3 Top Marketing Tips for Increasing Your Ecommerce Sales

alt="3 Top Marketing Tips for Increasing Your Ecommerce Sales" src="http://whsr.webrevenueinc1.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/0509-3-500x266_c.jpg" />

Whether you are just starting your first store or are a veteran, there are a few things you should examine as part of your marketing to grow sales. Online shopping is growing fast, but so is the competition so you need to keep one step ahead – running to stand still.

Below are 3 practices to use to help boost sales.

Design of Your Storefront

If yours shopping cart has flexible templates, you’ll have a great advantage over many of your competitors. When looking for shopping cart software, you want to have a product that offers templates that are both visually appealing and easy to navigate for the customer, as well as easy to change.

Visitors make their initial impression in under 10 seconds. If they see something ugly or the site doesn’t look professional, they’ll be gone. Navigation is important for your visitors – you want to make it as easy for your visitor to find what they are looking for, shop for clearance or sale items, find the right sizes, colors, or styles. Make sure that the buy now buttons, view cart buttons, and up-sell products on your site are always in a location on the page that is natural for a shopper to find when wanting to check out. You want to make your visitors buying experience as smooth and effortless as possible. Make sure you test your design on a few friends. Everyone will tell you how easy it is to use, but watching people use it will be eye opening.

Offer Exceptional Customer Service

Shopping cart systems such as Volusion, allow you to add a “Live Chat”. If someone has a question, you can answer immediately and even offer additional help or sales tips. This will boost your conversion rate.

Be sure to offer refunds and make the process of returning clearly documented and as effortless as possible. Offering a “30 Day Refund” policy will inspire confidence and encourage purchasing, despite that very few customers will ever use the returns policy.

When dealing with customers, remember in these days of social media that it only takes one negative comment from a customer to reach thousands of ears. Be sure you go out of your way by offering “customer appreciation” coupons in their emails once they have shopped with you, href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/web-tools/my-quick-review-on-getresponse/">sending out emails detailing any discounts and sales you have going on, and always be kind and courteous when dealing with email you receive regarding questions or concerns.

Utilize the Power of Social Network Sites

Social Media is turning out to be one of the most fun and profitable ways to get word out about your business.

With the power to reach millions with Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and MySpace just to name a few, you could explode your sales all with just a few posts written the right way and at the right time. If your customers are on Twitter, they could retweet your messages to their followers and help you find new customers. You can become known as an expert in your industry by writing blog posts and having them post to social network sites. There is no better way to keep your customers informed of industry trends, new products to the market, or perhaps product recalls. The best part of utilizing href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/category/blog/socialmedia-marketing/">the power of social network sites is that they are all free to use.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when implementing new marketing techniques into your weekly routine is to make sure you track everything. Watch where your visitors come from (Google Analytics is great for this) to see what marketing methods are working out the best for you and then work out a strategy to gain as much from that method as you can.

Page 28 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed

Choosing an E-commerce Hosting Provider

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Getting Ready to Launch Your e-commerce Website

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If you’re planning to put up a website for your products or services, one of the first things you have to consider is finding the best e-commerce hosting provider. Electronic commerce or e-commerce is the term used for businesses or services transactions conducted online. e-commerce web hosting, then, is a form of web hosting service that manages your e-commerce website.

Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? However, managing an e-commerce website entails more than just putting up the site and making sure it stays up – and running. First, you have to be familiar with the fundamentals of e-commerce websites.

Essential and Vital Features/Tools for a Successful E-commerce Website

An e-commerce website will not succeed if the product management system is not supported and reliable. Features must be attractive to potential customers. More importantly, an e-commerce website must be user-friendly to enhance the customers’ on-site experience and encourage them to keep coming back for (more) future purchases. Here’s a simplified and quick guide on the basic features and tools for setting up a successful online shop.

Choose and register a domain name. Your href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/web-hosting-beginner-guide/">domain name is your identity on the net; it identifies you on the web. This is what people type on their browser to go to your site. Be sure your domain is duly and legally registered with a legitimate domain registrar.

Find an excellent e-commerce web host. It is best to gauge your web hosting needs against your own level of expertise.  href="http://the-best-web-hosting-service.com/blog/2009/09/bigcommerce-com-review-bigcommerce-review/" target="_blank">BigCommerce is a good option, because they are drag and drop.   If you have very little technical knowledge, you may want to opt for an e-commerce web host that can provide all your requirements in a reasonably priced package.  (Check below for the specific section of this article for a more extensive discussion of this aspect; and also, read Jerry’s href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/hosting-reviews/">unbiased hosting reviews for more shopping options.)

Come up with a superb website design. You have various options for designing your e-commerce website. If you decide to use the full service of an e-commerce hosting provider, web design is most likely included in the package. However, you can also opt to hire a website designer or you may decide to design your own site yourself. Hiring a website designer can be costly; likewise, doing it on your own may also end up more expensive. But the upside to this is you can have your e-commerce website according to your specifications, making your site look distinct and unique from among the many sites. You can customize it accordingly, to encompass all the features you want to include on your site.

Make online transactions work. You need two basic things to effectively carry out a successful inline financial transaction. You need a merchant account that allows you to accept and process customer payments through credit cards. You can obtain this account either through your e-commerce host provider or by applying at a local bank. For the latter, you need to provide proof that your business is a duly registered one. The other requirement for your online transactions is the payment gateway; a system that automatically processes, verifies and accepts or declines on your behalf, all payment transactions between you (or your bank) and the customer. This system is performed through secure Internet connections that meet all industry regulations and standards, including Peripheral Component Interconnect or PCI.

Provide a shopping cart. This is primarily a software that serves as the interface on your website and its networks, which enables shoppers to choose the items they want to purchase; review their selections; and make changes (either add or remove items) before they make the final purchase. It would be quite difficult for consumers to purchase anything from your online store if you do not have a shopping cart. Most e-commerce hosting providers offer customizable shopping carts for your website.

Ensure e-commerce website security. The importance of online security to safeguard the consumers’ information can never be over-emphasized. It is absolutely crucial for a safe and secure online transaction of any kind. For several years now, the only authentic and genuine standard for a secure e-commerce transaction is the Secure Sockets Layer or simply SSL, which you as an e-commerce website owner can obtain from a Certificate Authority (CA). An SSL certificate is on a secure server that identifies your website during transactions; it encrypts your customers’ information.

Excellent customer care service is crucial. Problems are inevitable and customer service plays a huge role in satisfying the customers’ need to resolve issues when they transact business over the Internet.

How to Identify (and Choose) a Good e-Commerce Hosting Provider

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Inspiring E-Commerce Website Design: 20 Must See Examples

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Ecommerce is well on its way to being the next super mall. The ease, variety, and price comparing are cultivating an even stronger online shopping culture. If you have been looking for some inspiration to design a new site or update your current one, look no further! I’ve compiled some of the best, trend setting ecommerce designs around – take a look and let me know which ones you love the most.

UnderArmour

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/underarmour.JPG" alt="Under Armour screenshot " class='border' />

As a frequent online clothing shopper, I love the ability to realistically see the change in apparel colors. It adds confidence in my color selection as I chose which one to purchase. I also love the subtle details in the background image; it adds to the design but doesn’t distract from the main focus.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.underarmour.com/">Visit UnderArmour online.

Columbia

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/columbia.JPG" alt="Columbia screenshot " class='border' />

There are so many things I love about this site – the cool color palette complement the products perfectly, the textures add both insight into the product as well as add to the design, and the images fit in well with their target audience.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.columbia.com/">Visit Columbia online.

Diamond in the Rough

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/diamondintherough.JPG" alt="Diamond in the Rough screenshot " class='border' />

The big pictures on this site highlight the exquisite detail of the jewelry.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.diamondintherough.com/">Visit Diamond in the Rough online.

Cabelas

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/cabelas.JPG" alt="Cabelas screenshot " class='border' />

I may be a little partial to this site as it brings me back to a childhood of hunting, fishing and outdoor adventures with my dad, but overall I think this is a great site. They have organized their plethora of products into an easy navigation and use a simple layout to not distract.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.cabelas.com/">Visit Cabelas online.

Converse

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/converse.JPG" alt="Converse screenshot " class='border' />

There are three things about this site that stand out to me – the very unique above the fold layout, the “filter by” color wheel, and the design your own shoe. I don’t know how many times I have wanted a certain color of shoes and I’ve had to wade through every color to find what I’m looking for. The design your own shoe plays very well to their target audience.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.converse.com/">Visit Converse online.

Bonfire Snowboarding

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/bonfiresnowboarding.JPG" alt="Bonfire Snowboarding screenshot " class='border' />

The interactivity potential of this site is great. The blog and multimedia layout is very unique and easy to follow. I don’t think this tactic would work for every site – but it does for this one.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.bonfiresnowboarding.com/en-us/">Visit Bonfire Snowboarding online.

Coast

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/coast.JPG" alt="Coast screenshot " class='border' />

As an upscale clothing company, Coast has effectively designed their site to appeal to their market. It’s all about the clothes and the elegant shopping experience – the simply layout and emphasis on photography fits well.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.coast-stores.com/">Visit Coast online.

River Island

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/riverisland.JPG" alt="River Island screenshot " class='border' />

River Island is banking that pictures really are worth 1,000 words, and I think it’s working for them. From the first glance of their homepage you know exactly what type of clothing you are going to find on their site.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.riverisland.com/Online/">Visit River Island online.

Innovative Baby

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/innovativebaby.JPG" alt="Innovative Baby screenshot " class='border' />

Mother’s everywhere will have a hard time resisting the images on this site; just look at those sweet little tights!

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.innovative-baby.com/">Visit Innovative Baby online.

Abercrombie & Fitch

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/abercrombie.JPG" alt="Abercrombie screenshot " class='border' />

Abercrombie is known for their risqué advertising and in-store promotions – their website is no different. The provocative imagery is iconic of the brand and is exactly what their advocates are looking for in their marketing.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.abercrombie.com/">Visit Abercrombie & Fitch online.

Hollister

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/hollister.JPG" alt="Hollister Co. screenshot " class='border' />

I hesitated adding Hollister to this list being as it is so similar to Abercrombie, but the textures on this site are too great to not highlight.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.hollisterco.com/">Visit Hollister online.

One+Only Custom Headboards

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/customheadboards.JPG" alt="One+Only Custom Headboards screenshot " class='border' />

Colors, textures, and fun – without going overboard.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://oneandonly.myshopify.com/collections/patterns">Visit One+Only Custom Headboards online.

RideFourEver

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/ridefourever.JPG" alt="RideFourEver " class='border' />

This site is a great example of how to use bright colors without looking like you design your site in 1997.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.ridefourever.com/">Visit RideFourEver online.

Dominos

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/dominos.JPG" alt="Dominos" class='border' />

With the recent rebranding of the company, the website has received a face lift as well. My favorite part? The tracker! You get to know exactly where your pizza is at in the cooking stage and when it should arrive on your doorstep. Genius!

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.dominos.com/">Visit Dominos online.

Da Vinci Gourmet

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/davincigourmet.JPG" alt="Da Vinci Gourmet screenshot " class='border' />

The colors on this site screams gourmet. One unique tool this site has integrated into their site is a recipe finder so not only do you learn how to make yummy drinks, it provides links to their products to make sure you get all of the flavors you need.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.davincigourmet.com/">Visit Da Vinci Gourmet online.

4^th Street Cookie

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/4thstreetcookie.JPG" alt="4th Street Cookies screenshot " class='border' />

The images on this site are mouth watering! I love the little images in the drop down navigation as well.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.famouscookies.com/">Visit 4^th Street Cookie online.

Keedo

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/keedo.JPG" alt="Keedo screenshot " class='border' />

You’ve probably noticed by now that I am a fan of textures. This site uses subtle textures and little details to embellish the site.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.keedo.co.za/">Visit Keedo online.

Shoe Guru

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/shoeguru.JPG" alt="Shoe Guru screenshot " class='border' />

There is little confusion about what this site is selling with the prominent pictures of shoes all over the site. The product layout is unique and very focused.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://shopshoeguru.com/">Visit Shoe Guru online.

Nestliving

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/nestliving.JPG" alt="Nestliving screenshot " class='border' />

This is a very modern website for a company that sells modern furniture.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.nest-living.com/">Visit Nestliving online.

Apple

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/apple.JPG" alt="Apple screenshot " class='border' />

The apple website might be one of my favorite websites. Bold product images, simple descriptions and very personable copy. The steps to customizing your technology are incredibly straightforward to facilitate a positive shopping experience.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.apple.com/">Visit Apple online.

Rifle Paper Co.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/riflepaperco.JPG" alt="Rifle Paper Co. screenshot " class='border' />

A DIYer’s dream site! Very easy to navigate and find exactly what you are looking for.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://riflepaperco.com/">Visit Rifle Paper Co. online.

iStockphoto

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/2011/istock.JPG" alt="iStock screenshot " class='border' />

Probably not a big surprise, but this site does photos well.

src="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.com/images/tick.jpg" /> href="http://www.istockphoto.com/">Visit iStockphoto online.

Am I missing any great sites that inspired your design? Or maybe your site is jaw droppingly good – post a link for all to see.

Page 25 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed

Magento Ecommerce: Market Segments & Best Practice Websites

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style="line-height: 1.5em;">Magento usage trends can be categorised in numerous market segments.

style="line-height: 1.5em;">From these it is most commonly found in href="http://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/socialmedia-marketing/smm-tips-for-bloggers-taking-your-social-media-to-the-next-level/">shopping, business and vehicle ecommerce websites. To properly migrate and integrate Magentostyle="line-height: 1.5em;"> as an ecommerce platform of choice, businesses in these sectors are typically employing a web hosting provider to deliver an entire online experience. Doing so provides consistent hardware, software and networking capabilities for ecommerce to run smoothly, with minimal downtime and optimum performance.

An online business lives or dies by the quality of its digital presence through brand reputation, product and service delivery. Without a reputable ecommerce platform and hosting provision there is little chance of achieving sustainable growth and online revenues. Let’s take a look at some of the best examples of Magento in action…

Dynamic Usability

Many thousands of hosted sites (Breville, Nike and Pental to name but three) use Magento ecommerce to power rich multimedia engagement. Magento has a complex yet powerful database structure that essentially delivers optimum performance levels for websites to run high quality graphical user interfaces without losing speed and efficiency.

This helps establish and maintain brand reputation at every phase of website navigation and transaction processing. Usability and speed of service are further enhanced through superior site design and customisation.

Powerful Database Structure

Other Magento platforms, (Paul Smith, Stussy, Toms and more) harness the powerful database architecture to store and query high volume/high quality collections of products. Seamlessly integrating the shopping experience with real-time response times is critical, enabling you to establish user confidence, support staff and generate leads.

Delivering an ecommerce experience that customers expect from such reputable names is a minimum requirement, but it should never be taken for granted. With Magento, the powerful mix of faster querying and transaction processing maximises ROI from an online shopfront.

Localised Service Delivery

Physical stores today are struggling to keep the lights on, as such more and more are turning to ecommerce as a way to reach customers. It is those that have simple and clean ecommerce options for localised services and stockists that create the most value for both global and local customer bases.
Take for example Goodyear, Interflora and TimeOut. All three, offer vastly different products, yet are savvy to localised online demands. Providing prompt service, effective marketing and sign-up services that keep customers engaged with their brand within the community.

Creating a pleasurable, no fuss, no frills online experience for customers is the first step towards ecommerce nirvana. Whether visiting the Goodyear site to enquire about new tyres, using Interflora to order a bouquet of flowers, or looking at an online subscription to TimeOut magazine, having the capability to target global, regional AND local clientele with vastly different requirements gives a huge edge to your site as a scalable online service.

Summary

These are the types of companies and market segments where Magento ecommerce provides power, speed and agility for the perfect online store. Hitting your niche with local service delivery is crucial to elevating customer awareness and brand loyalty. As is delivering an end user experience that is intuitive and aesthetically pleasing for a potentially global audience.

Ecommerce platforms built with Magento are resilient and compliant, but above all are the perfect platform upon which any size and scale of business, SMB to global enterprise, can create the perfect online shopfront.

Page 21 – Web Hosting Secret Revealed