There is an increased impetus for companies to establish an online presence with recognition that absence can hinder growth and erode competitiveness.
The simplicity of it all may be taken for granted as it involves and demands far more than the setting up of a website and merely selling your products and services. Many of the same challenges faced on the high street are similar particularly in terms of attracting visitors to your site.
As with traditional retailing you are still looking for and should be measuring footfall, conversion rates and average transaction values.
One of the most significant and difficult challenges is how to market your website as opposed to traditional retailing where the human element can influence the marketing and sale of products to a great extent. Email marketing, affiliate schemes, search engine ‘pay per clicks’ and online PR all require different skill sets to traditional retailing.
Businesses are likely to be more geared up traditionally for replenishing stores and now also need to introduce processes that require them to fulfill individual orders. As the processes and systems requirements are actually very different many retailers end up outsourcing this aspect to specialist providers.
The design of the site is of enormous importance. With traditional retailing you are likely to spend a significant amount of time and money on planning the shop fit and layout and the same care and attention should be paid to the design of the website.
Websites which are easy to navigate are more likely to be returned too; online retailing is meant to support the customer in making the purchasing process hassle free and the website design should reflect this.
A website may not need a full-time sales manager, but it will need someone to take charge of it and make sure it’s working, updated frequently and remains relevant – fundamental issues that a surprising amount of people overlook.
E-Commerce Check List
1.Ensure your website is visually appealing, simple and easy to navigate
2.Plan the marketing of the site and seek outside advice and expertise where necessary
3.Consistently update and refresh content for SEO
4.Ensure that your online presence is given as much care and attention if not more than your high street presence
E-Commerce should be given priority over high street presence as it is the tool which allows you direct 24 hour access to your customers where they can browse and shop at their leisure from the comfort of their own homes. Making a good impression is vital if they are to return to your website and is likely to influence their perception of your organisation as whole.
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