Have you recently decided to launch an eCommerce business? You might still be waiting for your first fifty customers to show up, and that’s perfectly normal. Running a new business can be difficult. It doesn’t have to be this way, though.
If you’re struggling to get the ball rolling, it can be tough to find where exactly you should start. Our recommendation is to focus on the look and feel of your website first, and a web designer can help. If you’re unsure if a web designer is worth the investment, here are three reasons to hire one ASAP.
You Need to Spruce Up Your Website
One thing that contributes to a high bounce rate is poor website design. Perhaps your template is outdated or your navigation links are broken. If you don’t make it abundantly easy for users to navigate your site within a few seconds, they will simply leave. A web designer can help you boost your eCommerce website so that it attracts more customers.
Expand Business By Expanding Staff
We get what you’re probably thinking. Hire multiple people? Isn’t that overkill? Isn’t eCommerce designed to be doable for a single person? While you can certainly run your business by yourself, it may not be easy or a lucrative choice. Being bogged down in the smaller details of running your business keeps you from focusing on growing it.
At the very least, unless you’re a computer guru, you should consider a web designer. Many growing eCommerce companies opt to hire an administration assistant, web developer, digital marketer, and content writer to help run their websites, too. These professionals can be hired in-house or as freelancers, which can be less expensive.
Before you begin expanding your staff, you need to take a closer look at your business. For example, should you incorporate your business prior to bringing on talent? The tax advantages and protections against liability are good reasons to consider doing this. Additionally, it looks good to potential candidates and could help you raise money when you’re ready to expand your business even further. If you need help with incorporating your business, consider using a formation service.
Hiring for Your Site
If the world of IT is foreign ground, knowing who to hire for your most essential slot — your website — can be quite a conundrum. You can start by learning the difference between a web designer and a web developer. A web designer is basically what it sounds like, in that this person makes a website look good. A developer, on the other hand, does the programming side of things. You might hire a developer to get things up and running, and your designer is going to take things to the next level.
Hiring the right website designer is critical to your success. There are many options out there, but someone who specializes in UX design is particularly appropriate for an eCommerce website. As the Interaction Design Foundation explains, UX designers create highly engaging website context and interaction for users. By being centered around the user (in this case your customer), the user enjoys a more relevant and fulfilling experience, and is therefore more likely to return time and time again.
You Want to Upsell Your Products
Have you heard of upselling? This eCommerce strategy is used by many business owners, and for good reason. It simply works! Upselling involves getting the customer to spend more money than they had originally planned to while they are exploring your products. You can upsell by offering free shipping for a larger purchase, offering discounts for products when they are bought in bulk, or discounts on certain products when paired with other products.
Programming your website to upsell or recommend products can be quite difficult. It can’t be done with a simple plugin — there are configurations to consider as well. A talented web designer will be able to design your website with upselling in mind.
