All good planning requires good structure. Without it, planning tends to have gaps, and what the digital strategic planning professional envisioned may not turn out as intended. Therefore, good planning requires careful analysis before being presented to the client and even more analysis before going live.
The word “pillars” may seem ancient, sometimes referring to Greek constructions, but it can also help your planning to avoid gaps. If a building has a simple gap, it can compromise the entire structure, and the building can collapse because it can’t support the weight. Engineers plan and calculate millimeters so that these don’t become gaps. Planners must delve into this in-depth analysis, which, admittedly, isn’t always so simple or possible.
When it comes to sales, breaches can represent enormous damage to a brand. The FNAC case, for example, only avoided millions in losses because they acted quickly and Brazilian law favored the brand—rightly, in my opinion. For those who don’t remember, for a few hours, thanks to a programming glitch, people could buy notebooks for R$1.00.
Therefore, when planning, carefully analyze some pillars for your brand building, communication building, and strategy building. There are no gaps and thus be a great success. For e-commerce , success = sales. So, how do you plan for a store to sell? In fact, sell well!
GOOD PRODUCTS : Does what you sell appeal to the majority or the minority? If it appeals to the majority, for example, if you sell LCD TVs, you can expect high sales/profits. If you sell acrylic cases from Japan for white iPhone 4Gs, it’s a niche product where you can stand out, but large profits and fortunes will be hard to come by.
FINDABILITY : Your user arrived at the store. This could be via Google, direct access, email marketing, or social media. It doesn’t matter (at this point), once the user has arrived at the store, they need to find the desired product. Don’t assume the search field will be enough. Website usability is essential.
CUSTOMER SERVICE : Providing excellent customer service is crucial. Even if your company is a mega online retailer, like Casas Bahia, for example, you need to address customer concerns. A resolved question can be the final step toward a purchase; excellent customer service can generate positive mentions on social media.
DIGITAL MARKETING : It’s all about remembering who’s visible. We don’t think of Coca-Cola every time the word “soft drink” is mentioned for nothing. We think of it because the brand invests heavily in media to get noticed. In e-commerce, there’s no secret; you need to be noticed. I suggest starting with Bus cape and Sponsored Links, as these are the channels e-consumers turn to before doing any product research. Then consider banners, email marketing…
LOGISTICS : Deliver the product. And on time! It’s that simple. A consumer can wait anywhere from 1 hour to 180 days for a product, as long as it’s clearly stated on the website: “To city X (or this message may appear after the user calculates shipping) the product takes 2 to 3 business days.” The user waits, but if it takes 4 to 5 days, trust is lost. Trust is everything in e-commerce, and it’s the factor that determines whether a person returns to an online store or not.
Check out more stories and updates on our homepage: techdailybusiness
