5 Things Everyone Wants From An Online Store

Think you’ve got what it takes to run your own online store? You might want to think again. Online businesses are great, but the public are a demanding lot, and they have very high standards these days for what they want when shopping online.

Still think you can cut it? Take a look at five things everyone wants from an online store to help you stand any chance of success.

A great search function

There’s nothing worse than a poor search function in an online store. It slows down the process, makes things difficult for all involved, and means customers will likely turn elsewhere when they can’t find what they’re looking for. The aim of the game is to help your search function convert into sales, so start making those improvements. 

Discount codes, a lot of them

Who doesn’t love a discount code? Many people will no longer shop without one. Benefiting from competitive prices is one of the reasons why people shop online, and you’ll need to keep up with the competition to win their custom. But try not to offer too many discount codes if it’s going to cost your business money. Pick your moment, and make it worth their while.

Fast and effective shipping

Fast and effective shipping is a must-have for online businesses. In fact, many people offer their shipping for free these days. Shoppers want to be able to monitor their deliveries easier and make sure that everything is in order. The top telematics companies provide software that can help you manage your fleet and use the data provided to inform your customers. Getting your customers’ orders safely to their home is one of the most important parts of the process, so don’t mess it up. 

An easy checkout process

Once you’ve decided to make a purchase, you want to checkout as quickly and painlessly as possible. A checkout that has several steps, several stages and the possibility for multiple errors can be frustrating, leaving people to quit and shop elsewhere. Find ways of optimising your checkout process to make sure your customers make it to the finish line.

Not too many emails from you

It’s a nightmare buying from an online store, only to have them send you dozens of emails afterwards. The last thing you want them to do is to hit the ‘unsubscribe’ button, so try not to bombard them with pointless communications. It’s also important that you follow the rules of GDPR, or you could find yourself dealing with a lot more than a few unsubscribed email addresses!

Running an online business is never easy, but without your customers, you won’t last long. Keep them happy and they’ll return time and time again. There’s a lot of lessons you’ll learn about running a business over time, including patience, so don’t be concerned if your online business doesn’t become an empire overnight – you’ll get there!