The ecommerce industry is huge. People spend more money online every year for shopping convenience and discreet price comparisons. In the United States alone, consumers spent $186.2 billion through ecommerce sites last year – up 14 percent year over year. Now web-based sales account for 10 percent of total retail spend in the U.S.
Some small business owners might see ecommerce as a threat to their livelihood, but savvy entrepreneurs recognize the potential revenue in online sales. It helps SMBs capture conversions that might otherwise go to corporate giants or digitally proficient competitors, and it also allows marketing collateral to reach new prospects outside of local communities.
As a small business owner, you might be making a few cardinal mistakes that prevent you from raking in the revenue. Here are five mistakes many SMBs make across the country:
1. Not having a site for ecommerce
It’s 2013, but nearly 24 percent of small businesses still do not have their own websites. Disregard Yelp and Facebook, and only consider actual domains dedicated to your company’s products or services. One that features hours of operation and contact data, lists products or services and gives customers a sense of who you are. You will not be able to capitalize on the billions of dollars in sales taking place on the web every year without an active web presence, starting with an official site.
If you are in the minority of small businesses without a site, it’s time to think about what’s at stake. You’re going up against the 75 percent of SMBs that already manage their own websites and make regular improvements to them. Around 67 percent of SMBs plan to spend the same or more on their website design and development next year, according to Ad-ology research.
2. Copy and paste product descriptions
Assuming you’re in the group that already has a domain set up, custom website content is one of the first investments you should consider. Around 62 percent plan to spend money optimizing their web presences for search engines (SEO strategies) in 2013, but their hard work may not pay off if they don’t have unique product descriptions.
It might seem simple enough to use manufacturers’ product information because it’s accurate and detailed, but that’s also bad practice. Even if you’ve received permission from the manufacturer, publishing duplicated content is punishable in Google’s eyes (and your search rankings will suffer).
Why? The search engine assumes internet users won’t find that much value in a site that copies and pastes content rather than sharing unique information. It’s true – publishing generic, unoriginal content may not give customers a compelling reason to visit your site instead of the manufacturer’s. Think about the type of experience you aim create in store and weave that into product descriptions.
Do you target younger audiences with fun, beachy items or appeal to older fashion-centric males? This should be obvious in your website content and come through in product descriptions if you want those consumers to buy.
3. Poor product pictures
You know what they say about a picture being worth a thousand words, but are you still trying to sell products with manufacturer-provided thumbnails and stock descriptions? SMB owners and employees may be spread too thin to arrange creative photo shoots with their best-selling items – a time-saver in the short run, but this excuse may cost a lot down the line.
Images boost website content engagement 47 percent and increase willingness to read by 80 percent. But more importantly, showing items builds more trust than telling about them, and 80 percent of consumers won’t buy from a company they don’t trust.
Give your website visitors a virtual test drive of products with 360-degree images and close ups, showing buttons and other details. If you don’t sell goods, use pictures to illustrate your services or better yet – make a video explaining them.
4. Making it hard for customers to check out
You want website visitors to buy what you’re selling, but you might just end up pushing them away if you make it too difficult to complete transactions. Include Call to Action buttons on every page, allowing site visitors to enter the sales funnel and convert easily.
Consumers become distracted and second-guess their decisions if forced to navigate through multiple forms between hitting the “buy” button and confirming transactions. While there’s no magic number for the amount of pages consumers are willing to clickthrough before they navigate away, it’s best to keep the process to the basics:
Review the order and product specifications
Personal/Shipping information
Payment data
Confirmation
5. Missing social opportunities
It’s been proven that social media marketing does generate bottom-line results. A Vision Critical study found that as many as four in 10 social network users have purchased products and services they found on social sites. While every site appeals to unique audiences, Facebook and Pinterest tend to appeal to consumer facing companies (like retailers) and LinkedIn and Twitter cater to B2Bs.
Here’s a basic layout of where SMBs should share social media content based on activity:
Pinterest: Food and beverage stores, cooking shops, crafts and home improvement companies, florists, furniture outlets, interior designers and clothing companies.
Facebook: Electronics stores, technology vendors, apparel companies, accessories dealers, beauty product companies and hair stylists.
Twitter: Electronics companies and technology vendors, clothing stores and restaurants.
6. Not starting conversations about products and services
Not participating in online conversations about the products and services you sell doesn’t mean they’re not taking place – it means you’re not there to steer them in the right direction.
An Urban Land Institute study revealed that 45 percent of Millennials spend approximately an hour a day checking retail sites. How do you turn online window shoppers into customers? Give them content that compels them to stay on the site and buy. Offer information and entertainment through a mix of blog posts, news articles, videos and infographics that people can’t help but click out of curiosity.
The marketplace is getting more competitive, but it’s also more exciting for SMBs. In the past, they could only compete with other local businesses on Main Street. The internet has leveled the playing field, in some regards, and small local companies can thrive on a global level when they sell top-notch products and create memorable web experiences.
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