Particularly in the past year, e-commerce has received a tremendous boost – more than ever before. With consumers confined to the comfort of their own homes, many traded in shopping trips to the mall with online hauls.
In 2020, retail e-commerce sales worldwide amounted to 4.28 trillion US dollars and e-retail revenues are projected to grow to 5.4 trillion US dollars in 2022. With online shopping being one of the most popular activities worldwide, it’s no surprise that some of the world’s biggest retailers saw huge increases in sales – thanks to e-commerce.
But that doesn’t mean that smaller businesses can’t do the same. To help businesses get their e-commerce strategy right, we’ve put together our 5 top tips for small business owners looking to go online.
Understand your customers
The first step for a killer e-commerce strategy is understanding your customers. You should know who your target audience is, what they want, and what motivates them. Then, you can successfully create an advertising strategy that will hit home with your target audience.
Fill a need
One of the most important things you have to do as a small business to stand out from the crowd is to fill a need. But how do you know what’s missing? Market research.
Before you set out on your e-commerce journey, take some time to research your competitors. Think about what they do differently, what they could do better, and importantly, what they don’t offer. Then, you can start to see how you can fill this void.
For example, this could be things such as free delivery, speedy shipping, or customizable options.
Create content regularly
It’s no secret that as a small business you need a steady stream of fresh content. But did you know that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time? If time is of the essence, even small updates and pieces of content that are quickly pulled together are a highly effective way to engage with your audience.
Get social
On a similar note (for small businesses especially!), it’s important to keep up with your audience on social media.
If you’re short on time, then a great way to get the most bang for your buck is through user-generated content (UGC). By sharing UGC from your valued customers, it means you will have content ready-made for you and also boosts the reputation of the brand. As UGC can yield up to 28% higher engagement, it’s well worth doing.
Make it mobile
Not only is it important to have a website that is suited to desktops, but did you know that having a mobile-optimized site is now even more important?
Mobile accounts for approximately half of the web traffic worldwide. In the first quarter of 2021, mobile devices (excluding tablets) generated 54.8 percent of global website traffic, consistently hovering around the 50% mark since the beginning of 2017.
If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to your e-commerce site, seeking advice will enable you to establish the correct platform. Whether it’s Adobe Commerce powered by Magento or Shopify, an agency will help you determine which platform best suits your business needs.
The bottom line is that although you may feel swamped by the big e-commerce giants, the good news is that you too can reap the benefits of a strong online presence. By having the right e-commerce platform, understanding your customers, and having a well-thought-out social media strategy, small businesses can thrive in 2021 and beyond.
Found value in this post? Don’t forget to also check out “5 marketing ideas for all small business owners”. It will surely be a great read for you too.
