Date Published: 3-May-2013
With the increase in number of e-commerce businesses, attracting visitors to a website has become a challenging task for online businesses. At the same time, engaging the visitors and achieving the return traffic is also important in the present competitive environment. Web merchandising can be effectively used to achieve such goals. The following paragraphs will give a clear picture of the importance of web merchandising in present day e-commerce.
Use rich media to enhance the experience
While shopping online customers will not have the chance to check or touch the product directly, the website is the only source for them to know about a product. Using rich media you can give your customers a real-time experience of the products. This includes providing images of the products, a 360-degree view of the product and videos to demonstrate features of the product.
Simplifies online shopping
If you want to sell more products via the Internet, besides having a huge collection of merchandise, you have to make sure that it is easier for customers to pick and buy products from your e-commerce website. The variety and versatility of the products that you offer should not confuse the customer.
A good web merchandising strategy helps in presenting products in such a way that even a first time user can find the product easily and successfully completes the purchase process. It deals with various aspects that enable better presentation of the products and enhance usability of the website. It also provides functional tools like search filters, product comparison options to make the shopping easier. By coordinating different aspects web merchandising simplifies online shopping and thus reduces the chances of an interested potential customer, who initially visits your website, eventually going to another site to make the purchase.
Persuades visitors to buy products from the website
Today’s customers tend to look for information before they buy a product. In a brick and motor store sales people give required information to the customer. In online stores, web merchandising will accomplish the task of providing the information that a customer needs before they make a purchase decision. So, providing educative, useful information and presenting the information in a better way will persuade a customer to buy products from your e-commerce website.
Helps in differentiating your brand from competitors
The growing popularity of the Internet has led to the growth of online users and at the same time many e-commerce companies. You can only be successful when you differentiate yourself from your competitors. Web merchandising enables you to use your creativity to present a much better angle of your business to the customers so that they can easily spot the difference. Though, all product descriptions may be nearly the same, the way you showcase your products to the customers using your web merchandising practices will give your website a brand identity.
Improves customer conversion and retention rates
The ultimate goal of any business is sales and to acquire as many customers as possible. Through web merchandising, you are enabling customers to meaningfully know about the product before they buy it. Your site is providing functional tools, and above all the purchase procedure is also made simple. When all these buying activities are made easier, customers not only like your site buy also incline to buy products and tend to re-visit your website for future purchases. Thus, an effective web merchandising strategy could help improve customer conversion, customer retention and repeat purchase rates.
These points clearly explain the importance of good web merchandising practices in making e-commerce businesses successful.
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