About the author: Dan Cannon is the Lead Web Applications Developer for Nicasio Design and Development. Nicasio provides web based solutions for both individuals and businesses. Nicasio is highly proficient in WordPress design and development. Nicasio also owns and operates the E-Commerce solution NicE-Comm.
In today’s fast paced business world it is not common place for a business to have a website and offer it’s products online – it is expected. If you have a physical storefront and are not offering your items for sale online you are actually well behind your competition. However, there are a few best practices you will need to take into account when transferring your physical presence online.
Making It All Work Together
So you have made the decision that you want to offer your store’s or business’s products online. Great! Now what do you need to do to make sure that you are achieving a high level of synergy between your physical and virtual stores? Keep reading to learn more.
1. Maintain Branding
Your online customers need to feel like they are in your physical store when they visit your website. You need to make sure you are branding your e-commerce website to have the same look and feel as your physical store. Your brand is your identity in the business world. Do not let it be lost just because your customers are visiting your online store.
2. Advertise Your Website in Your Store
You no doubt spend money advertising your store and website. However, one of the best ways to get high conversion traffic (traffic that is likely to make a purchase) to your website is to advertise your website to your current customers. Make sure you are featuring your website prominently in your store, on your business cards and when advertising your store.
Customers that may be visiting your physical store from out of town or who do not frequent your physical location will find ordering on your website much more convenient.
3. And Vice Versa – Advertise Your Store On Your Website
If you are doing a good job at search engine optimization (click here to read my other e-commerce articles on SEO and content writing) there is no doubt that people that are not even aware of your physical store will find your website. This is a good thing! However, online stores are a dime a dozen and customers are generally hesitant to give out their billing information to just anyone.
You can solve this problem by prominently advertising your physical store on your website. People feel better about buying from an established business rather than some random drop shipper. Make it easy for customers to find your store. Advertise your business phone number, address, and business hours. Feature a map using Google Maps or Mapquest showing where your store is located. Show photos from your store on an ‘About Us’ page. Make your online customers feel like they are in your store (this goes back to branding).
What Now?
Try to incorporate the above best practices into your new e-commerce website and you will have a good one. If you are currently looking for an e-commerce solution that easily allows you to accomplish the above then you may want to check out Nicasio Design and Development’s solution – NicE-Comm. If you would like to learn more about what NicE-Comm has to offer and how Nicasio can help you accomplish your e-commerce goals head over to the NicE-Comm Website or Contact Us Today.