How to Retail Effectively Online
How do you make an impact to retail effectively online against the many millions of websites out there?
Whether you are a small, one person business or a larger organisation, selling online with ecommerce today is the equivalent of Marks & Spencer opening their first market stall – a must-have tool to extend your selling success.
This may be your first try with marketing your products on the internet, or you may be an experienced retailer looking to revamp your brand. Whatever the reason, getting the foundation of your business in place first will mean that all your hard work in the future will be based on a solid footing to help build a brand that will stand out from the crowd.
The first building block to success online is securing a domain name that reflects your business, is unique and memorable.
Here are 3 key pointers to consider when choosing a domain name for selling success that will shift your online retail focus from hobby to professional.
1. Use Keywords in Your Domain Name
Your domain name wants to reflect what your business is all about. For instance if you make bespoke cushions for people’s homes, a domain name such as Cushions for Couches would tell the searcher exactly what you make!
When people search they are looking for something to solve a problem. They are not searching for YOU. Be the answer to your future customer’s problem by helping them shop with you, because you are providing them with the answer to their pressing issue. They will not be able to resist their curiosity and will click on the link to find out what you are selling.
2. Keep it Simple
Keep It Simple is what you need to keep in mind whenever you are doing anything online! The trick with a domain name is to not get too hung up if your first choice is not available. This WILL most likely be the case, unfortunately.
If you can, keep the domain name to around 15 characters long, shorter is better.
Using hyphens, numbers or special characters to achieve what you’re after can easily cause typos and confusion, especially when spoken. Research is key – you don’t want all your hard work to go to someone else’s website.
There are always exceptions to the general rules and this is where knowing your customers inside and out will really help you – take 123reg as an example, or my own site Retailer-Resources – they work for the business despite going against the norm and including numbers and hyphens!
3. Leave Room To Expand - Growth is Good
What do I mean by this? Well, let’s take our cushion analogy … if we have chosen Cushions for Couches as our domain name, we would find it very hard to be able to talk about other forms of home decoration such as floor rugs or wall hangings.
Whilst cushions might be what we are selling online first of all, we want to have the opportunity to expand when we are ready, without having to completely rebrand. So while knowing your niche is important, remember to leave room to grow your retail business in a way that makes sense for your customer when they are shopping.
So, to retail effectively online:
Think like a business person from the start and it will reward you in the future. You will be able to expand your brand over time and keeping things simple will definitely help you sell on the internet successfully. Your domain name is just the beginning of your adventure to selling successfully.
Retailer Resources Round Up
Before you settle on any domain name, be sure to check it out with family, friends, and even better; your customers! They may well spot an issue or word association you had not. So take your time and look, read, say your domain name over a couple of days before you fix on it.
If you are looking for some help and advice for your retail business, why not get in touch with us now? Tell us your business frustrations and we will create a clear path to achieve the success you desire.
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