Showing posts with label build online store. Show all posts
Showing posts with label build online store. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Get a Multi-Store RMS Integrated Shopping Cart Solution

Price, customization and features – are the three things to consider while selecting a multi-store RMS integrated shopping cart solution

Microsoft Retail Management system offers some amazing features to manage retail business. The RMS application, esp. the RMS headquarters offers features to manage multiple stores in an unprecedented way. A multi-store version of an RMS integrated shopping cart takes full advantage of these features of RMS HQ and gives the retailer a complete command over different stores both individually and in a collective way.

However, to select the best multi-store RMS integrated shopping cart, you need to start with care. Frankly, most of the RMS integrated shopping cart providers see an affluent customer in the retailer who wants the multi-store version and they conveniently ask for an enormous sum. So, the pricing of the solution should be reasonable with the additional prices for each individual store integration should be clearly defined.

Ask the vendor to give a real-time demo on multiple stores and check how the ordering system works. Ideally, multiple orders should get processed simultaneously in different stores and the web integrators should be developed in such way that the communication between the RMS integrated online store and every POS systems and the headquarter should be completely synchronized.

Finally, the multi-store RMS integrated shopping cart solution should be 100% customizable to support your business specific requirements. This is no mean a solution and being a retailer if you want a certain feature, the solution provider should be able to develop that at a reasonable cost. At the end of the day, the solution should be primarily what you want for your business rather what the service provider offers.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Top 10 Ways Make Your Online Customer Buy Twice

It is easy to sell first time, but equally difficult to sell every time. The biggest challenge for online retailer is not to get the site up and running; the most grueling part is to make your customer buy the second time. In fact, the success or failure of an online retail store depends on the how many first time customers return for the second time and subsequent times. The more returning customers you have, more likely you are to stay in the market and earn profits. Therefore, as an ecommerce storeowner, you must know the things that make your online customers visit and buy from your store on a regular basis.

Top 10 hacks that can make your customers comeback to your store are:

Easy user interface – Give an easy interface to find your products with proper filter, sorter and search options. If they find it easy to locate their products, your customers will avoid going elsewhere.

Offer coupons to your customers – If I am your customer and purchased once, you have made a profit. So, what’s wrong in shedding a portion of that profit to make me buy once again and make more profit? Offer coupons to your existing customers and create a need so that they buy again.

Offer discounts – The most lucrative thing associated with online shopping is low cost with discounts. Make your price competitive, give discount whenever and wherever you can and create a noise. Send mailers to all your customers or run promo campaigns.

Be interactive and friendly – Use social media (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and so on) to be connected with your customers. Make your offers through these platforms. Use apps to make your products available through social media networks.

Get a toll-free customer care number – If possible, give 24 X 7-customer support through a toll-free number besides email and chat support.

Transparent business policies – Be clear in defining your shipping and return policies. Think from your customer perspective and if needed, add an FAQ section with the answers to the obvious questions.

Supports multiple payment options – Support all major credit cards in your region. If debit card or net banking is more popular, give these options too.

Sense of security – display authentic and reputed security seals from top service providers on store. Your online customers will talk about your security and this will create a trust.

Better technology, smarter look – Use the latest technologies and try to look smarter and sleeker than your competitors; your customers will always like it.

Keep an updated product list – Keep product-list of your online retail store updated and display the latest price and other information. If you want to display a product that is not in stock, Display the “Out of Stock” right at the beginning on the category page itself. No customer would like to start the buying process for an “Out of Stock” product.

These are some of tips (and not all!) that can make your store a ‘comfortable’ zone for your customers to return. Through your online store be friendly to your customers and give them better deals; nothing can entice your customer than a service with a smile.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Online Retail - How To Know Your Customers Psychology ?

An online store can bring completeness to your retail business. Through your online store, you can both mobilize your physical marketing resources to promote your retail business and streamline how your customers interact with you to purchase the product. However, the mindset of the customer becomes entirely different when it comes to purchase something over the web. In his sub-conscious mind, the customer usually looks for a better deal as his physical movement is confined (his shopping notions are somewhat ‘pre-programmed’ when he visits the online store). Naturally, as an online retail store owner, onus is on you to present things in your store as per your customers’ psychological orientations.

A few things that govern customers’ psychology when it comes to online shopping and where you as an online retailer can take benefits are:
  • Neuromarketing Techniques – Brain-research studies show that online shoppers are greatly influenced by the color of the background, location of the product on the screen, display of pricing etc. The shoppers decision to buy a product or his spending limit is determined by these factors. For example, researchers suggests that a greenish pattern in the background of a product in an online store selling furniture, may help in firing the online customers neurons in a way that would make them sensitive to the price of the item. On the other hand, a blue-colored pattern may help in stimulating the online shoppers neurons towards the comfort-angle of the product. In simpler words, for a low-priced product keep a green background and highlight the “low price”, similarly, if your product is highly-priced, use a blue background and highlight the “comfort features”.
  • Affinity for free-shipping – The phrase “free-shipping” is one of most sought-after characteristics of a any product sold online; at least a large section of the online shoppers just run for it! Consumers prefers free-shipping offers as they compare it to the shopping experience in the physical store; you take out your car, drive to the store, burn gas, buy the item, burn gas again, move through traffic, reach home, park your car and finally open the box on your living room table – well, the retailers mind compares all these with the phrase “free-shipping”. Even a $20 discount weighs less than a $10 waiver in the name of free-shipping. Discount? “Well, it’s ok; everybody gives.” Free-shipping? “Why, I will buy it!” This is the psychology of major chunk of online shoppers.
  • Comparative pricing of products – Online shoppers psycho-analysis report shows that most buyers give precedence to mid-range comparative pricing of a group of similar product. For instance, if you place two similar items on the category page of your store (showing brief details of both), one priced at $100, and the other at $150, most customers will purchase the cheaper one. Now, add a third item priced at say, $200 (the one that you are not even interested in selling); you will be amazed to see that most people will purchase the item selling for $150! Moral of the story – always give your buyers something to compare!
Online shoppers also prefer the pricing in their local currencies (if you are selling globally) and they have a great love for coupons also. Moreover, the buying pattern also varies with various demographic parameters like age-group, income-group, sex, education, community and so on. So, while you sell – observe and know your customers!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Go For An Online Store - Boost Your Offline Websites Builder Sales

If you are a retailer and still shying away from ecommerce, you are missing not missing something – You are missing A LOT! Consider the aggregated loss in business that translates to your competitor’s profits simply because you are not selling online. Ecommerce is not an overnight activity; it is a meticulous process, which takes months to give a complete shape. Right from setting up complete store to marketing your products, you need to have experts at hand.

At the start, you may not see traffic or sales from your online store, but there few steps and the guidance of a good ecommerce service provider can help you to start building visitor traffic and generating sales through your online store. However, always remember - your online business is a tool for your offline marketing. Through an online store, you give your business a complete picture that your customers would love to see.

Through your online store, you can both mobilize your offline resources to promote your online business and streamline how your customers interact with you for ordering system. If you have permanent customers who fax you orders, you can simply guide to them to place it through the online store – making things pretty easier. You can run specials for your website or you can offer online gift cards for various items. The motto is to assess your business base and find the opportunities to promote your products to your customers at a very affordable cost. For that, your online store is the cheapest solution for advertising your business.

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