As Hermina Drah reports on ReviewMoose.ca, Canadian e-commerce retail trade revenues in late 2019 totalled nearly $1.85 billion. She also notes that almost 80% of Canadian shoppers expected to do most of their Black Friday shopping online. Of course, Canadians don’t need special occasions to go online to do their shopping. They do so all year round! Therefore, as a business owner, it’s practically vital that you have a user-friendly online shop.
Here are three keys to endearing online shoppers to your e-commerce site:
1. Display high-quality photos and videos.
There is absolutely no question that if your online shop is void of vivid product photos, it will get passed over. Top quality pictures are paramount to the success of your shop. In lieu of being able to touch, feel (and sometimes try on) your items, customers need to be able to see exactly what they look like. It’s worthwhile to have a professional photographer take shots of your products from all angles. Having visual stimuli on your site is a must.
“A user-friendly website should feature high-quality product photos and videos to earn the trust of visitors,” affirms Rocco Bombardieri of The Influence Agency, “Collaborate with professionals who specialize in custom brand photography and videography to capture your products in their best light.”
2. Provide a clear description of your business.
Give your website’s visitors a clear indication of what your brand is all about. Make what you offer immediately apparent. Consider the fact that hopping from site to site is a lot easier than browsing through various physical store locations. If online visitors aren’t quickly impressed by your e-commerce site, it’s only too easy for them to find others. Doing away with any potential confusion is a great way to keep visitors on your page.
On Forbes.com, Farrah Daniel and Adam Hardy encourage small business owners to create enlightening ‘About Us’ pages. “Share the origin story of your business,” they advise, “Highlight your achievements, mission and values. You can also introduce any team members to foster deeper connections with customers.”
3. Offer easy-to-access customer support.
One of the potential downsides for your online shop’s visitors is the lack of employee assistance made available to them. With no one around to ask a question, how does one get help? Make it so that this is not a problem at all in your online store. Clearly display a phone number that people can call for assistance. You may also want to implement a live chat feature so that visitors can get real-time assistance online.
“Having a reliable customer support system is one of the most essential features of a user-friendly website,” insists Bombardieri, “You could have the most impressive products/services, but if you don’t give your customers the proper assistance, it could really damage your business. Consider incorporating a live chat feature so visitors can get instant answers to all their queries.”
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