The advent of new and easy internet based technology has changed the way how businesses had been operated till now. This technology led changes had given access to international markets to retailers by encouraging them to adopt an online vertical.
The quite obvious advantages of opting for this vertical is that the online retailers are able to save various cost related to renting physical office space, getting appropriate human resources and other associated costs. Howbeit, there are other new areas that need to be managed such as online marketing and SEO.
Taking your business to online channel is very different from operating an eCommerce store. Though there are a few similarities, nonetheless both are very different from each other. The most frequently asked questions while operating an eCommerce business are:
- Getting the initial customer: Online retailers are most concerned about this. The easiest way to get initial customers is through launching a PPC campaign. Though chargeable, but it helps online retailers to get the top ranks in the search engine. The only point of concern associated with this is that they can be expensive.
The second thing they can implement is to use organic SEO to get higher rank for keywords that are used in search engine results. And last but not the least, synchronizing marketplaces with your web store such as Amazon and eBay. Displaying products on various marketplaces helps online retailers in associating themselves with an already established brand.
- Using customized or standard template web design: The customized template web designs are better able to cater to the specific requirements of the online retailers. It helps them in serving niche markets by offering specific customer oriented features. However, it comes with a price tag and if the online retailer has a budget for it, then they should opt for such templates that can be customized.
On the other hand, standard template based web designs are much cheaper as compared to the customized ones. However, there are certain limitations as they may fall short of expected results.
- Price to be charged for shipping cost: It is advisable to include the shipping cost in the product prices. However, there isn’t any specific formula for it. It totally differs from case to case basis and online retailers need to design their own approach regarding the charges to be levied as shipping cost.
- Preventing abandonment of shopping cart: It is the most obvious thing that happens with every online retailer. Making payments and checkout easy as possible can decrease shopping cart abandonment. 24Seven offers support for multiple payment processors and platforms including high risk merchants link. There are few general steps online retailers can consider such as easy navigation from one product category to another or guest checkout option or multiple payment option. However, these are just general precautions that doesn’t offer any guarantee.
These are a few commonly asked questions while starting an online store. Online retailers need to think about various issues before foraying into this online vertical.