Good web design can't sell products that suck
by Joi Murugavell / Joi Design
The biggest problem facing many online stores ... Products that suck. And it’s not just the average 15 year old. When I look at my friends who are 25-40 none of us watch the same shows, listen to the same music or read news from the same source. Why would we? when every day a website or a blog is built just for me, to cater to my needs. 1) Many people spend too much unproductive time and money with web designers When you meet up with your web designer, don’t talk about design before talking to them about who your target audience will be, where you want to take your store. Web design isn’t about designing to make you look good, it’s about making you money. Good design will make you money, designing without marketing in mind, is just irresponsible doodling. So find the right designer, they should be your partner in your online venture. The conversation you have with your web designer should predominantly be “how will this function help people purchase more” not “why is that dot red”. Time is precious, when you work with someone who is a professional in their field, milk as much knowledge as you can from them. 2) Bad bad photos 3) Bad cookie cutter design 4) Stop spamming your own website 5) Why wouldn’t you keep in touch with people who trust you 6) Blogs are for people with too much time on their hands So yeah, what a long newsletter :) ... what an important topic as the wrong choices here could cost you a lot of money.
As its quick and cheap to setup an online store, many people think they’ll put a few products up and thousands of people will purchase from them. This is the number one offender that stops most online stores from becoming successful and sadly, in many cases – from selling at all.
Fact: People are fussy – very very fussy and spoilt for choice, especially online. If you sell products that are available in any ‘every day’ store why would someone purchase from you? For convenience you may think? Very few online purchases are made solely for convenience. I buy groceries online, that’s for convenience, as I really dislike supermarkets. But if you are selling products that are not staples and not targeting a product category that thrives on recurrent orders (contact lenses, diapers et cetera) the right products will make or break your online store.
Product mix should be part of your business plan – a big part. Don’t even bother talking about web design till you give your product mix a good think. There was a time when advertising was a huge contributor to the success of a product, but that was when ads looked like the ad on the left.
The market is changing/has changed and most online stores are not picking up on what the market has been telling them for years. Your customers are spoilt and they're loving it! When I was 15, nearly everyone who was 15 was watching the same TV shows, reading the same comics and following the same trends. It isn’t the case anymore, simply because the average 15 year has access to a borderless range of entertainment.
Which brings us back to your product mix – products that suck are ones that 1) Are not special 2) Can be bought from any corner store 3) Don’t connect with a niche audience and claim to target ‘everyone’ 4) Are not worth talking about. You must build a community around your online store and you can’t build a community of everyone (successfully). Mostly, online stores must find a niche. Target everyone and everyone will come and go. Find your audience and talk to them, build trust. Trust sells. (We’ll talk about building successful communities in an article, if you’d like to be notified when that’s published, tell us here).
Online stores with the right products make a few horrid mistakes too...
Technology has moved on from customized ecommerce solutions that cost 20k+ and a year to build to more efficient and affordable licensed solutions. We personally use a licensed solution (from Business Catalyst) that is affordable, quick and quite amazing really.
Your web designer should make sure you have the right ‘look’ for the products you’re selling to the right audience. It’s also important to have the right brand/logo. When you sell online, you have a brilliant opportunity to send out a card and/or packaging with the products people purchase. Always brand everything that goes out to your customers, as you don’t know where it will end up. If your brand looks ‘smart’ and interesting, you will enjoy good referrals as people pass your cards around to friends. Word-of- mouth is powerful, as people trust people. Btw the right company name - is a huge part of your brand.
If you want your brand to spread like a virus and enjoy the power of accelerated word-of-mouth online – look unique, look special, give people something to talk about. Spend on the initial online store design, a good licensed solution and branding – that’s it, to begin with anyway (move on to niche advertisements, they don’t have to cost the earth). Stay away from customized ecommerce solutions, they take time, cost a bomb and will more than likely give you a headache while taking precious business planning time away from you.
This is the worst offender as it’s so easily fixed!! but look around at many online stores and you’ll find an array of photos that look like high school collages. Do not put bad photos up. Call our client Richard Leonard who took all the product photos you see on the framestore. Click here for his contact details, he will make your products look remarkable – I’m sure of it.
Great care is taken to build the interior of your physical store, the same principle works for your online store. Stay away from the ‘cookie cutter’ look. Your online store should be specifically designed to suit your audience. With Business Catalyst we are able to create customised templates that you can use to grow your online store without worrying about 'messing' the design/layouts up.
Product clutter, “lets put everything but the kitchen sink up?” by doing this you stop people from finding the gems.
Its ridiculous not to keep in touch with people who have already bought from you. It’s no different from ignoring repeat customers who walk into your physical store! People who have purchased from you, trust you and like you – they want to hear from you. Always send newsletters out.
Blogs are actually for people who don’t have any time. No time to think, no time to keep up with what their clients actually want, no time to remember what made them successful in the first place. Blogging is the quickest, most affordable way to keep you honest and help you focus. When we get busy, focus is the first thing that goes out the door. Blogs are extremely effective when it comes to creating a buzz around your online store.
7) Lack of ‘humanness’
You know the one – online stores that make you feel like it’s being run by a bunch of robots. Make sure you make it obvious that humans actually run your store!
8) Messy navigation and checkout process
Don’t give someone reason to halt their purchase because they can’t find your checkout button. Keep the checkout process simple. Don’t make people log in to purchase - unless its to receive a super cool discount!
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