Everyone does everything Online now anyway – Don’t they?

Online services, while offering 24/7 convenience, are not without their fair share of niggling issues and drawbacks. Certainly you will be all too aware of the privacy risks that constant connectivity exposes us to, coupled with the threat of data breaches.

This is without the problems of needing to have a good internet access – do you have too many videos and animations? Bandwidth or signal interrupts can then ruin your customers’ online experience. This more clearly demonstrates the problems that the UK has, with rural and coastal areas not being well connected, but being the precise areas where online shopping has the most benefit.

And while still looking at your online customers’ experience, if you make a mistake with your design and UXP (User eXPerience), any perceived impersonality or confusing layouts can further impact your sales. It makes it more important than ever to be clear about who you are selling to, and what they see you offer as a company, that keeps them coming back.

For small businesses, fully embracing an online service requires you to navigate an ever evolving landscape. This in turn means that having adaptability at the centre of your plans is crucial, but be careful as, seemingly each week, there are constant adverts for new, cheaper, payment systems or a website plug-in, that will guarantee more sales. The old saying of the ‘grass is always greener’ comes to mind when looking at options and a certain caution is recommended.

So what is the solution?

Take time to make sure that your online experience offers everything that your face to face service does. Perhaps ask a trusted friend to go through the shopping experience and report back, brutally and honestly how they found it. Then carry out the same exercise by telephone or in your store.

Have everything right and offer a truly balanced service which means that, regardless of whether they shop with you face to face, by telephone or online, the service is the same, then you and your business will be ready to grow into the new commercial horizon.

Creatively Yours…

Creatively Yours Ltd helps businesses like yours succeed online through website design, website development, and our Helponomics system that offers support and training as you need it and highlights areas that could increase your sales.

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Then why not drop us a line to helping@creatively-yours.co.uk, or simply call us on 01536 23 98 98 or 01493 718 300