I was an online store owner starting in 1998, and overall I did fairly well before finally pulling the plug on it in 2011. In that time period, I tried a variety of ways to attempt to get more customers, with mixed results. However, just this week I read an article entitled How to Build the Credibility of Your Online Store, and found that it contained some great tips on using buyer’s guides, blogs and videos on your site. These tips were some that I wish I would have learned about and implemented back in the days of my store, so I want to pass these ideas on to you.
One of the main reasons I got out from under my online store was due to the competition. When I started my store, the internet was still in the early stages, and not everyone had a site. When you consider the circumstances, along with a specialty line of products I had at the time, my online sales were decent. Jump forward ten years, and it seems almost everyone had an online presence. It's much easier to become a retailer by setting up your own template store on eBay, Amazon, and other places. But just having a store presence does not guarantee people will buy from you and not your competitor. That requires additional consideration, which is where these steps come into play.
This article by Pawel Grabowski stresses making your customers feel confident in your knowledge of the products so that they will trust you enough to buy from your store. One way to assist in doing this is through creating a Buyer's Guide section. Through this section you will show the customer just how well you know the products, by offering detailed information about the options, variations, comparisons, installation, manuals, advice and other related information. This section will provide them with a great foundation of knowledge to assist in the decision making process, and in return, can provide them with confidence in your store.
Suggestion two is to use a blog feature. Most people (including me) tend to think of a blog as just a way to journal thoughts, experiences, ideas, and other such material. However, using the blog as a way to provide tips, tricks, and useful information in general is a way to draw in interested people who come for the information you offer, but may stay for the related products. One of the best ways to do this is to provide practical, non-product related tips, and in the end, tie in some suggested products you carry to entice them to view your store. I have to admit, I have seen this technique being used quite often for health, home improvement, and other sites, and it seems to be beneficial for leading to actual purchases (at least for me).
The third tip was to use videos. This may not be as easy as the other steps, but if you have the technical know-how and the ability to pull it off, it can be one of the most helpful tips. This one I have definitely seen in action. About a year ago I was researching sites to buy a specific new appliance. In my research, I found a video where the appliance was being tested side-by-side to a similar competitor’s item. This led me to find a large amount of similar videos, all by the same company, where they showed tips and further comparisons between models and brand names of this appliance. In the end, I had learned so much from watching these videos that I bought my product from them. The videos showed they were well grounded in their knowledge of these products, and I felt confidence in what they were showing and telling me.
That is what it all has to come down to – confidence. It is about providing your customers with enough information and assistance that they feel comfortable and confident in you and your service, so that they become your new customer.
What have you done lately to boost your customer’s confidence?
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