How Can Your Site Compete With Amazon?
There are a couple of ways you can try and gain business over large eMarketplaces like Amazon. Over 4300 unique visitors per minute use Amazon, according to NBC News.
While that is a large number, it should not defeat you, as there are multiple advantages of selling to a smaller audience. Here are a few ways that you can compete.
1) Know Your Buyer
Remember, Amazon sells everything from electronics to clothing. Chances are that your store carries a smaller inventory, with around five to ten different categories. This will allow you to identify who your buyer actually is, along with some of their pain points and challenges they might face in their purchasing journey. You can then base your sales materials based off of the problems that your customer faces. If you know for example that there are accessories that will go along with the product, make sure that those are featured as a cross-sell on the product detail page.
2) Highlight Any Unique Services You Offer
Maybe you offer same-day delivery, or you might have a service for a specific group of customers that’s important. This is another area where you can stand out from Amazon. Maybe you’re able to offer your customers a dedicated account manager, or have your own staff that delivery products right to your customers door. These are things that a site like Amazon can’t provide. Don’t be afraid to mention these things on various pages in your copy. If you offer unique services to your customers, you can also make those your calls to action at the bottom of any pages, and build forms around them to generate leads.
3) Reduced or Free Shipping Costs
If you find that you have a high number of abandoned shopping carts, this may help you. Approximately 28 percent of consumers will abandon their cart due to unexpected shipping costs, according to Kissmetrics. Let customers know of any shipping specials you might have available and/or if you offer free shipping right away. This can be through a pop-up ad, or an icon within the header or footer of your site. If you can’t offer free shipping, consider adding cost to the actual cost of the product to lower the shipping cost.
4) Offer Amazing Customer Service
Start by offering more than just phone support. If you can, offer dedicated account managers that your customer can always turn to. Consider using social media as a customer service outlet, and have your customer service teams trained in taking messages from Facebook Messenger, Twitter DM’s, and other ways customers might try to reach you should they have a question about their order.
5) Create Your Own Loyalty Program
When you shop for something like airline tickets or a hotel room, you might consider staying with the same company so that way you earn rewards. According to a study from Invesp, 64 percent of retailers believe that a loyalty program is the best way to connect with consumers. Having one for your online store can help with customer retention efforts. Within our 7cart eCommerce platform, it’s easy to set up a loyalty program for your customers based on points per dollar. You can learn more about how you can set one up in our knowledge base.
6) Use High-Quality Photos & Videos on Product Detail Pages
If you shop from Amazon, you might be familiar with products having front, side, and back images for you to see a product from many angles. If you haven’t implemented video into your product detail pages, here’s something to consider: Viewers are anywhere from 64 to 85 percent more likely to purchase a product after watching a video, according to Kissmetrics. Offering videos of products can help convert potential customers into new customers, so don’t be afraid to ask manufacturers or wholesalers for videos whenever possible. If your product imagery does not come from a wholesaler, and you are looking to improve it on your own, Smashing Magazine offers a good tutorial on how you can get started.