Many times I’ve come across a potential web site customer who wants to wait because they are not ready for e-commerce. I’m referring to small and medium-sized businesses that may not even have a web site, or if they do they do not have e-commerce set-up (a product catalog, shopping cart, ability to accept payment, etc.) The comment I frequently get is that they have hundreds or thousands of products to put online and they don’t have the time or finances to do this. First of all, the obvious is that any business should be online no matter what. E-commerce or not, you should never miss out on redirecting online traffic to your business via phone or physical visits. You need to provide information, tell your story and build a brand image without having to speak directly to your customer. That saves time and leverages any other marketing and advertising you are already spending money on. All these things are accomplished very well with a web site and should never be postponed because you are not ready to create an e-commerce presence.
What I propose is that the business owner take small steps and be smart about developing their e commerce so they are not wasting time and get the largest return for their efforts. Regardless of how many products you have a few are your best sellers. You should test your online shoppers with the best products or services you have. Test? Yes, I say test because the reality is that a product that does well in your store or via catalog/direct mail, etc. will not perform exactly the same online. Its a different presentation, market and customer that you’re reaching. I always recommend testing the web site with a few of the top sellers and see where that gets you. You want to test placement (does something work better on your home page or on a page where you provide expert information?), test grouping items at a discount, offer free shipping on orders over XX amount, etc. While doing this on a small scale you are certainly not wasting a lot of time uploading and placing your entire product line into the e commerce. The fact is that most of your items will not move so I prefer that you work with the top few items that bring in 80% or more of your sales. Its a much smarter way to run a business. You are going to entice more repeat visits with the best products on showcase rather than filling the site with items that no one has an interest in. I do believe that in the long run you should have everything available in your e-commerce store. It should be built up gradually as time and finances permit. However, you will always have your “best sellers” or “favorites” set up (you can call this section whatever you wish). This section will be great to test and drive traffic, get them into the web site and move about to the rest of your entire catalog if they need more. Bottom line is that no online business should wait to be an e-commerce presence. Its actually smarter and more affordable to start with small steps. Feel free to contact me and I can show you how quick, easy and affordable e-commerce can be! For more information and details about the e-commerce solutions I offer take a look at my Internet Solutions Web Site.
