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If you run a small local business, chances are you have a website of some kind. You can even set up some products to sell here and there online. However, you may not yet be able to tap into the enormous potential of building a real e-commerce arm for your business. And you may not realize how easy or lucrative it will be for your local small business to go online.
If you still rely mostly on brick-and-mortar stores, it’s time to consider a change. Here are some low-risk, high-return ways to successfully scale into the digital world.
1. Perform a digital reboot
As mentioned earlier, you may already have a good website or a decent online store. But you can do more to make your specialty competitive with other e-commerce sites.
If you haven’t already, your site should be hosted on, or at least integrated with, a platform designed for e-commerce such as Shopify, Squarespace, or BigCommerce. Make sure it’s easy to use, intuitive, and has a clean, simple design. It may be worth having an expert perform a user experience audit.
Perhaps most importantly, make sure your site is optimized for mobile users. Remember that 91% of Americans are from He’s 18 to He’s 49, probably making up the bulk of your target audience.shopping with smartphone. Most web design platforms can almost automatically convert desktop designs to mobile layouts. However, you have to make sure the mobile version is attractive and easy to use.
2. Harness the power of online testimonials
Getting good product reviews on your site and other platforms can do wonders for your business. Consumers don’t trust brands, but they do trust other people’s experiences with brands and products. A positive review is just as effective as hearing it directly from someone you know in real life.
Smallbiz Technology encourages businesses to post reviews and testimonials directly on their websites and social media channels.But they also note that Positive reviews on third party sites Google, Yelp, Trustpilot, etc. can generate a lot of traffic.
We offer free products and discounts as incentives to encourage customers to write reviews. However, if you sell your products through marketplaces such as Amazon, please be aware that exchanging gifts for reviews may violate our policies. Alternatively, you can reach out to customers who like your product and ask them to take a moment to write a short article.
3. Offer convenient payment and shipping options
Customers won’t buy online unless it’s as easy as shopping on Amazon. Offering fast, free, or inexpensive shipping and removing any friction from your shopping experience is essential. Even if a customer is already seriously considering a purchase, sometimes the smallest details bother them.
Under no circumstances should customers be forced to create an account prior to checkout. This is one of the fastest ways to turn a quick-buying customer into one who just closed her browser tab on your site. In addition to standard credit cards, it’s also important to offer a number of convenient payment options such as PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
Packing and shipping your orders in-house can potentially save you money if you’re just starting your business. But small businesses don’t have the infrastructure to keep it going at scale. Ultimately, you’ll need to contract with a third-party fulfillment service. Shopify offers its own in-house options and maintains a list of other options. Recommended fulfillment service you can try:
4. Be smart about email marketing and social media
One of the perks of being a local small business owner is that you already have a loyal following. There are people close to you who support your business and want it to thrive. Create content that speaks to your biggest followers and they’ll be thrilled to share it with others.
Email marketing remains one of the best ways to drive brand engagement and sales. After all, this is one of the few forms of brand communication that customers actually enjoy receiving. But think carefully about your content. You don’t want to annoy your loyal fans with ads for the same old product. Use email to make announcements, share helpful blog posts, and offer valuable discounts. It’s the kind of content that followers will happily pass on to their friends.
Social media is similarly a powerful tool for connecting with existing customers and reaching new ones. This is especially true when actively engaging with users, such as replying to comments on Instagram or piecing together videos on TikTok. Partnering with influencers through platforms like Grin and Afluencer can also help drive engagement.
don’t reinvent the wheel
As recently as five or ten years ago, small businesses had to move to e-commerce on their own. We needed our own system to do everything from packaging and shipping to handling customer service and even accepting credit card payments.
Everything has changed. There are now easy and affordable third-party solutions for nearly every conceivable e-commerce problem. We already have a few overworked staff. Don’t let them (or yourself) create a system from scratch, even though a quick Google search will likely find an off-the-shelf solution.