There’s more information online now on eCommerce website fundamentals or about how to start eCommerce businesses online.
Now more than ever.
However, there’s almost no “execution” on any front whatsoever.
There’s that little here and that little there. “Little” won’t do for you.
There are some absolute eCommerce business fundamentals that you can’t have opinions on. You can’t sit there and dilly-dally. The “cat on the fence” thing won’t apply.
Here are some non-negotiable eCommerce website fundamentals you can’t just skip:
Start determines the finish (if ever)
How you set up your eCommerce website or eCommerce store and the approach you take will determine what happens to your eCommerce business over the course of a next few years. It might even determine the “finish” or the “end point”.
Start wrong and you have a whole world of trouble opening up for you. To start right, you’d need to ask yourself the following specific questions:
- If you are starting with WordPress-driven solutions for your eCommerce business, can you handle the endless stitching and weaving of eCommerce WordPress themes, WordPress eCommerce builders and WordPress plugins (including the ubiquitous WooCommerce)?
- Picking up Shopify as your option? This one is on another planet altogether. Although Shopify makes it easy for you to start, this is just a different approach to “using WordPress for eCommerce”. Can you work with Shopify themes (including highly customizable themes such as , Shopify Apps, and various features that Shopify provides such as Shopify Email, Shopify Automation, Shopify Checkout, and more?
- Would you like to skip major platforms such as WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, BigCommerce, and others? How about picking up the likes of specific solutions such as Podia or Payhip for online courses. Maybe use any of the no-code website builders for eCommerce? Again, that’s a choice you make. Following that choice is a string of decisions you’d take (ongoing basis)
Read:
How to Start and Design Your Online Store in 2024
Marketing Never Ends for eCommerce
Most entrepreneurs and businesses tend to think of “marketing” as a “function” — a task that has to be done for bringing in leads and sales.
It’s much more than that, and you know it intuitively (coz’ you are a customer yourself). Marketing goes back and forth from branding to positioning; from customer support to product quality; from how you answer customer queries to what you do on social media.
Even with regards to tasks and projects directly involving marketing, it’s never a “shut-it-and-forget” it case. Marketing evolves. Your marketing strategies will evolve.
Evolve or not, marketing is something that you’d need to do well before you even start your business. On specifics, your eCommerce website fundamentals is never complete without the following:
- A well-optimized, well-build, mobile-responsive, fast-loading, trouble-free, and secure (with an SSL) eCommerce website. Choose Shopify, WordPress, Webflow, or any of the no-code website builders.
- eCommerce blogging and content marketing efforts that start from your blog and extend to all sorts of other content such as infographics, PDF downloads, videos (hello YouTube!), and more.
- Social media for eCommerce by being on social for “being social” which also extends itself as another touch point for customer interactions, customer support, and more.
- Email marketing for eCommerce (more on this below). Emails could include instantly triggered automated emails for nurturing brand new leads, regular email broadcasts, retargeting emails, sales-based emails (such as promos and so on),
- Ongoing lead generation efforts with opt-in forms and other lead generation tactics, landing pages, targeted PPC campaigns (again pointing to landing pages) and so on.
Ecommerce Email Marketing Is Non-Negotiable
Using email marketing for eCommerce is the single best thing you’ll do your eCommerce business. It’s a part of eCommerce website fundamentals that you just can’t skip.
Use emails for broadcasts, email automation messages (carefully designed in a way to both nurture and sell to your subscribers and/or customers), email retargeting, email prompts, and email promos.
There are literally hundreds of tools available for you to use. Pick MailerLite, Shopify Email, Moosend, MailChimp, ConvertKit, Klaviyo, and so many others.
Pick any. But act on it.
Read:
20+ Welcome Emails That Build Trust For Long-Term Engagement
Focus on eCommerce Conversions (over Everything else)
The average conversion rate of an eCommerce store globally is around 3.65%, according to benchmarks. If you ask me, it can be improved.
Regular business websites have even lower conversion rates. Some websites have very high conversion rates and some have abysmally low.
You just won’t know, no matter how deep your stick your head into competitive benchmarking.
The best way to start with conversion rate optimization is to start deploying A/B testing like you drink water.
Research, hypothesis, tests, learning, tweaking, re-testing — that’s the way to go.
However, you’ll need enough website traffic to warrant such testing.
Read:
What is Conversion Optimization? How to Get Started? 14 CRO Strategies For 2024
Make Use of eCommerce Inspiration
Stuck for ideas? Want to get a glimpse of other eCommerce brands are doing it all? There’s no dearth of inspiration around for you to see.
Start with these 25 examples to inspire your online store design. See how some eCommerce brands are riding the eCommerce subscription wave.
Which of these eCommerce website fundamentals are you paying attention to? What would you like to add?
Tell me all about it on Twitter, LinkedIn, or my LinkedIn Brand page.
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