6 Key Success Factors for Your Online Shop

Increasing conversion rates, sales and online visibility are some of the most recurrent topics for online shops owners. What are the key issues that online retailers should tackle in order to drive in more profits? Which factors lead to success? We've identified six areas that will help you boost your profits and increase traffic to your website. We've based these six tips on best practices, combined with lessons learned from successful Trusted Shops accredited online retailers.

1. Offer attractive products 

Although it probably doesn't need to be said, the quality of your products will always be an important factor in your shop's success. And it may seem obvious, but this is something that can be overlooked over time.

Keeping an eye on customer satisfaction is crucial here. After all, products can become out of date. Manufacturers change small things in their products all the time; sometimes having a huge impact on the quality of the product. 

Making sure customers are remaining happy with your products is very important for the reputation and integrity of your shop. And this is yet another reason customer reviews are so important for your shop. Not only do you share real feedback from real customers (a real trust-builder), but you can actually keep track of the quality of your products.

2. Identify a niche audience

Ideally, your products will reach a niche audience. These consumer groups can be difficult to reach in a high street store. They can be quite finicky, depending on the industry.

However, if you can lock in to this audience, they can also be very loyal and very willing spenders.

Hats for cats; those are definitely niche products! (source: shutterstock.com/vvvita)

Building connections and relationships with a niche audience can be challenging, but it is worth the effort. Everything about your website should connect to this group, from the texts you provide to the product images. Branding can be very important here. 

However, the first step to help you figure out your audience is to create a buyer persona. 

3. Drive traffic to your site

Increasing online visibility is incredibly important to the success of your online shop. 

In the physical world, business owners often agree that there are three things that can really shape your shop's success: location, location, and location.

Foot traffic is important in the physical world. The digital world, however, works a bit differently. In a way, you can create your own "location" by working on your site's visibility. However, this requires some strategies and efforts on your part. 

Appropriate marketing strategies will help you attract more visitors to your online shop. Arguably, the most important strategy is Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). However, some other important strategies include, keyword advertising (SEA), email marketing, partner programmes, as well as public relation actions. 

Want to improve the SEO on your product pages? Get our Product page SEO Checklist for free!

4. Increase conversions with appropriate usability

So many things can impact a user's purchase decision. Their user experience on your site is also an important factor. Online shopping has been around for well over 20 years. With that in mind, customers have become accustomed to certain features that are almost universal at this point. 

Having a good navigation, as well as breadcrumbs is part of almost every good online shopping experience. Transparency in your offer (i.e. no hidden costs), having a good search functionality, and access to legal pages are all part of that experience as well. 

It's recommended to go through your website's customer journey every once in a while. Make sure that completing a purchase runs smoothly and there are no unnecessary pages and steps on the way, particularly in the checkout process. 

Go through your product pages. Does the page provide enough information for the consumer to make an informed decision? Are there enough product images? Do you display product reviews? Are your product descriptions giving the details users want to know?

5. Boost confidence with serious references

Confidence is key in e-commerce. As smaller online shops are often unknown to the consumer and the product cannot been touched, payment and data privacy are mostly considered as a risk.

Source: Shutterstock.com/KJ_Digital

You have to give the consumer the ultimate peace of mind in order to convert a visitor into a buyer. Appropriate third-party references such as proven quality seals (e.g. the Trusted Shops Trustmark) and offering a Buyer Protection will definitely help you.

If you're a B2B business, you might want to consider showing some of your best clients or even creating a case study to help build confidence in your business. 

6. Guarantee perfect customer service

Good customer service goes a long way these days. This can really benefit you in multiple ways. For example, when a user has a good customer service experience, they are going to remember that next time they have a similar purchase to make. 

We've all been consumers at some point. When you have an easy, smooth, and helpful customer service experience, it is a huge relief  and something that sticks with you. 

A good customer service experience can also bring you good reviews. On top of that, they may also lead to edited negative reviews, which can be another trust-builder. 

Outside of customer service, you should make sure your logistics provider is working properly. Deliver your products in a timely way (as was communicated through your website).

Provide shipping status information and return process information. Otherwise, your customer, and maybe other potential customers, might not return to your website. Additional services such as a money-back guarantee and great customer service give the consumer complete satisfaction.

Conclusion

A lot of different factors lead to an online shop's success. Keeping an overview of your website and the consumer journey while also implementing technical strategies like SEI are paramount to increasing conversions. 

For more information about how Trusted Shops can help your online shop build trust and increase conversions, contact us today!