You can’t hide from the impact the recession is having on the way consumers and businesses spend their money. The result is many businesses are struggling compared with last year. But despite this, many firms that trade online are going from strength to strength. According to both IMRG Capgemini’s e-Retail Sales Index and the Federation of Small Businesses, online sales have risen by nearly 20%.

Online sales need to be an essential part of your marketing plan

If your product or service lends itself to being sold online you should consider ecommerce as an essential part of your marketing plan. According to Mike Petevinos of Capgemini, “This is the first recession we have seen where online will play a significant role in mainstream spending.”

Despite the gloomy economic forecasts, you know consumers and businesses are still spending money. But understandably they want the right product at the right price, and more and more they’re finding what they want online. So, does your business have an online strategy?

Yes? Congratulations, you’re probably reaping the financial benefits already. No? There’s still time to cash-in, so read on…

What can ecommerce do for your business?

Put simply, cut your costs and increase your sales. The benefits of trading online are many and can include:

• A cheaper way to find new customers and increase sales
• Being the equivalent of at least one extra salesman at a fraction of the cost
• A higher Return on Investment than from a retail store
• Much lower overheads than a retail store
• Lower inventory stock
• Letting customers see all your products or services online
• Lower staff costs
• Cheaper advertising by switching to online marketing
• Being able to effectively target specific / niche markets
• Widen your market in terms of geography and market sector
• Open all hours - 24/7 and 365 days a year (Yes, people do buy online on Christmas Day!)
• Build your brand and increase customer loyalty

However, as always the challenge is getting customers to choose to buy from you, not your competitors.

How to win in the online sales revolution

Today’s competitive marketplace means it’s not enough just to have an ecommerce website. Online savvy buyers don’t just expect an efficient online shopping experience. They demand it. Your website must do the same as the Kwik Fit slogan and give them “100% customer delight”.

How do you persuade customers to buy online from you?

To get people to buy they must be able to:

• Stop and buy because your website is attractive, interesting and easy to use
• Easily find your products and check availability using search tools
• Clearly see your products and understand their benefits from multiple images and persuasive descriptive content
• Compare products and save items of interest using wish lists, recently viewed items and saved shopping baskets
• Have a compelling reason to buy from you using special offers and discounts
• Clearly see shipping costs and delivery options to reduce abandoned purchases
• Buy simply and securely with a choice of payment options
• Buy more items at the same time, or in the future, using multiple purchase discounts or promotional offers

But the first purchase a customer makes should only be the start of a profitable. Your ecommerce website and other marketing activity needs to encourage customers to return for repeat business.

• Integrate ecommerce into your marketing plan
• Provide a review and report of your ecommerce website
• Provide copywriting or editing for the content of your ecommerce website
• Report on your ecommerce website analytics
• Source a suitable ecommerce system
• Source an ecommerce website designer