How to attract/get more people to buy from your online store? - Page 10

noeclue

studio,

Yes, you may have to pay $ on most of quality directories (either yearly or one time). However, do not expect that you will receive tonnes of clicks even when you are listed in those directories.

In our case, we submit to lots of quality directories for search engine optimization.

mejaflora

This is a very good and informative thread I've seen a few sites already as I read through, but where I am, the internet sucks so I'm having trouble loading some of them.

I'm no expert but here are a few things I've learned as I stumble along in my online biz adventure.

1. If you have a bit of money, invest on PPC (Pay per click). I've tried a few and Google Ads is by far the best. What I do is just use it for a month and then pause the campaign and restart again when I feel like spending a little.

2. Customer Testimonials are VERY important. It puts your visitors at ease and please don't put fake comments! I've been to a few sites and I can tell they are fake. Don't be afraid to ask your customers for feedback. Just draft a couple of questions and email it to them. Even if you send to 100 customers, and only ten replied, it's good enough. And don't fret about getting a criticism. I actually put up criticisms on my site anyway and reply to it online to be transparent. I don't think there is such a thing as a perfect business and your customers know that.

3. Being able to browse easily is another important part of online business. Just like you want to be able to walk around a shop without bumping on shelves, you would like to be able to browse without hitting dead ends, page not found or links that sends you to Malibu.

4. Your site needs to be clear and transparent. There's nothing worse as a site saying *approximately* 7 days and then the shipment comes after 30 days. If you know it will come in 30 days then you have to say it. Managing customer expectations from the beginning is the key to having them coming them to you.

5. Your cost plays a big part as well. Having a internet connection and being able to shop online means you have the ability to check the retail prices. The one thing I found when I look for a certain product is the huge difference in price between a Singapore shop and a US shop selling the same thing. At the end I bought from the US shop even if it means I have to pay the shipping fees. I would rather put $20 into shipping instead of the owner's pocket. There is definitely a cost to getting your online shop up but don't get greedy! it's still a lot cheaper than getting a retail shop.

6. Last but not least, be available. Customers appreciate a quick and courteous response. No matter what, nobody likes to be told that they don't know how to read or no need to buy from us again. One customer lost is a lot of negative word of mouth. Even if you don't feel it now, you will feel it later. Even if the information they want is stated clearly on your site, it's okay just let them know again.

I know this is a freakin long post but I hope it helps! I write a lot of articles too on the net some of it is to promote online businesses as well as my hobby store. The above is a part in my next article. Oh, and article writing will bring you loads of traffics too!

__________________
Ida Gul
TheArtofStitch

UNICOemo

I'm planning to revamp the layout of my blogshop.

Can give me comments on what exactly how should i change so that my blogshop will become a more pleasant place to shop?

There's alot of good advice here.but i'm still abit lost to how to implement the tips given:-(

seizure_

if you may, allow me to suggest some ideas which I apply to my own blogshop.

maybe you can ask yourself a few questions, like:

1) imagine you being the shopper. how would you prefer the site to look like? something simple I suppose?

2) request from a few friends / regular customers of yours for honest comments and have them to tell you how they prefer your site to look like. identify the common issue(s) that they have raised, then work on improving it

3) avoid having too much information on one page. not only it takes longer to load for the end-user, it also makes the entire page look very clustered. some people just don't like too many things in one common page as it gives them 'headache', like myself.

4) the overall design, font, theme, colors must be soothing to the eyes. have a look at other blogshop's design, try to get some inspiration (but don't copy!) from there

KhooEmily

Hi is there anyone can advice as i need someone to create online for me so that i able to sell my fashion wear in Web or others. Please advice..

cholemel

Any comments on my blog:
victoriasecretbags.blogspot.com

Btw, how to get featured on magazine and apply for zouk flea.
Anyone can advise on that please!

prettydress

Please be careful with website designer i have been cheated several times when i wanted a website for my retail shop.
I was cheated 3 times before I found a good one that really set up a simple and easy website for me to manage.

KhooEmily

Hi can you provide me the one tat is good one as i dont wan to get cheat too if you don mind are you able to send by email.

ahpeow

Hi,

I am considering of setting up a online shopping site. Can anyone share :

1) what is the cost structure like for designing a website? (ie, go by no. of pages in the site or what?)

2) What is the cost structure like for online payment facilities? (ie, VISA and Paypal)

Many thanks in advance

ultimateworker

Hi all,

To reply ahpeow first....

1. I guess for most first-timers, I will recommend an easy-to-use solution. Our experience for building websites for clients, the best solution is a Wordpress blog platform with e-commerce plugin.
Something like this: http://www.ultimateworkshops.com/demo
That will probably set you back from 1k to 3k, depending on how experienced the firm is. For us, we incorporate our branding services inside as we are a design firm as well.

2. Our advice to people is to allocate 10% of your sales value to Paypal, which means for every dollar earn, you must factor 10 cents going to Paypal. Paypal by far is the easiest and cheapest solution for first-timers, registration is free, zero setup fees, no charge unless you earn, accept credit cards...

Thanks!
Wee