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Different Ways To Increase Conversions and Customer Retention With a Point of Sale System

Are you an online entrepreneur? If so, today we’re bringing you the only guide you’ll need for POS systems and customer retention strategies. In this article, we’re going to be defining all of these terms and giving you some tips and tricks of the trade so that you’re ready to rock the e-commerce world!

If you’ve had an online business for years or you’re starting a new brand, the chances are that you know how hard it is to make revenue. It’s a struggle selling all the inventory each month, paying for expenses, etc. Online business management can also feel cold and impersonal. 

You see a bunch of names scrolling past you on your screen, but you don’t know these people, and you’ve never seen their faces. How are you supposed to get them to trust you? Well, POS systems may be just the thing you need to build a loyal customer base that can get you through tough times.

Don’t Know What We’re Talking About?

Before we dive into this guide, we may have to define some terms. We’ll go one by one, so it’s easier. 

Firstly, what are conversions? Well, when we talk about conversions in eCommerce, what we’re talking about is your conversion rate, which you can calculate by figuring out what percentage of the people who visit your website make a purchase. If your rate is high, then that’s awesome; good for you! But if it’s not what you want it to be then, it may be time to innovate.

Secondly, we’ll talk about a more complex term: customer retention. What does this mean? Are we suggesting that you hold your customers’ hostage? No such thing! Customer retention is essentially your store’s ability to not only acquire new customers but also to get them to become regulars and help you stay in business even in tough times.

Finally, let’s approach the most important term of them all: point for sale systems. Well, a point for sale system (or POS) is a system that gives points to your customers each time they make a purchase. The goal is to redeem a number of these points for discounts, limited products, and rewards.

Incorporating this system into your business will exponentially increase the level of trust and engagement with your products, as customers will want to buy more from your store to gain access to special offers and benefits. But what else can it bring to your commerce and, most importantly, how can you implement it? We’re going to answer these questions now as we delve deeper into the topic of POS systems.

Make Inventory Management Seamless!

Everyone knows the disappointment of finding the perfect product only to realize it’s out of stock. There’s no worse feeling in the world. Undoubtedly, your customers get that same disappointment when they find out that one of your products is out of stock and they have to buy it from someone else. This is why you must keep track of all your inventory so you can keep this from happening.

POS systems are a great asset to avoid this situation since they help keep your inventory complete and up to date. All you need is a barcode scanner and a printer, and you’re good to go! 

By keeping track of your inventory, you can also offer customers the option of notifying them via email when the product they like is back in stock and available for them to purchase. This keeps customers from jumping the fence to buy identical products from another company while also improving your relationship with them.

Use It For Marketing!

Talking about all the rewards that people can get from your point-based system is a fantastic way to make your business more alluring.

Sponsored Instagram ads are great, but what if those ads could also promise customers that if they purchase a certain number of items, they earn points that they can then redeem for gifts, exclusive items, and more? This is how POS works in your favor; it plays into people’s FOMO (fear of missing out) by reminding them that if they don’t buy now, they might miss out on a chance to get limited items. 

Likewise, you can use POS rules in other forms of marketing like newsletters, coupons, and discounts. Newsletters are especially significant since they send a message right to your customer’s inbox, enticing them to all the beautiful things they can get if they buy from your store! This also helps you build a loyal customer base, as you can attach personal letters to these cards. This will make your customers find you more authentic and start to feel that they know you.

Launch A Customer Loyalty Program

This is the ultimate way to boost your sales and create a loyal customer base simultaneously! All you have to do is add a pop-up on your website saying that if customers contribute to your business each month, they can get exclusive deals, gifts, and discounts.

Depending on how much they spend, you can also add tiered rewards depending on how much they spend so that customers are more enticed to stay on your website longer or spend more money to get the rewards they want. This will help build a better relationship with your customers since it gives both of you a shared level of trust and intimacy as you reward them with limited products for supporting your business.

Conclusion

When it comes to running an online business, no one said it would be easy, but nobody said it couldn’t be fun, either! That’s why points programs are so popular. They’re the tried-and-true way to build a personal relationship with your customers so that they can support you through hard times and help you grow your business daily. 

As we all know, running a business can be very stressful and challenging, so ensuring you have loyal customers who have your back can be a massive relief during those times when you might be struggling greatly.

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Payment Gateway Integrator For E-Commerce Websites

Are you the proud owner of an online business? Congratulations! Owning and managing an online business can be wonderful, but it can also be very stressful sometimes. With so many things to juggle, from inventory to listings and credit card frauds, it can prove to be exhausting running an online business. Through this article, we’ll be giving you all the tea on what a payment gateway integrator is, how safe it is and how you can use it to increase your revenue and expand your business!

In this article, we’re going to be answering all the questions you could have about payment gateway integrators, from what they are to how useful they are to your business, their safety, and integration methods. Anyway, without further ado, let’s get right into talking about payment gateways!

What Is A Payment Gateway?

Well, let’s start from the beginning: a payment gateway is an essential tool that makes it easier for your customers to pay for your products. If you’ve ever shopped for stuff online yourself, there’s a good chance you’ve seen these before. Whenever we want to purchase online, the website takes us to a secure payment gateway to complete the transaction quickly and safely! 

All online businesses have this, from giants like Amazon to small businesses on Shopify or eBay. Essentially, the payment gateway works with a third party authenticating the credit card and completing the transaction. These tools are vital for your business since they can do transactions for you and protect you against financial risks like credit card fraud. 

Once the payment gateway has gathered all the customer’s information and ensured that there’s no fraud involved, they redirect your customer back to your platform and send you the money! All forms of payment, from credit to debit cards to e-wallets to even bitcoin, manage transactions from this kind of gateway. 

How Is A Payment Gateway Useful?

Well, we can answer in several different ways. For starters, a payment gateway makes it easier for your customers to complete their transactions, saving you a lot of money by avoiding the forever sought-after online cart abandoners. 

These types of people most often leave their only purchases abandoned because they don’t understand the payment method or find it confusing. No one wants to deal with all that hassle. So, that is probably why these customers close the tab and move on with their day. 

Integrating a payment gateway into your platform is extremely important since it optimizes customer experience, especially at check out, which is the most vital part of the experience. Payment gateways are also helpful because this may shock you: not many people use cash anymore. In modern days, cash has become obsolete, and everyone buys everything either by card or online. 

What makes payment gateways so valuable is that they make the transaction easier and offer payment options familiar to the customer. 

How Does It Work?

While all this technical stuff may make it seem not very easy, it’s pretty easy, especially when thinking about it from a customer’s perspective. If you’ve done any shopping online, you know the drill: you see an incredible product on Instagram, their profile takes you to their website, you add your product to the cart and click on ‘buy.’ 

The website then takes you to another page where you can put in all your information (safely, of course), and once you click accept, boom, you’re done! You’ll receive your cornflower blue stapler in three to five business days!

But what happens in the background? Well, there are several steps that the system takes to make this process accurate. First, the system gathers all the information and puts it on your server. It authenticates all the information to ensure no credit card fraud, subtracts the amount from their card, and ultimately adds that amount to your server. Once that’s done, it authenticates the transaction, and you’re ready to go.

Is It Safe?

With change comes fear. More so, with brand new technological advancements comes the fear of getting robbed blind. Luckily, this method is not as dangerous at all. For starters, the payment gateway company is held accountable by following specific protocols such as not keeping and later selling customer information. There are many ways to make this process even safer, such as:

  • TLS Encryption: a TLS certificate that gives your customer the knowledge that their data is safe
  • PCI-DSS Compliance: standardized policy created by credit card companies that make the payment gateway more secure
  • Tokenization: creating a token that your customer has to enter, so you know the transaction is being made by them and not someone else (possibly their child stealing their credit card from their purse)
  • Two-Factor Authentication: This one also ensures no fraud by asking your customer to give the go-ahead for the transaction and their bank. 

To sum up, yes, it’s as secure as it can be!

How Do I Integrate It Into My Platform?

If you’re now convinced that your online business needs a payment gateway (and you’re right because it possibly does), here are some ways to get it.

For starters, you need to decide if you want to use a platform that already has a payment gateway built-in or if you want to add one to your already existing website. If you choose the first option, do some research on the platform you’re using and ensure they follow the necessary protocols. Suppose you’re going for the second option. In that case, you can look into third-party payment gateways like GPay or Amazon Pay, or you can customize it entirely by hiring API software developers to develop your very own payment gateway! 

Conclusion

Payment gateways are an essential part of your eCommerce business, which is why it’s essential that, as a business owner, you take charge and figure out exactly which options are best for you. It will not only bring more revenue but also keep you and your customers safe as you navigate the online marketplace!

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3 Healthcare Payment Trends Post Pandemic

Are you a healthcare provider looking for fast new ways to make your patient’s lives easier? Well, you’ve come to the right place!

The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed how we go about our business in our everyday lives. Every time we walk out the door, we make sure we have our phone and keys and our masks. We say ‘hi’ to people by giving them fist bumps instead of kisses on their cheek, we’re more careful about the things we touch, and we take our shoes off before entering our homes. 

These changes have also translated to how we pay for things. Next time you go to the grocery store (or any other store, really), try to count how many people pay with cash. You’ll probably be surprised by how small that number is. The truth is that many forms of payment have recently become obsolete and been replaced by newer ones that you need to be aware of to provide your patients with the best experience possible. 

So, let’s dive into these financial innovations and how you can include them to optimize the operation of your business for the good of your patients.

Email Is The New Paper Mail – Completely Obsolete

After witnessing how technology rapidly changed the world, many healthcare providers decided to evolve and switched to sending bills by email. Probably they thought: ‘that oughta do it!’ The truth is that they were wrong. Very, very wrong. 

Email has recently become an archaic form of communication, and no one expects to find their bills there. Furthermore, email is also unreliable since bills can end up in people’s spam folders (which usually no one checks) and get deleted after about thirty days, which will make your patients feel angry and frustrated. 

But, if not by email, how are you supposed to notify your patients about the due date of their bills? Well, several ways have become increasingly popular after COVID, including:

  • Online patient portals (basically allowing patients to pay through your website, in the same way, they would pay for any other online purchases)
  • Mobile app
  • Contactless mobile wallets
  • Pay by text message
  • QR code

According to recent surveys, the last three options are especially favored by Gen Z people. They’re trendy now that the pandemic has turned pretty much everything we touch (especially money) into a potential biohazard. This is why many companies have already switched to these forms of online payment to make their patient’s lives easier. 

No one wants to use cash anymore. Having to scroll through your spam folder feels as strange as going through your paper junk mail; therefore, consider adopting these tactics before losing more patients to more modernized companies.

Make Office Experiences Safer With Contactless!

The pandemic has made going to the doctor a more terrifying experience than it already was. It is common knowledge that, under normal circumstances, most people hate going to the doctor. However, knowing that a doctor’s office or hospital can be filled to the brim with people who have the modern plague, those fears are maximized. In conclusion, everyone gets incredibly anxious and scared when they go to the doctor’s office.

The mentioned above is one of the main reasons why millions of practices have switched to contactless payments. Owners have found that it makes people feel more secure, as they don’t need to hand their card over to someone else to make a payment. Therefore, they don’t feel like they have a chemical bomb in their wallet when they go home.

How can you implement this into your practice? Well, one way to do it is to buy a contactless device off Amazon and set it up to the computer at your front desk! When patients come to pay, tell them to bring their credit card to the device, and that’s it.

A simple change like that not only makes patients feel better but also makes them trust you more. By including these forms of payment in your practice, patients will feel like their concerns are being heard. They will indeed feel respected and prioritized! Precisely for this reason, making contactless payments, a standard, should be the top priority for all healthcare providers at this time.

Provide Patients With A Way To Manage Their Expenses!

If you’ve lived in the US for any period, then you know that healthcare costs can sometimes go through the roof, especially for people who don’t have health insurance. Even for the people who do it, franchises can cost up to thousands of dollars, all for something as simple as an IV bag.

As a result, patients are now looking for healthcare providers to have greater control over their finances. One of the ways to do this is to let people choose where to spend their money. 

Keep in mind that, due to the vast economic catastrophe generated by the pandemic, many people have had to cut back on their spending by prioritizing certain things over others. Millions of people have recently lost their jobs, their homes, and, with them, their health insurance. That’s why it’s so important to lend people a hand by allowing them to have more control over their expenses.

Does that mean people want this kind of thing? You’d be surprised. Recent surveys say that 59% of patients prefer recurring bill payments, but a whopping 46% are much more likely to take advantage of an early payment discount that allows them to pay for the entire service or treatment. 

Patients are often very anxious about these types of issues. They want to know when payments are due and how much money they owe to keep their financial expenses under control. A great way to help them is through IVR (Interactive Voice Response), an intelligent tool that allows you to keep patients informed about their due dates and amounts to be paid.

Conclusion

Change is an undeniable fact of life; it’s always there, it’s a constant. This is why the only remedy for change is to embrace it and try to fit into the new model of the world as best as you can. Making healthcare payments easier is one of the many ways in which you can do so!

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5 Essential Features You Need In A Global Payment Processor

Did you start an online business in the past year? Good for you! With the rise of the pandemic, millions of people worldwide have become self-employed entrepreneurs by starting their businesses online. Many people have been able to sell things that would’ve been too niche to make returns before, like specialized jewelry, art prints, and even pottery art! 

All these developments have been fantastic, but if you’re an online business owner yourself, you know how hard it can be to expand. Sometimes you can feel stuck in a rut, especially when you’re constantly getting comments from people on social media telling you that they wished they could support you but live overseas, or they don’t use your same currency!

Don’t worry; we are here to help! Online businesses can significantly benefit by adding a global payment processor to their websites since it allows them to expand their customer base worldwide.

Do you want to learn how? Well, here are five essential features you need to take into account if you want to start using a global payment processor.

  1. Speak The Language (Literally)

The tricky thing about international e-commerce is something that you’ve probably already guessed: language barriers. While English is spoken at least as a second language worldwide, some people have difficulty understanding it, especially when it’s not their native language. This type of confusion can increase tenfold when dealing with an online purchase since they don’t want to lose money by accidentally buying something they don’t want.

As you can see, language detection and conversion is a crucial feature you have to look for when shopping for a global payment processor. The numbers can back this up as well. A survey conducted recently on consumers from ten different non-English speaking nations said that 73% of them prefer to buy things from websites written in their native tongue, and more than half of them would never buy from only English-speaking websites. 

Therefore, if you want to engage these customers, you have to learn to speak their language!… literally. 

  1. Not All Currencies Are Made Equal

If you didn’t have the pleasure of being born in a third-world country, then you probably don’t know the stress of having to try to memorize how to do decimal conversions in your head. 

It’s true! Many currencies represent a fraction of a dollar; therefore, when people living abroad see the final cost in dollars, they tend to get scared or confused because they can’t make the conversion in their heads. According to another study, 17% of customers claim abandoned shopping carts because they could not calculate the final cost. 

It is essential that any global processor that you get converts both the language and the currency of the user as quickly and accurately as possible. That way, international customers will feel more relaxed when shopping at your online store, which means more revenue for you.

  1. Let Them Pay How They’re Used To

Support for international payment methods is an essential part of any global payment processor. Big card brands are a thing of the past. Nowadays, most consumers (especially international ones) prefer paying with cash vouchers, e-wallets, and bank transfers. E-wallets are especially important since tons of people, mainly internationally, use them for everyday purchases. 

The same survey we mentioned before found that 7% of customers abandon their carts at checkout because they can’t use the payment method they usually do. This is why adopting a more comprehensive range of payment methods is essential to growing your business. 

  1. Work With Banks Worldwide

It may surprise you but working with banks worldwide helps reduce false positives and declines from international transactions. It means fewer angry customer emails for you to read and more glowing customer reviews to fill your inbox.

Working with international banks is essential for any online business to grow since it helps them work with an online market. It is also a significant step in growing as a brand. Many people who live in countries abroad use bank transactions to pay for everything since it’s easy and convenient. In other words, working with offshore banks offers you the opportunity to make payment of goods faster and more effective than ever before.

It also helps to improve your image since working with world-renowned banks makes international customers see you as a trustworthy source. Many people who live abroad are afraid of getting scammed online, so seeing that you work with a bank they’ve known for years dramatically increases their confidence in you! Not to mention, it increases the chances of raising the number of purchases. 

Another survey found that 17% of people abandon their online carts because they don’t trust the website to handle their personal information safely, and they’re probably right to be wary. Nowadays, there are plenty of online scams, and giving all your information to an unfamiliar business can be risky. 

Introducing renowned banks will also help increase customer satisfaction since many cards tend to be rejected at the time of purchase by not working with international banks. So, if you want to increase your revenue, a global payment processor that can link you to foreign banks is the way to go.

  1. Protect Yourself Against Fraud

Alright, we’ve talked plenty about customers and how to satisfy their needs, but let’s talk about you for a second. While international trade can be a new and exciting way to grow your business, it can also leave you vulnerable and exposed to international hackers. So, how can you protect yourself against this new enemy? The best way to do that is to find a global processor with global network-based feud protection built in. This will protect you from foreign hackers while keeping your customers safe, too!

Conclusion

Owning an online business can be exhilarating, heartbreaking, and rewarding all at the same time. You have independence and many benefits when you are your boss, but that freedom comes with responsibility. So, be conscientious by finding a suitable global payment processor and help your business grow!

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Myths About the Safety of Contactless Payments

Even though card payment is still a popular method of payment, more and more people are now switching to contactless payments especially after the COVID outbreak. It’s obvious that people want to prioritize their safety by limiting physical contacts, and one way to reduce the physical contacts at the retail stores is by paying through e-wallets. 

With more than 90% of the transactions being processed through contactless payment methods, Australia has become a leader in accepting this mobile payment trend. Not only in the US and Australia, but mobile payments are gaining attention worldwide, and for good reasons. 

Despite their popularity, contactless payments are associated with a few myths that make people wonder if they should embrace this new technology or stick to cash and card payments. We have listed a few myths surrounding contactless payments that every user should know before they start using mobile apps for transactions. Here’s a look:

  1. Electronic Pickpocketing is Possible

Let’s start with the most common myth. Some people believe that it’s possible to pickpocket your contactless payment data. All it takes for a person to steal your private information is the NFC card. If they are standing close to you with an NFC card, they can record your card’s details. The NFC card can read your account number and the expiry date, but that’s it! Even that is possible if the person manages to steal the POS terminal, which is practically not possible for any non-tech savvy person. 

Overall, there is a higher chance of your physical credit/debit cards getting stolen in a public place than your contactless card information getting leaked. So, you can rest easy knowing that it is just a myth and there’s no way anyone can pickpocket your contactless cards electronically.

  1. You Might End up Paying for Someone Else

First things first, the POS system can catch your card’s data only when the card is placed 1-2 inches from the terminal. So, if you are worried that the point of sale terminal will use your card’s information for somebody else’s purchases, know that it’s highly unlikely. Besides, you should maintain distance from the person and the terminal until it is your turn to pay.

  1. It is not a Convenient Option for Merchants

Embracing a new technology may seem daunting at first, but once you get used to contactless payments, there is no payment method that seems more comfortable and safer than these payments. Contactless payments are convenient for both customers and merchants. It’s a lot easier for customers to make the payment in one click. Imagine not having to carry cash every time you go shopping. All you need is a mobile app to transfer money to the merchant’s account. 

For merchants, there is no need to count cash and store the money in the drawer. At the end of the day, you have to count the total cash and match it with your records. Besides, you need to transport this money to your bank every day. Not only is the process pretty inconvenient, but it is risky. What if an intruder gets access to the cash? Stealing money is not uncommon at brick-and-mortar stores. So, to avoid such issues, you should use contactless payments. The money goes directly to your bank account.

  1. The Thief can Duplicate the Contactless Cards

If a thief gets access to your contactless card information, there is a risk they can duplicate your card. It is another common myth that stops people from accepting and making payments through mobile apps. When you initiate the transaction, the card sends a unique code to the card reader to process the transaction. 

It is only a one-time number that can neither be stolen nor be copied. Even if the thief gets access to your contactless card details, they cannot duplicate the card due to the one-time code technology. There is absolutely nothing to worry about your card getting duplicated. Even a professional hacker or a tech-savvy person cannot duplicate a contactless card.

  1. Stolen Contactless Cards can Cause Losses

We have already mentioned that it’s not possible to steal contactless card information. Let’s say someone gets access to this data somehow. Now, the common myth is that the thief can make multiple transactions using the stolen card information and the money will be deducted from the cardholder’s account. For some reason, people also believe that the thief will be able to use the stolen contactless card to make payments without having to enter the security PIN.

Even if your contactless card gets stolen and you suspect any fraudulent activities on your cards, you have to report them to the bank just like how you would report the fraudulent transactions with your physical card. Besides, you don’t have to worry about incurring major losses, as contactless payments have the same policies as any physical card. You will get total reimbursement for all the transactions made by the thief. Another important thing to note here is that a PIN is mandatory for all types of contactless card transactions. Even if you are buying groceries, you need to enter a PIN to process the transaction. 

  1. The Contactless Cards can Get Stolen if Someone Gets Access to My Device

Another major concern of contactless card users is “can someone get access to my card details if they steal the device connected to these cards”. Let’s face the reality – if a thief were to get access to your device, it wouldn’t be hard for them to find your contactless card information. However, contactless commerce is a lot safer than you can imagine. The card number is not visible. The hidden number has to be deciphered by the issuer to process any transaction. 

Conclusion

Not only are the e-wallets convenient and fast, but they allow people to make the payment in one click without having to swipe the card. These contactless payments make an ideal choice for customers and merchants looking for easy and safe ways to make payments.

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Don’t Forget the Post-Purchase Experience for eCommerce Merchants

Have you ever bought something nice and haven’t heard from the store again? That is not supposed to happen; usually, stores try to follow their customer purchases with some message. This allows them to maintain specific contact and, in the future. So, when the customer is looking to buy again, they will consider buying from the same store instead of buying somewhere else.

Most people, after a purchase, are highly interested in the post-purchase experience. For others, it is not a big deal. However, the seller should always leave a good impression. Many customers buy from the same store and do not change because of the post-purchase treatment. Also, attracting a new customer to your eCommerce business is more expensive than retaining an existing one. Indeed, to attract a new customer, you will have to make a bigger effort, so be smart and keep the ones you have; they are the ones that will generate a positive balance at the end of the day.

Strategies for a Better Post Purchase Experience

There are some things that you can do to make the customer enjoy more of their post-purchase experience. Some are more obvious than others, but at the end of the day, they all have the same objective: to generate more revenue by selling more to the same people. 

As said before, marketers use many strategies to make the customer return to the store because of the post-purchase experience. 

The first strategy is related to the delivery, how the customer is going to receive the product. Personalization is one of the essential features a customer is looking for in a product. So being able to customize the delivery of the product is essential for the customer. You need to be able to know your customer and learn to think like them. Then, you will understand what is on their mind and what they want. 

Nowadays, online reviews are the ones dictating if your product is good or not. Many good products never got to where they should have because the online reviews were terrible. So, creating an online base for your customers to talk and discuss could be a huge help, like a forum. Here, you would be able to connect with your customers and do some Q&As for them. 

Ideas for Customer Engagement 

You can do many things to make an excellent post-purchase experience; however, engaging your customer with your brand might be the best. 

Many stores will thank you after buying from them and nothing else. They might seem “cute” or “nice,” but they are not engaging at all. There are some examples of stores that will give you some discount for your next purchase. Giving people a reason to go back to the store page is what the company is looking for. Many stores will send you a follow-up mail offering you a big discount or giving you a coupon. 

Here are some ideas of how to maintain contact with your customer and retain them as interested buyers:

First, inviting them to download the store’s app is a great idea. For example, Disney will offer an invitation to download their app. To this, you can add a loyalty membership and offer some deals. Also, you can use the follow-up emails to engage them as well. Once the customer bought the product, they will be alert to any emails they received from the store. 

That is why you can use those emails to engage them. Also, in these emails, you can assure your customer that they made the right choice and keep them excited about their purchase. If you achieve it, it is more than probable that the customer will revisit your store; and you never know… maybe they end up buying something else. 

Another strategy you can use is to recommend other similar products to what the customer bought. For example, if the customer bought a pillow for the bed, maybe show them sheets or some other pillows, always trying to get the customer interested in your site. 

Loyalty programs

As I mentioned before, loyalty programs are an excellent way for customers to feel more attracted to the company and keep them “on the hook.” In this section, we will go in-depth with this strategy. Loyalty programs also accelerate the engagement to the store. And, they set the environment for a better post-purchase experience. 

Loyalty programs are made for recurrent customers. If they get into this program, they usually receive special offers, coupons, free shipping, and all sorts of benefits. What is great about these programs is that they will probably continue buying from your store once the customer is in. 

Conclusion

It is very common for stores to forget about the importance of the post-purchase experience, but as you now know, it might be crucial for the customer to go back to the store. Imagine a customer who bought the same or a very similar product from two different stores, and one of them offered him a great post-purchase experience. 

The next time, he will probably choose the one with the better experience. Why? Because the post-purchase experience makes the customer feel cared for and essential to the company. 

To sum up, companies should focus on having an excellent post-purchase experience. With many stores being online, where the customer does not interact with employees, it is vital to make them feel good and safe. Remember, an existing customer is cheaper to keep compared to a new customer. After checking out and purchasing anything, follow-up contact is essential, especially if it is an expensive or unique item.

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10 Things To Know Before Selling on eBay

Everyone sells their products on eBay, from giant corporations to small businesses. Selling on eBay can be exciting, but it can also be quite intimidating if you’re starting and don’t know the first thing about the website or how to make your products pop. That’s why we bring you the ten most well-kept secrets that sellers on eBay hold dear to sell their products and make them pop! Make sure to follow these tips closely if you want to become a top seller and make it big!

Without further ado, here are the top 10 things you should know before selling on eBay. 

  1. Get Inside The Mind Of A Customer

If you want to sell, you need to think not like a seller but as a buyer. Pretend you’re a customer thinking of buying the kind of products you sell. Go on the website as a casual shopper and see which products are already listed. Once you’re there, you can begin noticing patterns: which sellers have the most enticing photos? What makes them incite? What’s the average price at which your products are sold on eBay? 

By knowing these critical pieces of information, you can make your listings as enticing as possible to potential consumers, as you know what they like and what drives them to make the purchase.

  1. Know Your Enemy As You Know Yourself

This is an adage that remains to be true. eBay is a very competitive platform since there are so many people on it. If you want to be a top competitor, you need to know how your adversaries think. 

Use the top-selling feature to see which products pop off on eBay. Also, study the product listings and take notes on what you think makes them so marketable. Do they name their products something in particular? What kind of photos do they use? What are their product descriptions like? These are the key aspects you need to know to be a top seller on eBay. 

  1. Know Your Fees

eBay itself isn’t exactly free. If you’re not into the whole auction thing but still want to sell on eBay, you’re going to have to pay some fees. eBay offers a variety of subscription packages, including:

  • Starter
  • Basic
  • Premium
  • Anchor
  • Enterprise

The monthly subscription fee depends on your subscription plan, so look for the one that’s right for you and make it easier for your customers to buy your products!

  1. Know-How To Price Your Items

This is yet another crucial feature to keep in mind if you want to remain competitive on eBay. Whether it’s kitchen appliances or Cheetos shaped like Jesus, no matter what you’re selling, there’s a high chance someone is selling the same thing at a lower price with better production photos. 

This is why it’s vital for you as a buyer to track what your competitors are selling their products for and work in that price range, so you genuinely have a fighting chance. You can also offer lower prices to make your products more enticing to potential buyers.

  1. Get The Perfect Shot To Sell Your Product!

Humans are visual creatures; this is why production photos are everything. Getting good shots of your product with a cohesive composition and lighting can be the difference between selling your product for $300 instead of $3. 

But how can you achieve those great product shots you see everywhere? Well, one way is to make your DIY lightroom. This kind of thing can be made with cardboard, paper, and glue, but it has the same effects as a professional photoshoot! 

  1. Write Product Descriptions Like You’re Writing Poetry

Images aren’t the only thing you can improve about your listing. Writing good product descriptions can also be the factor that either attracts customers or makes them walk away.  Here are some tips you can follow to write the best product descriptions:

  • Keep it short, sweet, and skimmable.
  • Please don’t use other people’s descriptions; make them unique.
  • Break up your text using bullet points, lists, numbers, and short sentences.
  • Triple-check your spelling so you don’t sound like you’re trying to scam people.
  • Give as much detail as possible.
  • Write enticing headings.
  1. Be Open To Constructive Criticism

Feedback isn’t only good for you, but it’s also good for your business. If buyers go to your listings and don’t see any product reviews, then they might get scared off by the fact that no one can vouch for your products. This is why it’s essential to get your products out there and encourage people to leave reviews so that other potential buyers know you’re legit.

  1. Promote, promote, promote!

This one is a no-brainer; no surprise there. If you want to sell, then you need to promote your products with everything you’re eCommerce business has to offer. Here are some tips on how to do that:

  • Social Media: buy ads on Instagram, Twitter, and every platform you can think of. These ads will get people to your store.
  • Promotion Boxes: eBay allows you to promote your products within listings, make sure to use it to remain competitive.
  • Content Marketing: advertising your products on a content platform such as a blog or YouTube channel can surely make you go far.
  1. Sell in Cycles

As you track your competitor’s listings, you’ll probably be able to tell that their prices don’t remain the same for long. On specific dates, they peak, and on others, they get lower. Make sure to follow these patterns so you can remain competitive!

  1. Look At The Big Picture

Becoming a top-seller doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a process. This is why you need to sort both short-term and long-term goals for yourself, so you can stay on track and remember that when things get tough, it’s okay; they’re supposed to get tough at some points. Just keep your chin up and keep trying! Success isn’t always gifted; it’s earned. 

Conclusion

Now you know everything you need to know before selling on eBay!

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Best Practices For eCommerce Merchants Selling on Shopping Engines

These days, everyone is selling their stuff online, from fashion giants like Zara and H&M to small, hand-made businesses with few employees. If you’re the latter, then you know that getting your products out there can be tricky. Sometimes ad campaigns and word of mouth are not enough, and when those bills come in the mail, your heart starts racing as you wonder if you’re going to be the next ones to close up shop and hitch a tent in the park. 

Well, we have the solution. It’s called a Comparison Shopping Engine, and while it may sound weird and unfamiliar right now, you’ll probably get the hang of it in minutes.

Let’s get into what Comparison Shopping Engines are and how you can use them to generate more revenue, so you don’t have to eat out of cans for the rest of your life.

What Are Comparison Shopping Engines?

This is a great question to start with. Just what are these futuristic-sounding engines? Are they like car engines with physical parts? Do they require fuel? Well, the good news is that they don’t! You’ve probably heard of the term ‘search engine’ before being used to describe websites like Google, Bing, etc. These are called ‘search engines’ because they’re like giant digital machines people search for information. 

Comparison Shopping Engines are a lot like that, except buyers use them to search products and compare everything from shipping costs to prices instead of just searching for any information. 

Comparison Shopping Engines are every buyer’s secret weapon since they typically use them to get the best deals on products by looking at what multiple places are selling that product for, how much the shipping costs, etc. 

Why Should You Be On Them?

Well, this is a simple question to answer. Just like companies pay Google to show the links to their websites at the very top of the results page, you too can use Comparison Shopping Engines to get your products in front of more people.

In addition, people who use Comparison Shopping Websites are the best customers you can hope to find since they want to buy that product and they’re by far the most likely to complete the purchase during their visit. Comparison Shopping Websites are also the first to show up on Google’s result page so that you can gain a lot from their visibility.

If your products show up on these websites, then you’re pretty much guaranteed more traction to your online store, especially since it helps to build trust between you and the customers. When people see your products on Comparison Shopping Engines, they’ll know that you offer good deals and will be more likely to want to do business with you in the future.

Choosing The Right One

With so many different Comparison Shopping Engines to choose from, how are you supposed to know which one is best for your business? Well, there are some factors to consider. For starters, you need to know which Comparison websites your competitors are on. This comes with advantages and drawbacks. 

The advantage is that people who visit that particular engine are more likely to search for the types of products you sell. This is because all the traffic for that kind of product is going there. The disadvantage is that since all of your competitors are on that particular engine, you may have trouble standing out and might have to lower your prices to compete. 

Another option is to use a Comparison Shopping Engine that none of your other competitors have even heard of. You may get less traffic, but you’ll also probably make more sales since you appear to be the only one offering the kind of product that your customers desire. 

Top 3 Comparison Shopping Websites

Alright, now that you know what Comparison Shopping Engines are, let’s dive into some of the best of them so that you too can compare and contrast which one is best for your business.

  1. Google Shopping

Google Shopping is probably the most popular Comparison Shopping Engine out there. Since it’s built right into the Google platform, it’s very easy to find, and it probably offers the most visibility out of all of them since it showcases links to products at the very top of their results page when people search for them. If you want to get as much exposure as possible, Google Shopping is a fantastic choice.

  1. NexTag

NexTag is a veteran in the Comparison Shopping Engine world, established back in 1999 when you used to spend your days watching Saved By The Bell, collecting pogs, and wearing neon hoop earrings. Millions of people use the website every day, and it’s also probably the most versatile when it comes to products since you can list real estate, concert tickets, travel, and much more.

  1. PriceGrabber

PriceGrabber is a great choice both for buyers and sellers alike. In addition to having features of any other shopping comparison website, it also has features for buyers! With its easy-to-use Market Report, you can track purchases and monitor pricing trends so you can stay on top of your game.

But How Do You Get On Them? 

There’s the big question: all these websites may sound fantastic, but how are you supposed to get your products on them? Well, the first step is to get your products listed on them. You can do this easily by filling out the search engine’s CSV (Comma-Separated-Value), which is a bunch of information they need to list your product according to their format. 

This information includes product title, price, description, and image location. The website will then use this information to get you listed on their websites and put you in front of potential buyers!

The Bottom Line

Running a small business can be extremely difficult, but Shopping Engines can get the job done fast and easily. Don’t hesitate! List your products today and get them in front of buyers so that you can continue to grow.

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Shopify vs. Etsy: Which Is Better In 2021?

The Internet has exploded since the days of its conception. Before, computers took up an entire room and had to be run with thousands of buttons and dials. Then, we got a dial-up Internet making strange screeching noises through the phone, and then we got discs. Now navigating the internet has become a lot easier, too. The Internet now offers millions of services, including information, educational resources, tests, quizzes, and ecommerce. The days of camping out outside of stores have long since passed. Now anything you want is just one click away!

Navigating has become a lot easier, too. The Internet now offers millions of services, including information, educational resources, tests, quizzes, and shopping. The days of camping out outside of stores have long since passed. Now anything you want is just one click away!

And not only has it never been easier to buy something, but it’s also never been easier to start a business! Nowadays, anyone can create an account for free and start selling their products, no matter how niche they are!

However, if you’re an online seller, you may be overwhelmed by the number of choices you have at your disposal. Most people have narrowed it down to two main platforms: Shopify or Etsy. But how can you decide which one is best for you? 

That’s precisely what we’re going to figure out on this edition of : Shopify vs. Etsy. 

Overview

Before we get into the actual fight, let’s look at our fighters. In one corner, we have a tech giant that has been on the Internet for about as long as Queen Elizabeth II has been alive, Etsy. Etsy is the online equivale; Ent of a flea market: you can sell just about anything, at any price, and people can even get into bidding wars over your products! 

However, the bad part about Etsy is that it’s hard to develop your brand image there. Because Etsy currently doesn’t offer any ways to make your market store stand out, it can be easy to get lost in the sea of painted spoons. Still, millions of people use Etsy every day, and it is widely successful and reliable. 

And in the other corner, we have Shopify, the young buck who’s threatening to take down Etsy! Shopify has a significant advantage in that it is highly customizable. Platforms can easily use it to create their online stores and build a group of reliable customers to keep them afloat during hard times. 

Let the fight begin!

Anyways, now that you have some background on each of our fighters let’s look at their stats. Let’s see who comes out on top in each category!

Round 1: Ease Of Use

This is a hard one to measure up since both platforms are relatively easy to use. The user interface is intuitive, so it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to buy or sell products on each platform. 

However, Shopify has an advantage in the sense that everything on their website is built in. Because it’s so easy to attract customers, all you have to do is create an attractive website and market it throughout all social media platforms. 

Etsy, on the other hand, takes an entirely different approach to online sales. Instead of redesigning your website in the way that you would your physical shop or boutique, you set up a business in an already existing marketplace, sort of like hitching up a tent at a local flea market. 

This means that setting up when you are brand new is easy. But, sticking out and getting customer retention is hard because everyone is competing in the same marketplace with no options to differentiate themselves and stand out. 

Round 2: Domains And URL

Believe it or not, this is an essential part of growing your online business. Your URL is like your store’s address. It’s how people can find you in the ocean of other internet sites and know who you are and where to buy your products. 

Shopify has this covered by allowing buyers to buy their ion domain name so that they can make it something easy to search. Etsy, however, doesn’t allow for this type of customization, so you run the risk of customers having to paste a very long list each time or having to scroll past hundreds of results before they even get to you. 

Round 3: eCommerce Features

Now, this is the thing every online entrepreneur wants to know about: how easy is it to sell on either one of these platforms? Well, Shopify makes it extremely easy to run a business on their platform by giving you tons of valuable tools. For example, creating unique product pages, figuring out check out experiences that can’t be found anywhere else online, and offering a wide range of payment options so that no customer is left out!

On the other hand, Etsy doesn’t offer as many attractive features for sellers, but it does have its own set of assets. It offers entrepreneurs an effortless way to get started since they give access to an existing audience. 

Because pretty much everyone uses Etsy, your store can benefit from that traction as well. Other significant advantages to online sellers include shipping labels, discount codes, and vouchers, which are great for maintaining customer retention, advertising opportunities, email alerts sent directly to customers when products are back in stock, etc. 

The Bottom Line

So, who won the fight? Well, it’s really up to the owner of the online business. Some businesses prefer making their shops as customizable as possible to get traction, and others would prefer to lean into Etsy’s already existing popularity to gain customers. 

Some buyers may prefer Shopify’s web design and various payment options, and others may go for Etsy’s shipping labels and the possibility to make discount codes for customers. All in all, the true winner is always decided by you, the business owner. So, try out these two options and see which one is best for you!