10 Tips to Help Small Businesses Increase Their eCommerce Sales

The world of eCommerce is in a constant state of flux as technology advances. For consumers, the digital landscape is ever-evolving, with devices growing more sophisticated and convenient by the day. Our business must keep pace with these changes to remain relevant and competitive.

In order to remain relevant, it is imperative for an online store to be up-to-date with the latest changes in the market.

But some things will always remain the same, eCommerce businesses will always need to: 

  • Make a good first impression 
  • Take care of their customer’s needs
  • Reach them where they are

These best practices are essential for any business.

Discover the latest eCommerce strategies for achieving your timeless goals. Our article provides you with valuable insights and actionable tips to help you succeed in today's competitive market.

Let’s dive right in!

1. Make a good first impression on customers

Within seconds (or less) of landing on your eCommerce site, customers have already formed a critical first impression. Shockingly, it takes only 50 milliseconds for them to decide whether to continue interacting with your brand or move on. It's crucial to take advantage of this moment, as first impressions can only be made once. 

To gain lifelong customers, eCommerce stores should prioritize creativity and invest in optimal site design for enhanced user experience. Also, to establish a strong online store, consider utilizing dependable eCommerce platforms such as BigCommerce or Shopify. These platforms simplify the process of developing an organized and coherent structure for your online business.

Using appropriate popup templates at the opportune moments is crucial in impressing and captivating your customers.

It's best to avoid bombarding new visitors with welcome popups. Allow them to explore your site before presenting discounts to garner a positive first impression and experience with your business.

2. Be customer-centric

Compared to brick-and-mortar stores, eCommerce businesses face the challenge of being physically distant from their customers. As a result, customers are unable to touch, feel, or try out products prior to making a purchase. While there’s no solution for this issue, there are ways to make up for it. Your starting point should be the convenience of purchasing from a website rather than visiting a physical store.

However, that’s not enough. 

Demonstrate your appreciation for customers by providing them with competitive pricing or complimentary shipping. Additionally, ensure that the shopping experience is effortless and streamlined, from selection to payment.

Providing exceptional customer service is a powerful way of demonstrating your appreciation for customers. By guaranteeing that every customer interaction results in a positive experience, you create positive sentiment towards your brand.

3. Be mobile-friendly

Mobile optimization is a crucial aspect of successful eCommerce in today's world. Failing to prioritize mobile-friendly design renders your business irrelevant in the online space. Fortunately, assessing your website's mobile compatibility is simple using Google's free mobile-friendly test tool. This tool not only reveals how your site appears on mobile devices but also offers recommendations for improvements. Ensuring your eCommerce site's mobile usability is an essential step towards maximizing your online presence.

When optimizing your site for the best possible experience, ask yourself questions like: 

  • How will your navigation work on different devices?
  • Are clickable elements easily tappable?
  • Are your images beautiful on all screen sizes?
  • Is the add-to-cart, checkout, and payment workflow optimized for different screen sizes?


4. Align your business with social media

Incorporating social media into your eCommerce brand strategy is essential for success. With platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you have the opportunity to expand brand recognition and attract new customers. The key is utilizing these networks effectively. 

This year Chekkit has introduced an array of exciting new services to cater to your digital presence requirements. Our comprehensive Digital Management package encompasses everything you need to thrive on social media and more. 

Here are a few tips to help you establish your brand across social media platforms: 

  • Post regular content, daily stories, and weekly live content.
  • Comment on and like competitors highly engaged followers.
  • Follow accounts that follow your competitors since you know they are interested in your business.
  • Leverage influencer marketing.

5. Use more photos

As visual beings, humans process images 60,000 times faster than text, which presents an excellent opportunity to leverage this trait by incorporating visual content on your landing page. Fortunately, this is one of the simplest eCommerce tactics to execute. Therefore, consider adding more images to your site to capture the attention of your target audience effectively.

6. Stay on top of SEO

Drive traffic to your website by creating compelling and informative blog articles that captivate your target customers. Utilizing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques is key to ensuring that your content appears at the top of the results when users search for similar terms on Google or Bing. Enhancing your SEO strategies is critical since the majority of online users never navigate past the first page of results. Don't miss the chance to attract potential clients to your site with informative and optimized blog posts.

Here are some effective SEO optimization techniques to boost your website's search traffic:

  • Optimize your title, URL, and meta-description to hit the keywords that people are searching 
  • Provide high-value content and keep it fresh
  • Improve your website’s loading time
  • Implement Google authorship 
  • Register your website with Google and Bing business webmaster tools

Contact us about Chekkit’s Digital Management package as it truly encompasses everything you need, including top-notch SEO optimization, efficient social media management, and professional web design and maintenance services. With Chekkit by your side, you can confidently entrust all aspects of your online presence to our dedicated team.

7. Use live chat

Incorporating live chat software onto your website is a crucial enhancement that greatly improves the consumer's shopping experience. 

Here are some stats to consider: 

  • 77% of customers won’t make a purchase if there’s no live chat support
  • 73% of customers find live chat to be the most satisfying way of communicating with a business
  • 63% of consumers are more likely to return to a website that offers live chat

Live chat provides a faster and more comfortable way for your potential customers to make informed decisions. By having the necessary information at their fingertips, customers can interact with your website as if they were dealing with real people. With live chat, you can humanize your site and make visitors feel like they are receiving personalized assistance from a shop assistant. 

To maximize the visibility of your live chat feature, position the button in a prominent location that is easy to spot. Additionally, it's important to ensure the button remains visible at all times, even when the user is scrolling through product reviews or other content on your site. 

8. Create Call-to-Action & sign-up buttons

Maximize your website's conversion rates and usability by leveraging the power of Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons. Don't underestimate their importance - CTA buttons must be designed to stand out from the rest of your site. Consider factors like button size, contrasting colours, and strategic positioning. Additionally, use popups to effectively guide your customers' attention towards your CTA. 

9. Reassure users that their data is safe

Ensure the security of your eCommerce website by implementing a reliable system that safeguards users' data and personal information. Gain customers' trust by guaranteeing the safety and trustworthiness of your website, and by providing the necessary privacy protection features. Only then can your eCommerce website be considered truly complete.

Taking these actions will ease your customer’s minds:

  • Picking a secure platform
  • Using an SSL certificate (An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that authenticates a website's identity and enables an encrypted connection. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, a security protocol that creates an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser.)
  • Tracking all your orders
  • Asking for strong passwords
  • Running a PCI Penetration test (A PCI penetration test specifically evaluates the security of your cardholder data environment, any networks or systems that connect to your cardholder data environment, and even isolated systems or networks from your internal infrastructure and applications to external systems connected to public networks.)

10. Use the right tools

Maximize the potential of your eCommerce business with a wide array of apps, programs, and plug-ins available to enhance functionality and boost profitability. Make sure you take advantage of such tools, because your competitors sure are. 

Optimize your business strategies with data generated by plug-ins. Use apps that track, manage, and improve conversion rates, revenue streams, retention, and retargeting ads to boost sales productivity. Don't forget to utilize productivity and integration apps to organize and measure your sales process.


Maximize your business' potential by automating various processes such as project management, workflows, team management, tax filing, and sales monitoring. This can significantly save time and costs, ultimately improving your efficiency in running a successful small business.

Takeaways

Our eCommerce pointers outlined in this article can enhance user experience and boost conversion rates. They identify critical touchpoints throughout the customer journey that are significant in sealing the deal.

By implementing these strategies to increase sales, you are not only improving your current eCommerce standing, but also laying the foundation for a successful future sale of your business. Maintaining optimal performance is an essential business practice that should never be overlooked.

Classic business fundamentals cannot be ignored by small businesses or global operations. These fundamentals are crucial for success and must be prioritized:

  • Make a good first impression (#1)
  • Reach customers where they are (#3)
  • Always be available for customer support (tip #7)

As eCommerce owners, we must continuously evolve and innovate to optimize our operations and stay ahead in the game.

Author:
Micah
January 4, 2024

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