e-Commerce is a growing trend as more people enjoy the convenience of online shopping, which can save consumers time and money. Today we listened to a presentation by the General Manager of Global e-Commerce – Platform and Sales at Australia Post, Ben Franzi. The presentation was centred on e-Commerce trends and was organised as one of the Before 9 events by the Geelong Chamber of Commerce.

Ben confirmed a number of aspects we know to be true – your e-Commerce website must be mobile and tablet responsive to allow users to buy from any device, anywhere. Coming up on page two of Google’s search results for searches relating to what you sell is useless, because trends show that people are more likely to change their search parameters than click through to page two. And it’s no good using social media to sell, sell, sell. You need to build an online community and find out what your customers like.

Australia’s e-Commerce market is smaller than other countries such as the US, UK and China, but that’s due to simple factors such as the fact we are a smaller country, with less choice, and higher postage rates due to density. How our dollar performs against other currencies such as the US dollar also impacts our online shopping habits. We are more likely to shop online when our dollar is strong, which makes perfect sense. What is certain is that our domestic e-Commerce market is trending upwards, which means businesses need to consider the e-Commerce option. It’s not necessary for all businesses, just because you sell products does not mean they should be available online. But e-Commerce should be a consideration as part of your overall online marketing strategy and you should determine your reasons to incorporate or not incorporate e-Commerce on your website. We have summarised some of the key messages from today’s presentation below.

Your e-Commerce platform must be responsive

Responsive website design allows your customers to easily view and purchase products from any device, anywhere, any time. If the check-out process on a phone or tablet is too hard, the customer is more likely to abandon their cart. The major appeal of online shopping is convenience, so make sure you test your shopping cart and understand how it works. Is something tricky on a mobile device? Are products skewed on a tablet? Does the user have to scroll and zoom to read text and navigate the screen? You should contact your web developer and ask how they can make your e-Commerce website more user-friendly.

You still need a content strategy

Think you can build an e-Commerce website and start enjoying sales immediately? Putting products online doesn’t mean they will sell! How do you plan to attract real and qualified traffic to your website? You will still need a content strategy to promote your products – what they are, who uses them, how they benefit your customers, how your customers can maximise the benefit of your products – you still need to attract and inform your audience. Your content strategy should include blogs, e-Newsletters, social media posts and videos!

Use social media to build a community and give that community the respect it deserves

It’s tempting to jump on your brand’s Facebook page and flog the latest special on your e-Commerce website. And you can – but make sure you are not using social media just to try and sell your products. Social media might help you sell products, but only once you’ve gained the respect of your audience and built a loyal following. And that takes work. Consumers are smart and have high expectations. Nothing will drive your audience away like post after post of product information and prices. Who cares! What your audience wants is a reason to love you, a reason to comment on your posts, tag their friends and like and share your content (at their leisure and not because you ask them to). What sort of community are you trying to build? Know your audience, find out who they are and what they like, and start engaging with them on a more human level.

And a note from us…

e-Commerce websites need SEO. For your products to be purchased online they need to be found. And to be found, your website needs to be highly visible in Google’s search results. Don’t be daunted by online jargon – as long as you know your business and what you want to achieve, a web expert will be able to steer you in the right direction in terms of platforms, design and online strategy.

Contact us to discuss e-Commerce websites, SEO, content strategy and social media, we’ll help you achieve a holistic and measurable presence online.

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