Shopify can be a boon for small businesses, but only if you use it optimally. Improving sales figures and boosting customer loyalty is possible with the right tools and tactics on your side.
This brief guide will get you started on your journey to leveraging Shopify in a way that benefits your company and your customers in equal measure.
Use third-party Shopify apps designed for your type of product, e.g. auto parts
Because it is so popular, Shopify has accumulated an ecosystem of apps made by third party developers to build upon its already solid underpinnings. These apps can be especially useful if you’re catering to a particular market niche with the products you sell; a niche that might not be perfectly suited to the platform in its basic form.
For example, with the help of Shopify fitment apps, it’s a breeze for auto parts retailers to include information on the different aspects which differentiate an otherwise identical product. This could include the year a part was produced, or the range of compatibility it offers with particular vehicles.
Such customization is key if soaring sales are to be achieved. This isn’t just about giving customers the information they need, but also about minimizing returns and getting a better handle on your inventory.
Embrace high quality product images
If your products are not well represented on your site, then you’ll struggle to convince consumers to part with their cash.
You can vamp up your images by taking product photos yourself, which can be rewarding for the additional reason that the pictures will be unique, rather than just copy-pasted from the manufacturer’s site.
Whatever you do, ensure that the snaps are of a high enough resolution to look good at a distance and when zoomed in, while still being encoded in such a way as to reduce their size and not compromise page load speed.
Customize store pages with your branding & layout
Shopify makes it simple to get an ecommerce site up and running in a short timeframe, with templated designs allowing any small business to enter the online shopping market at the drop of a hat.
However, this approach does mean that sites that are left customised will end up looking generic, and could be difficult for visitors to differentiate from the thousands of similar shopping sites out there.
This is where making your own adjustments is necessary, and you don’t need to do much to see positive results in this area.
For example, just adding your logo and adjusting the colour pallet to suit your branding across every page will hit home. Also think about your broader brand identity, and how this can be reflected in the site design, without compromising usability. This is a good way to move towards uniqueness.
Don’t be afraid of using popups
While having a website with a popup is generally not ideal, it actually works well in an ecommerce context, so long as you are careful about how you implement this feature.
For example, you can get more people to sign up to your mailing list, thus making them prime targets for email marketing campaigns, if you include a popup on your Shopify site which offers them a discount off their next order if they make a commitment.
This is just one of the many small but impactful ways you can overhaul your Shopify game and earn your small business more sales, even if you are facing down larger competitors. Failing to act is worse than experimenting with changes, so don’t procrastinate!
