Golden and simple steps to manage an online store that achieves the best results
Golden and simple steps to manage an online store that achieves the best results
With the unprecedented growth of the number of online stores, competition is intensifying, which means the need for more organized and effective efforts. This boom in e-commerce highlights the importance of managing your online store effectively, to get the best possible results and expand your customer base. So how to manage a successful online store?
Content
What is the management of electronic stores
The most important tasks of managing electronic stores
The importance of managing electronic stores professionally
Requirements for managing a successful online store
Professional online store manager skills
The necessary tools to successfully manage the online store
How to manage an online store to achieve the best results
What is meant by the process of managing electronic stores?
Online store management is the responsibility of disposing and organizing store operations with the aim of increasing sales. Managing an online store involves multiple aspects, such as content, website design, security, and marketing, in addition to managing the store's staff. The management of online stores focuses its efforts on providing a wonderful user experience that meets the aspirations of the target audience, whether in terms of displaying products, purchasing steps, or payment processing...etc.
The most important tasks of managing electronic stores
E-shop management includes various tasks that cover different online commerce activities, the following is a list of the most common of these tasks:
planning
The management of the online store deals on a daily basis with planning, whether by developing a comprehensive business plan that includes products and marketing, or by defining pricing strategies and sales policy. Planning also includes conducting market research to study competitors and the target audience.
Website development
The management of the online store keeps pace with the latest web technologies in designing and developing the website and creating its content, whether at the level of texts or images and videos.
Security
Ensuring the security of the store and customers is one of the most important responsibilities of the online store management, so it is keen to ensure that payment methods are safe, maintain the confidentiality of customer personal data and store it safely away from the threats of hackers and pirates, in addition to making sure that all store security protocols work efficiently to protect it from any cyber attackIt disrupts browsing and purchasing processes.Maintenance and modernization
The management of the online store checks both the content of the website and its working system, to ensure their safety and accuracy. Content checking includes updating pricing and product information, as well as adding new products or removing out-of-stock products. As for checking the site system, it includes measuring the speed of loading pages, and making sure that the templates, plugins and content management system are working efficiently and updating them when needed.
Marketing
The online store management analyzes various reports and analyzes to measure the store's performance, and then recommends the required offers and marketing activities, to increase sales, improve search engines, and enhance customer loyalty. For example, look at reports on the number of visits that don't end in purchases, which products sold more after being promoted, and which sold less after a price increase.
What is the importance of managing electronic stores professionally?
Professional management of an online store means handling all operations and taking excellent care of every customer. The importance of managing online stores professionally lies in taking advantage of the following advantages:
Fast fulfillment of all requests
During the busiest purchase seasons, the online store is keen to ensure that all orders are fulfilled and that there is sufficient stock of products. Thus, the professional management of the store provides an organized framework for the order fulfillment processes, so that it is carried out with a smooth and stable flow.
Efficient shop in all respects
The professional management of the online store is keen to build a website specially designed to meet the needs of customers, so that it includes all the advantages that the customer wants to obtain once he visits the store. This means that professional management will enable you to achieve the design and development of a store that puts the customer at the top of his priorities much more efficiently than usual.
Simpler operations
Technology did not leave one of the tasks of e-commerce without and contributed to it, including payment gateways and content management, integration with other applications, and other electronic store management programs that contribute to the customer's access to an easy and satisfactory shopping experience.
The management of a professional online store relies on employing these technologies, so that operations become simpler and of higher quality. This saves time and ensures the completion of the most important work in a timely manner, and it also makes managing the store easier.
24/7 service
Professional management keeps the store running 24/7, especially if it targets customers from different countries, as you can hire assistants from different time zones, so you don't need to restrict the number of working hours, and customers will be able to get the required support in right time without delay.
This prevents any sales opportunities being lost due to the absence of a customer service representative, ensures that no inquiry is missed and provides an enhanced user experience that makes customers more satisfied with their purchase experience, thus turning into loyal customers.
Greater reach
Effective marketing of the online store needs to constantly improve its presence on the Internet, whether in Google search engine results or on social networking sites. Professional writers and social media professionals help to achieve this goal successfully. A professional writer can write high-quality articles that are relevant to the quality of the store and the products it sells, helping to rank higher in the search results.
As for the social media officer, he can maintain an active presence on important social platforms, and create opportunities to interact with the audience. We conclude that the professional management of the store not only means good management of current orders, but also means working to win more orders in the future.
Less chances of errors
The professional management of the store relies on well-trained specialists to perform their tasks, as a result of which the chances of making mistakes that unqualified individuals may fall into are reduced. Professional management also ensures that every task, no matter how small, is carried out with precision, so that you maintain a professional image of your brand in the eyes of customers.
Requirements for managing a successful online store
In light of the existence of many online stores today and the increasing competition between them, the successful management of the online store requires the availability of all the basic requirements for managing an online store, these requirements are:
1. Store logo
The logo is the front of the store and one of the components that inspire confidence in the company. It may depend on a symbol, a word, or a combination of the two, but it should be clear and distinct so that it is easy to distinguish from other logos. It should also be a distinguishing mark that makes it easy to remember the store immediately when you see it. Another important characteristic of the logo is that it be attractive and bright, reflecting the ideas of the company or the store's products.
2. Offers and discounts
Offers and discounts are the first thing that attracts the visitor to continue wandering around the store and browse more products. In the absence of them, the store lacks one of the most important elements of attraction, and the visitor may leave the store quickly. Therefore, it has a strong impact on increasing sales and then profits, so it should be included on the store’s home page. or clearly indicated.
It is important that the offers are credible, easy to find or separate in the main menu under the heading “Sales”, for example.
3. Known Products First
Well-known products mean products of well-known brands, as some visitors go to the store looking for exactly this type of product. Therefore, the products that fall within this category, and offer offers and discounts to the customer, should occupy a clear space at the front of the home page of the site, which encourages the visitor to browse and purchase the products.
4. Register button and shopping cart
The registration button and the shopping cart are two indispensable components of any online store, as the registration button allows visitors to log in to the store with a separate account after adding a username and password, and provides the feature of saving previous orders, so that it is easy for the user to view his purchase history and leave his evaluation of the product .
As for the shopping cart button, it should be within reach of the customer at every step they take inside the store. For example, on the home page, product page, and offers page. A common practice in stores is for the registration button to be adjacent to the cart button in the top bar of the pages, and the search box goes side by side, so that customers can explore the site more easily.
5. Multiple payment methods
Online payment is an essential feature for every online store to provide to its customers, and the more payment methods the better. The store should clearly mention the payment methods that it accepts in the form of symbols in the footer of the store pages or within the payment page, that helps the customer complete the purchase using the appropriate payment method for him.
6. Social account links
Customers today are smart enough to evaluate the store in multiple ways. The most important of them are social accounts. Through account ratings, audience comments, the number of followers, and the level of engagement with posts, the potential customer forms an impression of the store; Either continue shopping or leave it.
Therefore, it is necessary for the website to include links to social accounts, so that the customer can easily navigate to them and learn more about the company, including social accounts: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
7. Chat and contact data
Chat is an excellent feature to communicate with customers instantly and have a direct talk with the customer, to dispel concerns or answer their inquiries right away. As for contact data, especially the phone number, it is a vital component for any store, because it helps the customer to communicate with the store, especially when he encounters a problem related to receiving the product or its quality, so the phone number should be available around the clock, to answer pre- and post-sale questions. posed by customers.
8. Security certificates
With payment being made online as with most stores, security certificates play an important role in instilling trust. For example, an SSL certificate ensures that a customer's financial transaction is safe from prying eyes and ill-intentioned people.
It is easy to notice that the store has this certificate, as it appears in the form of a lock sign next to the URL in the browser, and it may be the first thing that the visitor searches for before completing the purchase process. So it should be available, giving the visitor the sense of security he is looking for while paying.
What are the skills of a professional online store manager?
The online store manager needs a number of skills that enable him to perform his various tasks effectivelyOrganizational skills: In light of the multiplicity of store operations led by the online store manager, he needs skills such as: time management and multitasking, setting goals and prioritizing, to be able to organize and simplify work procedures, set priorities, coordinate activities and classify data.
Training: The manager needs to train the staff members on their new tasks, so he should have a good knowledge of the store and products, and have the ability to train the staff.
Leadership: The manager manages the entire work team, so he should have leadership skills in order to be able to motivate, persuade and communicate with team members, and he should be able to think strategically.
Technical skills: A manager should have basic knowledge of programming, design, and cybersecurity, other than proficiency in software packages related to online work, such as file sharing, text editing, and spreadsheets.
Problem Solving: The manager needs this skill to make the right decisions regarding customer problems, disagreements between the work team, or problems with a supplier.
Mathematical and analytical skills: These skills relate to managing the budget, revenues and expenses efficiently and setting pricing policy, in addition to understanding and interpreting financial data and statistical reports.
7 essential tools to run a successful online store
The online store management uses a number of tools that help simplify, organize, and automate the store's operations, whether related to design, content, marketing, analysis, or customer service. Here are seven types of most used online store management tools:
E-commerce platform
The e-commerce platform is the basis on which the store is built, as it allows the formation of product pages and the making of purchases, among the most popular of these platforms are WooCommerce, Shopify, and Big Commerce. WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress that enables you to create a professional online store through simple steps.
content industry
Content is a powerful tool that helps store management successfully promote it, whether by writing professional descriptions of products, or publishing periodic articles related to products, which helps you build a solid relationship with customers and bring in more visits. To learn how to write professional content for your business, read: Your Complete Guide to Digital Content Creation.
Communication and organization of work
The management of the online store needs to provide means for communication between the work team via the Internet, file exchange, and other means for managing projects, controlling the pace of implementation, and distributing roles. Examples of these tools are:
Ana tool: It is a project management and team organization tool. Its idea is based on customizable kanban boards. It includes many features, including: preparing task lists, sharing files, writing notes and documents, and sharing them with the work team.
Marketing
There are an infinite number of marketing automation tools that help in accomplishing different marketing activities; From emails to paid ads to social media, the most prominent of these tools are:
Mailchimp: This tool helps in launching email marketing campaigns, as messages can be easily designed through easy-to-customize templates, and then track these messages after they reach the mailing list addresses.
Buffer: Social media is inseparable from managing the online store, so the importance of this tool lies in facilitating the management of the store's social accounts from one place, as it enables you to schedule content in advance on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and others.
analytics
Making the right decision when managing an online store depends mainly on analyzing store data, which measures customer behavior, return on investment, and traffic sources. Google Analytics is the most powerful tool of its kind that is used to obtain many insights related to store performance, such as the number of repeat visits and where they come from. Visits, as well as how visitors interact with the store.customers service
Any online store is indispensable for a customer support system that helps retain existing customers and attract new customers, as customer service tools provide the necessary assistance to online shoppers during their purchasing journey. An example of these tools is the Zaytoun customer service program, which provides a knowledge base and a system for chatting with customers. It also allows easy access to customer data from one place, as well as adding technical support staff and assigning their permissions.
How to manage an online store to achieve the best results
Professional online store management depends on seven pillars that you need to understand and apply successfully. Here are the most important online store management tips related to these seven pillars:
1. Build a cohesive brand identity
Commercial identity is the set of visual elements that make up the store's personality. In addition to the logo, there are pictures, videos, icons, prints, invoices, and product packaging. Each store needs to have an integrated identity, characterized by symmetry and regularity, in which color schemes and graphic patterns match, so that the customer can recognize it immediately without having to look at the logo or even the name of the store.
Therefore, be sure to develop a guideline with the most important instructions that the designer must adhere to in the process of designing any component of the visual identity. Then use the services of professional visual identity design, which are provided by expert designers on Fiverr.
2. Design an interface that is easy to use and navigate
Make sure that the online store is responsive, easy to use, and tailored to the needs of the customer, as the user interface plays a vital role in the effectiveness of shopping on the store and its popularity. The interface should be intuitive, guiding the visitor smoothly to what they want, and compatible with browsers and screens of different sizes.
On the other hand, the important information that the visitor needs to know must be clear, such as the purchases page, product categories and subcategories, in addition to “who we are”, payment methods, receipt time, and return policy, and the home page must also be easy to find from Any page within the store pages.
3. Write clear, supportive textsUnlike buying from the real store, the customer can get the seller's help with any inquiries or doubts; Buying online needs clear ad text that amounts to supporting the customer during their shopping journey. This text appears in the product descriptions, homepage content and FAQ page, so the text should provide informationaccurately and concisely required to achieve customer satisfaction.4. Develop a marketing plan for the future
Marketing is the main lever for increasing sales, so the management of the online store should be based on a marketing plan that builds popularity for the store with the public. Before you plan tactics, encourage your customers to leave product reviews or poll customers about their needs and preferences.
While thinking about the types of marketing that will be included in the plan, it is important to know that there is no marketing plan for a store without the use of social media, so you should take care of communicating with customers effectively through social accounts, and other types of marketing that you need to include in the plan is mail marketing Email and blog5. Allow ratings and comments
Good product reviews are an important marketing tool that builds trust with site visitors, and converts more of them into actual customers. Therefore, the ratings and comments feature should be integrated into the design of the online store.
6. Hire the professionals
Running a successful online store requires immersive effort in various areas such as: programming, design, marketing, security, and writing. It is difficult for one person to be familiar with all of them. Even if you have the necessary technical knowledge, your energy or time may not help you to perform all the required tasks efficiently. So consider hiring professional professionals to help you run the store successfully.
7. Read the analytics welThe Google Analytics tool provides a wealth of valuable data about the store and about visitors, so draw important analyzes from it and understand it well. Note, for example, demographic information about visitors such as: geographical location, gender, and age, in order to help you target your advertising campaigns on social media sites correctly. Also note which products are most visited and changes after a marketing campaign or an SEO strategy is implemented.
In conclusion, we will not fail to recall that the starting point in managing the online store successfully is to provide value to customers that encourages them to choose your store over another store, whether that value is a wonderful shopping experience, unique products, competitive prices, or other forms of value, distinction and speed are also important factors to encourage customers to buy your productIn conclusion, my greetings to all
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