The Checklist: Are You E-Commerce Ready? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

Brick-and-mortar stores continue to find ways to meet the needs of the modern customer online. It’s important for you to do the same. But are you ready?

Luckily, there are many resources available to help you optimize the online shopping experience for your customers. Even if your store is already doing business online, a refresher never hurts.

So, today we’re pointing you to resources that help get you online-ready, as well as our handy checklist to see how prepared you are. We hope they’re useful. We’re here to help!

5 TIPS FOR OPTIMIZING YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE: THE CHECKLIST

Am I ready to provide an exceptional online shopping experience?

Whether you’re brand new or a veteran to e-commerce, getting your business up to speed with the right pages and platforms will help you drive revenue during this challenging time. Shopify has noted this need and created seven short courses on how to set up online, how to get paid, and how to host your online store with good results.

PayBright Recommends: Shopify Academy

Am I up to date on online trends in customer behaviour?

If your focus has been on in-store customer behaviour, now is the time to ramp up your knowledge on e-commerce. Ask yourself: Are your shoppers buying from desktop or mobile? What channels and strategies are driving the most traffic? What promotes repeat business and larger basket sizes? Don’t know? Many reports exist to get you up to speed, including this global report from HootSuite..

PayBright Recommends: HootSuite’s Global Digital Guide 2020

During this financially stressful time, am I giving customers flexible ways to pay?

Now more than ever, offering your shoppers flexible payment options at checkout can help lighten some of the financial pressure they may be facing. This means including options like Visa, MasterCard, Amex, PayPal, online debit, and 0% interest instalment payment solutions like PayBright. Recent research tells us that for the current and future generations of shoppers

PayBright Recommends: “How the Fashion Industry is Adopting Buy Now, Pay Later to Win Over Price-Sensitive Millennials in Canada”

UX is key to a customer’s journey. Does my website need a redesign (and fast)?

A website shopping experience should be like your product or service: Reliable, modern, and easy to follow. So, make the user experience a good one: Ensure that your design is clean, clear, responsive on multiple devices, and compliant with web accessibility laws. Need help here, too? Shopify to the rescue (again): They’re offering free design help to brick and mortar stores looking to move online.

PayBright Recommends: Shopify 101: Selling Online

My store is online, but so are thousands of others. Will my customers choose them over me?

With websites, the most important step is ensuring that your customers can find you from either through ads or simple search. With more shops moving online, the competition will be fierce. This is your time to focus on driving traffic using solid keywords, SEO strategies, and other techniques to help your customers find you and keep coming back. LightSpeed’s guide on driving web traffic is an excellent overview.

PayBright Recommends: “10 Ways to Drive More Traffic to your Online Store”

BONUS QUESTIONS

Is my online store already up and running, and how can I improve it?

If you already have an online shop, PayBright can work with you to offer flexible buy now, pay later options to your customers, quickly and easily. Get in touch to learn more!

I don’t have an online store, but I will in a few months. Will it be too late to offer flexible payment options to my customers?

The answer is a firm ‘No.’ It’s never too late. When you’re all set out, all you need to do is get in touch with us when the time is right for you and your business.

We hope you found these resources helpful. Congratulations on devoting more time to doing business online!

This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not an exhaustive review of this topic. The content is not financial or investment advice. No professional relationship of any kind is formed between you and PayBright. While we have obtained or compiled this information from sources we believe to be reliable, we cannot and do not guarantee its accuracy. We recommend that you consult your personal finance professional before taking any action related to this information. PayBright is a provider of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solutions. BNPL providers offer plans with a variety of terms and conditions, including interest rates, fees, and penalties, and have different standards for qualifying for loans. Laws and regulations governing BNPL providers vary by jurisdiction. We recommend that you compare and contrast plans, read the fine print, and conduct detailed research into any BNPL provider before using their services.