8 rules of online sales

If you plan to move the company’s website from just to introduce and promote their products / services into a dynamic and effective sales, or even edit existing online store, always there are immutable principles that you need to follow.
Consumers and customers are organizations, companies, etc. were moving to more online shopping in order to save time. According to research firm Forrester Research, online sales worldwide in 2006 was estimated at $ 2,500 billion, with an average growth rate of around 7%, and is expected in 2007 , the growth rate will be 8%.

Obviously, you will lose many great business opportunity if you do not build their online sales.

If you are ready to launch an online store or reorganization of existing stores, here are eight rules are drawn from a variety of experts and successful online retailers.

1 / Set up a solid infrastructure that saves

You do not need to hire a professional HTML, an artist, designer or a network engineer to build an e-commerce website. Complex task and somewhat expensive is now entirely possible to be done by some software with the selected outsourcing (hire external resources) related to web design and hosting, such as Microsoft’s Commerce Manager.

These software packages on the market will give you a lot of options professionally designed templates, including product catalogs, screen prices, automated ordering system, clearly a purchase, processing system processes and inventory management and even accounting system.

Some custom software includes help from experts spectrum, web browser, thereby enhancing your website.

2 / Features, features and features

As well as traditional shops always rely on the design and the convenience to attract customers, helping them quickly find what you want, online stores can not not care elements this.

Make sure your online store is the most convenient and easy to use as far as possible. Depending on what provider you should consider sitemap (site map) to guide customers. Please use the navigation bar at the top and bottom so that the user will not have to constantly roll up and down the site when you want to change.

It is important to meny drop-down (back). You do not force shoppers to rely on the “back” button on their web browser. And you should always ask customers if they feel unhappy or upset about something.

For example, the Massachusetts Bay company Trading Company (massbaytrading.com), specializing in online business products manufactured in Massachusetts, USA. Co-founder of the company is Bob Nilsson said the online store was opened in 2002, on the site of the still images on the different credit cards so that customers know what kind of card can be used to payment for goods sold here.

But users continually click on the images because they think this is a selection of goods. “They click and wait, but nothing matched,” Nilsson said, “Then we get a lot of complaints about the speed of the site is too slow.” So, Nilsson decided to build a link from the picture to your payment instructions and customer satisfaction.

3 / Understanding the customer

Usually, online shoppers are very different from offline shoppers.

Do not forget to research and identify online customers through online surveys, team, or simply call the customer.

You also need to determine what products / services will attract online shoppers and thereby streamline your offerings. In addition, the proposed free products, discounts or trial, is also very valuable. As with any other sales method, you must know the customer and do not make assumptions.

4 / Maintain design principles

“When you design an online store, it’s easy to fall into the desire to give it everything,” Karen Frishman, marketing director of the company Ruby Lane (rubylane.com), an e-commerce website retailers pottery, antiques, etc., said, “All of the animation or the addition of graphics on your website only makes web browsing speed slower. A clear and simple design is better. ”

And you also do not forget to integrate your online store design data offline marketing. Everything should be put into this offline.

5 / Ensure appropriate content elements

You need to have the product description easy to read and understand, the picture quality, the shopping and delivery instructions clearly. Online retailers regularly post information poor, they edit the content yourself or upload images fuzzy, low quality.

The result is that you create an unprofessional image, causing the client to conclude that their goods have low acceptance. Instead, you hire the expert copywriter, marketing and use of digital photographers are highly skilled. Then determine the content for the sale is the best place.

For example, Pinxav, a company established in 1927 specializing in manufacturing lotion sold to selected retailers. The owner of a third-generation company (family tree) Gregg Steiner a few years ago opened shop online (pinxav.com).

Now, online sales accounted for 10% of the total revenue of the company. “The key is the word of mouth advertising,” Steiner said. To get this reputation, he has to rely on the transmission of a lot of useful content, including skin care tips, beauty recipes, product comparisons, etc. “We teach people not only on products but also many other valuable life experience,” Steiner said.

6 / Building trust and credibility

Constantly reassure the customer that you will delivery and absolute protection of personal information. “The biggest mistake of the inexperienced sales is not given enough information about who they are and how professional,” Frishman said, “Customers want to know who they are buying “.

For a negligible cost, you can register and get label approval from the consulting organization customers as TRUSTe (www.truste.org) or the Better Business Bureau Online (www.bbbonline.org ). Offering 100% money back guarantee will also alleviate customer anxiety.

7 / optimization opportunities

The direct search method is fast and economical way to attract new customers, but with the condition that your site is set up correctly. That means the “meta tags” (labels) of appropriate and intelligent – that provide information included in the site allows the search engines to find you.

This also means that you need to understand the site management system for when to refresh the content, you will not lose the keywords that the search engine has recorded online. Details and online search rankings change every day. Unless you have your own technical professionals, and otherwise look to the help of other experts.

To optimize your site with the search engines online, you need to be an expert to work part time for you to use online services such as Microsoft’s Submit It!. The selection of software and services can also statistics of visitors and analyze where people often click the same job they left your site looks like. In addition, there are a few services and web statistics analysis as Microsoft’s FastCounter Pro.

8 / Refresh, refresh and renew

“The success of our store are always the most dynamic store” Frishman said, “It is the online shop owners are always flexible to update information, add new goods, posting pictures new and constantly change the layout of the site more attractive “.

Never “sleeping” on a laurel branch. Please change your geometric window, change the look of the home page, … Please keep up to date with new products, or transfer the product from the site homepage and vice versa.

Do not forget the rewards. Remember to give loyal customers something new or special, such as invitations discount or a small gift. You should also send out e-mail notifications to the customer whenever you have new products or lower prices.

Also, you will need to promote the sale of other goods, such as online store links on all marketing materials, advertising – from bag sales to business cards and stationery .

Finally, an important part of today’s online sales operation is to ensure that the services and software to automate always quick to operate smoothly online store. All you need to do is keep your website stable and always be the product.