When one thinks of storefronts,34th Street Macy’s window displays comes to mind. During the Christmas season, there are lines upon lines of people waiting to peak at the beautiful Christmas displays. Not only is this good for business but also good for the Macy’s brand. In virtual world, the same principles exist for your e-commerce site.
With 30% of the world’s population online, e-commerce stores expand the amount of customers you may have. U.S. retail e-commerce sales for the second quarter of 2011 was $47.5 billion, an increase of 3.0 percent from the first quarter of 2011. With so many online stores, you only have a few seconds to catch their attention.
The number one item on your storefront should be a slideshow. Just like the Macy’s animated displays, a minimally animated slideshow captures the viewers attention to what you want them to buy. The content in the slideshow should be chosen based on your sales strategy. If its Valentines, promote a product for a love one. If its 4th of July, feature summer items. Everyone sells different items, but if you cater to whats going on in the market, your viewer will be more inclined to purchase it then an item that “looks” like the same old thing.
Second, a sales incentive. No matter who you are or how much money you make, a discount is always favorable. This sale incentive can visually be a simple banner promoting Free Shipping or Buy One get the Second One Free. Whatever you sales strategy can afford, majority of people can’t past up a good deal.
Third, connect to your customers via social networks. 40% of all Internet users are on Facebook. You would be shooting yourself in the foot if you did not connect with your customers via social networks. More then just having an icon to your Twitter page or Foursquare page, you should utilize their widgets to further enhance your storefront. From a Twitter feed to a Facebook Like Box, showing your potential customer that you are engaging with current customers will prove to them that your store, product and customer service is reliable.
And finally remember to keep your storefront new and update. Don’t let it get old and dusty. Imagine it like a real physical space– interactive, informative and inviting.