The biggest difficulty in the online sphere is capturing attention. There’s so much content that people naturally filter most of what they come across online out. You have a very short period of time to not only catch their attention, but to hold it longer than a few seconds. Once you have that, the next goal is to effectively make a relationship with that person. Going for the hard sell negates all the hard work that you’ve put in, because it typically means a one-time only sale. You want repeat business. You want word of mouth marketing. You’ll need your store to stand out to do this. Here are 5 things that will set your online store apart from the others:
- A Great Website
Though you might only have a few seconds to keep a consumer before they decide to either leave or to continue, it doesn’t mean that you can only convey a little bit of information. People can register and absorb a lot of information from a landing page. Once you have them interested, you then need to follow up. Create a great, engaging website that provides value to each visitor at every turn. A great website can help you gain a loyal customer easier than a marketing campaign.
- A Well-Designed E-Commerce Platform
BigCommerce is the biggest and best e-commerce platform out there. To truly stand out from the crowd, however, you should use certified BigCommerce design partners. They work closely with BigCommerce so that the finished online store not only works beautifully and looks great, but it also suits your brand.
- Valuable Information
Visitors to your website and store should never feel like they must look for the information they need. Your return policy, your shipping information, and other useful titbits of information should be readily available. Online consumers are smart and savvy, and are willing to compare products, so you want to sell them your brand just as much as you want to sell them the product.
- Beautiful Images
Beautiful images are the standard. If you don’t have beautiful images promoting your website and your products, you’ve failed. The quality of the images you choose, the content, tone, and messages all convey information about your brand, your product, and your goals. Images are more powerful than a statement, because they can be used to say a lot about your company in a split second.
- A Custom Experience
A custom experience is one that uses automated tools to give each visitor an experience tailored to them. It means giving them the ability to save items they like. It means giving them suggestions based on their activity. It means using the information they give you to provide more value. The best way to sell is to sell to the individual, not to the crowd.
Online shopping is taking over. The convenience and the savings one can find online are some of the biggest selling points towards e-commerce. The best way to have a store that stands out is to put care and dedication into both the design and the experience. Your website and your store are, in many cases, the only face that consumers will see. You want them to recognize your brand, trust it, and value it.
