Create Effective Online Stores For Maximum Sales Potential

by Charles Leeds

[This article has been chosen because it discusses effective ways of creating online stores to produce maximum sales. Follow these simple guidelines to create a successful ecommerce website. Each feature that is also a feature of an Econostore is followed by a check mark. —Webmaster]

Are you looking to start an online store? The growth of online sales has advanced astronomically in recent years, and that trend shows no signs of slowing down. According to Internet Retailer Magazine, ecommerce has grown from $8 billion in 1998 to $156 billion in 2008 and is expected to reach one trillion in 2020, capturing a third of all retail.

At the same time, sales from traditional retail stores are flat and in some sectors falling. So it is clear that there is good reason for entrepreneurs and bricks-and-mortar retailers alike to take online stores seriously, not only as a way of generating additional revenue, but as a whole new way of doing business. [Use Econostores to create effective online stores for maximum sales potential.]

Online Store Options

The corporate model for selling online has become somewhat established and almost guarantees success for those involved. The one caveat for the big boys, however, is that big ecommerce ventures take plenty of capital—cash needed to pay out to web designers, programmers, SEO experts, online marketers, and the like, as well as for ongoing e-market research and analysis. Fortunately, many corporations have, or have access to, the capital necessary to make their online stores successful.

But what about the little guys? What options are left to them? Small to medium-sized businesses and startups face the prospect of setting up their online stores with limited finances, time and expertise. The options available to budding entrepreneurs range from building their own online stores from scratch to adopting complete turnkey packages. Generally, these approaches fall into four categories:

Website and Internet Merchant Account - Webmasters find a way to design and host a website (pay someone to do it or do it themselves) and then acquire an Internet merchant account. (An online merchant account is required for online transactions regardless of whether the seller has a standard merchant account.) Many online merchant account providers do not provide a shopping cart, in which case shopping cart software would have to be installed. While desirable, the main drawback to this option is the cost. Every step of the process incurs a fee, and most Internet merchant account providers charge a fixed monthly fee, regardless of sales.
Website and Third-party Payment Processor - Webmasters acquire a website as above and then find someone else to process credit card transactions for them (i.e., Google Checkout, Paypal). This type of credit card processor requires no merchant account but usually incurs transaction fees, monthly fees or both. The main drawback to this option is that, though credit card processing is taken care of, integrating product ordering with the third-party processor via checkout buttons can be cumbersome, and adding/editing/deleting products can be a time-consuming or costly process.
Do-it-Yourself Online Stores - Do-it-yourself ecommerce websites usually provide all the elements needed for putting together online stores including website templates, shopping cart and credit card processing. The problem with do-it-yourself venues is that most store owners are not design savvy, or the tools given them are limited so that the finished pages are often unprofessional looking. If do-it-yourself online stores are not database-driven, it means that each page for displaying products will have to be set up individually.
Turnkey Ecommerce Storefronts - Turkney stores are, as the name implies, ready to go. All the elements for ecommerce including product display, product search and order execution are fully integrated. All that is required of the store owner is to input photos and product information. Turnkey venues are by nature database-driven, which means products are displayed by drawing information from a database and feeding it into pre-existing templates. Adding, editing or deleting products is relatively easy. A database-driven store adds functionality such as product search and inventory control. Most turnkey venues offer the option of customizing the look and feel of the website at any time.

While building an online store from the ground up may appeal to some ecommerce aficionados, others may find the ease and functionality of a turnkey storefront appealing. Whatever option you choose, consider how it may impact sales and the future growth of your business. A site that features a limited number of products, for example, may be easy to maintain initially but may become a nightmare when hundreds or thousands of products are involved. If you intend to hold time-limited sales or offer discounts to wholesalers, your online store should be able to accommodate those options.

Your Store's Domain Name

Once you've decided what kind of online store you are setting up, you need to choose a domain name. This is fairly important, since it will be your company's online identity. Your customers' first point of contact will be your web address, so you'll want to choose one that will stay in their memory and give a favorable impression. Make your domain name easy to remember, but make sure it accurately describes what you offer. Remember that your domain name is one of the first things search engines look at to rank your site. Some find that using a verb in the domain name, such as "GetYourLifeOnTrack.com," is effective.

Images And Text

Uploading digital images of your products should be a built-in feature of your online store. Preferably, your store should be able to receive uploaded photos, create thumbnails on the fly and resize the full-size images automatically. (You do not want to have to pay someone every time you need to change photos.) They should also be of a quality that shows off your products to their best advantage. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you want to look at it, the web-surfing public has become used to the slick images offered on big ecommerce sites, and you as a competing venture will have to measure up. Photos that are dingy or cluttered should be avoided. When taking pictures, always focus on the product rather than the background. An image editor will really help in optimizing your photos for best appearance.

Don't fill your online store with flash animation, graphics and images just because you think they're pretty. These can make your pages load slowly and make your visitors so frustrated, they'll go somewhere else. Minimize the elements that can distract your visitors from placing an order.

Don't be afraid to put some text on your website. After all, the search engines will rate your site based on the amount and the quality of the text it contains. If text is almost non-existent or too cookie-cutter, don't expect to get great search engine rankings. Research has shown that text-heavy sites usually win in the search engine ranking game.

When inputting product data, include detailed item descriptions, prices of items, and discounts if applicable. Studies have shown that if a person is interested in purchasing an item online, they will read all available information for that item. Your online store backend should make it easy to update this information by utilizing database retrieval or a content management system.

Navigation

Your online store should be easy to navigate. When surfing other e-stores, how many times have you been frustrated at not being able to find what you are looking for? Ideally, from any page in your store, a visitor should be able to reach any other page using only one or two mouse clicks. Online stores should always include a product search feature. Ensure that your store is easy to navigate and is fast-loading on each link. Can visitors find enough product information to make a decision? Is the order button clearly visible on every product?

Capture Sales Leads

Many of your visitors won't buy your product or service the first time they land on your site. Therefore, it is important to get their contact information, if possible—an email address at the very least—so you can send them sales or product information and remind them of your offers once in a while. Online store owners often overlook the importance of developing an email list, but it is one of the most important tools a successful e-tailer can have. You will be surprised how many visitors will opt to be included in a mailing list. Use the list to let people know about upcoming sales or to announce a new product.

Be Upfront With Costs

According to marketing gurus, nearly 60% of online shoppers abandon their order at the shopping cart stage, due in large part to the fact that they are surprised by hidden charges. State all the costs associated with an order upfront so your buyers know exactly what to expect.

Marketing

Once your online store is up and running, you then have to market your store. Sending press releases, distributing articles and video marketing are some effective ways of promoting online stores. In recent years, social networking sites have been a boon to Internet marketers because such sites have the potential of attracting an immediate audience to your products or services. Cost-per-click text or banner ads can bring qualified buyers to your site almost immediately. Don't rule out search engine optimization services (SEOs); using SEOs can be a cost-effective strategy, but top rankings often come with a hefty price tag.

Don't be afraid of trial and error, and listen to the experts. Correctly putting together the "puzzle pieces" of your own online store can be a daunting process, but with patience and perseverance, your online sales will soar!