Presented by: Rick Wilson, Miva Merchant
Are you ready to build a web site to sell your products? Or, are you looking to redo a current, outdated ecommerce site? There are lots of factors to consider before you begin:
· How to choose a host and shopping cart?
· What needs to be on the product pages?
· How to get customers to my site?
· How will customers pay for their purchases?
· What are the 'must-have' features that I need on my site?
· How important is the checkout process?
· How much will all this cost me?
The list goes on and on! Join Rick Wilson, President & COO of Miva Merchant as he presents a comprehensive list of questions you need to ask when you want to build a great ecommerce web site. This session is perfect for those who have never had an online store as well as those who need to start over.
10 Questions You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
1. Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
2. 10 Questions You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
1. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)?!
2. How Can I Use Product Photography As A Competitive Edge?!
3. Is There A Unique Product Description I Can Write To Drive Sales?!
4. What Do My Potential Customers Want To Know About My Product?!
5. Does My Logo and Graphic Design Convey My Brand Identity?!
6. How Can I Optimize My Fulfillment?!
7. What Can I Do To Streamline The Backend While Improving Customer Service?!
8. Will The Software Platform I’m Choosing Be Able To Still Run My Business In 5 Years?!
9. Where Am I An Expert (And I Don’t Even Know It)?!
10. How Can I Spread The Word?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
3. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
4. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
DirectFix.com
• Over 36 million combined views on YouTube
• Education Is "His Angle"
• He Aims To Truly Help His Customers
• Causes Him To Stand Out In A Crowded Market
5. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
6. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
LotusSculpture.com
• Focus On True Artisan Sculptures
• Hand Selects His Artisans
• Creates A Visceral Travel And Education Experience
• Able To Carve Out A Premium Niche In A Budget Space
7. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
8. What’s My Unique Selling Proposition (aka What’s My Angle)?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
Scottevest.com
• Invented His Own Niche In The World Of Clothing
• Served A Need In A Unique Way
• Excellent Viral Marketer
9. How Can I Use Product Photography As A Competitive Edge?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
10. How Can I Use Product Photography As A Competitive Edge?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
11. How Can I Use Product Photography As A Competitive Edge?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
• Never Use Flash
• Check Your White Balance
• Use Angles To Truly Show Your Product
• Add Scale With Other Objects
• Use Consistent Backgrounds
• Always Have The Same Aspect Ratio
• Have Multiple Photos Covering Every Angle
• Show Every Product Option Variation
12. How Can I Use Product Photography As A Competitive Edge?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
• Use Consistent Backgrounds and Always Have The Same Aspect Ratio
13. How Can I Use Product Photography As A Competitive Edge?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
• Have Multiple Photos Covering Every Angle and Show All Options
14. Is There A Unique Product Description I Can Write To Drive Sales?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
15. Is There A Unique Product Description I Can Write To Drive Sales?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
16. What Do My Potential Customers Want To Know About My Product?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
17. What Do My Potential Customers Want To Know About My Product?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
18. Does My Logo and Graphic Design Convey My Brand Identity?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
19. Does My Logo and Graphic Design Convey My Brand Identity?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
20. Does My Logo and Graphic Design Convey My Brand Identity?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
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WHICH SITE WOULD YOU PURCHASE FROM?
21. Does My Logo and Graphic Design Convey My Brand Identity?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
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The Difference In Price To Build These Two Sites
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IS NEGLIGIBLE AT BEST
22. How Can I Optimize My Fulfillment?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
• Customers Expect Something Akin To Amazon (Prime)
• Products Should Ship Within 24 Hours (Unless Clearly Noted)
• Tracking Information Should Be Automatically Emailed
• Order Status Should Be Self Service
23. Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
• The Vast Majority Of Customer Service Is Informational In Nature
• Provide An Easy Way To Get That Information
What Can I Do To Streamline The Backend While Improving Customer Service?
24. Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
• That Doesn't Mean Don't Talk To Your Customer
What Can I Do To Streamline The Backend While Improving Customer Service?
25. Will The Software Platform I’m Choosing Be Able To Still Run My Business In 5 Years?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
• How Reliable Is The Underlying Hosting?
• What Is Their Historical Uptime? (Hint 99.9% isn’t very good)
• Is The Upgrade Process Dangerous To Your Business?
• What Kind Of Maintenance Should You Expect, Is It Onerous?
• What’s The Real Scoop On Their Security Architecture?
• Will I Be Hindered By A Lack Of Flexibility?
• If I Grow Really Fast, Can They Keep Up?
• Are There Automation Options To Streamline My Business?
26. Where Am I An Expert (And I Don’t Even Know It)?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
Start blogging, Facebooking, Pinteresting, Tweeting, etc… immediately
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• Instagram
• Tumblr
• Pinterest
• YouTube
27. How Can I Spread The Word?
Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
• Don't Overlook "Traditional" Outlets
• Rotary Club
• Chamber Of Commerce
• Local Press
28. Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
Questions?
29. Resources
http://yeshenvenema.com/blog/product-photography-basics - Product Photography!
www.ortery.com - Product Photography!
www.shipworks.com - Fulfillment Optimization!
www.shipstation.com - Fulfillment Optimization!
www.shipwire.com - Fulfillment House!
99designs.com - Graphic Design Crowdsourcing!
getbootstrap.com - Responsive Framework For Themes!
analytics.google.com - Google Analytics!
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Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
30. Rick Wilson -‐ President -‐ Miva Merchant -‐ ASD/IMA March 2014 -‐ Las Vegas
10 QuesCons You Should Ask When Building Your Ecommerce Store
Thank You
@RickMiva
rwilson@mivamerchant.com
facebook.com/mivamerchant
plus.google.com/+MivaMerchant
www.mivamerchant.com
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