So You Want To Sell Your Products Online
4 Considerations For eCommerce Websites
The days of needing a brick and mortar location for your business are behind us. While physical locations still offer certain advantages, an increasing number of businesses are turning to the internet to sell their products. If you've been thinking about building an eCommerce website, our website design company at the Lake of the Ozarks is here to help you get started. We are a proud partner of Shopify, an eCommerce platform that offers multiple benefits for small businesses. Here are a few elements to consider as you prepare to move forward.
Pricing
If you aren't careful, eCommerce sites can get very expensive very quickly. Budget may not be an issue for big companies, but it can pose a significant challenge for smaller companies or those who are just starting out. If you're still working to get your feet underneath you, Shopify may be an excellent choice. They offer a tiered pricing structure that ensures you will only pay for the services you need, unlike many other eCommerce platforms that charge a blanket - often substantial - fee that covers a multitude of different services (many of which are unnecessary for small business owners).
Mobile-Friendliness
Mobile-friendliness is the name of the game for 2017. Google's new algorithm dictates that mobile-friendly and non-mobile-friendly websites will be divided into two separate search indexes, the latter of which will not be updated as frequently. Of course, SEO is only half of the mobile-friendly equation. The other half has to do with the user-friendliness it provides to mobile users. According to report cited on Internet Retailer, 64% of people shop more frequently on smartphones than they do on other devices (including desktop computers). With so many shoppers making purchases on mobile devices, it is imperative that your eCommerce website be easy to use and navigate from a mobile device. If an online shopper is having trouble navigating your site from her device of choice, she may switch to a different website that is more user-friendly.
On-Site Search Functions
Many online shoppers are looking for specific products. If they happen across your site, they may want to be able to quickly find out whether or not you carry the products they want. For this reason, it's important that you have an on-site search function. You may want to use a search function that autocompletes popular searches, or you could offer ways for shoppers to narrow their searches by categories such as price range or product type. Shopify offers a built-in on-site search function that makes it easy for shoppers to hone in on the products they are looking for.
Accepting Online Payments
It goes without saying that the ability to accept payment online is a cornerstone of eCommerce websites. Many traditional eCommerce platforms require businesses to set up merchant accounts, a process that can become confusing and time-consuming. Shopify is our eCommerce platform of choice because it bypasses this process; it has merchant accounts already built into its platform. All you have to do is enable it within your account and provide your bank information so that the money can be transferred to your account after a sale.
Contact MSW For Help Setting Up Your eCommerce Website!
If you're a proud "do-it-yourselfer," Shopify offers a free 14-day trial period, online user manual, and plenty of tutorials to help you get started on your own. If you would like assistance, our eCommerce web developers would be happy to guide you through the process. We can help you get your site branded and customized, enable online payments, and help with the setup of shipping, sales tax, categories, and site navigation. While we handle these technical aspects, you can begin the simple process of entering your products into your online store. We look forward to working with you!
See Shopify in action!
View our own eCommerce store: www.WhereBridesGo.com
~ Post by Bailey Puppel, Internet Marketing Specialist
www.MSWInteractiveDesigns.com
Phone: 877-211-5492
The days of needing a brick and mortar location for your business are behind us. While physical locations still offer certain advantages, an increasing number of businesses are turning to the internet to sell their products. If you've been thinking about building an eCommerce website, our website design company at the Lake of the Ozarks is here to help you get started. We are a proud partner of Shopify, an eCommerce platform that offers multiple benefits for small businesses. Here are a few elements to consider as you prepare to move forward.
Pricing
If you aren't careful, eCommerce sites can get very expensive very quickly. Budget may not be an issue for big companies, but it can pose a significant challenge for smaller companies or those who are just starting out. If you're still working to get your feet underneath you, Shopify may be an excellent choice. They offer a tiered pricing structure that ensures you will only pay for the services you need, unlike many other eCommerce platforms that charge a blanket - often substantial - fee that covers a multitude of different services (many of which are unnecessary for small business owners).
Mobile-Friendliness
On-Site Search Functions
Many online shoppers are looking for specific products. If they happen across your site, they may want to be able to quickly find out whether or not you carry the products they want. For this reason, it's important that you have an on-site search function. You may want to use a search function that autocompletes popular searches, or you could offer ways for shoppers to narrow their searches by categories such as price range or product type. Shopify offers a built-in on-site search function that makes it easy for shoppers to hone in on the products they are looking for.
Accepting Online Payments
It goes without saying that the ability to accept payment online is a cornerstone of eCommerce websites. Many traditional eCommerce platforms require businesses to set up merchant accounts, a process that can become confusing and time-consuming. Shopify is our eCommerce platform of choice because it bypasses this process; it has merchant accounts already built into its platform. All you have to do is enable it within your account and provide your bank information so that the money can be transferred to your account after a sale.
Contact MSW For Help Setting Up Your eCommerce Website!
If you're a proud "do-it-yourselfer," Shopify offers a free 14-day trial period, online user manual, and plenty of tutorials to help you get started on your own. If you would like assistance, our eCommerce web developers would be happy to guide you through the process. We can help you get your site branded and customized, enable online payments, and help with the setup of shipping, sales tax, categories, and site navigation. While we handle these technical aspects, you can begin the simple process of entering your products into your online store. We look forward to working with you!
See Shopify in action!
View our own eCommerce store: www.WhereBridesGo.com
~ Post by Bailey Puppel, Internet Marketing Specialist
Phone: 877-211-5492
Info@MSWInteractiveDesigns.com
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