Electronic commerce or e-commerce has been a growing trend ever since the popularity of the internet. People can start businesses from the comforts of their homes, whether it’s as simple as selling bread and cakes from an afternoon of baking or as complicated as creating your brand of clothes and accessories. The rise of e-commerce was further accelerated by the pandemic as people were forced to stay in their homes to curb the infection rate. The internet became a lifeline for many individuals to continue their work or find new opportunities for a semblance of normalcy.
However, this strength of the internet where anyone can sell anything is also a challenge. You’ll find the marketplace saturated with products and services that look the same. It’s hard to differentiate yourself from the many sellers or elicit trust from customers that you’re not a shady organization. Being the loudest person doesn’t guarantee that you’ll do better than your competitors. Thankfully, there are many strategies that businesses can work on to build credibility and trust in the hearts and minds of the people.
Here are a few factors businesses can consider to elevate their e-commerce game:
Packaging Design
Humans are visual creatures, as aesthetically pleasing and exciting images attract them. This is why effective marketing also deals with the different emotions that color can elicit. Products with beautiful packaging design can capture the attention and imagination of customers. They become curious about your product and might even buy it just for the packaging. Well-thought-of packaging design also embodies confidence that the business is a legitimate one.
Businesses can further highlight their packaging design with professionally taken photos. Compared to a physical store, customers can only rely on the images they can see on the screen. They will question the quality of the product if they find blurred and poorly lit photos on the website. Having clear images can help buyers imagine what the product will look like when they receive it.
Customer Testimonials
People believe other people who have tested the product. This is why testimonials and reviews have more convincing power than high production commercials or advertisements. They serve as social proof that your business can deliver what it’s promising on the internet. Rena Fallstrom, the Global Communications Vice President of Pure Storage, calls testimonials a customer story that others can follow. Businesses can also turn these customers into advocates or fans to align their values to what the company stands for.
Checkout Process
It’s easy to get distracted while browsing through the internet. A funny cat video or attractive advertisement can make people shift tabs and forget that they haven’t finished the checkout process from an e-commerce site. They are also impatient wherein a faulty checkout process can make them frustrated, resulting in not going through with their purchase. Based on the research of retail marketing firm Listrak, e-commerce sites can have an average rate of 81% in shopping cart abandonment. That’s a lost opportunity for businesses. The easier and faster customers can buy your products, the better it is for everybody involved.
The internet made it easy to start your online business, but it also made it difficult to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Companies can increase their chances of being heard by investing in beautiful packaging design, including customer testimonials, and streamlining the checkout process.