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Success or failure can come down to something as simple as the design of the site itself.
Success or failure can come down to something as simple as the design of the site itself. When I launched my men’s grooming range, Flint Edge, in early 2007, I was faced with some very modern day dilemmas. Previously I had worked as a senior level executive at Body Shop and co-founded Virgin Cosmetics, however, in those days, the Internet had not become the essential tool it has become today.
My initial plan was always to sell Flint Edge through retailers, as corporate gifts and also to have a website which effectively would become an online brochure for the brand. However, after conducting my own research into the Internet prior to launching the brand, I started to realise I might be missing a trick and launched my own e-commerce site, www.flintedge.com
As most businesses are aware, the online retail sector is currently experiencing tremendous growth. However, many businesses might not be aware of just how important the Internet is and how it can positively affect your bottom line. Verdict Research states that UK online consumer sales were a staggering £11 Billion in 2006 and are forecast to triple over the next three years. In fact, the current ‘credit crunch’ is projected to only have a minor impact as an increasing number of sales move away from traditional bricks and mortar retailers to online stores.
My knowledge of working with both traditional retailers and online retailers, together with my own experience of launching an e-commerce website with Flint Edge has opened my eyes to a fast-changing industry. I have found that traditional high street retailers are spending more in their website businesses and are starting to see the returns on this investment. Department stores and chains like John Lewis, Argos and Boots are witnessing a tremendous growth in sales from their sites and other retailers are following suit. One of our newest clients, House of Fraser for example, is currently expanding its web offer which will help maximise potential sales by extending their product offering online.
But it’s clearly not as simple as just building a website and starting to sell your wares. Many of the challenges faced online are similar to the high street, particularly in terms of attracting visitors to the site. Traditional retailers look for footfall, conversion rates and average transaction values. Online stores are no different. They need visitors to the site, which must be converted into customers.
One of the most significant challenges is working out how to market the website, which is for most businesses, a very daunting task. Email marketing, affiliate schemes, search engine ‘pay per clicks’ and online PR all require different skill sets to traditional retailing. Lack of knowledge or experience in this area is often a barrier, particularly for smaller businesses who don’t have the internal resource or the funding in order to access the knowledge needed to meet their newly developed online needs.
Furthermore, logistics and distribution mean that many businesses are traditionally more geared up for replenishing stores and now need to introduce new processes that require them to fulfil individual orders. The processes and systems requirements are actually very different and many retailers end up outsourcing this aspect to specialist providers.
In my experience, the success or failure of an e-commerce site can come down to something as simple as the design of the site itself. High street retailers spend a significant amount of time and money on planning the shop fit and layout, and the same care and attention should be applied online.
Whilst websites are becoming increasingly easy to navigate, the sheer volume of products now available online means that websites must feature simple site search facilities to simplify the buying process for customers. Intuitive functions can be applied that go one step further, enabling online retailers to offer simple up-selling opportunities, best demonstrated through benchmark e-commerce sites like Amazon which suggest similar products based on customers’ purchasing patterns.
Although still in its infancy, online retail has changed considerably – and will continue to change at lightning speed – as technology continues to improve. The needs of today’s far more ‘tech savvy’ consumers are also changing rapidly. Websites that offer exciting design features, movies and sound make their sites more ‘sticky,’ providing consumers with a more satisfying, interactive browsing experience.
Technology is moving fast and is becoming cheaper. I believe that this will drive innovation and will allow the majority of retailers to have access to cutting edge programmes, which were previously inaccessible both in terms of price but also complexity. I believe the future for online retailers is about interactivity and connectivity with their customers. Offering customers what appears to be a personalised shopping experience within a simple to navigate website will ensure that customers continue to return, and buy, from your website time and time again.
E-Commerce Success Checklist:
- Ensure your website is visually appealing but is also simple & easy to navigate
- Have a well-thought through plan for marketing the site and hire experts where necessary
- Keep updating and refreshing the content on the site in order to be constantly picked up by search engine list
- Be adaptive, be open to change and take advice from others who have more experience in this area than you
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