Achieving success is not always about getting a high paying job and a high salary. Success is what makes you feel happy. When you are content with what you are achieving, be it from your own home, workshop, office, or a virtual store, that shows how successful you are.
Apart from mental satisfaction, your sales show how successful your product has been in the market. If you are selling via an online store, then the click-throughs you get, the number of visitors on your website, the purchases they've made, returning customers, and finally, the profit you've received. All these are indicators of how good your business is going. It shows your best and worst selling products.
But there is always scope for improvement.
Even the big e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, etc., learn from every passing promotions' success and failure and adapt themselves to changing times. Websites and apps which sell their products worldwide make their software according to the specific country. They make it such that the people can relate to it and enjoy their shopping experience.
If you are starting or have your online store, you must have certain features and facilities. A simple store showcasing your products is not enough. You need to make such a website that people trust you. Nowadays, many fake websites steal money from people. Hence, people are double cautious before purchasing from a new website store.
Get an SSL certificate for your website.
Getting an SSL certificate for your website is the easiest way to secure your website from fraud. It makes bank transfers, any private details such as name, address, phone number safe from any data breach. Customers prefer to purchase from websites that have an SSL certificate.
If you are using Budo or Ninjin for your website or online store, then it has by default a free SSL Certificate installed.
Provide national and international delivery
If you deliver your products nationally and internationally, you will be enlarging your customer base. Unless you are dealing in perishable food items that might get spoiled during delivery, try and deliver your product to as many places as possible.
Connect with local delivery companies that deliver packages at low rates. This will attract various customers.
On your website, you can give a pin code search option. Here customers can enter their pin code and check whether you deliver there or not. You can also provide options such as 'same-day delivery' or 'superfast delivery' for locations near you.
You can also provide 'one day delivery' or 'two-day delivery' and charge extra from people who want their products delivered faster than the standard time.
Return, exchange, and refund policy
Items such as clothes, bags, shoes, etc., might not fit the person who had ordered it or might not be up to their expectation. Hence a return, exchange, or refund policy should be there.
You can keep a window for 7 to 14 days after the delivery of the product. If the customer is not satisfied with the product, he can return or exchange it within this timeframe.
You can ask customers why they would like to return their purchase. This will help you improve the quality of your products.
Flexibility in payment methods
Your online store should support multiple payment methods. The most common ones are net banking, credit card, debit card, UPI, mobile wallets, and cash on delivery. If your shipping internationally, the best practice is to sell in local currency.
Some websites only provide online methods and skip the cash on delivery (COD). But not all customers have accessibility to online payment modes. Moreover, some people do not trust giving their bank details or money before they receive the product. They might love your product but still be hesitant to buy it because of the unavailability of COD. Hence having COD will make the customers feel happy, and they will purchase your products without hesitation.
You can also have an option of online payment at delivery. This is a relatively new concept. But a few companies have this option.
Customer service
Due to a lack of staff, many new online businesses only have an email ID through which customers can get in touch with them. But to have a personal relationship with the customers is a must. Hence a helpline number should be given. If any question arises in the minds of the customers, they can reach out to you at any point in time.
This will increase sales because if you clear their doubts immediately, they will purchase your product the very next second. If they have to email you and reply after a day or two, they might change their minds or buy an alternative product.
Hence, have a customer support number.
Change the theme of your website.
With every major festival, try and add some elements of it to your website. Change the theme of your website to give the customers a feel for that occasion. You can also have a sale during such festivities, so get more deals.
Image search
Apart from the standard search, keep an option of image search. Here the customer can click an image or share a picture of what product they want, and search results can show them the products which are the closest resemblance to it.
Image search makes it ten times easier to find a product on the website, and customers love this feature.
These are some of the facilities you should add to your website store and your business. It will boost up your sales and attract new customers to your website.
We look forward to hearing from you about your ideas on promoting the online store.
If you are looking for software to create an online store website for your business, check out NINJIN. It is the perfect E-commerce solution to start your online store. It is ready to use, user-friendly solution for your web store. No coding knowledge is required, so anyone who wants to start their business can do so. Moreover, you can start with a free version.