A well-crafted digital presence is critical to the success of any online store. Gone are the days of “if you build it, they will come”, and user’s have high standards for their online shopping experience. E-commerce stores have their own set of standards that affect not only the user-experience but it’s searchability and quality according to Google.
This is even more important when the user’s experience can determine whether or not you make a sale! So where do you start? Here are 5 e-commerce tips fashion brands shouldn’t ignore when launching a new e-commerce store.
1. Website Architecture, Navigation & Search
How annoying is it to get lost in an online store? While browsing you had a glimpse of a shirt you really liked. Oops, where did it go? Nevermind I can’t find it … sale lost. This is a real reality for many online stores and it costs them tremendously. Ensure that your website product catalog is simple and logical to navigate. It shouldn’t be overly complicated or require too many steps.
Also be sure that you offer an appropriate search tool. Often times a simple search by product name or keyword is sufficient and the easiest for the user. Filters are slightly more advanced and can be very helpful when you have a lot of products that are similar but offer varying attributes. Filters allow the user to eliminate specific sizes, colors, or styles, leaving only the best matched results.
2. Unique Product Descriptions for SEO
One of the best ways to optimize your website is by including unique product descriptions on every product. You can make them conversational or more technical depending on the tone of voice that speaks most to your customers, but either way strive for 100 – 200 words if possible. Try to tell a story about your products! Fashion is about conversation and interaction, visual as well as verbal.
You’ll also want to have someone do all the relevant meta-descriptions and tags but use caution. Don’t be excessive. Use only keywords that are the most accurate and specific match for your products.
3. High Quality Images
This is arguably the most important aspect that will make or break your website. Your goal should be to have a website design that instantly translates into an authentic experience of your brand. You want users to feel the essence of your brand from the moment they land on your website. Having large beautiful images with appropriate copy is the best and easiest way to make an impact.
High-quality and consistent photographs of your products, including close-ups and even the packaging are important. Good photography can make up for the inability to actually touch and try something on. Just make sure that what people see is what people get!
4. Brand Identity and Product Stories
Tell your story. Don’t be afraid, especially in this industry. You’re not selling bread. I mean, even bread has a story! Good bread does! Your company, your collections, and individual items should ideally also have stories.
How’d you come up with your brand? What was it that you wanted to offer to the fashion world that you thought nobody had done before? What distinguishes you from everybody else? And how does that speak to the people you’re targeting? Fashion is a lot about our identities and how we display them, so stories need to speak about the identities that these clothes help create.
5. Outreach
You can’t just stare at your website all day long, waiting for people to come to you. Instead, go to the people they listen to! ‘Fashion bloggers’, a modern guild of huge proportions, yield more power than you suspect. Find them, converse with them, charm them and they’ll probably end up featuring you in their latest blog post, lookbook, in tweets and facebook posts.
If you’re successful in attracting bloggers and fashion influencers you’ll probably gain a few links and visits to your store.
There’s so much more…
The above is just the basics of how you can help improve your brand’s online presence. A comprehensive approach includes many other marketing tactics that you should look into – creating your own blog content, email marketing, engaging through social media, campaigns, sales, giveaways, the list goes on!
Like what you read? Drop us a comment below if you have any questions or further suggestions about how to market a fashion brand online. We’d love to hear from you!