Tips And Strategies For Using eCommerce Platforms.

With the numerous advantages eCommerce offers over traditional retail, it’s a great avenue not just for buyers to save money, but also for sellers to maximize outreach at a minimal cost.

During the Black Friday online sales in 2017, US shoppers alone spent $5 billion.

96% of all Americans have made an online purchase at least once in their life. However, with more intense competition, it’s challenging to stand out in a crowded market. Merely using excellent software isn’t enough. You need to have a proper full-funnel eCommerce marketing strategy in place from day one.

Here are some tips and tricks to help your marketing strategy this year.

1. Focus On Mobile Users.

We all know that mobile phones are now more popular than personal computers. In fact, in July 2019, Google announced that the mobile-first index was a new ranking factor and here to stay. This means that Google predominantly looks up to the mobile version of your site for ranking and indexing.

Statistics show that over 63% of online users used mobile to browse online vs. desktop.

Naturally, focusing on your mobile site is now imperative. Thus, make sure you’re using your ecommerce platform to optimize your mobile website along with your desktop site. Shopify is one of the industry leaders when it comes to mobile optimization and theme design.

Many other ecommerce platforms provide similar benefits that can help you provide better mobile browsing experience to your audience. First, make sure your software provides a mobile-friendly homepage, category pages, and product pages.

Also, optimizing your mobile checkout experience and ensuring that your buying process is user-friendly is paramount.

2. Make Your eCommerce Website Visually Appealing.

Studies suggest that it takes a user 0.05 seconds to decide whether they like your website or not. If they don’t find it visually appealing or understand what it’s about, they’re likely to exit right away. Therefore, you have a shockingly small time frame to pique the visitor’s interest. You have to make sure that you choose a website theme that is not only relevant to your niche but also appealing to look at. On top of that, it’s important to pick a logo and imagery to give your visitors an idea about your brand right from the moment they enter your site.

The idea is to be as inventive as possible while offering a smooth browsing experience to your visitors.

Have a look at this website:

It is an excellent example of a visually appealing page, one that will make you want to scroll down. It is also easy to navigate and has relevant call-to-actions that are placed appropriately to draw the audience’s attention.

3. Provide Ease of Navigation.

It’s essential that your ecommerce site is well-structured and easy to navigate. To make things easier for your website visitors, you can add numerous plugins with the help of the ecommerce platform you’re using. For instance, WooCommerce allows you to automatically add a plugin that can let your users go back to the items they recently viewed.

When you integrate your website with these tools that make navigation more comfortable, you provide a positive user experience and are more likely to generate sales. Additionally, leveraging product navigation with recently viewed and suggested products can increase ecommerce conversion rates.

4. Data and Analytics.

The voices that say, ‘Data is the new oil’ are now growing louder. Currently, there are around 18 zettabytes of data in the world. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t tap into this area. Your strategy to boost your business using the ecommerce platform should include a plan on how to make use of your visitor information that your website generates every day.

Most ecommerce platforms come with an in-built analytics tool that can help you track your demographics.

Take Wix, for example:

Wix provides you with an in-built visitor data analytics tool, Visitor Analytics, that can help you track the number of visitors, frequency of visitors, visualize the data generated, track by country and IP address, generate conversion statistics, and take better, well-informed decisions regarding the future.

This helps you streamline the marketing process and focus on an effective plan of action.

A majority of ecommerce platforms offer analytics tools, and it is something that you should take advantage of.

5. Provide Stellar Customer Service And Live-Chat Options.

In 2017, 64% of Americans contacted some form of customer service.

According to Zendesk, excellent customer service is the primary defining factor a customer looks at while doing business.

Furthermore, according to the Kano model here, a website that has features like live chat options and efficient customer service are delighters, and it can improve your business, boost revenue, and significantly drive up customer satisfaction.

Part of your ecommerce strategy should include the integration of an efficient live chat and customer service system – preferably 24/7.

Let’s take the example of Squarespace.

It provides an excellent and easy way to add Tawk.to Chat, a live chat software, in just a few simple steps.

With the live chat option, you can:

• Provide instant answers to your website visitors’ questions
• Engage leads and prospective customers
• Improve your conversion rates and sales

6. Omnichannel Strategy.

More and more businesses are increasingly taking the omnichannel route to sell their products.

And a good ecommerce platform can seamlessly enable a perfect omnichannel strategy. It can help the online and offline counterparts of business work in tandem towards the specific goal of selling.

For example, Magento provides a ‘Magento Order Management’ system that helps businesses achieve precisely this.

Choosing the right ecommerce platform can go a long way in ensuring whether you manage to reach your omnichannel sales goals.

In the end, it’s vital to outline each individual sales channel and your goals for each.

How to Choose an Ecommerce Platform

Ecommerce Platforms FAQ.

Is ecommerce easy?

Ecommerce is easy to get started in but challenging to be highly successful in. You don’t need much money to get started – you just need a website and a list of products. You can even use drop shipping suppliers to outsource your inventory and shipping process.

However, it can be difficult to be very successful as marketing your eCommerce brand is one of the most important factors. In addition to posting your inventory online and handling customer service, you need to focus on SEO, PPC, social media marketing, email marketing, and other tactics to generate sales. What is the easiest eCommerce platform?

Ecommerce website builders are intuitive and allow you to easily build a website, add products, and market your business online. However, some are easier to use than others. Here are the easiest ecommerce platforms based on usability and simplicity:
1. Shopify.
2. Wix.
3. BigCommerce.

Can I sell on Facebook without a website?

Yes, without a website you can sell products online using Facebook Marketplace. If you want to sell products on Facebook, you need a Facebook Page and products to promote. On your Facebook page, you can add product information, including product names, descriptions, prices, photos, and more. What eCommerce platform does Amazon use?

Amazon sites use the AWS platform which Amazon created. They make a large income from allowing others to use their AWS service. Other big companies and websites also use AWS, including Netflix.Is it better to sell on Amazon or Shopify?

Although Amazon is easy-to-use for small online sellers, Shopify is a better option. Shopify’s lower-priced plans are more affordable than Amazon’s Professional Plan and is a more scalable solution. It is important to build a brand presence online and that is best done by owning your own website.Is Shopify easier than WordPress?

Shopify’s website builder is easier to set up and use than WordPress, where you face a steeper learning curve. Shopify has a lot of built-in ecommerce features that are not included in WordPress without plugins. However, WordPress different benefits like better SEO, more customization options, improved blogging, and more. In the end, it’s up to what you’re most comfortable with.How can I sell online for free?

If you don’t have the budget to use an ecommerce platform, there are certain ways to sell online for free. Some of these include:
1. Craigslist.
2. Facebook Marketplace.
3. LetGo.
4. Geebo.
5. eBid.

Executive Summary.

There you have it – my list of the best ecommerce platforms.

• If you’d like to use the best overall platform that is easiest to use and best for small business, go with Wix.
• If you want the best software to scale your large business, I recommend you get started with BigCommerce.
• If you’re a drop shipper than needs the good integrations, Shopify is your best choice.

What popular ecommerce platforms do you recommend?