Why are e-commerce websites so important?        

When deciding where to sell an item online, many retailers choose to sell it in the market or develop their website. Each option has its strengths and weaknesses, and while the same solution does not work perfectly for everyone, we believe that companies that are serious about e-commerce need to have their website.

Of course, marketplaces (Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Walmart Marketplace, etc.) can be a great sales channel for many merchants, but with many limitations. Also, according to Big Commerce’s e-commerce history, customers expect to “seamlessly research, browse, buy, and buy across different devices and different platforms (standalone web stores, Amazon presence, etc.)”. Probably. Not enough.

Why does your e-commerce business need its website?

1. Creating a customer email list and selling directly to them:
   One of the most important aspects of having your website is that you can sell directly to website visitors and customers. Unlike the market where the people who buy your product are customers of the market, selling directly to consumers on your website means that you collect their contact information. If you have a customer’s email address, you can email marketing promotions, offer discounts, and announce new products.
   In the market, it’s much harder to attract repeaters because you don’t have direct access to your customers. This reduces the chances of providing excellent customer service or promoting other products. Communicating with existing customers is a necessary part of generating business revenue, as it’s easier and cheaper to retain customers than to acquire new ones.
   Not only do you know who bought from you in the past, but you also know what they bought, how much they spent, and what they are interested in. The Information can be used to influence and make suggestions for future purchases.
2. Brand Establishment and Enhancement 
   When selling products in the market, they are universally listed. From the character and word limits to the use of logos, there is little room for customization or branding. It’s the marketplace brand that matters, not yours. This makes it nearly impossible to raise brand awareness.
   Most of the time, visitors and customers assume that your product belongs to the market, even if you don’t even know it exists. In other words, the person who buys your product will remember the market, not you.
   Your goal is that your consumer associates your product with your brand and think about your brand when they think about this category. Running your website gives you complete control over what it looks like, what it says and how it works. The possibilities are endless. You can also enhance your brand during the unpacking experience and use custom boxes to leave a lasting impression on your customers. Best of all, you get credit for your product-there is no third-party marketplace!
3. Learn about your audience
   Having your e-commerce website can help you better understand your customers. This includes demographics such as their location and how they found your website and heard about you. You can analyze their behaviour on your website, for example. B. What they saw and the route they took to shop with you.
   If you have a specific traffic source that brings good customers to your business, you can focus your efforts on it, know that they are beneficial, and put more money into those channels. Not only can you get information about existing customers, but you can also find out where the customers who didn’t buy have fallen. The product page may not have enough customer reviews or good photos, or you may have abandoned your cart due to high shipping costs.
4. Set your own rules for your e-commerce site
   Running your e-commerce store gives you the freedom to directly impact your customer journey and user experience.
   1. You can place photos of products and add videos.
   2. You can change the layout and navigation.
   3. You can change the colour scheme and theme of your website.
   4. You can edit the button layout and text.
   5. You can talk about your company.
   6. You can add blogs.
   7. You can highlight a specific customer.
   8. Most importantly, you don’t have to worry about competitors’ products popping up next to you, as you do in the market.

E-Commerce Website Builder allows you to create websites with clear product categories, product descriptions, product images, and other e-commerce features that provide store owners with a customized e-commerce design solution. You can organize it.
You can also decide how to group and price your products and whether to offer free shipping. Offering something for free at checkout can impact online consumer behaviour as customers want to believe they are getting a good deal. With your website, you can easily try these types of products as there are no strict rules or regulations that you must follow. And you don’t have to worry about the impact of these changes on conversions, as you don’t have to pay a third party a certain percentage of each sale as you do in the market. The website ultimately allows you to manage the storefront and test and validate what works for your online business.

• Plug and Play e-commerce platforms have never been easier with the advent of ready-to-use e-commerce platforms such as Shopify, Magento, Squarespace and Woo Commerce, building a website has become very easy and fast process. Increase. Use the Shop Builder plugin to make managing your small business easier than ever. Create the shopping experience your customers want in real-time with a site builder that lets you enter details, choose from free or cheap templates, and drag and drop e-commerce store features to your liking.
  Several e-commerce platforms currently available are hosted and easy to maintain without the need for web developers or design teams. With these do-it-yourself tools, you can easily update content, add products, and make other customizations all yourself.
  Once your website is up and running, you can easily integrate it with other software you are using. A common example is connecting an e-commerce platform to a system used to manage order processing.
  Outsourcing fulfilment to 3PL streamlines the flow of information and eliminates the need to send orders to 3PL daily. This means that the store will automatically send the order to the fulfilment provider to start picking, packing and shipping.
• Running a Creative Marketing Campaign
  Just because you have your website doesn’t mean that your customers will automatically flock to you. Once you have a store, you need to work on bringing buyers to it. The first step in attracting customers is to combine your SEO strategy with a strong online social media presence to drive traffic to your website. Setting up the right campaign is not always easy. However, there is much more flexibility in how others can find you and buy you. The e-commerce business can tailor its marketing strategy to its target audience and specific shopping habits. Some common tactics include reaching your audience using Facebook and Google ads. You can also create website content by researching and incorporating keywords that users use to search for solutions like you. You have the option of running promotions and flash sales to raise interest and reconnect with previous buyers. According to Clutch, 37% of shoppers can get back to the retailer’s website with discounts and coupons. Overall, there are countless ways to attract people to your brand, from making videos to running contests, which can lead to sales.

At last, we can say that an eCommerce website is an important part of your e-commerce strategy. It’s a great way to grow your brand, win loyal customers, gain new insights, and be creative in marketing. However, relying on one channel for all sales can also be a problem. Diversifying online sales can help you reach new customers, especially as e-commerce competition intensifies.

If you need a partner to help process e-commerce orders for your online store, check out The Digital Sarathi.