In this series of introduction to Ecommerce we focus specifically on the step by step guides to launching your business on Ecommerce platforms and also on your websites. So, in case you haven’t checked out the first blog, you can do so right here.
Store Design EBC/A+:
To stand out on ecommerce platforms you need to focus on things like EBC/ A+ and store design, especially on a platform like Amazon. In order to call yourself a brand legally, you need something called a registered trademark. Having the R mark on your logo means that you and only you have the right to use this logo as you please and the use of your logo by anyone else is downright illegal. This is essentially a brand protection exercise to protect you, the owner of brand, from counterfeit products or any kind of misleading advertisement by any of your competitors or say, disgruntled employees. In addition to brand protection, this trademark certificate, once submitted to Amazon, helps you to build something called an EBC or enhanced brand content. It is also known as A+ listing. Now still, there is a slight difference between EBC and A+, but for now you don’t need to worry about that.
In addition to that, registering your brand on Amazon also gives you the right to publish what is called a brand store. This brand store is essentially like a mini website on Amazon. It gives you a decent amount of freedom to design the web page as you please so that it reflects the ethos of your brand and your products. You can put in categories, subcategories, banners, images, links, you name it. The point of this feature is to make sure that brands stand out from all other traders on the platforms.
This feature is really cool being customizable on Amazon. As you know, for brands, pricing is the last concern. They want their customers to understand them and the values of the products that they provide. You can find below some references of EBC and stores that we have designed for our clients so far.
The Mock Drill:
Now that you have great pictures, excellently keywords listings, beautiful EBC and an amazing store, it’s time for you to run a mock drill. To be honest, we have never needed to do this ourselves for our clients because the kind of handholding that we do provide, they can just directly launch and start selling. But for all of the DIY enthusiasts out there, I highly recommend that you run a mock drill and have your friends and family order a couple of your products. This gives you a unique opportunity to iron out the kinks in all of your backend. At the same time, it gives your friends and family the opportunity to review and rate these products so that an honest feedback helps you get better.
That being said, these good reviews and ratings go a long way on platforms like Amazon and even your own website. Since trust is the biggest factor why people do or do not buy on independent websites These initial shipments give you the confidence necessary before you jump into the next stage.
The Advertising:
The next step is advertising. We have almost never come across a client who understands how deeply advertisement is needed in order to establish your brand’s presence online, and honestly, we never understood this outlook. Maybe it is the Internet’s fault to make it look like almost everything out there is free. Trust me, if it’s free, then, my friend, you are the product.
The simple premise for the need of advertising is this. Let’s say you decide to open a shop right on the street. When you buy or set up a store, you pay more for the store facing the streets. At the same time, you pay much less for renting a store that is nestled somewhere deep inside the building, very much away from the eyes of the passersby. You might even get a larger space for the same amount of price. But why do you pay such a hefty premium for essentially the same deliverables, at least when it comes to the space and the size? The answer is advertising. Everything that you pay, apart from the standard fee, is what you pay for the eyes that cross the streets every day. When you face the streets and show off your existence to the walking crowds, the chances of you making a sale go up dramatically. It is impractical to expect people to buy from a store they do not know exists, let alone cannot see at all. Similarly, just because you launch your store online does not make you any special in the barrage of this endless global market. So, unless people know of your existence with the use of marketing and advertising, you, my friend, are not going anywhere. The typical advertisement budget is supposed to be kept around 20% of your target GMV. GMV is gross merchandise value or to put it in simple terms, the gross sale that you want to make.
Customer Delight:
Basically the next crucial part is to manage sale and the customer response. Let’s say your hybrid mix of marketing and advertising with online and offline sources has worked wonders and you got your first order, then the second and the third, and so on and so forth but that does not mean that your work stops. It has merely begun, because now is the time you need to focus on one thing and one thing only, and that is customer delight. Try to get good reviews, good ratings from all of the customers that you have served so far. You can officially and formally ask them to rate and review your product and share their experiences so that you can get better with time. You can also consider sending your products to a couple of influencers and have them chime in about the quality of your products on social media. That also helps you to obviously get a good reputation online. That will eventually drive your sale.
The last part of it all is REPEAT. Yes, that’s it. All you need to do is repeat all of these steps, one after the other, while you are eventually getting better at them.
Yes, of course there are a lot of other integrities involved in this whole process and as you grow, your problems will only increase and so will hopefully your sale. But all of these things are one of those that can be learned along the way. Plus, we are always there to help you out in case you need anything, right? These ten commandments for ecommerce will never fail. You know them, understand them and share them while seeking more from the people around you so that you end up adding value in your product and your service.
That’s all from us in this two part series. In our next blog, we are going to go a little light and take a look at how ecommerce has changed the entire retail landscape forever. Till then, if there’s anything for us to learn, make sure that you put that in the comments down below. If you really loved it all, make sure you share this on your social media.
