"Want Bigger Profits? Think of Your Web Site as a Catalog, Not a Store"
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 the wrong path from the 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 the mall to be seen. A work-at-home parent may go to the store just to
get out of the house. People like to touch items and talk to the clerk. I even
see some entire families going to the 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 the way it does because it is
a real place with real people.
How does that change when the store moves online to cyberspace? People use
a web site very differently, much more like the way they use a catalog than
the 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 the item are saying
about its usability and reliability. Give those who own the 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.
Deep selection isn't the only thing customers crave. They also want speed.
Speed drives the Internet, and is one of the main reasons people shop online.
Customers should be able to quickly find the products or services they are looking
for, learn as much as they want about them, then buy within a few seconds using
an online shopping cart. Depending upon the size of your business, you need
fast, automated inventory information and online customer service to make your
site accurate and helpful.
Here's a word of warning about technology. Don't add the latest online automation
just because it is there. Think hard about whether the technology makes the
shopping experience faster and easier, or just adds another layer of complication.
Simplicity is often your site's best asset, so be careful not to destroy it
with too many bells and whistles.
Some of the things that will make your online catalog a big success are very
simple. Make sure people know what you sell and how you can help them from the
very first glance at your home page. Make your site easy to navigate. If customers
can't quickly find what they are looking for, they will click to a competitor.
Finally, don't try to make all your sales on the customer's first visit. Real
profits come when the same customers return to your site again and again. Offer
to send customers valuable information or updates via email. Build your house
list of names and addresses, then work your list to remind people you are there.
Keep them coming back.
About the Author:
Al Bredenberg is a leading authority on making money online. His new book is
"Profitable e-Marketing: Success Strategies That Pay Off." The 610
pages are packed with a detailed blueprint for designing and implementing an
integrated online marketing program, based on time-tested methods developed
by Internet entrepreneurs since the mid-1990s. Get your copy at http://www.profitableemarketing.com
Reach Al at ab@copywriter.com or 203-743-1946. |
