It’s one thing to set up an online store and hope you’ll get visitors, but it’s another thing actually making sales. With an estimated 1.3 million e-commerce companies in USA and Canada alone, it can be hard to convince visitors to become customers. However, one way to do this is to ensure your online store is professional. This will promote a sense of trust and will make those who visit your e-commerce site more likely to buy. Here are seven quick ways to do just that.
1. Looking professional
First up, make sure your online store looks professional. A clean and modern layout, free of clutter and banners is a good place to start. Organise your store categories neatly in a menu at the top and make it easy for your visitors to browse. The more professional your site appears visually, the more likely people are going to want to buy from you.
2. The legal pages
Once your site is looking professional, it’s time to add in all of the legal pages. You’re going to want terms and conditions and a privacy policy at the very least. This will prove to your customers that everything you do is above board and that they’re not going to get scammed if they buy from you. Don’t forget an in-depth about page and a contact page, too!
3. Make it accessible
Are you losing customers because your online store isn’t accessible? Accessibility is important to at least 20% of your audience, so it is essential you factor in those with various disabilities when creating your site. Not only will this make you appear more professional, but it will help you stand out from the crowd as not all e-commerce sites consider accessibility.
4. FAQs
Even if you have never been asked a question about your online store, you should set up a Frequently Asked Questions page with anticipated FAQs. What are your shipping times? What is your returns policy? Do your products come with any kind of guarantee? Use other online stores as inspiration for what kind of questions may be asked, and put them on your FAQs page. This will make your online store more professional and save you time answering customer service enquiries too.
5. Payment methods
The type of payment methods you accept plays a big part in how professional your online store appears. If you only accept wire transfers or check payments, people are far less likely to buy from you. Make sure you take credit and debit card payments, using a reputable payment provider. Some e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify, also allow you to use their own payment system which will again give your site more credibility.
6. Excellent customer service
92% of consumers now read online reviews, which means that you’re going to want to ensure all of those reviews are good ones. Providing excellent customer service will keep those positive reviews flooding in and make your online store seem more professional. People are far more likely to recommend you to their friends and family if they’ve had an excellent customer service experience too. It’s a win-win situation!
7. Following tech trends
You don’t have to have a massive budget like Amazon to follow some of the latest tech trends – and they will definitely make you seem more professional. Voice search, AI, and Facebook chatbots are all popular technology trends that e-commerce sites should be looking into. These all improve the customer journey and will make you seem like you’re a more prominent brand than you actually are.
If you want to convince potential customers that you’re a professional online store, then you’re going to want to follow these seven quick tips and tricks. Just a few changes here and there could be all it takes to build a sense of trust and turn those visitors into customers! Do you have any others to add to the list? What makes you believe an online store is more professional than the competition?
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