As a business owner, you understand firsthand the amount of work required to manage a business. Before the doors were even open, you spent countless hours planning, strategizing, and dreaming of building your business into a realistic success. Now, it’s time to do the same with your eCommerce store!
Before the “doors” to your online store open, you have to understand how your team will handle this new group of customers. You would never let a customer enter your store without asking, “…can I help you?” or being at the register when they’re ready to make a purchase. The same approach to customer service needs to hold true on your eCommerce website. Unfortunately, many business owners let customer service go by the wayside in the digital world. Just because you can’t see the customer doesn’t mean they are any less valuable (or have any less money to give you). In fact, these eCommerce customers may be even more valuable as they are more likely to review your business online and share their experiences with their friends and family. They also have very few barriers to exit. If they don’t have a great experience with your team, it only takes seconds for them to close out their browsers and head to your top competitor’s website.
Pro Tip: You would never let a customer leave your store without asking “…did you find everything you need?” Cart abandonment tools and instant chat features are the eCommerce version of this. Be sure to ask about these when building an eCommerce site.
Can Your Team Handle an eCommerce Website?
That’s the golden question here. Are the people you work with able to handle the many day-to-day tasks and challenges that an online store presents or do you need extra help? Many of our eCommerce clients are surprised by the amount of time required to manage their website and scramble early on to cover all the tasks.
While we cannot tell you if the team around you can successfully manage an eCommerce site, we can give you some idea of what you’re getting into. Below are some of the many roles that your team will need to cover before creating an eCommerce website: Someone wants to know at 3:00am if your free shipping offer applies to them. A person across the country is asking if you have a particular shirt in extra large. An important client is requesting a rush order.
Having a designated team member to address customers’ questions and concerns is a must for any company no matter the size. Before creating your eCommerce site, be sure to decide who will help customers on your new website to ensure consistent and quality service. Package product, maintain inventory, and overseeing shipping relationships. When introducing eCommerce to a business, an attention to detail throughout these processes becomes even more critical.
Keeping your product inventory updated on your website is necessary for keeping your customers happy. Nobody has time for a backorder. Ensure that inventory is being stocked when required and if you run out, make sure your website reflects it to avoid confused and angry customers. An eCommerce website that doesn’t work doesn’t make you any money. Even the best eCommerce sites require regular maintenance to keep performing efficiently. Entrusting a professional eCommerce developer to handle this is generally the smart approach rather than taking it on yourself.
What happens if your site goes down? Who do you call? Being able to answer these questions may mean the difference in a sizeable amount of profit. Many eCommerce development companies offer an ongoing maintenance plan that every owner of an eCommerce should consider. Think of it as an insurance policy for your website. Nobody’s going to buy from your eCommerce site if they don’t know about it. While it’s easy to throw the URL on your business card, digital marketing goes way beyond that.
Partnering with a digital marketing agency is a smart way to take your eCommerce presence to the next level. Through pay-per-click ads, SEO, social media, and more, let professionals optimize your eCommerce website for success so you can focus on what you do best.
Adding a Digital Marketing Agency to Your Team = Peace of Mind and Profit
A digital marketing agency can take a lot of work off your plate while continuously enhancing your eCommerce website. Brandography’s eCommerce developers and digital marketing specialists have partnered with many companies to help them find success (and profits) online. Whether you’re just starting to sell online or are looking to take your eCommerce store to the next level, we’d love to be a part of your team. Contact us to learn more!
