In today's economy, we are all going online to find the products and services we need. The internet has become our one-stop shop research resource that far surpasses any other method. The projections for online purchases is really skyrocketing:

1. By 2011, virtually everyone under the age of 55 will have used the internet to buy goods (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP).
2. Americans spent over $100 billion online in 2006, with a projected $225 billion in 2011.
3. More than 85% of the world’s online population has used the Internet to make a purchase—increasing the market for online shopping by 40 percent in the past two years (2008 Nielsen Global Online Survey on Internet shopping habits).
4. 68.6% of internet users shop online and use the web to research products and 55% say a big reason they shop online is to find products they can’t find offline (Forester Research from 2007).
5. 70% of U.S. households now use the Internet to find local merchants and services (March 2005 The Kelsey Group).

Tips for Your e-Commerce Website

If you want to get an edge on the competition, you'll want to make sure you provide the best possible online shopping experience. Below are 8 tips that you'll want to consider as part of your e-commerce solution:

1. Provide details about the product(s) and use keywords in the description to enhance search engine optimization (make it easy for buyers to find your products).
2. Make sure that pricing is clear and think about offering discounts! (In a PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP survey, price was rated by 70% of survey respondents as their main reason for logging on to buy goods.)
3. Make it easy to find all the information necessary to help your audience make the decision to purchase. If they have to "hunt" for information or details are missing, you might lose the sale.
4. Provide support wherever and whenever possible: live chat, contact forms, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. Online shoppers like the 24/7 availability.
5. Use an e-commerce solution that has an easy check-out process. (Many sales are lost because customers give up on complex shopping carts.)
6. To make people feel safe about purchasing from you online, add credibility with a third-party (BuySafe, HackerSafe, ValidatedSite, etc.) and use an SSL certificate for security and encryption.
7. Add a formal guestbook or testimonials to demonstrate confidence.
8. Allow customers to talk witih each other through message boards or other methods.

Additional Resources

• IMRG
• Internet Retailing
• Neilson Online
• Forrester Research