The explosion of online commerce has opened up a treasure trove of opportunities to entrepreneurs everywhere, whether from established companies or startups operating out of a spare room.
By Henry Lewington, MD WebEden.co.uk
With the costs and barriers involved in creating an online business getting lower all the time, starting a new e-venture can be an very enticing prospect. Ease of access should not, however, be confused with assured success and, in my experience, there are several key things worth considering before starting out.
Be Better
If the local high street seemed competitive, then think of the web as 8am at the Selfridges Boxing Day sale … all the time.
In just a few mouse clicks, your potential customers could be shopping on the other side of the county, the country or the planet so, in order to keep them interested, engaged and buying from you, you have to be on top of your game, all the time.
Poor search functions, broken links, poor design and checkouts that take hours to process an order, will have potential customers exiting a website in less time than it takes to read this sentence. Be better than that and better than the competition if you want to succeed.
Be Transparent
Recent research has shown that 72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations. If you’re not a recognised name, customers are less likely to feel comfortable entering their credit card details for your latest offer. If there are a hundred legitimate reviews of people praising the way you do business, it’ll go a long way to establishing trust.
Be Personally Responsive
One of the key words in the previous point was legitimate. Most of the 72% who will trust online reviews can spot fake accounts straight away, and will be looking for proof that the owners of a site are engaging with their customer base.
If someone has posted a concern, has a representative from the company reassured them? If there was a problem, has it been resolved and appropriate action taken to ensure it doesn’t happen again? Your response as an online business speaks volumes to the silent majority watching your site before choosing whether to buy from you.
In the wide open public forums offered to consumers by social media, no company is safe from having their dirty laundry and bad practices aired in public. Always treat your customers in a manner that would impress you, and you should be okay.
Be Digitally Responsive
The rise of the tablet and smartphone in the last five years has fuelled a huge increase in the amount of m-commerce – online transactions being carried out using mobile devices. Your site needs to be flexible enough to respond to any customer, whether they’re out and about with a smartphone or sitting in front of their desktop connected to superfast broadband.
If your site doesn’t work on my phone then I can find one that does in a matter of seconds. As more and more payment systems can be authorized with biometric security such as fingerprint scanners, expect a lot more business to be done via mobile devices in the next 24 months.
Be Brave
There are many things to consider before starting an online business, options to be weighed up and more than a few pitfalls to avoid. But you shouldn’t let that put you off. Running your own business online can be one of the most exciting and rewarding things you’ll ever do, but you have to have the courage and belief in yourself to get out there and do it.
Be brave, trust yourself and be alert to what’s going on around you, both online and off. Listen to your customers, identify their needs and don’t be afraid to try something different to win the hearts and minds of valuable customers.
For more, visit www.webeden.co.uk
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