Online retail: The brand benefits

Came across this report on Twitter yesterday, which gives a very interesting insight in to online buying behaviour. And most importantly, an interesting insight into the role that your brand can play in increasing online sales.

There are three things that relate to any business that sells online:
• Loyalty - How loyal customers boost your sales
• Design - How the layout of your site influences customers
• Multiple channels - Engage with your customers at every opportunity

Loyalty
71% said recommendations from family and friends is the most important factor in choosing a site. So if work hard to develop the loyalty of your existing customers, you won't have to look for new ones. Your existing customers will bring in all the new business you need through referrals! So what do you do to nurture the loyalty of your exiting customers?

Design
Poor design of a website is a significant factor in discouraging potential customers. Top of the list is poor quality product images and descriptions (42%), but also included is poor navigation (32%), no contact detail (18%) and a long checkout process (16%). So even after you've got visitors to your site, you can still lose them - in lots of ways! It's no good investing in great SEO, if you don't invest in great design.

Multiple channels
Success online is about more than just a website. Offline activity drives shoppers online: 21% respond to offline advertising and 46% said knowledge of the retailer from a high street presence was a key factor. But digital activity drives shoppers too. 36% respond to an email marketing campaign and 62% visit a social profile site (Facebook, Twitter etc.) before buying. Do you make the most of all the opportunities you have to engage with potential customers?

So if you're serious about selling online, you should be serious about building your brand - offline and online. If you'd like to have a chat call us on 01392 248107 or email jonathan@alderandalder.co.uk.