7 Ecommerce Tips From High Street Retailers

High street represents upscale shopping in the UK – read more for an ecommerce lesson in luxury.
To torture a famous quote from Mark Twain, rumors of the high street’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. While many town centers in the UK are festooned with empty units and For Rent signs, the ongoing success of retail parks and shopping centers reflects a continuing enthusiasm for physically purchasing goods. The high street is also fighting back with an increased emphasis on things that can’t easily be provided online – services like beauty treatments and cafés, or products such as fragrances and tailored clothing.
While Amazon’s UK wing recorded £6.3 billion in sales in 2015, their success is not being universally shared across the internet. Ecommerce sites are facing growing challenges from market stalls, high-end boutiques and everything in between. So what lessons can online retailers learn from their real-world competitors?

• Service is crucial.

Customer service is a key competitive differentiator, according to a report commissioned recently on behalf of 27 retailers. There’s no virtual equivalent to the warm smile and friendly greeting of a shop assistant, so every effort must be made to personalize the ecommerce experience. There should be a prominent Help button on every page that can trigger live chat (ideally manned for at least twelve hours a day), and it’s useful to offer a voluntary feedback form once customers have completed a transaction.

• Keep communications channels open.

Ensure that customers are kept updated with emails – order confirmation, dispatch, etc – but don’t sign them up to mailing lists without expressly obtaining their permission. Many people communicate with companies via social media, so establish Twitter and Facebook accounts and set up automatic notifications of new comments to a constantly-monitored device.

• Product descriptions should be comprehensive.

While the white-shirted salesman rattling off unnecessary product details has become a clichéd image, well-informed staff members can go a long way to clinching a sale. Online product descriptions are the digital equivalent, so go into as much depth as possible. If 360-degree photography isn’t an option, photograph each item from every relevant angle; list every feature in an expandable table; and, make it absolutely clear what is and isn’t included. Not only will this help to ensure conversions, it will also reduce any likelihood of goods being sent back as unsuitable or not as advertised.

• Streamline the checkout process.

Few things will enrage (or lose) customers as much as slow or inflexible checkout processes, online or on the high street. While it may be easier for a webmaster to insist on ecommerce payments through PayPal, consumers now expect credit and debit card functionality – and don’t forget less popular cards like Maestro or Amex. Beta-test ecommerce facilities on every web browser prior to launch to ensure the site is as robust as possible. Finally, make it easy for people to continue shopping at any point, rather than forcing them to choose between completing the purchase or closing the web page.

• Adopt simple but effective presentation.

Many of us can identify well-known high street brands just by glimpsing their logo in the distance, so ensure the company logo and contact details are prominently displayed online at all times. In terms of the website itself, select a stylish design that will work in every browser – particularly the mobile ones that now dominate global web traffic. Try to prioritize photogenic items on the homepage, and use models to showcase clothing or accessories to best effect.

• Maintain stock levels.

Disreputable online retailers sometimes accept an order for an item listed as in stock, and take the customer’s money before admitting it’s not currently available. Such behavior is highly likely to attract negative feedback. Re-order before running out of stock, but make it clear if an item has limited availability. After all, shops can’t sell items they’ve run out of, so neither should ecommerce platforms.

• Study competitors.

If estate agents and fashion retailers can mystery-shop their rivals to identify new services or trends, there’s no excuse for an online retailer to overlook this critical part of market research. It’s vital to keep up with the innovations of rivals, as well as identifying (and acting on) areas where their offerings could be bettered.

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