In the last ten years, eCommerce has taken the world by storm, changing the way we shop forever. According to the recent reports from Statista, the expected revenue from eCommerce this year is forecasted to reach over £140,000 million.
With online shopping at such an all-time high, it’s clear to see that having an eCommerce site can prove incredibly beneficial in this day and age. What’s more, eCommerce isn’t simply clothes and cosmetics; industrial and manufacturing tools businesses also have a huge share within the online retail scene.
If you’ve been toying with the idea of leaping into the online business world, here are some top tips on how to start an industrial eCommerce business today.
Creating the perfect website
The customer journey begins at your website. This is the term used to describe a customer’s pathway from first clicking on your page to eventually leaving it. The easier your website is to navigate, the longer customers will spend browsing, increasing the chances of purchasing. Therefore, the text should be clear and concise, pages should have a quick loading time, and you should always have plenty of calls to action (CTAs) throughout. These clickable buttons encourage customers to take action – such as filling out a contact form or making a purchase in the checkout area.
Organize your equipment
It’s one thing to have a well-presented website, but naturally, you’ll need to ensure you have the stock available for customers to purchase. You can start by making a basic inventory of all of your tools for sale before splitting them into categories on your eCommerce site. These could include power tools, drills, spanners, electric screwdrivers, and many other products and tools. The purpose of these categories is to simplify the search for the customer, making it easy for them to find what they’re looking for at first glance.
Consider different forms of advertising.
Once you have everything in order and ready to go, you’ll need to advertise your business. This is crucial to securing purchases and ultimately making a profit. If you’re a new eCommerce business, chances are most people won’t have heard of you yet. That’s where advertising comes into play. Consider who your target audience is and where they might see one of your ads in daily life. For example, if you’re a tool company, you may wish to place printed ads in popular trade magazines which your customer base may read. You can also use social media to create a brand presence. Here, you can create paid digital ads targeted to your customers’ exact demographic, including their age range, hobbies, and location.
