Do you have a niche webshop that focuses on a specific product or specific target group? Then it is easier to survive, than if you have a webshop that reaches your competitor in just a few clicks. How successful your webshop eventually becomes is up to you. Some budget helps, of course. But if you do not take into account the demand of the market and are not unique, you will not be successful. We often hear from webshops that no orders are coming in. Therefore, we hope the following tips can help you fine-tune your webshop to survive in a highly competitive industry.

No success without branding

With more and more webshops, you need to differentiate your shop. Otherwise, your competitor will cut the grass out from under your feet. How? By finding out for yourself what the winning difference is from your competitor, your unique selling point(s). Most webshops throw the difference at: cheapest, best quality or shortest delivery times. But on that bike you won't beat the big players like Amazon or Bol.com. After all, they are just one click away from you.
Therefore, ask deeper questions and incorporate them into your store:

What materials are my products made of?
Where do the products come from?
How are the products made?
What unique advantages do my products have (design, concept, story)?

Tell your story. You can do this by incorporating storytelling throughout the online store. For example, an "about us" page is very important to create a favor factor, show expertise, but also to convince consumers that they get the best product from you. Only in this way will you create a bond with the customer, rather than being seen as a "box shipper." Orangefit mentions that they develop the best and natural products. But also that for every bag of protein sold, they also make a donation to charity. This makes the webshop unique and creates a good feeling with the buyer.

Score with ease of use

Your webshop is ready, but does it work flawlessly? After all, you only have 3 seconds to convince visitors, otherwise online shoppers will leave your website without mercy. There are a number of points on which you can test your shop for user-friendliness:

How long is the load time of your webshop?
Too long loading time is "killing." You can test whether your webshop loads too long or not with Google Pagespeed. In the report that is published, you can see exactly what you need to adjust to make it faster.

Streamline your visitors to their shopping cart
We humans like easy. The point is to get your visitors to the page they are looking for in as few clicks as possible. Therefore, only ask questions that are necessary to deliver your products and inform your customer about them. Will the customer come back again? Then make sure no fields have to be filled out again in the checkout. In addition, be open and honest in your communication. Inform your customers about shipping costs, a clear return policy and a step-by-step plan in the checkout. Once an account is created, what percentage is your customer at?

Ordering without an account?
An absolute must! Do you already offer a choice to your customer to order with and without an account? Offering a choice increases the likelihood of a purchase. Therefore, add two options to your ordering process, both ordering with and without an account.

Does your visitor have multiple delivery options?
We can't bring it up often enough. Logistics can add value to your webshop. Attractive delivery options such as evening delivery, parcel point pickup or in-store pickup generate conversion. Why? Very simple, consumers are demanding more and more. If you don't provide options and the delivery method you offer them is not convenient, the competitor will be reached in seconds. So communicate these delivery options on product pages and in the checkout. Don't forget your return policy, which should be effortless and clear.

The greatest force in marketing is emotion

You have good products, a beautiful web shop, multiple delivery options and a flawless check-out process. Still, you're not completely satisfied with results already achieved. Don't panic, you're still building your brand. Why do we go to Disneyland or visit the Nike website in a search for athletic shoes? The answer is simple, we experience an emotion. And that's what the best brands anno 2023 are doing. Online shoppers are not really loyal, but by offering an experience, you can at least ensure that your shop has an edge. You respond to experience by responding to emotion:

Create curiosity
Use contrast colors on your "sale" page or by sending an email announcing your sales with a personalized discount code. A separate page with seasonal and popular products creates more experience and curiosity.

Create desires
Provide inspiring content. For example, you can use storytelling for new categories or collaborate with bloggers and make them fans of your webshop. For example, send a product to a blogger and ask for a review in a blog or even a vlog! Another option is to publish your own blog in your webshop. Give consumers tips, tricks and inspiration about products and lifestyle around the products. With a blog you can also show your expertise and show that consumers have come to the right place.

Trust is the foundation
Reviews from other customers are a source of trust for your webshop. But you can go much further, tell a story of a satisfied customer in video or write a press release about a valuable addition or expansion of your webshop. Make sure the press release has real news value! Without newsworthiness you will reach little audience and you will not create trust.

The power of fear
Fear is a powerful marketing tool. This is because fear subconsciously stimulates us to take action. Therefore, make sure you respond to "the fear of missing out," such as with temporary promotions or products that are in stock.

Surprise
Add an element of surprise in your webshop whenever possible. An example is a page with all the latest products. Don't forget to include the word "new." This stimulates curiosity. So you stimulate two emotions in one. A 404 page is an example of a surprise element. If a visitor unexpectedly lands on a wrong page, you can refer the customer back to the webshop in a fun way.
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Service goes beyond a phone number

Without service, you're not going to survive e-commerce. Don't yet have a phone number where customers can reach you when needed? Then at least being reachable is a quick win. Do you offer no service? Even then, the competitor with customer service is quickly reached. For example, Coolblue is known for its unprecedented service. Of course, the company has now also built up the resources to offer super service.
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Being easily accessible to potential customers is the least you can do. However, you then use your service mainly reactively. A success factor of your webshop can be to be proactive with service at every stage of purchase.

Product search
During the consumer's search, you can provide proactive service with a help center or FAQ page, if any. On this page, you can also inform your customer about your return policy or how to exchange products.

Product has been purchased
Provide communication during the delivery process. When your customer has already paid, this feels like a risk. After all, the product has not yet been received in good order. By sending Track and Trace mails with the status of the shipment, the customer is reassured. This is also part of good customer service, which allows you to win over your competitor. After all, a positive experience is most likely to result in a possible repeat purchase.

Product has been received
Once the customer has received the product, you can use an email to send additional product information or set up a fun personal promotion for a possible upsell. Do you sell tablets? Then you can offer a promotion via email for a protective cover. Don't forget to personalize it and include the name of the recipient.

Product is returned
You can provide additional service with an easy return solution. Customers prefer a smooth return policy without hassle. You can think of effortless returns with ready-made return labels and an extended period to return.

Go mobile, before it's too late

Did you make your webshop responsive right when you created it? Then you are thinking in the right direction. In e-commerce, you cannot stay behind with the latest developments. Is your design not responsive yet? Then it's best to do so as soon as possible.

A responsive website and webshop is scalable and ensures that it automatically adapts to the screen of mobile devices. As tip two suggests, you score with ease of use where a mobile version cannot be missing. An adaptive website goes a step further. This is a separate website set up separately for mobile. So you can display different content in it.

In conclusion

If you have an online store, it's hard work. After all, you can always keep optimizing. The Internet is full of tips. But with these tips, we hope to help you a little bit on your way to keep your head above water. The most important tip we can give you is, believe in yourself and show this in your shop. Do you still have questions, send us a message.

Are you convinced to get started with your own webshop? Or do you still have doubts about certain things? In this checklist we go over the various important components of a successful and well-organized web store. That way, you can always be sure that you don't overlook anything.

Good luck with your webshop!