So, First – A Warning…!
The media is full of the fantastic success enjoyed by people running online businesses. And its true, there are many new businesses founded on the web each month which go on to become runaway successes.
But much less is said of the far greater number that flounder on the digital rocks and sink out of sight.
Autus’ digital marketing specialist will guide you through the e commerce development process, to give your online business the best possible chance of success. He will cover several important considerations:
Online Marketing Analysis – Will my product sell on the web?
We will help you to challenge yourself, rather than reassure yourself, that it will. It is easy enough to price check your products on the web. This should be done thoroughly, as many people are shocked at how low online prices are, and how low their margin will be.
Moving on from this exercise, we explore the e com scenario for the clients. A successful e commerce website needs to be:
Affordable against the client’s budget
Manageable by the client
Well designed and constructed
Effective in selling the product
E-commerce Affordability
Several factors should be brought together to represent the true cost of an e commerce website.
The initial investment in the website is the first consideration. This is largely dictated by the system chosen and especially the product data input costs. If the product data is available digitally this can save considerable time – and cost.
For a successful e commerce website, the site must earn a strong position on the search engines. It should be well optimised at launch, and an ongoing strategy for SEO must also be mapped out and included in the project budget, as this cost may be substantial.
E-commerce Website Design
Many e commerce websites are cluttered, overstuffed with content and difficult to navigate. Often the transaction process is unnecessarily long and complicated.
An e commerce website should have a graphic design and character that is appropriate for the target market. A website selling catering equipment or electrical components should have a very different feel to a website selling hair care products.
For any e commerce site, layout, product presentation and website navigation should be well thought through and always with the customer in mind.
The site must attract and engage the visitor immediately, encourage and help their product search, then guide the customer through a clear and simple transaction process.