Global online sales increased to nearly $4.29 trillion in 2020. This was a 21.4% increase over the previous year (according to Digital Commerce 360 estimates). This was partially driven by the pandemic, but also by the fact that more and more consumers worldwide are becoming comfortable with the concept of shopping online.

If you are perhaps dithering with the decision of whether or not to enter the e commerce market, well dither no more, it’s an absolute no-brainer in the new business environment. And specialist agencies like Cliqued Media website developers Ireland, are there to support you in re-positioning your business model to address e commerce requirements.

There are three main fields of e commerce, being B2B, B2C and C2C. Depending on your product category, or type of business, you’ll need to quickly get into the e commerce space. That is, if you are not involved already.

Just consider the following thought-provoking benefits of moving some or all of your business online:

Building a Global Presence

When you enter the realm of e commerce, your business potentially becomes a global one, accessible by anyone from Galway to New York. All you have to do is to ensure that you have the distribution capabilities and off your go. Just think what it would cost in traditional marketing terms to gain global exposure and access.

Increased Brand Awareness

Creating and maintaining brand awareness has always been a major objective of any marketing strategy. Well, without over simplifying, if you do a good job with your brand narrative online, your awareness will grow exponentially. Although you may be focusing particularly on ecommerce, your brand will naturally benefit from exposure on the various channels that you use, to drive consumers to your online store.  Click here to learn some of the effective e commerce web design.

Reducing Cost of Sales

Marketing and selling online has the potential to save millions in overheads and marketing budgets. Take for instance the cost of distribution. For many companies, the need to maintain a physical presence in the form of retail outlets has disappeared, as consumers move online.

Sure, this does not apply to all product categories, because some products require a physical interaction. In these cases, both a physical and online presence is desirable. But if you’re lucky enough, a good online presence alone, will do the trick. Add to that the cost-effective nature of online, compared to traditional marketing, and the fact that you no longer need a salesforce, and there you have it!

24 Hour Sales Opportunities

Imagine running your business 24/7, without having to pay exorbitant overtime costs, or worrying about security issues at night. Well, e commerce makes this possible, without most of the expenses incurred with a physical outlet.

Developments in AI, mean that your system can handle orders seamlessly and reliably, without the need for expensive staff. At the very least, and depending on your business commitment, you may need to maintain order desk staff or people to assist with online queries and complaints.    

Greater Customer Satisfaction

As far as customer satisfaction is concerned, e commerce is streets ahead. You’re building brand loyalty by making customer’s lives easier. You’re providing people with convenience and taking a major risk factor out of their lives, by enabling them to buy online.

Trading hours become limitless, and customers can browse online and shop at their leisure, anytime the need arises. It means that customers can act immediately on a whim if so required – talk about increasing impulse purchase opportunities and growing potential sales volumes.

Better Customer Relations

Any comprehensive e commerce strategy entails using a selection of internet channels, that should all serve to drive people to your online store. There you can attempt to convert and sell to them. The clever use of social media, blog posts and forums in particular, sets up a platform for live interaction and discussion with potential customers. Here you can begin to create relationships and loyalty.

Finally, when a buyer is interacting on your online store, you are able to monitor their behaviour on site and also, whether the purchase is completed. Failing completion, you’ll also be able to follow up with personal reminder messages, emails and other relevant communication aimed, at stimulating further purchases.

Broader Distribution and Product Offering

Expanding your sales territories and width of distribution will no longer be a huge and expensive undertaking. Why, because you’ll essentially be working out of one location. Just a single virtual online store is all that is required and from there, the world becomes your oyster. And because shelf-space is no longer a restriction, you’ll be able to offer a broader product range as well. Even diversify if desirable.

Communicate effectively on the right channels. Aim your message at the right people. Offer a good quality product or service. Guarantee fast and reliable delivery and returns. Finally, support this with secure payment options and your business is sure to flourish.  

More Marketing Opportunities

One of the great things about internet marketing and e commerce, is the number and selection of channels to choose from, all of them clearly targeted at distinct markets, and each appealing to millions of like-minded consumers.

Some of these different opportunities and marketing ‘tools’, include the likes of social media platforms, e mail marketing, search engine marketing, SEO, content-marketing, blogsites, Google Display advertising, Pay-Per-Click and the like.

A far cry from the old radio, TV and print scenario. It must be emphasised however, that this does not mean ignoring traditional advertising strategies. Traditional and online marketing should work in synergy to achieve the same goals and objectives of attracting loyal customers.     

Using the Professionals

Developing a new e commerce strategy and setting up for this, is usually a relatively low-cost exercise, when compared to traditional business models. That is until you don’t do it properly or decide to do it on the cheap. The result of taking short cuts, can be a bunch of highly disillusioned customers, and the destruction of much of the loyalty and goodwill built up for your brand. 

Doing e commerce effectively, requires a great deal of strategic thought, and the advice of experts. It’s really important that you take a strategic approach and make use of the e commerce professionals. Any upfront investment will be paid back handsomely if the homework is done correctly.

Luckily there are experts who specialise in e commerce strategy and set-up. Experts like Cliqued Media, who will work closely with your team to analyse your e commerce needs and to develop the appropriate strategy. Cliqued Media will help you to develop a comprehensive strategy that drives traffic to your online store and builds customer sales and loyalty.        

Tips For Effective Ecommerce Web Design Galway

Cliqued Media Web Design Galway, knows that development of an effective ecommerce website, has become the prerequisite for any organisation who hopes to enjoy ongoing growth and success. eCommerce development simply put, has been spectacular.

As with any marketing or sales driven strategy, the logical place to start is to define your target audience and then to determine their needs, wants, habits and lifestyles. Then on to developing a strategy to address these. The design of an ecommerce website should be no different.

Unlike traditional marketing strategies, where there is often room to experiment and improve, the online arena is different. You only get one chance with a prospective customer. Blow this and there are a host of competitors out there to take your place.

The following are some of the important issues that one must consider, when the decision to develop a new ecommerce website has been made.

Team Up With a Great Partner

Developing a brand new ecommerce website is not for the feint hearted and probably your most important upfront decision is to find the right website design partner.

While you may be tempted to go it alone, or even to make use of your friendly freelancer web developer, the stakes are just too high. Your site will be only one of hundreds of thousands, all vying for the attention of millions.

Specialist ecommerce website developers like Cliqued Media website development Ireland, are worth their weight in gold. They’ll guide you through the whole design process, help you to launch the site and do all of the analysis and tweaking once up and running.

Take a Professional Approach

You’ll need to have a professional mindset and a performance culture right from the start. There is no room for mediocrity in the world of ecommerce, where one negative experience will send a prospective customer packing forever. Remember that you are showcasing not only the products that you offer, but your own independent brand as an ecommerce site.

Two main criteria determine whether someone will become a loyal customer or not. Brand image and trustworthiness. It’s that simple. Having a well-designed site that is run professionally is a great start. All the more reason for using professional web designers like Cliqued Media.

Prioritise Your Branding Strategy

Trust is everything when it comes to driving online sales!

Even experienced online shoppers can be distrustful of buying on a new site. People support brands that they perceive as being meaningful and trustworthy. That’s why the branding of your site should be a major consideration.

Decide upfront what your brand is all about and then reflect its values and personality across your website, with well-constructed design and the use of inspiring colours, strong symbols and high quality images.

Besides gaining trust, a great website design will help to differentiate your brand from others and to set it apart from the clutter that abounds online.

Simplify Navigation

The term ‘user experience’ cannot be understated. It’s what successful ecommerce website design is all about. It’s a positive user experience that leads to the conversion and sale of anything on a commercial website. learn more about user experience by Click This Link

Nobody wants to work hard to make a purchase. Make it easy to navigate and to search onsite and you are halfway to success. A well designed navigation bar that channels users to the right categories or pages is a must. And the inclusion of efficiently designed filters, based on product category, product type, colours or relevant criteria, will do the trick. learn more about great web design ideas at https://cliquedmedia.com/why-you-need-great-website-design/

Make Security Non-Negotiable

The last thing that you should be worrying about when running and online business, is security issues. However, being responsible for the brand reputation and in particular your customers data, comes with the territory. The safety of personal data and security of customer payments are your most important consideration.

Without going into detail, there are some basics that must be continually addressed, including choosing a reputable and secure ecommerce platform upfront, regularly backing up your data, making use of professional malware scanning detection services and using a web application firewall, to name a few. And of course, leave the payment and data processing to the experts.

These issues alone, should be enough make any budding ecommerce website operator more than happy to invest in the services of the professional ecommerce website designers.

Be Responsive

Being responsive means adapting to changing times. It is no longer acceptable to design and develop your website for use on only laptop and desktop computers. More than sixty percent of website visits today are made on mobile devices like smartphones, tablets and the like.

So how to address this?

Well, your professional website design company will be able to optimise your site for use on any device, no matter the screen size, or the screen resolution. It is more than worth the extra cost to ensure that the user experience is consistent across all devices and that all visual content will adapt, no matter the size required.

Consider Your Customers First

We have touched on only some of the overarching issues relating to ecommerce web design Galway and there are a lot more to address.

Perhaps start the thought process by putting yourself in the mind of your potential customer. Think of your own experiences when buying something online. Consider the negative perceptions you had when interacting with an unprofessionally designed site. And then consider how you would address these on your new site.

Affordability

We all want an affordable websites. Just remember that one should consider the long-term implications of any decision made upfront, with particular reference to perceived cost savings.

Experts like Cliqued Media web design Galway, will ensure that upfront investment is made in the right areas, that the site is designed to appeal to the right customers, that it is modern, responsive and relevant, that your brand is showcased appropriately and that your customers can do business onsite, safely and with peace-of-mind.

“If you pay peanuts, you will get peanuts” and the same applies to ecommerce development – it’s a matter of save now and pay later, so be careful.