13 tips for having a successful online store

Market research states an average annual growth of 20% in e-commerce and the reasons are numerous: better prices, cost/benefit and convenience are some of the reasons to invest in a quality online store.

However, there are several factors that make an e-commerce successful, sometimes small actions can be the difference between an increase in sales or products sitting in stock. Let’s learn some tips on how to have a successful online store.

Be careful when choosing an e-commerce platform

This is the first tip in order of importance, choosing a good e-commerce platform is an essential step in building an online store, as it is from there that all subsequent configurations will be made.

There are several platforms available at the moment for various company sizes and kinds; the key is to do thorough research, understand the advantages and disadvantages of each, and choose the platform that best fits your needs.

The choice of platform is important for several reasons, one of which is the speed of the site, as many users do not have the patience to wait for pages that take a long time to load. Similar to this speed concern is responsiveness, that is, whether the page is configured to be accessed by smartphones or tablets, devices that are increasingly used to access the internet.

Choosing an e-commerce platform also guarantees greater efficiency and security for your online store, as they are specialized in these types of websites, providing the necessary settings so that your customer can make a safe online purchase.

Describe the products

A good description of the products offered has two benefits. The first is more obvious, it will provide the necessary information for the user to get to know the product well. Material used for manufacturing, measurements, additional items, everything the potential customer needs to know before making the purchase.

The second reason is extremely important, but it will only be noticed in the long term. A good description will mean that, after some time, your product starts to appear in internet search engines. For this to happen, it will be necessary to use on-page SEO techniques that will direct the best way to explore the content of the page which, in addition to the product description, must receive attention in important parts such as the title, URL, images, among others.

Take good photos

However, there's no point in having a good SEO setup for your images if they don't attract attention. As the product page will be the user's only way of contacting the item sold, taking care of the images is essential.

Choose well-lit, clear images from as many angles as possible, this will give the user greater confidence before purchasing your product online.

Organize your products

Despite its online configuration, a good online store must be well organized, just like a physical store, that is, it must have departments and sections to group certain types of products.

This step is important so that the user can find the product they want more easily. Another important point for the success of an online store is that it has a good internal search engine, as well as filters, so that the customer can find exactly what they are looking for.

Choose different payment methods

The diversity of choices in how to pay is an essential step in an online store. Greater options means a greater opportunity to complete the sale. Currently, these options are increasing, with payments made via debit and credit cards, bank slips and pix.

Having several payment methods means a lower probability of cart abandonment when completing the purchase and, therefore, more sales in your online store.

Configure shipping options

When creating an online store, special care must be taken with shipping options and shipping agility. The ideal is to allow the user to identify shipping costs before starting to purchase, so that they do not give up in the middle of the action.

Even more important is the agility of shipping. Even though the consumer has opted for an online alternative, they still want to receive the product as quickly as possible, so have a well-organized and up-to-date stock, and send the products as quickly as possible.

Have special packaging

This tip doesn't work for all types of products and shipping, but if it's possible for your business, it can make a difference. When customers receive a well-packaged and carefully packaged product, they will certainly have a positive view of the purchase, meaning they are much more likely to purchase from your online store again.

If possible, choose to send a gift, free sample or even a discount coupon for the next purchase, all viable alternatives to build customer loyalty.

Invest in contact channels

Although a virtual store represents the opportunity to make sales without the need for human help, for many people a contact to answer their questions is essential, so leave interaction options in plain view to resolve their doubts.

In addition to the email option or even a page with frequently asked questions, it is important for the company to have immediate forms of contact such as an online chat (an option that the best e-commerce platforms have) and a WhatsApp number. The more dynamic the service, the greater the chance of finalizing the sale.

Value abandoned carts

Selling in an online store involves several steps, from finding the product to paying for the purchase, and in the middle of this process many users give up and for countless reasons, so it is essential to identify these reasons. However, it is also necessary to invest in this consumer, as they have already shown interest in the product, therefore the chance of making the purchase is much greater.

To do this, the company must focus on strategies to bring this user back to the website, with discount coupons or emails reminding them of the abandoned cart, this is a great strategy to increase sales with little investment.

Bet on social media

With users increasingly spending time on social media, a great alternative to promote your products is social media, so be careful with your posts, opt for quality images and texts that will make your products stand out.

If your budget allows, opt for a paid advertising strategy, they will ensure that your products stand out to a specific target audience. Performance marketing has numerous advantages that will help increase your virtual sales.

Invest in promotions

Hand in hand with social media, a great alternative to attract attention to your products online is to bet on promotions. And they can be of different types: free shipping, discount coupons and two for the price of one, for example. Anything goes when it comes to drawing attention to your online store.

Explore email marketing

Collecting information from those who access your online store is an essential practice (as long as it is done clearly and with the user's consent) because using this data it is possible to create an efficient email marketing strategy.

Email marketing has several advantages, especially cost-benefit, as the users who will receive your email are those who have already had contact with your website or even a specific product, and therefore have already shown interest in what you sell.

Don't forget the content

A long-term but powerful strategy is to invest in the content of your website and social media. This content will not be responsible for a sale in itself, but it will attract people to your page or even enhance your brand.

Quality content has several advantages. If you invest in a blog, for example, you can attract visitors from certain content to visit a product page or even select them as the target audience for a remarketing campaign.

If you choose to invest in content for social networks such as Instagram or YouTube, this content will bring greater credibility to your brand, in addition to increasing its reach, all of which will make it a reference in the market.