How to setup a online shop

by Ralf Tenbrink | May 29, 2020 | Information

Domain name

The domain name is a very important part of your consideration before you setup your new online shop. Changing the name at a later stage is a lot of work, requires rebranding and additional marketing efforts. Better get this right before you begin. Click here to read our article about domain name.

Hosting options

This is equally important than the domain name. Changing a host does not require any rebranding or marketing but is quite a time consuming task depending on the size of your shop. This will affects your emails and if not done correctly could mean that you lose orders. Therefore go with a hosting company that offers optimized hosting for the online shop system your are planning to use. Click here to look at our special hosting offers for WordPress

Shop system

There are many shopping systems to choose from with various feature. You should ask yourself the following question before you chose.

• How many products will you have
• Will you be delivering worldwide
• Are they weight and size restriction you need to consider
• Do you need stock keeping
• Do you need export of the data to an external accounting system

We recommand and use Woocommerce for WordPress. Its easy to use, flexible and has countless features. Click here for a up an running online shop. And click here for an example of what you shop could look like.

Summary

Setting up an online shop seems easy but there are a few pitfall that you need to be aware of. We have setup several shop systems and are here to help. Just contact us and we have a free chat.

Customer Loyalty – Is there a such a thing?

by George Cornelius | Apr 13, 2020 | Information

Make your existing customers feel special

It’s a well-known business fact they keeping your existing customers is far less expensive than winning new ones.  In fact, there are numbers quoted as high as 6 times as much.  Therefore, it may be a big mistake to invest all your time focused on generating new business to the point that you forget about the ‘cash cow’ your ‘low hanging fruit’ your existing customers.

It is also a big mistake to focus only on providing good customer services.  Customer Service is dead, now Customer Engagement is the driver for long term business relationships.  Engage with prospects and customers, build meaningful relationships, get face to face if possible, listen to them, understand them and provide value for them.

How?  There are numerous ways in which you can engage with your existing customers and many of them can be automated so once it’s all set up you do not have to be physically involved, yet the experience you are providing will help towards building a strong and positive emotional state that makes customers feel connected to your business.

Here are a few for you to consider:

• Newsletter, new menus or an invitation sent to a list of your customers every month, personalised to them.  Include a special offer but only for those existing customers.

• Put together Monthly tips and ideas on how to use your product or service, how to get more value from what they have purchased.  Many food distributors use this concept I have a spice shop sending me monthly recipe ideas, that also require me to purchase a different type of spice.

• Send invites to live events, streaming product demonstrations, webinars or send links to videos to explain a new product or service offering.

• Send out a poll or survey to establish what else you can do for the customer, their likes, dislikes and thoughts. Better still create a poll on Facebook and ask for opinions and ideas.  We recently placed a poll on the Facebook page of a well-known fish and chip shop on the Costa Blanca asking about deliveries whilst closed during COVID-19.  They had an incredible response and increased follows to the page, as all these people wanted to be kept aware of the outcome.

• Train your team of staff, to actively engage with customers as they enter a shop, restaurant or Bar. Acknowledge, greet them, good old fashioned ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ engages people.

Whatever you decide to do to achieve a level of ‘Customer Engagement’ make sure you maintain your contact or live interaction on a regular basis.

Websites – Here are 10 Reasons Why Business Needs One

by George Cornelius | Apr 13, 2020 | Information

Don’t think your business would benefit from having a website? Don’t think you can afford one? Think a Facebook page will do instead?

Or perhaps you don’t have the time to manage your existing site effectively, and it’s becoming old and outdated?

I truly believe that many business owners today did not go into business to manage a website, they went into business to grow the business, create revenue and profitability and ultimately lead a lifestyle that the businesses profitability allows them to.

Yet they now recognise that successful businesses of today need a professional website that drives business, creates a positive perception, and business opportunities

For many, a professionally developed and promoted website is their main route to market.  Now business owners realise that the first action any prospect takes when sourcing or buying is to search the web for a suitable company, restaurant, shop etc that meets their needs.

Here are 10 reasons that demonstrate why every business NEEDS a professional website, no matter what size that business is, what its turnover may be or the type of business it is promoting.

1. “Homemade” websites just don’t hack it in today’s competitive marketplace.  According to a recent study, 94% of B2B buyers conduct online research, and 81% of Shoppers / Consumers do the same.  That means you need your website to properly reflect the high standards and brand of your business, to beat your competitors.
2. You never get a second chance to create a fantastic first impression.  First impressions count and customers are passing judgment and making decisions about whether they will even use you as a supplier, visit your store, eat at the restaurant or buy in your shop. They’re likely to dismiss your business entirely, should they believe your website doesn’t reflect the kind of experience your business – or a business like yours – should offer.
3. SME’s generally perceive websites as a cost and an expensive cost.  Yes, subject to the type of website you require the design, development and delivery could prove to be expensive, however for most smaller businesses a website requires a small investment and can pay for itself in no time at all.  Website developers recognise SME’s have limited funds and have become more flexible, inventive and creative in charging their fees.  Don’t let the competition snatch your customers away because you don’t own a business website, or the one you have is outdated, slow and boring.
4. Let’s make it clear, a professionally designed and developed website is an investment, not a COST! A website can give you immediate access to thousands of potential customers and when compared to alternative hard copy routes to market it is a very cost-effective way to promote your business.  Yes, your site needs to be found, but with effective SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) it will be found locally, nationally and internationally, should you wish.
5. It’s always open! Your website is always accessible and working for your business even when your business is closed.  That’s 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, promoting and motivating your customers and prospects to buy what you are offering.  If you have an eCommerce shop you could be making money whilst you sleep.
6. Customer Service is critical today, so by including a FAQ page, adding articles or additional information on your products and services allows people to find out more about your business.  You can also provide access to a newsletter or blog to keep customers aware of events, new products, services and special offers.  The customer of today needs to be comfortable in the knowledge that a business with will be there to help them should there be an unforeseen problem.
7. Communicating with your customers takes time and time is money. Providing up to date information to your customers takes time, whether it’s on the phone, face-to-face, in a brochure, or in emails. By using online brochures, menus, technical information and catalogues, you can provide lots of information about your products and services that prospects can read at their leisure.
8. Most customers today will assume your company has a website and may search for your business only to find you do not exist or at worst it does exist but it’s not professional, is disorganised and looks badly presented. Face it, you need to have a professionally developed website that proactively manages the customer’s perception of your business, if you don’t it’s costing you money, growth and profit.
9. Use it locally first before taking on the world. Websites are a very successful route to building business relationships at a local level, which is crucial to the success of so many small businesses.  Focusing on your online business means building relationships with customers and potential customers, and turning that online connection into long term business results: loyal, engaged customers who come back time and again.
10. Business is about the customer, not you! In the competitive marketplace of today, customers want to interact with suppliers and businesses in a way that suits them, when it suits them and how it suits them.  To not be positioned to accept orders by email, text or messaging is costing your business money in the short-term, and long-term customers in the long-term.

After reading the above I hope it’s clear if you don’t have a website you’re missing out on opportunities for customers to identify who you are, what you do, how you conduct business and if they want to spend their money with you.

However, it’s not enough to just have a website – a bad website may be worse than not at all. While no website equals missed opportunities, a bad website can be worse since it literally makes your business and how it operates look bad.

If you have a Facebook page that’s great and even better when it combined and fed through your website.  That aside how many Facebook pages do you see where heads are cut off because the images are sized wrongly or not posted regularly or worst no one is clicking or reading your posts.

If you can’t proudly promote the current website you have then shut it down until you can. Same goes for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram etc.

Last point on owning a website.  Many business owners think that once you have a functioning site the job is done, WRONG, you must invest time in keeping your website updated, relevant and easy to find by using the right keywords.

This takes time and is why I recommend outsourcing that activity to a digital specialist who can ensure your website has the best chances of success in all areas

Business owners may not be the best person to design, develop and manage a website.  In my opinion business owners should work ‘On their Business and not in their Business’

Like more information or would like to discuss the development of your existing or new site then contact us.