Retail Business Strategies that can Boost Online Sales

Whether a retail company operates online or out of a physical shop, the basics of business growth and success remain the same. Anybody looking to start and grow a successful ecommerce website, then, can better do so by emulating the same steps that successful retailers in brick-and-mortar stores take.

There are some fundamental elements of a retail business that hold up at their core across all commerce models. Between a shop in a physical building and a shop on the Internet, obviously there needs to be some tweaks made to better suit the environment and the method. Nevertheless, the ideas behind these key business rules remain the same.

First, Choose a Product to Sell

This step is a no-brainer, and everyone figures it out first, usually even before they take any other action to begin their business.  Regardless, it is the first step and deserves to be emphasized. Before you can create any retail business, you need something to sell.

The benefit of selling online is that almost any product is fair game and can find an audience. Anything a consumer wants, they can find for sale on the Internet. This means that an online site often represents a business’s best chance to reach their widest possible audience.

Choose a Good Location

It’s a cliché now, but location really is everything. If your customers can’t find you, they can’t do business with you. For brick-and-mortar shops, this means a building that’s convenient for both the shop owner’s purposes and their customers’ travel. For ecommerce sites, this means a website with a sensible, easy to remember domain name and reliable hosting.

The layout of the store itself is also important. Products have to be well organized, easy to get to, and prominently displayed. For online businesses, this means designing their site in such a way that navigation comes easily to every customer. Make it easy for visitors to see what you have to offer and find what they want. If they have to click through menu after menu just to see what’s for sale, many of them won’t bother, and you’ll be hurting your sales.

Be Present and at the Customers’ Disposal

With a brick-and-mortar location, there is always somebody around to welcome the customer, communicate with them about their needs, and serve them as necessary. Obviously, an online store will not have this same level of customer interaction. This does not, however, mean that retailers cannot have any presence at all in their own stores.

If the online retailer seems anonymous and/or hard to contact, it can hurt their credibility. Instead, have information on your site about your company and the people behind it, including who you are and how to contact you or anyone else involved as necessary. Customer service doesn’t stop being important online, so don’t skimp on these crucial areas to build your credibility as a retailer.

Make Purchasing Quick and Easy

Convenience is a major factor in any retail sale, for both sides. Whether an online or physical store is more convenient for the customer is a matter of his or her personal taste and situation. There are, however, steps that both types of retailers can take to aid in this convenience, and the big one is making the shopping itself as easy as possible.

At a traditional store, customers simply hand their payment to the retailer and walk out with their product. It’s a simple and easy method no matter whether they’re using cash, a check, or a card of some sort. Online retailers need to emulate this simplicity as much as possible by making their online payment systems intuitive, simple, and streamlined.

In other words, online shoppers should not have to fill out long forms full of information for every single purchase. Keep it as simple as possible for customers to flow through decision-making and final purchase.

Also make sure to offer as many payment options as possible such as credit card, debit card, electronic funds transfer, and so on. There are also other options that only online retailers can take advantage of like PayPal or online merchant accounts. If your customers can only pay you in one or two specific ways, you’re not being convenient or accommodating, and they’re more likely to simply take their business to a physical store instead.