Ingredients for eCommerce Success

The recipe for a profitable e-commerce site or app may seem elusive, but there are a series of ingredients that when utilized will make your virtual storefront successful:

Who is your customer? Where does your ideal customer shop? What appeals to them? Where else do they spend time? Keying in on these points will give you an idea of the website or app that will most appeal to your target audience and keep them coming back for more.

Identify competitors. Who else is currently in your market, interacting with your potential customers? How do they promote themselves? What do their apps look like? Of course, there’s plenty of room for everyone, so no copying – instead, identify places where you can do things better. See what’s working for them and brainstorm ways to model their success for yourself.

Appeal to your customers. Audiences love a story – it helps them to identify with a brand and develop a sense of trust. This relationship promotes loyalty and turns prospects into customers. How can you tell your story in a way that appeals to your audience? Knowing your target audience will help you to understand what they want to hear and how they’ll identify with you.

Promote your app. This goes without saying, right? The sticking point for so many is identifying where and how to promote. Use social media to promote your products, then steer followers to your app to make a purchase.

Track your progress. Any marketing plan should be continually tested and improved. Google provides analytics tools for both websites and apps, so check where your traffic is coming from and focus your efforts on those areas, while at the same time tightening your game elsewhere.

Design your app with the user in mind. Of course, getting people to download and visit your app is the first step – the next is to encourage visitors to make a purchase. This falls on the shoulders of your designers but should be informed by you and your trusted beta testers. Are your products enticingly displayed? Is it easy to make a selection and add it to a cart? Is the design intuitive enough so that the user can navigate easily without being prompted?

The right idea, the right products and the right design team are sure to combine to create the right app – one that’s profitable for you and just the thing your customers need.