The ease of shopping online has created enormous opportunities for businesses large and small. Established brick-and-mortar retailers can expand sales by offering 24/7 access to products, and online-only stores can carve out a unique presence with little upfront investment.No matter what kind of business you’re running, a few simple guidelines can help improve your online sales.
Online sales
Principles to help your online store shine
Get organized: Organize products into logical categories. Use high quality photos, accurate descriptions and updated prices/promotions.
Keep it simple: Avoid overloading your customers with buttons to click or pages to open. Ideally, a customer should be able to complete a purchase in 4-6 clicks.
Be consistent: Keep your branding (logo, colours, tone of voice) consistent. Your online store might be the only place your customers interact with your business.
Supply and distribution are key: Make sure you have a smooth supply and distribution process in place before you go live.
Test delivery: If you’re offering delivery, test it before you launch – especially if working with a third-party distributor.
Embrace automation: Set up an automated email process that covers order confirmations, invoices and receipts, shipping notifications and feedback requests.
Stay vigilant: Check your security settings and reports regularly to stay ahead of new threats.
Schedule checkups: Set a schedule (weekly or monthly) for checking that products are up to date, prices are correct and links are still active. Also, don’t forget to check that your security and payments subscriptions and certificates are up to date.
Analyze then tweak: Take time to review your site analytics and reporting. You might find that a particular page has a high bounce rate, only to discover that a button is inactive. With any website, constant tweaks and improvements are the key to success.
Spread the word: Offering customers sneak previews or advance discounts for upcoming sales are a couple of simple ways to get the word out about your online presence.
In-person sales
Consumers have come to expect easy payment experiences – and card acceptance is essential to meeting that expectation. By offering the option to pay with a card, you offer consumers the convenience they expect.
Benefits of displaying Visa signage
Boosted reputation
Global customers are more likely to think a merchant is reputable.
Increased foot traffic
Customers are more likely to enter an unfamiliar store.
Repeat customers
Customers are more likely to return for a repeat purchase.
Order free point of sale Visa signage
Let your customers know you welcome payments with Visa by ordering from our wide collection of FREE signage today.
Business solutions that can help get you started
Authorize.Net helps makes it simple to accept payments online, over the phone, and in person.
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