancy Flash or huge images as these will only slow you down. Instead, use a good, fast dependable hosting provider and ensure your website is up to speed or you could get left behind… - Make Sure the Price is Right
Ecommerce websites give users the ability to be extremely choosy when it comes to price. The beauty of the internet is that it is seriously easy to track down the best price for any given item. This is why it is so important to be competitive. Yet there is no point in having bargain prices if you’re not going to shout about them, so make sure you display your prices prominently. If you can, display your price next to higher competitor prices so that your visitors know that they are getting the best deal.Interestingly, colour is a big factor when it comes to pricing. Numerous studies have shown that online shoppers have unexpectedly strong reactions to colour use on ecommerce websites. It is recommended that you do not use red to highlight price cuts as this appears alarming and even ‘cheap’. Instead, green is recommended if you want people to buy. The science behind this is not entirely clear but the statistics do not lie, just try it yourself!
There are thousands of different facets to successful ecommerce websites and here we have barely scratched the surface. However, everyone has to start somewhere! Make sure your site is simple, usable, fast and friendly – above all, show off your best assets and big up your little prices. If you do this, you will be well on your way! Good luck.
