Posts Tagged ‘ecommerce’
eCommerce is Alive and Well… Thanks to Social Media!
We all know it costs seven times more to attract a new customer than it does to retain an existing one, and that could not be a truer statement for ecommerce sites in today’s ravenous online ordering culture. One need only to look at the spiraling downfall of Blockbuster Video, one of the least surprising brand name bankruptcies which was largely due to Netflix and iTunes.
Not too long ago, Blockbuster owned the rent-a-video market in North America. However, their inability to adapt to the new technology culture led to a mass exodus of customers to companies like Netflix in the blink of an eye.
So then if brick-and-mortar stores are becoming a thing of the past for certain markets, why are so many ecommerce stores doing so poorly, especially in the SMB world? The answers can be complex, but one reason that rates at the top of the list is a poor after-sales support strategy. Customer service and support drives back repeat business no matter what the format, thus it’s imperative to provide value added services online to keep customers coming back to your website.
One of the many great things about the Internet is that you can quickly research and draw from what’s working online. Take ecommerce giants like Best Buy, Amazon, eBay, Kmart and Future Shop. Those companies didn’t just build online shopping carts, they built online communities.
A large part of building a successful ecommerce community is the use of social media tools like YouTube, Blogs, Facebook, and Twitter to connect with online customers after the sale. Sharing useful tips, tricks, and videos as well as providing discussion forums and feedback rating systems goes a long way towards reaping huge benefits in building a loyal online fan base.
Top Ten eCommerce Social Media Features:
- Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn Feeds
- Product Videos and Document Downloads
- Customer Review & Feedback eForms
- Discussion Forums and Blog Posts
- Customer Generated Rating Systems
- Wish Lists & Sales Price Watches
- Recommended Accessories or Product Matches
- Product Image Galleries
- Social Bookmarking
- Recent Viewing History
In addition to these features, a properly architected ecommerce site has to overcome many of the benefits of shopping offline, one of them is being able to get in touch with the company after the purchase. Make sure it’s easy and obvious for your customers to reach you if they have any questions or issues. Two of the best ways to do this is with a Live Chat on your website and a toll free phone number clearly marked in the header and footer area of the website.
A few other tips to consider at the planning stage of developing an ecommerce site:
- Write your own product descriptions and craft them to appeal to your target audience.
- Post security seals and trustworthy transaction logos on your website for credibility.
- Make sure you know how your website looks to your shoppers on multiple screen resolutions, browsers and platforms.
- Great photos are the secret to great sales online, the digital equivalent of picking up and examining a product.
- Make sure the checkout process is clear, simple, and has as few steps as possible. Don’t create an ecommerce website that acts as your sales prevention team.
Finally, it’s essential that you understand your site traffic. Knowing the profiles and browsing interests are key components in properly adjusting content as you learn about your visitors and their behaviors. Diligent monitoring of your analytics program will allow for answers to such questions as, “What are the first time visitors doing?” and “Which pathways are they using to get to the checkout page?” Remember, visitors that don’t click on the ‘buy now’ button are just as important as the ones that do. Being aware of the sources they came from, what they searched for, and the content they consumed are all critical in understanding conversions and building ecommerce success.
Kentico CMS Case Study – Hifi Centre
Hi-Fi Centre is Vancouver’s premier audio video dealer for high end brands such as B&W, Linn, Rotel, Naim, McIntosh, Wilson Audio, Classé and Sooloos, delivering the highest quality high performance audio, home cinema, lighting control, home automation and surround system products available, as well as custom design, engineering and Installation services.
Hi-Fi Centre’s Needs
Their retail store in downtown Vancouver is one of the most stunning audio showrooms in Canada. When you first step into Hi-Fi Centre you’re welcomed by a grand loudspeaker called the B&W Nautilus, setting the tone for what awaits the senses. Moving through the store you’ll find dozens of soundproof rooms set up with different audio/video configurations and ambiance settings… a true feast for the eyes and ears. The showrooms upper level is furnished with a cappuccino bar and golf putting green to enhance the experience while auditioning some of the finest loudspeakers and electronic components in the world.
While Hi-Fi Centre arguably has one of the finest showrooms in their marketspace, their website was far less than inspiring. The site was built using outdated frames, confusing navigation and without any page layout consistency. Hi-Fi Centre contracted Falcon-Software to design and develop a new website that reflected the same style and creativity their store provided to customers, while also providing a content management system as a solid foundation that can accomondate future development such as ecommerce, mobile and social media applications.
Key Challenges
- With no consistent structure or any thought towards usability the website needed an entire redesign.
- The site had to have an element of entertainment, providing the visitor with a memorable experience.
- With new products continually being released, Hi-Fi Centre needed a way of updating the site easily and cost effectively.
The Results
For the Web CMS solution, Falcon-Software selected Kentico, a flexible, cost effective all-in-one .NET solution. Kentico CMS provided a powerful content editing interface, allowing users to edit content, preview before publishing, organize site structure and manage extending modules with a built-in WYSIWYG editor fully integrated into the system. Yet easy to use, enabling Hi-Fi Centre to edit content as if they were using Microsoft Word. Also, the ease of uploading images and Flash movies was a must for the client and Kentico provided this feature seamlessly.
The end result is a robust website that not only better reflects Hifi Centre’s high-end products and retail showroom, but they now have a content management solution so easy to use, their site is always current and ready for future modules such as an ecommerce store that can be installed with a click of the mouse.
Hi-Fi Centre Testimonial
Since Falcon-Software designed our new website with a Kentico CMS system in early 2010 we have seen nothing but tremendous results. All of our vendor partners and customers have been blown away by the creative. However, the best part is that we have actually seen measurable improvements over our previous website. Traffic is up substantially with customers spending more time on the site and online inquiries have more than tripled in just 3-months. One of the criteria we had set out when choosing a CMS platform was ease of use, and with Kentico we are able to easily edit our website without the expense of hiring a .NET programmer or learning how to write code. This gives us the freedom to make changes when we need to and not when the web design firm can “fit us into their busy schedule.” The result is that we can now make timely changes, add new products or launch marketing campaigns on our schedule, which has had a direct result in our bottom line. Falcon-Software and Kentico CMS is a powerful combination we highly recommend to anyone looking to take control over their website and online business strategy.
Igor Kivritsky, General Manager
Hifi Centre
- Visit the Hi-Fi Centre Website: www.hificentre.com
Realizing the ROI potential for your eCommerce Solution
CMS-Connected will take an in-depth look into eCommerce Solutions with Gabe Sumner, Product Manager at Sitefinity; and hosts Tyler Pyburn and Scott Liewehr. The show aims to tackle topics within mobile eCommerce including but not limited to: payment, ticketing, and banking. The show will also have MODx in the Spotlight Segment by Bryan Ruby of CMS Report.
Make sure you register to tune live on CMS-Connected show on eCommerce Solutions.
Got questions? Contact CMS-Connected via Twitter #CMSConnected or info@cms-connected.com.