Be a Mystery Shopper on Your own Ecommerce Site

A Home Business Article Contributed by G. Uma Bennett

Mystery Shopping on Your Ecommerce Site

Don't take the functionality and convenience of your ecommerce site for granted. You can't fix a problem if you don't know you have it, so act like one of your own customers once in a while to make sure your store is working properly. Dial up and go online run a search for your ecommerce site. Make a note of where your site ranks in the listings. Check out the description and then browse around and display its information.

Send in an order yourself at different times of the day and night during the week to determine whether or not there are any access problems. Then check out your closest competition and compare how their ecommerce site functions, their design and layout, how they have set up their ordering process. You may find promotional ideas or design features that you have not thought of before. Use this information to make improvements to your own site.

Make Frequent Changes to the Look of Your Ecommerce Site

Staying on the offensive with your ecommerce site means offering a fresh and inviting look periodically. Changing your promotional message once a week, offer new non product information regularly and draw customers attention to it. Come up with a "tip of the day" or "tip of the week" for your business, news or trends related to your products or a quote of the day or week for the general enlightenment of your visitors. The time to encourage the next visit is during the current one.

Make your ecommerce site the kind of place where people know they will see something new every time they stop by. Internet users are information hounds, and if your store becomes known as a place where new, useful information appears frequently, they will become regular visitors. Encourage your visitors to spread the word about your store by asking for referrals when you respond to their queries or by using a "tell a friend" referral application.

Be Patient with the Development of Your Ecommerce Site

No matter how much effort you invest in the organization, preparation and design of your ecommerce site, it still takes time for search engines to list your site, then for internet users to find you and finally feel comfortable enough to purchase through your ecommerce site. Most online storefronts ramp up slowly. You may spend weeks or months attracting nothing but tire-kickers before you start making consistent sales.

When you set up a storefront, commit yourself to at least a year of operation. Remember there are millions of people on the internet and despite your best promotional efforts, you are competing with thousands of other online stores. The internet is changing rapidly and more people have better access all the time. Waiting a year will give you a chance to expose your store to a larger and larger pool of prospects as the months go by.

Use the time wisely by creating more links to your online store to make it easier for your prospects to find you.