How to Quickly Ramp Up Online Sales for Your Business

In tough times, you can always find twinkles of opportunity. Just look around on Alignable—businesses are shifting to meet new needs, coming together, and offering their services in new ways. One big opportunity to come out of the pandemic? Taking your business online. 

Some of you might have been there already; others dabbled. Maybe your business relied mostly on local shoppers who’d stop by your store on a whim. And it worked so well you put off moving your store online or focusing on increasing your online sales. 

Now, that online store can keep your business going and growing, which is critical as we recover. The question is: How do you make it a success? 

Whether you’re just getting started creating an online store or you’re looking to boost your ecommerce sales, we can help. And our members with ecommerce expertise can too. 

Ecommerce: Then and Now 

So how much has ecommerce changed since the start of the crisis? Let’s take a look. 

First, some stats:

• Ecommerce sales the week of May 26–June 1 were 40% higher than sales from February 24–March 1, 2020. 
• And in-store pick up of online orders increased 248% during the same time.
  
  

Then, some stories from successful business owners in the Alignable community:

• Carol Lamb of Total Health & Wellness saw a dramatic “surge in online consumer demand” in her store with over 500 products. That’s not all—she has a “98.1% reorder rate” for her brand. And she’s not alone. 
• Gary Gagen from Let’s Collect increased his eBay sales by “just over 50%” in March and April.
• Lucas Mariscal is averaging $600 a day, an increase of “400% over last year,” for his store Pacific NW Products.

Clearly, the demand is there, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. The key now is to be strategic as you take on the ecommerce world. 

You want a “seamless online presence, which makes everything from ordering to completing products to shipping anywhere locally, statewide, nationwide, and worldwide, possible,” explains Loren Wheatley from DBG Promotions. 

Keep reading for ways to create this seamless online experience, according to more experts like Loren.

How to Nail Ecommerce and Ramp Up Online Sales 

Rather than dig through ecommerce advice from the giants, we went straight to the source—our members, of course. 

We wanted to see how actual businesses are handling online shopping and what they’ve done to increase online sales despite the circumstances. It’s practical online sales advice from real people. 

So let’s jump into what hundreds of our members had to say about taking on ecommerce and boosting your sales as a result.

1. Claim Your Google My Business Profile

First, you might want to consider enhancing your business presence on Google by “claiming your Google My Business profile,” recommends Joe Zeman from Valor Marketing LLC. 

The reality is that 85% of consumers conduct research before buying online, so you need to be searchable. And that’s exactly how Google My Business can help.

Google My Business is an essential free directory listing that represents your business on Google with a special sidebar that shows up when someone searches for your name, products, or services. It’s a way to bypass SEO and get your business at the very top of the search page. 

Here’s an example of what it looks like.

And good news, it “typically takes only five minutes to sign up,” explains Keith Rogers from SEO Rank My Business. Just follow these simple steps:

1. On your computer, head to Google My Business and either sign in or sign up—make sure to use your business email domain and your business name.
2. Enter your business address, or if you don’t have a physical location, choose a service area.
3. Select your business category
4. Enter your phone number and website URL and click Finish.
5. Verify your account through the available options.
6. Fill out your complete profile including your contact information, hours, images, company bio, products, and services.
7. Voila! You’re done.

“The bottom line for Google My Business is to ask yourself, ‘Why would I not set up a Google My Business account?’” says Keith. “It’s free, and my exposure is greater for potential online traffic to find my business brand and offerings."

The bottom line for Google My Business is to ask yourself, ‘Why would I not set it up?’ It’s free, and my exposure is greater for potential online traffic to find my business brand and offerings.

2. Add an Ecommerce Platform to Your Site

Now is a great time to move your business online, or add ecommerce to your site.

The next step in your online sales strategy is to choose an ecommerce platform, says Shawn Dixon from Clover Creative Group. “Now is a great time to move your business online, or add ecommerce to your site.” Just make sure to do your research and shop around for the platform that works best for you.

“DIY systems like Squarespace and Wix advertise ease of use, but they also come with limitations for search engine optimization. Wix was even once penalized by Google and had their websites deindexed,” explains Shawn. 

That doesn’t mean to discount them, just to be strategic when looking at options.

So, what are some of the top ecommerce platforms?

• Shopify: Shopify is one of the largest ecommerce platforms around. It comes with many powerful tools to manage your online retail store and drive sales.
• Big Cartel: Jeff Cohen from Tuft Woolens highly recommends Big Cartel. “They provide a low-cost option per month for the novice webmaster with integrated shopping cart options across their site products. You can choose the right website theme for your type of business.”
• BigCommerce: BigCommerce is another solid option for selling online. It’s highly flexible with an open SaaS platform so you can build it out to work exactly how you want.

Before you settle on the right ecommerce platform for your business, ask about any discounts that could be available. During coronavirus, many companies are holding sales or specials to help small business owners take the plunge. Don’t be afraid to ask the salesperson if they have any deals you can take advantage of. 

3. Make it EASY to Pay Online (Implement a Point of Sale System)

The best piece of advice I can give for taking your business online is to make it IDIOTICALLY easy for people to pay.

Once you have your store set up, “the best piece of advice I can give for taking your business online is to make it IDIOTICALLY easy for people to pay,” says Colleen Kitchen from Colleen Kitchen Music. 

“Some website building software attempts to do this, but if there is any specialized kerfuffle pre-purchase you might have to do a bit of smoothing.”

Think of it this way: Imagine checking out at the grocery store and discovering that you must write a check. Do you even know where your checkbook is? If I had to pay by check, I’d leave before buying. And the same thing happens online—69% of shopping carts are abandoned online.

To help avoid this, make the payment process simple as possible, says Colleen. And communicate consistently. For example, set up an automatic email receipt once someone pays, she suggests. And consider offering a pop up on the screen when the transaction clears.

It’s why Jeannette Zaza from Vibes Gourmet Burgers is in the process of implementing a “new POS system for the shop and moving online ordering through the new system.” 

After a few weeks stuck using Doordash, she realized that she was leaving money on the table. There were too many challenges and delays that hurt her business. By implementing her own POS, Jeannette is taking charge of payments and thus the customer experience.

Related content: 7 Customer Service Tips from Business Owners Who Get It

4. Set Up Facebook Shops for Social Selling

What about increasing online sales through social media? That’s what the new Facebook Shops program is all about. It was developed to help small businesses sell online, which is why Keith from SEO Rank My Business loves it.

In an interview, Keith explained the value of Facebook Shops in five simple points.

• It expands your reach and allows customers and potential customers to view and purchase your products without leaving your Facebook page.
• It allows businesses to list and sell their products on Facebook and Instagram using its own easy checkout system.
• It allows businesses to sell specific products through chat features: WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram.
• It allows businesses to direct and tag products during live streams.

But it’s not perfect. There are some drawbacks. For example:

• There’s a limit to what you can and can’t sell on Facebook. You can’t sell services only tangible products—apparel, fitness equipment, handbags, furniture, etc. 
• There’s a cost: For every purchase, you have to pay merchant fees (5% per shipment or a flat fee of $0.40 for shipments of $8.00 or less) while also investing in Facebook ads to bring new customers to your shop.

Still, Keith believes that Facebook Shops is a valuable new tool. “Anyone who visits your shop will see your products. Plus, you can customize your shop by adding featured collections.”

So, how do you set up Facebook Shops? 

• You’ll need to be an Admin on a Facebook Business Page with a valid US bank account and Tax Identification Number (TIN). 
• Next, you’ll need to create a Commerce Account in Commerce Manager to get started.
• Then, you’ll set up your Shop in Commerce Manager, using the provided tools to create collections of 6 to 30 products.
• Finally, customize your Shop and then publish it. Facebook will approve your collection in around 24 hours.

Here’s a great video from Facebook all about it. 

Digitizing Your Business is a Big Opportunity 

When the pandemic hit, it seemed like revenue was a thing of the past. But the small business community is tough as nails, and finding opportunity in hardship is what we’re all about. Selling online is one of those opportunities that you won’t want to miss out on. So try it out using some of these tips.

If your ecommerce is growing fast, tell us what you’re doing to make it work. What are some unique ways to increase sales that you've tried? 

If you’re struggling, we’re here for you too. Ask a question to the community or share your story in the comments. There are over 5 million of us here, willing to jump in and help you get there. That’s what makes Alignable so special.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

For more advice on going online and rebuilding your revenue, check out:

• How 11 Small Businesses Are Bouncing Back Stronger
• What 5 Businesses Are Doing to Create New Revenue Streams
• Expert Financial Tips for Your Comeback
• Your Top Hiring Questions Answered
• 10 Genius Online Small Business Ideas You Can Start From Home