5 Steps To Make Your Ecommerce Shop Stand Out

The following is a guest post by of Looka.

Online shopping has made many people’s lives much easier. Not only can you order things to your door, but you have a world of products at your fingertips. We're no longer limited to the selection of products available at our nearest stores. As amazing as it is to have all of these options, it makes owning an ecommerce store challenging. The market is getting more saturated every day.

So how can you draw attention to your ecommerce shop and make it stand out in the crowd? Here are some tips.

1. Offer Cutting-Edge Products – Do your research and sell something better!

There’s no better way to gain business than having the best or most interesting product. Do your research; make sure that your product is different from what’s already out there. What are the best-selling products that are similar to yours? Why are they the best?

Consider marketing your product as an update to theirs; include newer technology or look at the newest industry trends. Being on the cutting-edge means staying ahead of the curve. Make sure to do industry research, find trends, and create an original product to set yourself apart.

For example, The Colossal Shop has a wide selection of products -- from toys to jewelry to temporary tattoos. Everything is quirky, silly, or interesting, while still following popular current trends. The temporary tattoos are floral and the home decor is minimalist; trends which are currently dominating both of those industries.

2. Create a Unique Brand – use quality content to set yourself apart

There is more to your business than simply the product or service you’re selling. Most companies become memorable because of their “brand.” Every company’s brand is different, but brands are always built in similar ways; through advertisements, graphic design, social media presence, word-of-mouth, and customer service (just to name a few).

As an ecommerce store, your online presence is going extremely important in gaining traffic. Make sure that the content you share is consistent with the message and values your brand represents. The best way to do this is through the creation of original content. Creating interesting and shareable content like blog posts and videos is a great way to engage customers and market your business.

The importance of creating a brand for an ecommerce store is obvious with the success of stores like Nasty Gal. Nasty Gal has a demographic composed of mostly young American women and their branding reflects that. The logo is scribbled, indicating an edginess, and their social media content is written as though they are joking around with friends.

Your logo is another critical part of your brand identity. From your website to social accounts, and beyond to physical marketing launches, your logo will be displayed on a multitude of brand assets. Your logo should be engaging and able to make a connection with your customer base. Remember to optimize your logo in order to increase its effectiveness.

3. Use Creative Marketing – get your customers involved and engaged

Creating an interesting and unique brand usually requires a lot of customer engagement. You can also use this to your advantage for other marketing purposes. Encourage your customers to share their purchases on social media; go a step further by creating a hashtag they can use to be featured on your website.

This is a great strategy because it does more than gain attention for your business; it also shows those browsing your store that you have happy customers. NYX Cosmetics, though they are also a physical retailer, have a huge online presence and following. For each product, they show Instagram posts of their customers wearing it.

Another great way to engage with your customers, establish your brand, and set yourself apart is including personalized notes with each purchase. Of course, this is only possible if you’re not selling too many products a day. However, a personal touch with each purchase makes customers feel special and valued.

4. Great Design – make sure your site looks good at first glance

According to Kissmetrics, 93% of shoppers have said that they value visual appearance over any other factors when shopping. This shows that graphic design is extremely important in making sales. Having a beautifully designed website and logo can make your shop stand out from others which use pre-made layouts or logos. Although it can be expensive to hire a logo designer, programs like b12, 99Designs and Looka can help you create custom designs for less.

This is also important in your product presentation. Make sure that your photos are clear and show what the product is. The higher quality the photographs, the better. Having photographs which look expensive convinces customers that the product is high quality as well. Look at Ettitude’s website for inspiration.

5. Make Your Customers Into Philanthropists

Finally, people feel good about doing good. Something that most ecommerce stores don’t do -- or don’t advertise -- is their charitable initiatives. If purchasing something from your shop benefits society, potential consumers might be more likely to purchase from you than another shop with a similar product.

The success of business plans which incorporate philanthropy is shown by companies like TOMS and tentrees. Take a page out of their book and do some good while you’re at it.

Using the Internet to sell your products gives you infinite opportunities but it also means tons of competition. Following the advice above can give you an edge in competitive market. Be confident and willing to experiment. Remember that your product is worth purchasing and market it as such.