business tips Archives - Page 8 of 17

If you run a small business online, focusing on improving your eCommerce offer is probably already pretty high on your priority list. There has never been a better time than now to implement some quick and easy fixes for your business. Some businesses have a little more downtime to focus on those projects which don’t always top the task list normally. That said, a lot of businesses are finding the pandemic has actually increased their sales figures as customers increasingly go online to make their purchases. Responding to this is a great way to continue to adapt to changing conditions and to focus on business growth. Make sure you boost your website during lockdown to cater to the needs of your customer.

Boost Your Website During Lockdown : Improve Your Customer Retention

Acquiring new customers is expensive, time-consuming and a bit of an unknown quantity. Smart small businesses choose to focus on a customer retention strategy as well. Customers who buy into your brand have a higher cart conversion rate, purchase more items on each visit and generate more revenue every time they come to your website. Focus on ways to improve customer experience and cross-sell services or products, or perhaps even look at introducing a customer loyalty scheme.

Boost Your Website During Lockdown: Include Video Content

The data shows that videos are a really useful tool when it comes to increasing conversions on your website. The return on investment for this form of marketing is consistently high, so it’s definitely worth creating some video content which can be hosted on your site and on other external platforms. The format resonates with people and is an ideal way to showcase a product or explain a service in more depth, as well as bring customer testimonials to life.

Put Mobile First

Any eCommerce website is losing out if it doesn’t have a mobile strategy as well. A huge amount of people use their tablets and mobile phones to browse and purchase. 40 percent of mobile users buy from their devices, rising to 65 percent cent of millennials. So if your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re potentially missing out on a huge chunk of sales. Customers want speed and convenience when shopping, personalised offers and extra rewards, so sometimes setting up your own app is a good way to tick those boxes. It doesn’t have to be expensive, there are a few options for out of the box eCommerce apps that you can personalise with your branding, rather than having something that is custom-built.

Highlight Your Best Sellers

Customers should be free to browse on your site, but there’s nothing wrong with directing that browsing experience a little. Things like well-structured navigation are of course essential, but equally a category approach showcasing your best selling items is a really good way to focus their journey. When people visit your site for the first time, it can be a little overwhelming, especially if you sell a broad range of products. So showing off your best sellers provides an edited highlight of the items they are likely to be interested in and provides cognitive validation for their purchase. Try to also showcase some products where your profit margins make a good return for the best results.

In Business & Blogging

Future Proof Your Business

Nicki CawoodApril 29, 2020

Are you running your own business? If so, then you will always have goals that you want to reach and a way to measure your success. One way to determine how successful your business has been to think about a key point. You need to consider whether your company is built to last and essentially whether it has a future. There are numerous ways to ensure that this is the case if you future proof your business so let’s explore the options.

Hope For The Best, Prepare For The Worst

Obviously, you are going to be hoping for the best with your business. You want to believe it’s going to be a success with lots of interest from customers. You also want to believe that you’re not going to run into any issues that could bring it crashing down. This isn’t realistic because problems do occur in every business model. However, if you are aware of issues like cybercrime, you can prepare for them. For instance, if you are running a store, then shop insurance could give you the financial support you need if you are targeted by a hack. It’s important not to assume that big businesses are the only ones that run into issues like this. Small companies can be hit too.

When writing this we, including the business community, are on lockdown due to Covid-19. I am incredibly glad and grateful that I took time in the past the future proof to an extent my business. It means that I am continuing to trade during this difficult period. Always expect and plan for the unexpected.

Future Proof Your Business: Put A Plan In Place

When you put your first foot onto the market, you should already have a plan in place. Experts recommend that a business should typically start with a five-year action plan. This should cover everything from the products and services that you are going to offer to how you are planning on expanding and the customers that you will be targeting. It should all be written down and if you have a plan like this which is presentable you’ll find it easier to attract investors too.

Future Proof Your Business: Engage

One of the easiest ways for a business to lose longevity is if it starts to stagnate. If you are bringing nothing new to the table, then your customers and clients are going to become bored with your business. They are going to start to wonder whether they should turn their attention to your competition. You don’t want this. You want to work to ensure that your company continues to be favoured. The best way to do that is to find out what your customers want and then deliver it to them. The easiest way to ensure that happens is to engage with your customers. No one knows what they want from your business more than they do.

This also ties into the last thing that you need to do to ensure that your company has a future. You must keep moving forward. You need to continuously bring new ideas to the table that will resonate with your customers. You can’t expect them to continue supporting your business if your offerings are old or outdated.

I hope this helps you understand some of the best ways to future proof your company and ensure that it is on the market for years to come.

What are your top tips when it comes to future proof your business time?