This post will give you tips that will help you make your Shopify store stand out from the crowd. In the world of online marketing, creating a store that gives buyers an amazing experience and standing out will help you attract the right buyers to your store and sell more in the process.
Etsy Vs. Shopify
Shopify has quickly become the gold standard in eCommerce because it gives users full control over the look, feel, and functionality of their store, allowing them to create a completely branded experience.
Unlike Etsy, which limits customization options and requires all shops to adhere to its platform-wide design and layout, Shopify lets has easy to use themes, allowing you to design a website that fully reflects your brand's personality.
With Shopify, you can customize everything from your homepage layout to your checkout process, giving customers a seamless, memorable shopping experience that strengthens your brand identity and increases customer loyalty.
On Etsy, where products are often displayed alongside similar items from other sellers, you'll have a hard time standing out and increasing competition right on your own product pages.
Shopify, however, lets you operate your own independent website, meaning visitors are solely focused on your products without the distraction of competitor listings.
Additionally, Shopify charges a monthly subscription instead of taking a percentage of each sale, which can mean greater profit margins, especially as you scale and make more sales.
Interesting Facts About Shopify
If you've chosen Shopify as the platform for your store, or you're still deciding, here are some interesting facts about this platform. Shopify, is a self-hosted solution which means you don’t have to worry about finding a web host, installing a separate content management system, and then adding Shopify.
If you have no technical skills or if you are starting from scratch, Shopify is an easy choice. On top of that, Shopify comes with integrated blogging capabilities which means you will still be able to create educational, informative, content for your customers to meet them where they are in their buying journey. Shopify also direct links with email marketing providers like aWeber so you can also start building an email list.
Shopify comes with powerful built-in marketing features, like email marketing integrations, SEO tools, and the ability to create custom discounts and promotions. You can also tap into robust analytics that give you deep insights into customer behavior, product performance, and overall store health.
These tools allow you to fine-tune your marketing efforts, drive more traffic, and make data-driven decisions to grow your sales — a level of control that Etsy doesn’t offer to the same extent.
Shopify Offers a Free Trial
Shopify offers a free 3-day trial, and then you can enjoy your first month for just $1. During your free trial, you don't have to give your credit card details until your store goes live. If you're thinking of setting up shop online, why not give it a whirl? This tutorial will show you how it's done.
1. Set up Simple Navigation
Begin with the end in mind. That's a quote from Steven Covey from the 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. It's important to prioritize your most important content.
Next, set up navigation that gets users to zero in on that content, hopefully resulting in a sale.
It means having a clear understanding of your destination so that you know where you are now and so that the steps you take are in the right direction.
If you want your ideal customers to have a great experience with your company, it's a great idea to think of the kinds of outcomes you want for them.
Taking a moment to think about your store from your customer's perspective and setting up navigation that helps them make a buying decision is key. It would also help you routinely get feedback from your customers to see what they would like to see when they visit your store.
Set up your shop in a way that helps and supports customers, from the time your ideal customers see your shop for the first time, to the many (hopefully) visits they will make afterward.
When your ideal customers visit your shop, they are looking for choices like a great product line, competitive pricing, fast, convenient delivery and a convenient way to pay.
They want a no hassle way to get the items they want into their hands. Making your shop easy and simple to navigate is tied to your ability to earn.
Using simple navigation across the top (like in the picture above) or along the side (like the picture below on the right) of your store is the key to simplicity. Adding breadcrumbs can help potential customers know exactly where they are at any given time.
Grouping collections in a way that make sense to your buyers can help you to sell more. Allowing customers to save when buying in bulk, (for example, a buy one get one sale) is also a great way to sell more.
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If you make finding products on your site complicated or frustrating, you can count on your shop visitors leaving to find products like yours elsewhere.
2. Use Shopify Themes and Templates
Once you make sure your shop is laid out well, and functions at a basic level, it's time to ensure that it has the right look and feel for potential and returning customers. To make your shop appeal to your ideal audience, you want a theme that gives it a professional look and feel.
The good news is that there are lots of affordable themes and templates ready for Shopify stores. These tools will help your store look amazing and they're easy to use. These themes and templates are also designed to grow with your shop... from small store to superstore!
Already set on Shopify but not sure how to get started? Shopify has made it so easy to connect your online store to your physical store that the only question you have to answer next is, "How do I want it to look?" and there are endless possibilities to answer that question.
3. Take Great Looking Product Photos
Your product photos have to do your products justice from multiple angles and views. Customers will want to visualize how your product will look in their environment. If you're selling clothing they need to see it on a real person. If it's home decor, they will need to see it in a home setting.
You can take great looking photos yourself using a DLSR camera or your smartphone or you can pay a photographer to take pictures for you. The bottom line is that your photos should be on target.
If you want some tips on how to take great photos, check out this online course Photography Essentials, How to Get Your Best Shot on Fiver Learn. You can also learn about photographic lighting with the Light Tricks course where you'll learn over 70 different light tricks you can do with your camera.
4. Offer Multiple Payment Options
It's not enough to offer major credit cards as the only way to pay, even though it's the standard payment method. In addition to credit cards, adding PayPal provides convenience for those who don't have a credit card. Then there is Google Pay and Apple Pay for mobile users.
Offering these options will enable more users to buy your products and services. It will also allows you to sell virtually anywhere your products are offered.
5. Offer Top of the Line Customer Service
Excellent customer service and convenient terms are a must when selling products and services online. If you provide phone support, be sure to display your customer service phone number. If you have a chat feature, be sure it's apparent that customer questions can be answered using chat. Have a button or a pop up that the customers can see when they arrive on your site.
Your customers need to be able to see your payment terms, refund and exchange policy and when a customer needs help.
Bonus 1: Start Your Shopify Store with Print on Demand Products
If you're a designer (or interested in learning) consider using the print on demand business model to start your Shopify store. Click the image below to learn about selling products from Printful, a company that specializes in print on demand. There is also a company called Printify that specializes in print on demand as well.
Both companies will place your designs on a variety of different items like apparel, home decor and office items in a variety of niches and industries. You design it and they will print and ship it to customers in locations worldwide. They both integrate with many eCommerce platforms like Shopify which makes downloading products to your store a snap! Click the image below to learn more.
Bonus 2: Free Shipping
These days most of us are strapped for time. And when your ideal customers visit your shop, they are looking for a competitive price, and a convenient way to make a purchase and get the items into their hands. Making your shop easy and simple to navigate it tied to your ability to earn.
Make finding products complicated or frustrating, and your shop visitors will leave.
Shopify offers attractive design, product variations, different shipping rates, payment gateways, SEO and marketing features; as well as different extensions and add-ons to further extend and improve your online store.
The great thing is that these tools are affordable for most budgets. Choose the features that will work best for your audience. Be sure to test before launching your store to make sure that everything is running smoothly.
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