The 9 Things An Online Seller Should DO
In a previous article, I outlined the DON’Ts of selling online. I hope you took particular attention and are ready to forgo all the points I discussed.
In this write-up, I’ll highlight what you need to do as an online seller to increase your customer base and to gain your customers’ trust.
1. Do price your products fairly
Your product pricing shouldn’t be too high or too low. It should be within the market pricing. When your product is too high, customers will opt for your competitor’s product that is within the market price. When your products are too low, customers might assume that they are inferior. Do market research and know how much price is charged by your competitors and leverage that to do your product pricing.
2. Do know whom you’re selling to
You can’t target every customer in the market. You need to have a target audience whom you know are your customer base. You must have a niche market as a small business online seller. As you begin to grow, you can gradually expand into different products and your target audience will increase too.
3. Do understand the competition
Research the area of your specialization. Ignoring your competitor is like digging your own trench to fall in. You must know what your competitors are doing and identify loopholes where you can capitalize to grow your own business. For instance, when your competitor’s price is too high, make yours at the market price.
4. Invest in advertising your products across the different channels
You might be wondering that how do I invest in advertising online. Doing business without advertising is like winking at a lady in the dark, you alone know what you’re doing. You have to leverage the online tools available. If you have a website, link all your social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc) to the website. Have a budget for your online advertising.
5. Answer customers concerns promptly
The customer’s concerns must be a top priority to an online seller. Delaying answering a customer’s question is not a good habit as an online seller. You shouldn’t take more than a day to reply to your messages. Feedback is essential on the online platform. Be polite in your response.
6. Do choose your eCommerce platform carefully
Choosing the right platform to sell your products is vital. Know where your target audience is. Know what products you’re selling and then use the right platforms to sell. For instance, if you’re selling a technological product, you can’t advertise it on an FMCG eCommerce platform. You’re likely not to get your intended audience who’d prefer those products.
7. Do gain your customers’ trust
Trust when lost may be hard to regain. Building trust takes a considerable amount of time and energy. It’s very easy to lose trust. As a small business online seller, you need to ensure that you don’t cheat your customers. Sell the exact product they ordered online and not any similar product you think the customer might want instead of the products they ordered.
8. Do Make the Extra Effort in Product Description
You need to make sure that your products descriptions are detailed enough so that customers don’t ask an obvious question which they should have found the answer to, just from your description. If you have your own website too, ensure that customers do not struggle to order a product. It should be as easy and fast as possible for a customer to put in an order on your platform
9. Send an appreciation note when a customer buys your product
Customers appreciate it when they feel part of your business and they feel that you care about them and you are grateful for their purchasing your product. For instance, you can automatically add, “Thank you for ordering from us” when a customer orders a product.
Follow these Dos and your online store will thrive.
