What Is E-Commerce?
There is no single definition of e-commerce that tells us what e-commerce is, although Wikipedia offers us a concise answer: “E-commerce can refer to all transactions for the marketing of goods. And services between producer (supply) and consumer (demand), realized through the Internet.” In general, we can say that this definition is correct, even if many variables come into play that it does not consider.
E-commerce is composed of many factors, which differentiate the type. It involves technical information technology to communication, from marketing to graphics, and regulatory and legal issues. It is also necessary to consider the reasons that lead a company to sell its products or services via the Internet and identify which ones base a large portion of their business on online presence.
Characteristics Of A Good E-Commerce
These are the essential characteristics to make an E-Commerce work properly. E-commerce is also spreading in our country, and many companies use this tool to sell their products or services online. An e-commerce website presents products in detail through images and descriptions to generate sales through commercial transactions via the web. There are some characteristics to take into account when choosing to open a site of this type, which are essential to make it work properly:
Clear Structure And Complete Information
It seems obvious, but if the site’s system does not facilitate the simplicity of navigation, the user will hardly buy the products offered. Through a linear path and completeness of the information at the company and single product level, trust will be generated in the customer, leading him to navigate the products easily. The purchase phases must also be easy to understand to best support the customer in concluding the transaction, and the payment methods must be reliable.
Personalization
As for a showcase website, e-commerce must also align with the corporate identity, communicating the brand values in a graphic and textual way. Personalization is helpful for both improving reputation and building trust in the customer. When the customer chooses to view a product, he needs to decline it according to the material, colours, or shapes he prefers to decide how to buy it. For this reason, the navigation and display filters of the customized product cannot be missing.
Technical Characteristics
It must be remembered that, as for any website, even e-commerce needs to develop a good positioning on search engines, and taking care of SEO techniques favours an increase in sales. The site cannot be abandoned but must constantly be monitored and programmed to be viewed correctly from mobile.
Interaction
The user who chooses to buy online may have questions, comments, or reviews after the purchase. It is helpful to create a unique space for communications to remain public on the site. The company must take into account that in this regard it will need to have a person who takes care of managing communication in this sense with customers, remembering that even negative criticisms must be checked and can become opportunities for e-commerce to improve. Furthermore, having keys for sharing on social networks helps increase the visibility of online e-commerce, encouraging interaction between users.
Returns
For any e-commerce, it is inevitable that sooner or later, an unhappy customer will send back a product they have purchased, and in this case, it is not helpful to label the customer, even if he has left a negative comment. Crisis management is as essential as the site’s organization because a user unhappy with a product or service can become a necessary resource for improvement and is not, in any case, a lost customer.
Also Read: Ecommerce B2b, Growth Opportunities For SMEs