Question: What’s the average shopping cart abandonment rate and how is it lowered?

Answer: Shopping cart abandonment happens when a potential customer initiates the order by starting the check out process, but leaves before the purchase can be completed. The rate at which your visitors abandon is an important statistic to track for online retailers as it could mean the difference between a profitable eCommerce store and potential loss.

Question: How can I beat out competitors if our prices are the same?

Answer:

Question: Is it a good idea to use suggested retail price if I sell discounted items?

Answer:

Question: How can I keep my prices competitive and still make money?

Answer:

Question: What is the purpose of free shipping and how effective is it?

Answer:

Question: Should I get printed business material even though I have an eBusiness?

Answer:

Question: How much capital should I invest in marketing and advertising?

Answer:

Question: Can I write articles about my products and use them on my site?

Answer: Of course. Posting articles on your site may even help in your efforts to rank higher within search engines like Google who look for content related to the products you are selling. Quality written content also makes you seem more credible in your niche, especially if the articles teach something or provide information to your users that helps them.

Question: When should I consider alternative advertising like pay per click ads?

Answer: Pay-per-click ads or sponsored search listings have become more popular among merchants looking to drive immediate traffic to their storefronts. These types of campaigns are generally the most successful when launched after first releasing your store, once you have established decent brand recognition or saturation of natural search rankings.

Question: Should I consider hiring a professional marketing firm or can I do it myself?

Answer: Deciding whether or not to market your storefront yourself or outsource the task to professionals depends on how much time, organizational skills and previous experience you can devote to the tasks invloved in running a successful campaign. Even if you haven’t ever promoted an online business in the past, having a thorough knowledge of your industry and the customers you target can often times be better than using a third party who doesn’t already know about your industry and isn’t willing to research it. However, if you happen across a firm that performs market research before taking on the task of promoting your store you may be able to use your knowledge blended with theirs for an even stronger marketing strategy and continual flow of ideas.