10 Tips To Build, Manage And Profit From An E-Commerce Website

Just because you’ve built your e-commerce website doesn’t mean the customers will begin to come.
1. Organize your Catalog around Product Categories
The customer must be able to easily search any product without help.

2. Provide Multiple Payment Options
Keep all kinds of payment options available to your customers.. Provide a currency converter if you offer products or payment in other currencies.
Including a telephone number for customer support on the order is a must.

3. List out Clearly Outlined Policies
Privacy:
Keep it in a prominent place, and link it to the home, products and checkout pages, so that customers who are vary of providing personal and credit card details feel comforted. Never sell the customer’s personal particulars unless they have agreed, as this is a sure way to lose credibility doubly fast.
Security:
If you plan to collect sensitive information from your customers, you should use security systems like SSL (Secure Socket Layer).
Send a confirmation note thanking the customer, and listing all the products, prices and key terms of the purchase in an email.

4. Build a Newsletter Around Your Products
To snag new customers and keep the old ones remembering you vividly, seriously plan to launch a newsletter, and send it to all prospects and customers on a regular basis. Your customers, distributors, and partners will start to eagerly await your newsletter.

5. Let Customers Gift Your Products
Allow people to gift your products to their friends and loved ones.

6. Promote your Site Every Day
The best of sites won’t make money if people don’t come in hordes. You can do promotions using direct mail to your existing customer, in your newsletter, and fliersRemember the old adage - Market, market, market.

7. Measure Results and Reorganize
Measure the results you are getting from each promotion religiously, and note what works and what doesn’t. This is the only way to know how effective your campaigns and promotions are.

8. Keep a Simple yet Effective Web Design
Make a compelling website that showcases your USP (unique selling proposition) and brings the customer back to your site.. A cool, cathy, easy to remember name could definitely help.
Keep the catalog simple, and with a consistent design with links to Home, Checkout page, Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, Customer Profile pages handy and at the same, consistent place on each page.

9. Make the Login Process a Breeze
The less clicks needed to order, the better. A simple thing can result in a costly mistake that loses the customer forever.

10. Reduce Popup Messages
Too many popups distract and disgust the customer. Show your professionalism in domain name and respect the customer’s privacy and time.

11. Use a Reliable Hosting Service
Use a service that is good, reliable, and can provide you with customer support at all hours. Nothing loses a customer faster than a slow site or a site that is down frequently.
Copyright 2004 Vinai Prakash. All Rights Reserved.
Vinai is a successful e-commerce consultant who has been providing sage advice to small and medium businesses in building, managing and profiting from e-commerce websites for the past 6 years. He is a sought after author & speaker on Internet Marketing and E-Business. Vinai can be contacted at vinai@intellisoft.com.sg for speaking engagements, as well as for consultancy engagements & advice on profiting from e-commerce.