Investing in Your B2C Webshop

E-Commerce is the retail of the future. We’ve talked about how B2B businesses should continually invest in their e-Commerce venture; this is no different for B2C companies. The e-Commerce platform and webshop are things worth investing in to keep up in this fast-paced digital world.

Have you heard the saying “You must spend money to make money”? Well, we’re not going to tell you any different. However, it’s how we spend our money that makes a difference. A solid infrastructure, technologies that can grow with your company, and user-friendly applications, these are investments that keep adding value. Resources to help you plan and execute your strategy are also important in achieving e-Commerce success. 

Your e-Commerce website is like a machine; there are so many components required to make it run. Each component has to be up to date and moves harmoniously with all the other pieces. When you invest in your B2C webshop, here are some things to think about that add value to your e-Commerce business.

Customer Engagement and Experience

In the B2C space, customer engagement, experience, and support are extremely important components. We will always have interactions with customers.  For a pleasant customer experience, our webshops must be easy to navigate as well as be aesthetically attractive. Personalization can go a long way with a customer as well. It shows that we value them as customers and in turn, this adds value to our company. We invest in the technology to make these customizations and customer-friendly features possible, adding value. It helps us stand apart as well because there is so much competition. Think about features can really make or break a customer’s experience on your site such as parametric search so they can find what they’re looking for easier. What about image close-ups so your customers can see better detail? Or even something on the back-end, like our Always Take Orders™ feature. While it’s not noticeable on the front end, it’s a life-saver should there be a break in connection.

The Look and Feel – Fresh and Modern

Just like any physical brick and mortar store, the look of our webshop should be fresh and modern. With a technologically-savvy crowd who is attracted to visuals, it’s important to maintain an aesthetically pleasing layout and design. Like we previously mentioned, the navigation is important. Make sure the layout is easy to use as well as sharp-looking. It’s also a branding exercise. Make it consistent with your company. Physical stores change things up every once in a while, keeps customers interested, testing new displays, keeping with the holidays; this is something that can be applied to your webshop as well. It may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s something that a lot of webshops neglect to do.

In keeping things fresh and relevant, think about the latest trend in e-Commerce that is here to stay: responsive design. When we adopt an e-Commerce strategy that involves mobile devices and tablets, we must think about consistency. In this digital age, online shopping is not limited to our desktops. We now have multiple ways to shop online. We also expect the same experience no matter which device we choose. Responsive design is the way to solve this issue; with a connected experience, it means less drop-offs and more conversions. Talk to us about what we’ve done in responsive design and how you can include it in your e-Commerce strategy.

Customers are Fast Learners

Shoppers in this day and age are more educated and experienced than ever. It’s a consumer-age where there are a multitude of options and experiences. Customers hold a lot of power while store all vie for their attention. The public has plenty of shopping experiences under their belt and have the resources to look for information. When shopping online, customers know to look for certain things, and they have high expectations. Online shopping is an empowering activity – they choose where they give their attention, time, and money and can change their mind quickly. They hate hurdles and dealing with awful sales representatives. They know what they want.

It’s absolutely worth it to invest in your store to please your customers. You may think that extraneous features are just bells and whistles that don’t add any real value to your webshop. However, every feature adds to the online shopping experience. They all have an effect on the end result and benefit the business and the customer. On the flip side, more does not always equal merrier. Think about your budget and what you can realistically spend when customizing your e-Commerce solution. Choose features that you think will deliver the best end user experience. Your store should always be easy to use and have a good amount of options to accommodate different kinds of shoppers.

These are expected from today’s average online shopper. Meeting those expectations, or even exceeding them, will make an impression and perhaps gain us repeat business.

What about Marketplaces?

So you have a B2C website and it gets you a significant amount of revenue. That may be satisfactory for now, but where is the future of retail headed? Look into online marketplaces and evaluate if they are a viable sales channel for your company. It’s not right for everyone, but if you do choose this route, it’s another investment in time and money that could be very worthwhile. There are several different platforms to connect with your back-end system. Having a marketplace integrator would be helpful. It’s a new environment that needs requires new skills and adapting. At Digital Vantage Point, we have a solution that would be right up your alley if you’re looking for an integrated e-Commerce solution specifically for marketplaces. Drop us a line to find out more about MarketPlace Integrator.

Invest in Reputation

Customer loyalty is what we all want. Getting a customer’s trust can be one of the hardest things. But once you have it, try your hardest to keep it. Retaining your existing customers and having them loyal is sometimes better than constantly having to get new customers. Obviously the ideal result is to have the two. But how do we gain customer loyalty? Besides having a good product, the service and support you provide with it is important. How you maintain that relationship is crucial to repeat business. Besides all the steps you have taken to ensure a good shopping experience, you have to continue to grow and learn and build your credibility. Whatever it is you sell, strive to be the subject matter expert. Promote ideas as well as products. Customers are not one dimensional so neither should your business.

Investing in your business is really about keeping things fresh, current, and relevant. Your e-Commerce solution should be flexible in order to grow with your business.

Learn more about our e-Commerce solution and how it can help you. | [email protected]

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