Electronic commerce and from the perspective of the company, we can define it as the set of actions aimed at the transaction or exchange of commercial information through communication networks. The most obvious difference between traditional and electronic commerce is, therefore, the replacement of the physical store in a commercial premises by the virtual store on a computer screen.
Electronic commerce ("e-commerce") encompasses, like all commercial activities related to the sale of a good or service, the tasks of advertising, commercial information, negotiation, the sale itself, billing and collection, as well as, in forgotten occasions, customer service.
Key aspects
Even though there are several key aspects, and all of equal importance, we will group them into two blocks: the technological and the commercial.
In the technological block, the implementation of a virtual store requires the design of web pages whose degree of sophistication depends on the needs of the product or service to be commercialized, on our possibilities and, of course, on the target audience we are targeting. Not all products or services can be marketed with the same color, animation, presentation, etc. functions. Each product and each public has specific needs that must be carefully analyzed before addressing their development. In some cases these needs are more or less evident but in others not so much. If we sell records, listening to fragments is almost essential, but if we sell labels, there is nothing to listen to. Even with the same article, cars,Our online store must adapt to the fact that they are new luxury saloons or second-hand utility vehicles. Therefore, as far as possible, general solutions that offer the rapid and economic implantation of “all-terrain” virtual stores should be avoided.
However, the best technological solution is not enough to ensure the success of all commercial activities: attract, retain, sell and retain customers. These keys to success are the same as in traditional commerce. What changes is its implementation.
Attract
The most common and effective system of attracting potential customers to our virtual store is through advertising, which traditional marketing technicians refer to as "promotion". On the Internet, the main advertising media, today, are banners, search engine or portal appearances, viral marketing and public relations, whether in the form of press releases, cross-collaborations with products / services complementary to ours, link exchanges, etc.
The main advantage of these means is their low cost and the main drawback is their location, on which pages to place them, to reach potential users of our products.
To hold back
Once attracted to our store, customers must be retained, that is, after seeing the showcase they enter and at the exit go through the box. For them to enter, we have a few seconds in which the new client must obtain a positive perception of our page that encourages them to enter the store and view our product catalog.
For this, basic aspects of character are:
- Technological: quick download of the pages. Aesthetic: graphic design, typography. Usability: reading and distinguishing products, navigation between pages,… Commercial: complete information on products and their cost.
To sell
It is the critical point of electronic commerce. To the difficulties (on and off the Internet) to convince customers that our products or services are the ones that interest them the most, in e-commerce two factors are added that have a negative effect on sales: trust and processing.
The trust. In virtual commerce, the buyer does not maintain personal or visual contact with the seller. He does not know who he is and therefore his misgivings about his honesty are understandable. The buyer appreciates that if they can give him a cat for a hare in a store, cheating is easier on the Internet. Therefore, you need an additional dose of confidence that gives you a minimum of guarantees.
The clarity, therefore, the identity of the seller, the specifications of the product or service offered, delivery times and conditions, after sales service, warranties, etc. must be scrupulously cared for. The buyer must have all the information about who he buys from, what he buys from him and under what conditions.
The processing. Let's put ourselves in the shoes of the buyer. In the usual stores, if we are interested in something, we pay for it, they wrap it for us and we take it home. Everything simple, fast and giving little or no information about our identity. In electronic commerce this procedure is not so simple. The objects have to take us home and we have to give our data, even if we are buying a book. We have to indicate who we are, where we live and, if that were not enough, you cannot pay (normally) in cash against the receipt of the merchandise, but we must give the details of our credit card. To complete the situation, all these data must be written so that the "work" of the procedure is assumed by the customer and not the seller, as in a physical store.
Now we put ourselves in the shoes of the seller and if we do not want to demystify our client, all that processing must be simplified as much as possible, clearly requiring the data that is really necessary. For example, to deliver a book or a washing machine at home, the client will understand that we ask for the address but not his date of birth. But one question is to ask for the address and another that the client has to fill in a field for the type of road (street, walk,…), another for the name of the road, another with the house number, another with the floor, another with the door,… The coded forms of our commercials should not be transferred to clients.
Build customer loyalty
The first thing is to scrupulously comply with the product specifications, its price, delivery time, etc. The second is to keep you informed of articles, news or actions that are of interest to you and not just ours.
And this information must be done on the pages of our virtual store, as a showcase that is from our store, making the necessary updates so that customers do not always see the same thing. They have to observe that there are frequent changes that incite them to return another day in search of news.
It is also of utmost importance, if the client has authorized us, to inform him by email of these developments, being able, by this means, to design and offer customized products and services. Clients like a deferential and personalized treatment. Therefore, we must forget about the spam spam in which we offer (or rather annoy) our clients with offers of "coffee for all". We run the risk of no one taking it.
