How to boost online sales/business

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Boost Online Sales. Here's How.

<http://www.imediaconnection.com/bios/bio.aspx?id=3909>

By Reid Carr <http://www.imediaconnection.com/bios/bio.aspx?id=3909>

 

*Red Door Interactive's president explains the need for website

differentiation in order to maintain strong online sales growth.*

 

Forrester Research reported this year that the growth of online revenue of

categories such as books, music and office supplies is starting to

wane. Other categories are expected to see drops in their growth rates as

well. No longer do they expect us to see the astronomical growth from years

past, but more tempered growth (that most offline retailers would still love

to have).

 

This slowdown is believed to be a result of the thought that anyone who

would shop online is already doing so. This implies that there are a host of

other reasons why they're only doing about 5 percent of their total retail

shopping online.

 

I am sure that most people would agree that shopping online is a much

different experience than that of shopping in a mall. In fact, I would say

that shopping online and shopping offline are so completely different that

while the end-result may functionally be the same -- you bought something --

you are, in most cases, fulfilling a totally different need. Now, depending

on who you are, the product you want (or didn't know you wanted) and other

circumstances -- such as time of day and who you're shopping for -- you

desire a particular experience. Why do you choose to walk into an

established retailer? Because you know what to expect. That retailer has a

differentiator and delivers their specific experience to you.

 

My suggestion is for online retailers to bridge the experience gap in order

to remain on the growth train. In fact, they need to start adding some

" experience " focus within the next year if they want to beat the reduced

overall projections for online retail.

 

When I talk about experience, I am not necessarily saying that your website

should do whatever it takes to mimic the offline world. I would be a bad

marketer to say that an approach like that would work for everyone. What I

am saying is that online retailers need to consider what kind of experience

they should deliver to their customer and prospective customer and focus on

doing that well. Each retailer, now that the market is as competitive as

ever, should learn to differentiate. It is no longer enough to put products

on a website and execute your search marketing tactics. One must deliver a

consistent, differentiated offering focused on your strengths rather than

just " showing up " and being cheaper than the next guy.

 

Many online marketers now treat their online shopping sites as

" task-oriented " conversion funnels rather than spending the time to get to

know their customers and what they want and delivering something unique, as

many of the offline retailers do. Sites are getting reduced to their

multivariate-tested essence to optimize a visitor's path from point A to

point B. It really is amazing, too, because the numbers can often be quite

staggering.

 

In web marketing, in most cases we're taught to minimize distraction and

focus a visitor's attention. This concept is appropriate for many people,

but at the same time marketers should consider if this approach will

differentiate themselves from their competitors. For example, if you were to

minimize distraction to get a site visitor through to a purchase as quickly

as possible, will you reduce the visitor's ability to remember you the next

time he goes to purchase something (unless, of course, you do an excellent

job in your post-purchase marketing and retention strategy)? My sense is no;

the visitor will likely forget you if everything went smoothly.

 

So, what do you do? How do you become memorable and attract loyal

users? Some websites are starting to enhance the experience by adding video,

live chat and user-generated content, such as product reviews. But, again,

this is only appropriate for certain types of sites. You need to get to know

what factors are uniquely you, or find what is missing in your particular

category. In many cases, you might find that you draw inspiration from, or

connect yourself with, what is happening in the offline world.

 

Companies like Dell, for example, known that operating a well-performing web

sales channel requires supplementing that effective channel by putting

physical products in physical stores. And note how Apple is operating its

stores; it is a brand, it is differentiating and it is surely driving sales

both online and offline. Additionally, some big box retailers are

capitalizing on our need-it-now culture and driving significant revenue

through the convenience of " buy online, pick up in store. "

 

Clearly there is a time and a place for shopping online that consumers have

embraced, but the online experience may never match that of offline

retailers. But, the point is get to know who you are and live that. Do your

research and know your customer so that you can seize what growing demand

there is for online shopping; it is not going to skyrocket forever.

 

*Reid Carr is president of **Red Door Interactive* <http://www.reddoor.biz/>

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Cheers!

Kathleen Petrides

The Woobey Queen

Http://www.woobeyworld.com