Top 10 Tips to Running a Successful E-Commerce Website

In 2015, E-commerce retail sales amounted to 1.67 trillion USD worldwide. These numbers pale in comparison to what’s predicted by analysts for the coming years. By 2018, E-commerce sales predicted to generate a turnaround of 3.02 trillion USD. If the numbers hold true, this could only mean that the E-commerce economy is poised for tremendous growth, providing retailers an excellent opportunity to launch and grow their online business.

But here’s the catch – there are roughly 25 million E-commerce stores out there, which means that your E-commerce store will be competing with millions of others for the attention of shoppers. Getting noticed through this saturation is not easy, but not impossible either!

We’ve compiled ten essential tips that can help drive traffic, improve conversions and build a profitable E-commerce store:

1. The Faster the Site, the Better the Conversion!

Walmart found that when loading time increases from 1 second to 4 seconds, sales conversions decline drastically, reinforcing the fact that site speed translates into better user experience which in turn leads to more conversions.

2. Responsive Websites Are the Future

Mobile devices have become the primary sources of web traffic, calling for the necessity of a mobile-first strategy. A responsive website enables your site to be mobile-friendly and cater to a vast customer-base.

3. Personalize the Shopping Experience

Track user behavior and derive crucial data from it. This enables you to provide a shopping experience that’s more personalized and suited to a particular customer’s preferences.

4. Great On-page SEO

Your online visibility depends on the smart use of SEO. Experts recommend the use of “conversion-oriented” keywords to get targeted traffic to your site.

5. Your ‘Call to Action’ Must Be Bold

Provide clear ‘Call to Action’ buttons that explicitly tells visitors what the action will lead to. This can help you increase conversion rates by 10% to 25%.

6. Be More Than an Online Presence

You need to be more than just an online entity to make your visitors trust you. Leave your store contact information on the site and ensure that you have a live chat or a 24-hour helpline in place.

7. Flawless Navigation is Mandatory

Avoid confusing distractions or irrelevant links between pages. Smooth navigation is necessary to make shopping on your E-commerce store a pleasant experience.

8. Your Returns & Refund Policy Must Grab the Center Stage

You know that you’re selling top-notch products at the best value, but how do you convey the same to your customers? Highlight your return & money-back guarantee policies to help your visitors place confidence in your business.

9. Provide More Payment Alternatives

Offering alternative payment options is even more promising than conventional debit/credit card payment. By 2017, options such as Google Wallet, Paypal, Bitcoin, etc., will account for 59% of total transactions.

10. Harness the Power of Social Proof

The power of social proof as a dynamic marketing tactic is unparalleled. So if you’ve got positive reviews and good ratings, do not shy away from flaunting it.