BizTalk and the E-Commerce Revolution

E-commerce is a constantly changing field with trends that go in and out of style. Staying abreast of these changes ensures that your e-commerce website provides the proper services needed to keep up and overpower the competition. Optimize your website and user experience to ensure the best possible purchasing experience.

1. Social Media: While social media has traditionally been seen as the “be all and end all” for an e-commerce site, the “like” has lost some traction with businesses. It is no longer the most important aspect of an e-commerce website, but having lots of fans still instills customer confidence.

2. Customer Reviews: Testimonials and reviews have always been an important part of the online shopping experience. Customers are getting smarter and starting to learn how to differentiate between fake and real reviews. Allow customers to comment using social media and methods that offer a level of identity verification. Don’t cut the negative reviews either, instead, respond to the review online to show that the company cares about satisfying its customers.

3. Purchasing Options: E-commerce sites are moving more toward combining brick-and-mortar and online purchasing. Stores that can combine the online experience with the traditional benefits of a physical location will see increased sales and profits.

4. Conversion Marketing: Constantly testing product purchase pathways and finding the best website design to guide the customer from first introduction to final purchase is essential to a successful e-commerce website. Using analytic tools and other site-monitoring tools provides users with an enhanced website experience and results in more profits.

5. Mobile Ordering: Ordering via a mobile phone has become more and more common. For mobile shops to work, display products in a way that makes navigation easy and fast. Mobile phones are generally slower than regular computer connections, so website owners should concentrate on finding ways to create mobile apps and programming that provides a fast and easy shopping experience.

6. Tablet PCs: Tablet PCs are becoming more popular and are expected to increase e-commerce sales. Offering the ability for customers to download an application for your store and keeping in mind tablet users when designing the website improves the its overall effectiveness. Payl8r

7. Video: Search engines are placing an increasing emphasis on websites that produce video content. One only has to complete a web search to see that many now include a few videos at the top of the results. Creating instructional videos and product explanations using video is a growing trend in e-commerce.

8. Service: Never underestimate the power of quality customer service. When pricing and ease of ordering is the same across the board for several websites, you must find other ways to differentiate your services. The trend toward providing customers with personal attention and service is growing rapidly.

9. Upscale Websites: Luxury retailers must find ways to move to the web while continuing to create an image of superiority. Accomplish this through exclusive offers for the highest paying customers, free expedited service for those who spend over a certain amount, and the ability to offer unmatched support and help with products.

10. Image Quality: Image quality has become increasingly important. Websites used to use lower quality images to save bandwidth. Now, a website must have high-definition versions of each product so that customers can easily scrutinize an item before purchasing online.

I have have been the SEO consultant for Shopping Cart Templates [http://www.ecommercetemplates.co/] where they feature SEO friendly e-Commerce Templates [http://www.ecommercetemplates.co/ecommerce-templates.html] for over 8 years. My expert experience in e-Commerce Development and Small Business e-Commerce Hosting solutions has helped to make websitetemplatedesign.com a very successful internet business.