One of the Success Principles for E-commerce — the 3-F Strategy
Most of the E-Commerce players believe that setting up an open source software like magento, opencart, zencart, woocommerce and many more of similar nature is what an e-commerce product essentially needs. No doubt this is required but that shall only create the skeleton, the soul can be brought in only if we follow the right strategy which is beyond technology.
AT A FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL YOU NEED TO IMPLEMENT A 3 F STRATEGY: YOUR E-COMMERCE WEBSITE MUST BE FAST, FUNCTIONAL AND FAMILIAR!
Fast
This aspect is so important because you need speed in all areas of your business, not just your site in order to succeed. Customers have so many different options online, so why would they wait on you? This encompasses your hosting, site load speed, email responses and your website ordering and checkout process. Just as an example, if your site is slow to load, a customer will more often than not leave right away.
Use These Site Components:
• Fast & Reliable Hosting
• Fast Site Load Speed (Maximum 5 seconds per page)
• Compressed & Fast Images
• Fast and Efficient Ordering
• Fast Checkout with as Few Steps as Possible
• Fast Security (SSL Certificate)
Functional
Decide from day one, what the goal and desired outcome of your website is. When your potential customers visit your site, can they find a product that they were looking for right away with as little hassle and clicks as possible? Customers are simply going to look elsewhere if it is difficult to purchase products from you! Take the time to think like your customer and complete all of the steps in finding a product on your site and placing an order. Was it easy, does it make sense and would you want to do it again?
Load Your website with Useful Functional Features:
• Use clean, easy to read text, graphics, and navigational buttons
• Make it easy to use and navigate
• Use common features making your visitors’ experience helpful
• Give customers what they want in as few clicks as possible
Familiar
It is important for customers to feel comfortable on your website, which has everything to do with your chosen layout, structure and usability. For instance if you use strange navigational methods, if it is incredibly difficult for a customer to search for products, find products and buy products, then they will leave your site as quickly as they can click the ‘back’ button in their browser.
You Need to Have Clear and User-Friendly Site Elements:
• Clear Layout & Structure
• Common Navigation Bar & Obvious Buttons
• Left Menu
• Header & Footer
• Clear Text with Headlines & Sub Headlines for Easy Scanning
• Display Trusted Brands & Logos
• Display Accreditations, Card & Security Logos to Establish Trust
Flexibility & Growth
Ultimately, you need to decide what your objectives are. Be flexible and don’t get too carried away with web-specific ambitions. You do not have to use software that is very expensive and complex; use things that mesh closely with your business’s objectives instead. Then get an ecommerce website out there and add functionality, as users demand it. You will never get your site perfect from day one, so test and modify as you grow.
