10 Questions You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
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The document outlines 10 questions to ask when building an ecommerce store: 1) determining a unique selling proposition, 2) using product photography as a competitive advantage, 3) writing unique product descriptions, 4) understanding customer needs, 5) ensuring branding conveys identity, 6) optimizing fulfillment, 7) streamlining operations and customer service, 8) choosing a platform able to scale long-term, 9) leveraging expertise through content, and 10) spreading word of the business through various channels. Examples are provided for each question to illustrate effective strategies.
10 Questions You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 1. Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 2. 10 Questions You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store 1. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)?! 2. How Can I Use Product Photography As A Competitive Edge?! 3. Is There A Unique Product Description I Can Write To Drive Sales?! 4. What Do My Potential Customers Want To Know About My Product?! 5. Does My Logo and Graphic Design Convey My Brand Identity?! 6. How Can I Optimize My Fulfillment?! 7. What Can I Do To Streamline The Backend While Improving Customer Service?! 8. Will The Software Platform I’m Choosing Be Able To Still Run My Business In 5 Years?! 9. Where Am I An Expert (And I Don’t Even Know It)?! 10. How Can I Spread The Word? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 3. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 4. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store DirectFix.com • Over 36 million combined views on YouTube • Education Is "His Angle" • He Aims To Truly Help His Customers • Causes Him To Stand Out In A Crowded Market
- 5. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 6. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store LotusSculpture.com • Focus On True Artisan Sculptures • Hand Selects His Artisans • Creates A Visceral Travel And Education Experience • Able To Carve Out A Premium Niche In A Budget Space
- 7. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 8. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store Scottevest.com • Invented His Own Niche In The World Of Clothing • Served A Need In A Unique Way • Excellent Viral Marketer
- 9. How Can I Use Product Photography As A Competitive Edge? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 10. How Can I Use Product Photography As A Competitive Edge? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 11. How Can I Use Product Photography As A Competitive Edge? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store • Never Use Flash • Check Your White Balance • Use Angles To Truly Show Your Product • Add Scale With Other Objects • Use Consistent Backgrounds • Always Have The Same Aspect Ratio • Have Multiple Photos Covering Every Angle • Show Every Product Option Variation
- 12. How Can I Use Product Photography As A Competitive Edge? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store • Use Consistent Backgrounds and Always Have The Same Aspect Ratio
- 13. How Can I Use Product Photography As A Competitive Edge? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store • Have Multiple Photos Covering Every Angle and Show All Options
- 14. Is There A Unique Product Description I Can Write To Drive Sales? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 15. Is There A Unique Product Description I Can Write To Drive Sales? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 16. What Do My Potential Customers Want To Know About My Product? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 17. What Do My Potential Customers Want To Know About My Product? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 18. Does My Logo and Graphic Design Convey My Brand Identity? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 19. Does My Logo and Graphic Design Convey My Brand Identity? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 20. Does My Logo and Graphic Design Convey My Brand Identity? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store ! ! ! ! WHICH SITE WOULD YOU PURCHASE FROM?
- 21. Does My Logo and Graphic Design Convey My Brand Identity? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store ! ! ! ! The Difference In Price To Build These Two Sites ! IS NEGLIGIBLE AT BEST
- 22. How Can I Optimize My Fulfillment? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store • Customers Expect Something Akin To Amazon (Prime) • Products Should Ship Within 24 Hours (Unless Clearly Noted) • Tracking Information Should Be Automatically Emailed • Order Status Should Be Self Service
- 23. Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store • The Vast Majority Of Customer Service Is Informational In Nature • Provide An Easy Way To Get That Information What Can I Do To Streamline The Backend While Improving Customer Service?
- 24. Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store • That Doesn't Mean Don't Talk To Your Customer What Can I Do To Streamline The Backend While Improving Customer Service?
- 25. Will The Software Platform I’m Choosing Be Able To Still Run My Business In 5 Years? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store • How Reliable Is The Underlying Hosting? • What Is Their Historical Uptime? (Hint 99.9% isn’t very good) • Is The Upgrade Process Dangerous To Your Business? • What Kind Of Maintenance Should You Expect, Is It Onerous? • What’s The Real Scoop On Their Security Architecture? • Will I Be Hindered By A Lack Of Flexibility? • If I Grow Really Fast, Can They Keep Up? • Are There Automation Options To Streamline My Business?
- 26. Where Am I An Expert (And I Don’t Even Know It)? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store Start blogging, Facebooking, Pinteresting, Tweeting, etc… immediately • Facebook • Twitter • Google+ • Instagram • Tumblr • Pinterest • YouTube
- 27. How Can I Spread The Word? Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store • Don't Overlook "Traditional" Outlets • Rotary Club • Chamber Of Commerce • Local Press
- 28. Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store Questions?
- 29. Resources http://yeshenvenema.com/blog/product-photography-basics - Product Photography! www.ortery.com - Product Photography! www.shipworks.com - Fulfillment Optimization! www.shipstation.com - Fulfillment Optimization! www.shipwire.com - Fulfillment House! 99designs.com - Graphic Design Crowdsourcing! getbootstrap.com - Responsive Framework For Themes! analytics.google.com - Google Analytics! ! Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
- 30. Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas 10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store Thank You @RickMiva rwilson@mivamerchant.com facebook.com/mivamerchant plus.google.com/+MivaMerchant www.mivamerchant.com (Slides)