It is impossible to imagine the Internet without an online store. Starting with Amazon or ebay, there are now many large and small online stores that sell their products very successfully on the Internet. At the latest in the times of the Corona, many are still pushing into the online market to sell their offers here. However, many fail in the online market because they think it is too easy.
Requirements for an online store that has prospects of success
Be aware upfront that an online store is a lot of work. A lot of work before the webshop is up and running. Give priority to the marketing, the store system and, of course, the logistics. Marketing in particular requires constant reflection, because we live in an age in which everything changes very quickly and this is subject to customer needs, market requirements and the methods and strategies to win new customers. New customers in turn means optimizing sales and profits.
A few tips for the success of your online store
The first impression of your store counts when they visit you for the first time. Here, the appealing design, the overall impression must be right. It must be clear at first glance what the store offers. Almost the most important thing is usability, especially category structure and category depth. Also note that a potential buyer will find the “Add to cart link or button”, the “Checkout link or button” immediately, especially if there are several products in the checkout process.
Also ensure transparency in terms of shipping costs and delivery times. A long search or queries can always lead to a jump because usually every online store also has competition.
Also, give customers ample opportunities to jump from one category to another. A so-called breadcrumb is also useful here, because this way the user always knows where he is at the moment.
It is also very useful to offer filtering options. These can be integrated perfectly in the sidebar. Filters can be e.g. be, by brand, by price, by color, or even industry-specific filters. I consider this almost a “must have” for a web store.
There is a good saying that has a lot of truth in it. “Man buys with his eye” and this is all too true. Visualize your store with good product images or even videos. Cell phones can be used to take really excellent photos, or you have access to excellent images through your supplier that are usually provided in very good quality.
Invest time and describe your products, because your users will not be pleased if they do not find any or only a poor description of the item. The visitor uses the Google search engine for a description and where he finds it, the purchase also takes place.
Invest time and money in search engine optimization. Relevant for a store here are the product titles, the scheme, the image description. The possibilities of what you can do well with an online store in the field of SEO are almost inexhaustible. The Responsive-ness of a store is no longer mentioned separately here, because this is a matter of course today.
Establish trust between customer and dealer
Often the distrust is great, because unfortunately there are also many fakeshops on the Internet, which try their luck and unfortunately are sometimes quite successful.
Provide a support phone number. This is very popular for questions about the product, especially since Corona, where many people lack personal contact.
Take care of a seal of approval in a timely manner, these will be e.g. offered by TÜV, dekra and Trusted Shop. This creates trust.
Offer your customers a newsletter subscription and reward them with a small discount or coupon.
