The world of e-commerce can be pretty tricky to navigate, and success can be a difficult thing to achieve, especially given the scale of that world.  But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a way to successfully navigate these seas!

Here are five things you can look out for and work with to increase the success of your e-commerce business!

COMPETITION

Survival is the name of the game in the business world.  Undoubtedly that’s an idea you’re already familiar with. The same goes for your competition as well. Your competition can serve as a great mirror for your e-commerce business. Doing some cross-examining can highlight strengths, weaknesses, areas you may need to improve on, and any advantages you may have.  Build on what you’ve found and bolster your business. While there may be a lot of competition out there to face and overcome, given the size of the ecommerce world, there are still nearly endless ways to establish yourself and stand out from among the crowd!

VALUES AND IDENTITY

Think about what drives your business.  What’s the passion at your core that ignited this fire?  Bringing that passion to the table and integrating that into the soul of your business will make marketing and selling your product a lot easier: customers can tell when someone is passionate about their good or service, and that can have a huge influence on their purchasing decision.  

CONSUMER EXCITEMENT

Businesses evolve and grow, branch out into new territory, and expand into previously unexplored avenues. What’s responsible for that growth? Customers! So it really wouldn’t make sense, then, for your loyal patrons to be pushed away or turned off when your business expands in some way.  

Keep your customers involved and - more importantly - excited when it comes to growth!

Your objective should be for them to grow with you, not for you to outgrow them.  If you’re new and don’t really have a customer base yet, then you can still drum up some enthusiasm and excitement by reaching out through marketing channels like social media and drawing people in.

MARKETPLACES

Selling on online marketplaces could be a lot easier than you think.  Although it does require some forethought and advanced planning, in the end it can really expand your customer base.  Our blog on this topic goes more in depth on the pros and cons of online marketplaces; give it a look and see if it’s an option that can work for you!

INVENTORY

Inventory is a very important aspect of any e-commerce business.  A mismanaged inventory can lead to disgruntled or angry customers, stunted growth for your business, and ultimately a loss of profit and poor reputation. Nothing’s more frustrating than ordering a product online and having your order suddenly cancelled some time later because the item was actually out of stock, despite the listing saying that 12 remained available.  Personally, that’s enough to typically make me avoid dealing with a seller again. That doesn’t mean that overstocking to act as a cushion is a solution either. If unsold goods are just sitting on a shelf collecting dust, then that creates a huge waste of space and money.  As with all things, balance is key.

CONCLUSION

Success in the e-commerce world is certainly achievable.  Know your competition and your business’ core values, make sure your customers grow with you, expand into new territory and balance your inventory as best you can.  

Using these building blocks, you can build a solid foundation and start paving your way to success.

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