Markers of a Great eCommerce Brand

Last Updated on August 31, 2023 by David

Attracting customers, appeasing demands, and making sales.

*Finding your “Waldo” is the name of the game.*

2017 is on track to be another record year for eCommerce. In the U.S. alone, online sales is projected to hit $440 Billion. On mobile? $114 Billion. In a society where over 50% of purchases are now made online, it’s not just large eCommerce players that stand to benefit. Small to medium sized online businesses and indie brands now have access to an ever growing customer base that’s willing to fork over their hard earned money for quality merchandise.

Prying attention and sales away from established players like Amazon.com is no easy task however. In 2016, Amazon’s eCommerce presence grew by more than 25% from the previous year and now represents 43% of all U.S. eCommerce sales. And it’s no surprise either. Amazon’s shopping experiences have all the hallmarks of a great eCommerce business: fast shipping, subscription based amenities, unparalleled ease in ordering, fairly great customer service, and a very competitive return policy.

However, there are lots of reasons why Amazon does not account for 100% of online sales — they’re not the only game in town. In fact, if we flip the script and look at the numbers, the glass-half-full perspective is that most of U.S. eCommerce resides outside the walls of Amazon.

That means customers are comfortable spending their online dollars on smaller online storefronts powered by platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and other DIY platforms. What “markers” do these customers look for in order to emulate a shopping experience much like (or better than) Amazon.com and how should brand businesses take control?

“You can’t wait for customers to come to you. You have to figure out where they are, go there and drag them back to your store.” — Paul Graham, Y-Combinator

Many store owners approach starting a business with the best of intentions but ignore core markers that complement their efforts. Finding willing shoppers is both an art and a science. Great eCommerce tools, marketers, and consultants can help you nail down the science but it’s often up to individual brands and businesses to nail down the art. It’s important to know that there are lots of implicit markers that a shopper looks for before plopping down their credit card to make a purchase from you. These markers affect customers psychologically and act as a catalyst when it comes time to act.

Adam the hunting-gear guru

Adam is a 47 year-old car salesman. Like most Americans, Adam loves guns and everything related to his growing gun collection. With good sales numbers accumulating under his belt, he’s always on the look out for gun gadgets.

Much like other online shoppers, Adam looks for key markers before purchasing from non-core online retailers such as Amazon, eBay, or in his case, that list also includes Dick’s Sporting Goods, Big 5, and REI. Because it’s important that his gear is reliable in all operational contexts, Adam is a firm believer of “in-the-field” testing. A good return policy is a must because who knows, a product just might not hold up well enough. And because Adam is a stickler for detail, he’s not easily convinced of a product’s “stated” functions and features. One of Adam’s favorite brands, Magpul, is the North Star when it comes to convincing Adam of not just quality but also industry knowledge and specialization. As an electrical engineer by trade, Adam appreciates expertise and weighs it heavily in all of his purchasing decisions. In fact, he’s been following Magpul’s industry presence for over 5 years now and attend all of their trade shows.

Emily the marketing intern

A true Texan at heart, Emily resides in sunny Austin with her parents and where she works at a local printing firm. Emily is also a part time guitar tutor and has recently started a YouTube channel demonstrating her skills to her audience. Always in need for more audio and musical gear, Emily prefers to buy everything online in order to save time and money.

Having studied marketing at college, Emily tries her best to remain cognizant of its psychological impacts when it comes to buying things. There are a few go-to places (such as Sweetwater) for Emily not because they specialize in audio equipment but also because they offer fast, convenient, and no BS shipping. Having compared prices across the web, it simply makes more sense for Emily to become a loyal member to the brands she patrons often. Emily’s combined income gives her some freedom in terms of purchasing decisions but she makes sure her money is well spent on products that receive raving reviews and where she can learn more about complementary products. She spends 1–2 hours on average researching the potential purchase and watching review testimonials from her fellow YouTubers.

Greg the designer

Greg of Colorado Springs is a senior at a prestigious university studying fashion design. An established overachiever among friends, some of Greg’s work has already been featured in magazines like GQ and Vogue. Like many fashion designers, Greg appreciates the simple beauty of great design — everything from food to furniture and from cars to indie films. In his free time, Greg is also a collector and trader of vintage t-shirts, always on the lookout for unique items to add to his collection.

A new obsession of Greg’s is stalking a company called Blipshift. Their unique product proposition is one of limited production. Designers and artists from around the globe submit unique, one-of-a-kind t-shirt designs to the company with hopes of seeing printed glory. Once printed, it’s gone forever. With a cult following from the motorsports community, Blipshift has caught the attention of the design-loving Greg. Greg’s dad left him with a Boss 429 before he passed and its been the love of his life. With motivation in mind, Greg reached out to Blipshift’s customer service team to see if there are upcoming designs related to the renowned mustang. Their reply blew Greg away. Not only were they able to confirm a design but also sent Greg a free t-shirt voucher as a thank-you for his enthusiasm and support.

Learning how to analyze markers will help you prepare a shopping experience for customers that is both pleasant and unforgettable. To create a great eCommerce brand requires careful planning and skillful premonition. Here are 3 mental models to help you.

Business Practices

Today’s informed consumers are always asking, ‘Is this a good company?’ and ‘What does it stand for?’ How you choose to conduct day-to-day business is top of mind for most shoppers.

According to retailers, most customers — 82% — conduct research online. — Forbes Consumer Research, 2016

Fair and transparent business practices such as shipping, returns/exchanges policies, environmentally conscious processes, local community building practices, philanthropic actions, and personable customer service make up the pillars of an honest, ethical, transparent, and communicative business. Your potential customers may find that online retailers like Amazon.com do not check all these boxes.

Consumers who buy online not only want to protect themselves but also want to make sure a business is also well protected by treating its daily affairs with responsibility across the board. The recent United Airlines fiasco(s) is a major highlight in recent memory where fair policies, actions, and customer service were grossly mismanaged and ignored. With a growing arsenal of tools for consumers to use and research businesses, transparency is not just “advice” but a norm. Milton Friedman once coined a popular phrase back in the 70’s that “the business of business is business” and that profits ruled all else. This couldn’t be further from the truth now.

*Adam’s favorite firearms accessories brand, Magpul, is known for excellent customer service and quality.*

For Emily and Adam, brand loyalty has been strongly rooted in sound business practices such as transparent shipping and returns, great down-to-earth customer service, and environmentally conscious processes.

Mechanics

A trusted brand does one thing and one thing very well. Vertical e-commerce companies can build expertise by choosing just one product or service and over time present customers with all possible buying options in that vertical thereby increasing the likelihood of conversions dramatically. This is known as verticalization. A niche can be created more easily overtime by solving problems of one particular category. There are other advantages to verticalization:

Variation. By focusing on one vertical, eCommerce brands can offers customers more variety within a given product category thereby increasing personalization and uniqueness. Customers looking to buy into a specific niche will most likely find an option that fits them.
Pricing. A highly verticalized eCommerce business has a significant pricing advantage when they can offer more unique and personalized shopping experiences compared to other stores which only sell “standard” products designed to appeal to the masses. Verticalizing your business will mean decreased exposure to potential price wars and races to the bottom.
Branding. Verticalized eCommerce businesses have opportunities to brand and market their products with more unique content. With increased expertise in digital domain, online marketing, and SEO, vertical businesses can tap into loyal communities dedicated to exploring products in a given niche.

eCommerce brands can also adopt other sub-mechanics. For example, Greg’s favorite brand, Blipshift, not only focuses on one vertical with a wide gamut on personalization, but also gamifies the purchasing experience with limited time runs for specific designs. Not every eCommerce brand will have unique mechanics to leverage but there are always opportunities for exploration. Sub-mechanics such as experimenting with contests and prize giveaways and how different types of coupons and discounts affect conversion rates can all be advantageous.

Content

Your knowledge of the product you sell and the market you operate in directly impacts a shopper’s level of confidence in your brand. The ins and outs of a product goes beyond what is displayed online through a series of images. Expressing your expertise in various formats build capacity for your customers.

It goes without saying that social proof is a core driver of consumer confidence. Establishing a loyal user base that’s willing to provide reviews, ratings, and testimonials takes time and hard work. Having social proof creates a snow ball effect for your brand. Social proof can also come in a variety of formats: video reviews, interviews, case studies, testimonials, white papers, news PR, etc.

Emily’s favorite brand, Sweetwater, is a master content promoter in its respective vertical and known for it timely, relevant, and educational videos on YouTube.

A 2014 study led by NewsCred revealed that 82 million millennials consume online content monthly in the US alone. And by 2020, millennials will total more than $1.4 trillion in spending power, most of which will be in eCommerce. More alarming is that nearly two-thirds (62%) said that the right online content increases their brand loyalty. Marketing automation platform Hubspot also shows in a case study that:

90% of consumers find videos helpful when shopping online
64% of users are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video

Wrap Up

Understanding customer behavior is an important part of running any business. If you haven’t already revisited your growth strategies in order to attract more customers and sales, there’s no better time than now. Here are a few things you can do:

Run through your product pages from the customers’ perspective.
Walk through your checkout flow to spot glaring inconsistencies or deal breakers.
Review your content marketing quality, channels, and outbound schedules.
Update your business-related policies so they’re communicated effectively, visibly, and consistently.
Align your customer services team and processes with how customers prefer to be treated.

Our examples went through Magpul, Sweetwater, and Blipshift. We highly encourage you to take a browse through these stores and content channels!

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You can also find our multi-brand, multi-channel customer service platform at https://www.reamaze.com. Follow @reamaze.