Recent years saw rapid development of e-commerce. Poland is in top 5 countries in  EU in terms of the size of e-commerce market, which is worth PLN 40 billion.

A well-thought-out online store = success

Unfortunately, many online stores that took off their business successfully do not stay in the market for longer than one year. Most people still think that e-commerce business is easy and uncomplicated. Its many advantages (advertising, automation of many processes, lower costs) might create a false impression.

However, what really affects the success of an online store is its design and implementation. There are many sellers in Poland who are leaders in e-commerce sector for years. What distinguishes them from others is the high level of customer service and a carefully prepared business structure. It is important to be familiar with tools that help to run e-commerce business even in the early stages (a business plan). Such tools help also to decrease costs of such business. A well-designed e-commerce system helps your brand develop and gain satisfied users.

The importance of tools in the online store

No matter how advanced your online business is, it is worth using the wide range of available options. They can help to improve the start of the e-commerce as well as boost its effectiveness. I will describe a couple of helpful solutions that everyone can use in their online store.

Testing users’ behavior helps to point out what sections of the store draw users’ attention and what solutions turn out to be the most useful. The website optimization (that includes information on customers’ needs and requirements) can be much easier when using tools that download data about users. One of them is Hotjar that registers users actual behavior on the website, such as what elements catch their attention or how they see products.

It is also useful to perform A/B testing -  create a product card in different versions that later are shown to customers. The store should then choose the one that will generate a bigger conversion in the end. In the early stages of the project, it is worth using UX audits. The analysis of consumers’ actual behavior will help to eliminate website’s weaknesses.

Statistical analysis is one of the key activities that should be implemented in every online store. Properly interpreted Google Analytics data can help to optimize digital marketing operations and measure their effectiveness. On the one hand, the regular observation and analysis of this data might point out some irregularities of the online store, but on the other hand, it might exhibit its strengths.

The third element is an offer personalization. This current and up-to-date trend is exactly what customers expect. Dedicated ad messages can generate consumers engagement and result in conversions. It is worth automating such process, i.e. by implementing solutions like QuarticON – the engine of personalized recommendations for e-commerce.

Nevertheless, the maximum reduction of certain sales and marketing processes is required. In smaller online stores it is possible to manage customers by hand, however in bigger ones the process is often complicated and time-consuming. In such situations it is worth using marketing automation tools. They turn data about customers and their behavior to specific activities, i.e. promotions, newsletters, pop-up messages that should draw particular person’s attention and convince them to take action.

Not a single online store will survive on the market without proper advertising. Each e-commerce can adjust promo messages to their needs in order to achieve specific goals. The most popular advertising tools include Google AdWords and Facebook Ads. In both cases, we can define ad’s time, the place and a target group.

What to do more for e-commerce?

The owner of an online store needs to remember that tools might not always be enough. They will not be helpful when other elements of the store are not be properly designed (i.e. the front end of the online store). Other important aspects of the store include pricing policy, competitive offer and professional customer service. When shopping online customers expect information about product details, order status as well as the prompt delivery. The elements mentioned above will help you increase chances of attracting new customers.

What every online store needs to work on is its relationship with the customer. It is worth investing in solutions such as LifeChat that make communication with users much easier.

The decision-making process in e-commerce business is not always easy. It is worth checking out the competition and carefully analyze consumers’ choices. General knowledge about e-commerce market will be an additional asset.

Summary

The implementation of customized tools might contribute to the development of the online store. Carefully selected tools package can be responsible for: optimization, promotion or decreasing customer service processes.

Autor

Anna Wolanin, e-commerce specialist, Ideo

Publication: Płatności cyfrowe 2017 - Biznes Raport, Gazeta Finansowa, 08.12.2017r.