As Hermina Drah reports on ReviewMoose.ca, Canadian e-commerce retail trade revenues in late 2019 totalled nearly $1.85 billion. She also notes that almost 80% of Canadian shoppers expected to do most of their Black Friday shopping online. Of course, Canadians don’t need special occasions to go online to do their shopping. They do so all year round. Therefore, as a business owner, it’s practically vital that you have a user-friendly online shop.
Display high-quality photos and videos.
There is absolutely no question that if your online shop is void of vivid product photos, it will get passed over. Top quality pictures are paramount to the success of your shop. In lieu of being able to touch, feel (and sometimes try on) your items, customers need to be able to see exactly what they look like. It’s worthwhile to have a professional photographer take shots of your products from all angles. Having visual stimuli on your site is a must.
“A user-friendly website should feature high-quality product photos and videos to earn the trust of visitors,” affirms Rocco Bombardieri of The Influence Agency, “Collaborate with professionals who specialize in custom brand photography and videography to capture your products in their best light.”
Provide a clear description of your business.
Give your website’s visitors a clear indication of what your brand is all about. Make what you offer immediately apparent. Consider the fact that hopping from site to site is a lot easier than browsing through various physical store locations. If online visitors aren’t quickly impressed by your e-commerce site, it’s only too easy for them to find others. Doing away with any potential confusion is a great way to keep visitors on your page.
“It is important to let people know who you are and what you do right away so they don’t feel confused when they visit your small business website,” says Allison Bowlus on Forbes.com, “Make sure your main homepage banner (also known as a ‘hero image’) and subsequent banners are visual representations of your services, and also that you have an introductory text blurb near the top of the page that describes who you are and what you do.”
Offer easy-to-access customer support.
One of the potential downsides for your online shop’s visitors is the lack of employee assistance made available to them. With no one around to ask a question, how does one get help? Make it so that this is not a problem at all in your online shop. Clearly display a phone number that people can call for assistance. You may also want to implement a live chat feature so that visitors can get real-time assistance online.
“Having a reliable customer support system is one of the most essential features of a user-friendly website,” insists Bombardieri, “You could have the most impressive products/services, but if you don’t give your customers the proper assistance, it could really damage your business. Consider incorporating a live chat feature so visitors can get instant answers to all their queries.”
Is your company in need of a safe and secure e-commerce solution? Unity Payments can help you to take advantage of this ever-growing trend. We’ve made selling online easier than ever! Please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca to learn more.
