SimonCotter.com » Sell http://www.simoncotter.com The Passion of Successful Online Businesses Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:53:13 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Highly Successful Ecommerce Websites http://www.simoncotter.com/highly-successful-ecommerce-websites.html http://www.simoncotter.com/highly-successful-ecommerce-websites.html#comments Sat, 31 Jan 2009 20:45:54 +0000 admin http://www.simoncotter.com/?p=74

ecommerce 300x257 Highly Successful Ecommerce Websites

Why would content matter when you are running an e-commerce site? After all, you provide a product or service that people want to buy, so setting up your site to easily purchase should be your primary goal, right?

Not necessarily.

Let’s look at some of the more successful e-commerce sites on the Web and see how they balance content with marketing and sales techniques to get people to not only return to the site, but buy.

A Huge Ecommerce Site: Amazon.com

amazon logo 300x111 Highly Successful Ecommerce Websites

At first glance, it appears that this site is very focused on selling (as they should be), but if you notice, there is much more there than simply “Click here to buy this book”. There are:

  • Excerpts from the books for sale
  • A list of the 100 “hot” books, updated hourly
  • The top video and audio sellers for the day
  • Reviews both by other customers and professional reviewers
  • Author interviews
  • Contests
  • Reading groups and much more…

Amazon.com relies heavily on content to promote return visits and sales. They encourage their customers to review the products and provide live testimonials. Some customers will return to this site, simply because of the reviews and other resources.

An Ecommerce Movie Site: Netflix

netflix logo Highly Successful Ecommerce Websites

On the surface, Netflix doesn’t seem to be about ecommerce – after all, they are a rental company. But they try to sell two important things:

  • accounts – the more people who rent from them the better they’ll be
  • movies – they also sell the movies to their customers once you’re a member

Netflix relies on free trials and demonstrations as the content to drive sales. They have a huge selection of movies to browse, plus lots of information up front about the plans and how you can buy.

Buy CDs Online: CDNow

cdnow Highly Successful Ecommerce Websites

CDNow provides content to their customers once you get past the first page. You can get News, Reviews, and other information about the CDs offered for sale, as well as the artists involved with the CDs. There is even a section of Web links with links to other sites that are relevant to the band in question.

One interesting feature that CDNow has is the ability to customize the site to your personal interests. You can do things like create a “favorite artists” list so that whenever they have new music, you will find out right away.

The More You Talk to Your Customers, The More They Will Like You

While most e-commerce sites do not rely heavily on content, they do use it to promote return visits and customer loyalty. Remember that 95% of the people who come to your Web page won’t buy anything the first time. They have to become comfortable with your site, used to how you do your business, and feel secure enough to commit their hard earned dollars. If you have reliable and useful content, they will return, with credit card in hand.

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]]> http://www.simoncotter.com/highly-successful-ecommerce-websites.html/feed 0 Bring In eBay Customers With Your Site http://www.simoncotter.com/bring-in-ebay-customers-with-your-site.html http://www.simoncotter.com/bring-in-ebay-customers-with-your-site.html#comments Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:21:43 +0000 admin http://www.simoncotter.com/?p=69 ebay logo 300x200 Bring In eBay Customers With Your Site

New customers are out there, but they might not be on eBay–yet. Use a website to show them the way to your business.

To get the most from your eBay business, make sure you’re using the “triangle of success”: eBay auctions, an eBay Store (read my previous column on eBay Stores) and a website. eBay Power-Seller and 47-year-old website owner Yaron Hankin (www.anytimesale.com) says, “People look at someone who not only sells on eBay, but also has his or her own website, as a more established seller.”

Steps to creating a successful e-commerce website include:

1. Domain and hosting:

Use a site like GoDaddy.com or Register.com to locate and purchase your domain, as well as find hosting for your site. sdesign: As an entrepreneur, you’re worth a lot of money per hour. If a company, person or piece of software can do a task for less, let it. You can find many talented, inexpensive designers on Craigslist, Elance and even eBay.

2. Shopping cart:

To ensure your buyers have smooth transactions, use an integrated shopping cart that offers various payment options. PayPal’s Merchant Tools offers many choices, including a free shopping cart.

3. Sales reports:

Stop thinking like a seller and start thinking like an eBay buyer. Use reports that contain valuable information on how your buyers are coming to and moving around your site. These are offered by eBay or as add-ons to your hosting package.

4. Search engine optimization:

Still hoping people will just happen to find your website in the internet “mall” of 9 billion other stores? Buyers use search engines
to locate what they’re looking for. Read Search Engine Advertising by Catherine Seda to get a better understanding of how search engine marketing can drive huge amounts of buying traffic to your website.

eBay also has a powerful, award-winning website solution for you: ProStores. Besides complementing your presence on eBay, ProStores allows you to add another site through which you can sell. “I’ve been able to maximize profits by placing items we don’t [offer] on eBay on [ProStores],” says Hankin, a ProStore owner. “The sale on the [ProStores] website just adds to the bottom line.”

Pricing for ProStores starts as low as $4.85 per month, and depending on the level of ProStore you choose, includes a unique domain name with hosting as well as up to 200 e-mail boxes. You can easily create your website using a setup wizard with more than 130 themed templates. Your shopping cart includes PayPal and credit card payment options, as well as a virtual point-of-service terminal. ProStores helps you easily incorporate advanced marketing strategies into your website, including storewide sales, daily feeds to shopping search engines and an SEO Manager that automatically defines your website for natural search.

Use your triangle of success to achieve a triangle of results: Grow, expand and sanction your e-commerce business.

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