ECommerce: Want Bigger Profits? Think of Your Web Site as a Catalog, Not a Store

Want Bigger Profits? Think of Your Web Site as a Catalog, Not a Store

Written by Al Bredenberg

For years people have been talking about web sites being storefronts. The truth is, web sites have little in common with traditional stores. Thinking of your site as a web storefront can take you down repparttar

wrong path from repparttar 108986

start.

This is a topic I delve into in my new book "Profitable e-Marketing: Success Strategies That Pay Off."

Look at how customers use stores. It is a social experience for many. Teens go to repparttar 108987 mall to be seen. A work-at-home parent may go to repparttar 108988 store just to get out of repparttar 108989 house. People like to touch items and talk to repparttar 108990 clerk. I even see some entire families going to repparttar 108991 store so they can argue with each other over what to buy. A store is more than just a place to get supplies -- it's a social, entertainment venue that only works repparttar 108992 way it does because it is a real place with real people.

How does that change when repparttar 108993 store moves online to cyberspace? People use a web site very differently, much more like repparttar 108994 way they use a catalog than repparttar 108995 way they use a store.

Customers are almost always shopping alone, and anonymously. Suddenly other factors become important. For example, people want a deep selection. Unlike Kmart and Walmart, which tend to have just a few choices in a great many product categories, web sites can offer a big and varied number of choices in a single product area. Walmart might give me a choice of three different toasters. A kitchen appliance site could easily extend that selection to 20 toasters. Or maybe your site features only three toasters, but those three are unusual and not available in stores.

Just as in catalogs, customers want product photos and detailed descriptions. They also like to read what other people who have purchased repparttar 108996 item are saying about its usability and reliability. Give those who own repparttar 108997 item a chance to log their comments online for all to see. Don't worry, those who have purchased usually say good things about their decision to buy.

When In Doubt, Ask!

Written by Paula Morrow

In repparttar

rush to get online, have you ever found yourself skipping over repparttar 108985

research fundamentals, like our Online Wannabe?

For instance, do any of repparttar 108986 following sound familiar?

Online Wannabe: (checking off repparttar 108987 list) OK, signed up for a few affiliate programs, posted repparttar 108988 provided websites...I know there are a lot of people online just like me, and I KNOW they'll want this.

(time goes by....but nothing happens)

Wannabe: Ah, c'mon! EVERYONE needs this product - it's a sure thing! Everyone says so! Maybe if I place more ads - I'll just stick a classified in this one - it has tons, so I'm sure a lot of people are reading it.

(...still nothing)

Kindly Online Mentor-Type: Maybe you should do a little research into your market - have you done a survey? Do you know what your market wants? Have you asked at repparttar 108989 forums and discussion boards? Have you checked out your competition's ezines?

Online Wannabe: Research! Big yawn! It's boring, and I'm busy. I don't have time to do all that...You know, this online stuff isn't as easy as I thought. And I'm running out of money. Maybe I should go back to my old job...

OK, enough of this...bottom line: skip your research, and you lose. And not just your money; ultimately, you could lose your business.

Regarding surveys, have you ever done one? They are a quick and popular method for getting inside customer's heads, to discover their problems (that you could solve!) and what they really want. They've been around forever, and for good reason: they work.

If you have an existing business, aside from valuable customer insight, a survey could also uncover problem areas that you may not be aware of. Fix these, and you have a great opportunity to bring in new customers while keeping current ones in 'buying mode.'

Granted, doing a survey online comes with its own set of challenges. With everything moving at light-speed, you'll need to figure out how to grab their attention. Offering an incentive for participating (a free bonus, a cash prize, a product discount) is one proven method for improving repparttar 108990 rate of response. If you're new, and don't have a customer list to survey, you have a few options. For example, if you've a good track record (and repparttar 108991 moderator clears you first), you MAY be allowed to conduct a quick survey in a forum. If you want to post a survey on your web site, Bravenet has FREE surveys and polls that can be easily integrated (http://www.bravenet.net).

Cont'd on page 2 ==>