According to an article recently published in the economic magazine "Globes", in the first half of 2013, about 80% of Israelis made at least one online purchase. The results of the survey, which was conducted for Google Israel by the Millward Brown Integration Institute, indicated that about 60% of Israelis were willing to pay 5% more if the site was operating in Hebrew.
Fashion, kid'Tim, electrical products, electronic products, literature, music, culture, food, jewelry, bicycles, printing products and even vitamins. You name it. All over the world, and of course also in Israel, virtual purchases via the Internet have become the first option before the consumer. As a result of this, you can see a considerable increase in the number of virtual stores operating in the online space.
The advantages of the virtual store
A virtual store, or in its foreign name – E-Commerce is a website that offers surfers to make purchases of products and services online. With the push of a button (or the touch of a hand), and usually with a credit card, you can purchase almost everything in virtual stores. There are even areas where the entry of virtual stores into the market has completely changed the industry in question. For example, thanks to savings on expenses such as rent, electricity, property taxes, etc', virtual stores offer products at extremely competitive prices. As a result of this, it is possible to see a significant drop in prices even outside the internet space. So the question arises, how do you build a winning virtual store? That's exactly what we're here for. Here are some tips that you should consider on the way to the promised land.
Understand what the store in question is and what its goals are
A virtual store is first and foremost a website. As in all processes of setting up a website, also in construction Virtual store It is important to conduct preliminary stages of characterization and research. The owner of the virtual store, together with a web development company, conducts a careful website characterization of the store based on its goals, products, services, customers and marketing messages. Also, it is necessary to carefully check how the particular market is conducted on the Internet. It is generally recommended to enter several competing websites and draw ideas from them.
Similar to a store in the physical world, a virtual store also offers products and services with different levels of demand. In the characterization phase, keyword research was also conducted. This is an internet study that checks what the most common search terms are in the particular industry. Keyword research has two main purposes. First, it holds many answers regarding the success of website promotion and online visibility. Second, keyword research can help divide the store's products and services into categories and subcategories. This, in accordance with the scope of relevant searches.
Correct graphic user interface design
A graphical user interface (GUI) is the graphic display that is presented to the surfers who come to the virtual store. Therefore, the design phase of the graphic user interface, which of course also concerns the general design phase of the virtual store, must be precise and tight. At this stage, the potential surfers must be well known and not only in terms of key phrases and common searches.
For example, many Internet studies have indicated that surfers expect to reach the page that suits them within 3-4 clicks at most. When it comes to a virtual store, with a rich variety of products, the graphical user interface must provide an answer. This, based on many parameters such as accurate menus, pictures in the right places, neat specifications and most importantly – Effective internal search engine. The quick navigation is a critical element of its own kind in setting up a virtual store. The ultimate goal in designing a graphic user interface for an online store is to bring the surfer to the product he wants to purchase in the shortest number of clicks. For example, besides an internal search engine that includes several segmentation fields, it is recommended to add a general search engine as well. Care must be taken to ensure that the general search engine really brings the surfers to the products/services in question (and this in accordance with all possible product names).
The design phase, including the user interface design, is a derivative of the initial characterization phase. This, in terms of correct division into categories, knowing the target audience, integrating marketing messages (such as - prestigious prices versus attractive promotions), emphasizing relative advantages and the like. Another great tip is to combine products with several images as well as full specifications that provide comprehensive information about each and every product.
beyond products – About pages, regulations, security, etc'
In recent years, the credibility of online purchases has been gaining real momentum. Indeed, many surfers are not afraid to make online purchases, including purchases that usually require credit card information. However, surfers do not tend to purchase products from anonymous stores or websites whose owners are in the dark.
An especially important tip for the success of Virtual store lies in transparency towards the customer. Be sure to draft professional about pages, and give surfers several ways to contact the store (email, phone, address, etc.'). It is even possible to provide C services't online that allow you to be kind "Sales agents" online. In addition, make sure in advance that the regulations of the site are in order and make sure that the surfers are obliged to agree to its terms before making the purchase. It is also recommended to allow surfers several payment methods and emphasize the issues of security and safe shopping.
Go towards the surfers – increase traffic
As we said earlier, Virtual store It is ultimately a commercial website. Therefore, and in order to improve the performance of the online store, it is recommended to integrate banners, discounts, promotions, etc. in prominent areas on the website. A popular technique is to give products "original price" and"Sale price". Also, it is possible to integrate within the graphical user interface also the direction to additional products when reaching a certain product page. Of course, you can also work to create a customer club (subscribing to the newsletter) which is entitled to discounts and special offers.
The success of a virtual online store also lies, of course, in the browsing traffic to it. It should be emphasized that the product pages alone, however beautiful and correct they may be, are not able to carry the entire promotion work on their shoulders. Promoting a virtual store on Google requires investment in additional areas. For example, quality content. This content can include color articles about the particular industry, opinions about the various products, articles and professional guides (e.g. – A guide to buying a cell phone in a virtual store that markets products of this type) and more.
QA tests
The stages of setting up a website naturally also include QA quality tests. When it comes to a virtual store, which is not an image website, extra care must be taken with these tests. Even before the website goes live, it is necessary to carefully check that all the menus are in place and that all the search engines reach their destinations. It is very important to make sure that the product pages are user-friendly and that the purchase options on the site are easy, simple, and understandable.