Given the current global situation, it’s no surprise that most traditional retail stores have shifted their focus to bolstering their digital presence. Although many establishments are beginning to reopen, they’re being met with middling crowds since there remains plenty of people who still aren’t ready to fully step out into the world again. The future of retail is headed online, and it’s your job to keep up with all the changes that will bring.
Here are some best practices for online visual merchandising which will help you optimize the online shopping experience for your customers.
Think of your landing page as a window display
Gone are the days of clothing racks and posing mannequins for passersby to gawk at, as your store’s window display is now your eCommerce website’s landing page. This space should be dedicated to highlighting your newest goods, sale items, and bestsellers. Don’t forget to apply the basic principles of traditional window display design: your display should look bold, clean, and it should tell a cohesive story.
Enhance your customer service support
There are certain questions and concerns your customers will have that simply can’t be addressed through an FAQ. In order to make sure that you can meet your customers’ needs and turn them into loyal clients, you should provide reliable customer service support on your website. Live chat features, responsive emails, or a dedicated phone line are some great ways to implement this on your website.
Make sure your web page is responsive
People don’t just access the internet from their laptops and desktops these days. A staggering amount of traffic on your website may well be coming from people using mobile devices. This is why it’s important to optimize your website to be responsive and intuitive for people accessing it from various electronic devices, whether that be a mobile phone or a tablet.
Utilize various visual mediums to present your products
The biggest distinction between physical and digital shopping is the fact that brick-and-mortar stores make customers feel more confident about making a purchase since they can experience the product firsthand. You can bridge the gap between these disparate experiences by presenting your products in a way that gives your customers a good idea of its quality. This means providing high-quality images and videos of the product from tons of angles and close-up shots.
Set up an informative “About Us” page
Your “About Us” page is the perfect opportunity for you to tell people about your company’s story. This is where you can convey who you are, what you’re offering, and why you’re doing this. Make sure to also have your contact information displayed clearly, such as your email address, social media profiles, and your physical address. It also helps to set up a separate FAQ page to answer important questions that need to be answered.
Offer multiple payment options
One upside to online shopping, among many others, is the wealth of payment options available to customers. In a traditional brick-and-mortar store, you might only be able to offer the options to pay by cash, cheque, or credit cards, but in an online store, there’s a diverse range of alternatives available. This includes PayPal, debit card, credit card, Venmo, WePay, and more. Make sure to incorporate the most popular payment methods into your site.
The shift to digital commerce might be jarring to some traditional retailers, but these simple and easy tips will help the transition go over smoothly.
