For years people have been talking about web sites being storefronts. The truth is, web sites have little in common with traditional stores. Thinking of your site as a web storefront can take you down the wrong path from the start.
This is a topic I delve into in my new book "Profitable e-Marketing: Success Strategies That Pay Off."
Look at how customers use stores. It is a social experience for many. Teens go to the mall to be seen. A work-at-home parent may go to the store just to get out of the house. People like to touch items and talk to the clerk. I even see some entire families going to the store so they can argue with each other over what to buy. A store is more than just a place to get supplies -- it's a social, entertainment venue that only works the way it does because it is a real place with real people.
How does that change when the store moves online to cyberspace? People use a web site very differently, much more like the way they use a catalog than the way they use a store.
Customers are almost always shopping alone, and anonymously. Suddenly other factors become important. For example, people want a deep selection. Unlike Kmart and Walmart, which tend to have just a few choices in a great many product categories, web sites can offer a big and varied number of choices in a single product area. Walmart might give me a choice of three different toasters. A kitchen appliance site could easily extend that selection to 20 toasters. Or maybe your site features only three toasters, but those three are unusual and not available in stores.
Just as in catalogs, customers want product photos and detailed descriptions. They also like to read what other people who have purchased the item are saying about its usability and reliability. Give those who own the item a chance to log their comments online for all to see. Don't worry, those who have purchased usually say good things about their decision to buy.
Deep selection isn't the only thing customers crave. They also want speed. Speed drives the Internet, and is one of the main reasons people shop online. Customers should be able to quickly find the products or services they are looking for, learn as much as they want about them, then buy within a few seconds using an online shopping cart. Depending upon the size of your business, you need fast, automated inventory information and online customer service to make your site accurate and helpful.
Here's a word of warning about technology. Don't add the latest online automation just because it is there. Think hard about whether the technology makes the shopping experience faster and easier, or just adds another layer of complication. Simplicity is often your site's best asset, so be careful not to destroy it with too many bells and whistles.
Some of the things that will make your online catalog a big success are very simple. Make sure people know what you sell and how you can help them from the very first glance at your home page. Make your site easy to navigate. If customers can't quickly find what they are looking for, they will click to a competitor.
Finally, don't try to make all your sales on the customer's first visit. Real profits come when the same customers return to your site again and again. Offer to send customers valuable information or updates via email. Build your house list of names and addresses, then work your list to remind people you are there. Keep them coming back.
Al Bredenberg is a leading authority on making money online. His new book is "Profitable e-Marketing: Success Strategies That Pay Off." The 610 pages are packed with a detailed blueprint for designing and implementing an integrated online marketing program, based on time-tested methods developed by Internet entrepreneurs since the mid-1990s. Get your copy at http://www.profitableemarketing.com Reach Al at ab@copywriter.com or 203-743-1946.
