Although online and digital retailing and services have been rapidly growing over the last five years, 2020 has seen a rapid increase in online platforms and services due to COVID-19. Companies that were on the cusp of moving over to online and digital offerings were pushed to swiftly pivot their business to cater to online customers.
Even out of COVID-19 was born a plethora of new businesses and online stores which have been gathering momentum over the last few months.
But with all of this new growth and evolving service offerings, companies have found it difficult to keep up with the growing demands. Continued service and product offerings to your customer require continuous development and growth in your company. So, we took a look at a few ways that you can effectively scale your business with the right structures and processes in place.
Streamline Your Payment System and Processes
Millions of companies globally have had to shift their businesses online and that has brought a plethora of process changes. One of these were the company’s payment systems. Not only have many companies needed to shift away from the traditional, physical EPoS system, but they have had to create full sales funnels, with various payment options for the online client.
Let’s take a look at the sales funnel. Factoring the UX design during the developmental stages of the website is key for a streamlined, functioning site. There need to be as few steps as possible between the product page and the checkout and payment pages. The more forms your customer needs to fill out, the more likely cart abandonment is.
Customers also require a variety of payment options at the checkout. Not every customer has a credit card, or even trusts using their credit card online. Some customers still prefer cash-on-delivery, while others prefer digital currencies or even QR codes.
As a growing business, it is highly recommended that you streamline the whole process and provide several options to reduce cart abandonment.
Focus on your IT Infrastructure
Your IT infrastructure is the heart of your company. For an effective eCommerce company, you need to ensure that your hardware, software, and various platforms are running effectively and efficiently at all times to service your customers.
If you are just starting, focus on what kind of equipment and elements you are purchasing. The right hardware and software will make a huge difference in the smooth running of your company. Not only will you need to pick the right equipment with the right capabilities for your specific services, but you will also need equipment that will remain relevant even with the growth of your company.
However, investing in an in-house IT department is not always the most optimal solution. So you can consider hiring professional IT infrastructure services. They can maintain and upgrade your existing infrastructure, while you focus on other aspects of your business.
Refocus On Content
Content is one of your biggest growth drivers in eCommerce. Not only does it help you create a sense of trust and authority with your customer, but it helps you heighten your SEO. Let’s delve into both.
So, content can be used for educational and entertainment purposes for your clients. You want your content to speak directly to your client to inform them about your business and educate them around the industry. The more information they can acquire from your content, the more they will view you as an authoritative figure in the industry and trust your brand.
Content that goes out on your blog, from your emails, and onto your socials needs to be carefully crafted to provide that crucial information and education your clients need. But with that, you can include the use of keywords.
Keywords are absolutely imperative for your SEO. Search engines like Google will crawl your site to ascertain where to place you in search results. This will be based on the number and quality of your keywords, as well as the links that you have ascertained to and from other websites.
Redesign Your Customer Journey
We have always recommended to clients, go through your site as your customer would. Enter from various entry points and go through the sales funnel as a brand new client would.
How much information do you pick up along the way? How are your product pages structured to convert customers? How many forms do clients need to fill out before they reach the payment stage? It is also important to check how many points of contact you have on the site. Can you reach a representative easily? Can you get a question answered in real-time?
Product pages are vital when it comes to conversion rates. Not only do you need to have the right information on them, but your images need to be of high quality, your price points need to be carefully listed and your CTA’s need to be clear and attractive to convert the customer.
Wrapping Up
Keep testing your site at all stages. Keep track of how much traffic you are driving to your site, where it is coming from, and how it behaves. The more information you have about where and how your traffic behaves, the more you are able to carefully strategize your business going forward.
