With all the restrictions on trade putting pressure on businesses throughout Australia we are needing to rethink how they do business and selling online is going to become more and more prevalent.
Some predictions from industry experts say that customer behaviour may change permanently to online purchasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The thought is that if more people have experienced online purchasing and the convenience that goes with it, they may choose not to go back to retail stores when this whole situation is over. Further, if you sell a service or course, you can be part of the burgeoning online learning industry.
We have a unique opportunity at this point in history to jump on the next wave: E-Commerce.
Here’s how:
1. Choose Which Products To Sell Online
You may choose to list all of your products in your E-Commerce store and sell them all. However, it’s likely that some products are better for online sales than others.
Some questions to consider:
- Which gives you the best margin?
- Which are easier to ship?
- Look at which products will give you the best return on investment (ROI) and make sure you focus on these.
If you have an existing bricks & mortar store, you may want to handle all of the shipping and packaging yourself. Alternatively, you can use a drop shipping service where the supplier or wholesaler warehouses and ships the product on your behalf. This process gives you more time to focus on marketing your product or service.
2. Plan Your Marketing
You can’t just set your online store up and then drop into the wide ocean of the internet. You will need to market it actively in order to get traffic to your website and thus sales.
Some options are…
- Google Ads – specifically, Google Shopping allows you to promote your products at the top of the search results
- Facebook – The worlds largest Social Media is filled with opportunities, paid and unpaid to share your products and services with your customers
- Instagram – is a great way to share your products and services in a fun & visual way
- Search Engine Optimisation – enables Google to send you more free traffic
- Blog posts
- Videos
- Podcasts
3. Think Through Your Unique Offer
You need to give thought to what makes you unique and better/different from your competitors. What is it about your business that means customers will choose you?
A few questions to stimulate your thinking…
- Are you cheaper than your competitors?
- Is your product/service more convenient?
- Does your product/service provide unique qualities?
- Do you offer free shipping?
What can you offer that sets you apart from the competition?
4. Build Your E-Commerce Store
There are some DIY solutions out there such as SquareSpace and Wix. However, if you don’t have the skill or time we can help you.
We can look after all the following areas…
- Design and customisation to make your website look great
- Mobile Friendliness
- Product Gallery
- Online Payments
- Account creation
- Abandoned Cart management
- Contact forms or Online Chat
Our team of vastly experienced experts is ready to help you get started today!
In order to help businesses in the current climate, we are offering 20% off the normal price of building an E-Commerce Website
We are here and ready to help you take your business online, contact us anytime!
