This year we have all had a good hard look at our operating models and had months of glaring gaps in service delivery staring back at us, while the world seemed to stand still. We had many clients approach our agency to undertake our Quick to Market (QTM) services, that were rapidly deployed to do everything we could to get companies online and fast.
Since the lockdown was initiated in phase one of the pandemic response, we have seen companies come to us with more thoughtful plans for e-commerce -and we thought - it's a critical time to revisit why addressing e-commerce as a thriving revenue stream is essential for your longterm success moving forward.
Consumer expectations have never changed so rapidly. We went from a culture reliant on smart centres and shopping malls, to one returning to our reliance on the postal service in a flash! A well built e-commerce site became the backbone of business and a strategic advantage for companies with a well-oiled strategy in place.
Consumers are no longer happy to have a call-to-order service, but now expect an easy-to-navigate digital purchase experience, with goods delivered directly to their home. When safety became the priority driver for behaviour and change, companies who met that challenge with ease were rewarded with a new, strong and loyal client base. We have long said "be there when your client needs you" as a strategy for digital growth, and 2020 proved to be the year that kind of thinking quadrupled its dividends.
Sites that were not built to function with ease were quickly seeing their bounce rates increase, in favour of sites more tailored to the modern e-commerce experience. Platforms that simplify the buying process, like Shopify, saw massive growth and exciting impactful change for small businesses across the world.
When you think about the online shopping experiences you love, it is the smooth ones that have professional websites and feel good to move through. This is critical in the digital buying economy.
E-commerce has two critical components to make true, meaningful bottom-line impact for a business. First, the site needs to look good. It needs to be something that compels a buyer to transact, images need to ooze appeal and descriptions should feel accurate and enticing. The colour swatches, the sizing options... every little thing is critical. That is the beauty.
The beast is the engine. The guts of your e-commerce site need to have the ability to really support the work you're ready for. Your hosting needs to be robust to handle an influx of traffic. The engine is fuelled by the strategy that includes the marketing components - but that's another blog for another day.
As we approach another potential lock down, I hope you take a good hard look at your e-commerce strategy and evaluate your site with fresh eyes. If we can help you thrive through the impending unknown, we'd love to chat.