You can easily imagine the scene. A summer barbecue, meeting new friends and you tell them about your online store that sells your recently written e-book. Impressed, they pull out their smartphones to see your site only to find that your store pages don’t load properly. Don’t get caught unprepared by a situation with such a simple fix. Run through this list of steps and you’ll be proudly displaying your store and making sales at your next social event.
#1 Get mobile optimized
Though your overall site design may be mobile device ready, that does not ensure that your store, the product pages and checkout process, are prepared to operate seamlessly on mobile devices. Check with your eCommerce provider or when researching a new shopping cart platform, be sure that they offer a mobile optimized version of your store. In many cases, this is as easy as clicking a button and will provide a consistent and seamless store experience for shoppers on mobile devices.
#2 Add a Facebook store
Even if the dinner party scenario doesn’t happen, you are likely one of the billion individuals connecting on Facebook with friends old and new. There’s no better way to capitalize on your network than by adding a Facebook store directly to your Facebook business page. Again, for many eCommerce services, with the click of a button you can automatically replicate your existing online store to a tab on Facebook, making it incredibly easy for individuals to find your store without leaving Facebook.
#3 Integrate email
Another common get-together occurrence is exchanging emails with new acquaintances. To maximize even this small opportunity, be sure to include your store URL in your email signature as well as a call to action encouraging the individual to visit the store. Rather than just linking people to your website, you can also try linking them to a page that asks them to join a store email list to stay abreast of promotions and any other store news.
Anjali Cameron leads marketing for Cashie Commerce, which makes it easy for small businesses to create and mange social, mobile and online stores. Cashie Commerce helps customers sell anything on any website and provides the sales and marketing tools to help customers grow their business. Working daily with small businesses, she’s learned a lot about ecommerce best practices. Check out her tips and ideas for selling online.