By Andy Bojko, Director at Hidepark Leather

With many retailers hit hard this year by the pandemic, businesses are turning to ecommerce to regain lost sales in 2021 as their customers move online to conduct their shopping.

The events of 2020 have caused a significant shift in buying habits, meaning online sales will become a lifeline for many businesses over the next year. To help ecommerce retailers set up for 2021, Andy Bojko, Director at Hidepark Leather, has listed 3 tips below on how businesses can successfully implement small changes to their website to succeed over the next year.

1. Focus on the personal connection you have with customers

Amazon dominates the ecommerce market with its competitive pricing and rapid delivery options, with the service being particularly popular among students who can sign up for a student Prime account for just a small fee each month. To compete with this, your business must focus on its unique selling point with customers if it wishes to set itself apart from competitors and retailing giants like Amazon.

Although young generations are keen to capitalise on speedy delivery, they also seek more interpersonal connections with brands in a sea of faceless corporate giants. With the pandemic putting many businesses at risk, consumers are looking to help out local firms so you should ensure that your business is on the radar of the local community. Providing vouchers or discounts to these customers can be a great way to ensure you are instilling loyalty and can help convert this audience to make a sale.

2. Use the data available to you to improve customer experiences 

When planning for 2021, ecommerce retailers should take the time to analyse their Google Analytics traffic from previous years during periods that are expected to be busy, to see which products have previously received the most interest or performed best. Businesses can use this data to place these products as readily available through paid social or present them as hero products on the website so customers can easily find the product.

Businesses must also ensure the way they engage with their customers in 2021 is seamless if they wish to stand out from the sea of communications that their audience will receive. This may be by offering special offers through targeted email marketing or creating a series of paid adverts that re-target customers who have previously engaged with your brand. By using a sense of repetition, businesses can work to instill loyalty in their customers and attempt to create a unique brand experience for their audience.

3. Ensure your website design is flawless

With the vast array of competition which businesses are facing online, they must ensure their website is simple and easy for customers to use if they wish to avoid losing them to a competitor’s site. Having strong calls to action on your site can ensure users are not lost along their journey and that they can check out efficiently. Your website should also have clear contact details or a contact form so that customers can easily get in touch with any queries they may have when using the site.

Online security is incredibly important to customers who are wary of their personal information being stolen whilst they pay for a product or service. To ensure customers feel comfortable when using your site, you should ensure your business has the latest secure financial technology to help reassure customers that their money will be safe once they have handed over their details.

Services such as PayPal and the new ‘buy now, pay later’ offerings from Klarna can act as trust signals to customers when they are looking to convert, so businesses should consider adding a section to the site, perhaps in the header or footer which shows the payment options available to consumers.