In 2019, statistics show that about 1.9 billion people have used the internet to shop or buy a particular good. This number has been steadily growing since the previous years, showing that there’s a growing appeal to e-commerce.

A huge shift to online shopping happened in 2020, however. With the quarantine restrictions put into place by governments all over the world, shopping online proved itself to be the most convenient and safest way to shop for necessities. Lots of retailers had to scramble to quickly make their services and products available online because of this.

Despite the growing popularity of online shopping, the landscape was still pretty divided before the pandemic hit. There were lots of places to buy nearly everything online but most retailers that have brick and mortar stores were still hesitant to go online. For most, their existing format was enough and more preferable. Going online was a costly risk that they’re not sure if they’re willing to go all-in for.

The global health crisis really caused a major change in the retail industry as it made online platforms more valuable than ever. If you’re one of the businesses that are just making the shift right now, fret not. It’s not too late. Despite the easing of restrictions in most areas, lots of people are still sticking with online services as a means to keep themselves safe.

As lots of shoppers have proven the convenience of e-commerce, it’s also very likely that lots of people will continue buying stuff from the web. Below are tips to help you improve your eCommerce conversion and thrive in the months to come.

How To Improve Your eCommerce Conversion

Simplify the process

Going online can be very daunting for a lot of businesses as they have to make an effort to present their products effectively on the web. The shopping process can also be made difficult by superfluous steps, especially if you’re going to create your own website and not use an e-retailer service. You have to address both concerns if you want to make the most out of your online store.

To do these, it’s best to address the following things carefully:

• Product photos as you need to present your products to customers in an appealing and accurate manner.
• Accurate estimates for timing and costs for pick up and delivery of products.
• Friendly user interface so customers can navigate your website with ease.

These can pose huge challenges to most businesses that are just trying their hands online during these stressful times but there are now lots of tools that you can use to make things simpler. There are services that will help provide real-time shipping cost computations if your business delivers to various parts of the country or even globally. 

There are also software and programs that can help you take product photos better if you’re not willing to hire a professional to get the job done. Working with an experienced retailer or using website creation services specifically for e-commerce can also be very useful when it comes to simplifying the shopping process on your website.

Digitize from end-to-end

To make your online operations smoother, digitizing the process from end to end will be the best thing you can do. A digitized end-to-end digital product catalog is essential if you want to lighten your workload. It will need to be maintained with real-time integrity but this shouldn’t be too much of a hassle if your inventory is updated in real-time, too. 

Doing this will make handling holiday rushes smoother and more effective. It can also prevent poor customer experience.

Boost the potential of selling online

You may know by now that if you’re going online, just having a website will not cut it. You also have to market your stuff on the web through various platforms. These can also get quite costly as there’s a good chance that you’ll need to pay for and spend time on the creation of the content that you’ll post on your social media pages. But with the right tricks, you can flesh out the potential of the collaterals and get good mileage from them. 

One technique you shouldn’t shy away from is the reusing of content. If you’ve already posted something on Twitter, don’t hesitate to post it on Facebook or Instagram as well. It will extend the reach of the material and will help create consistent branding for your business. This consistency can also help shoppers get used to shopping online. 

Take advantage of the social selling features available

We know that transitioning to online selling can be a bit overwhelming but once you’re there, it’s also best to make the most of what’s available to you. Since you’ll already be all over social media to promote your wares, why not take advantage of its features that will help make your products more easily visible and available to your customers.

Facebook has a Shop feature where you can upload your products and make them available for purchase. Instagram also allows shoppable feeds and direct message checkout options. Explore these as they can also be of great help to your business. 

Align your offline locations

Last but not least, now that you already have contactless payments available, why not extend those to your brick and mortar stores as well. This will help make your shoppers’ experience more comfortable in availing of your services. Give them options when it comes to contactless payments. 

According to a survey, consumers now find mobile payments important compared to pre-pandemic times. By providing alternative options for payments, you’ll meet your customers halfway. There are now lots of choices available with good deals so you don’t have to worry about what you can offer.

Surely, the “new normal” will usher in more changes in the retail industry. These are most likely the preliminary measures that your business will need to get used to so it’s best to get on with them right away. That way, you can quickly adapt in the future if circumstances change.