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New Web Store? Your Checklist for Success in 2018

New Web Store? Your Checklist for Success in 2018
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

New Web Store? Your Checklist for Success in 2018

The world today is way more digitalized than ever before, and this has immensely impacted the way stores, showrooms and even small merchants are getting their business done! Everyone has an online presence and every business is trying to rope in as many potential customers possible through web stores or online stores. Naturally, the competition for attracting the target audience is high, and if you too have joined the bandwagon of online merchants recently, here are some cool tricks that can help you stand out!

Web design that attracts and engages

No matter how great the product or service you sell is, without a wonderful web design, your marketing campaign will fall flat on its face. Either you can learn to create a visually appealing web store yourself or you can hire a professional web designer. The investment will be worth it. Or, check out sites such as TonyTemplates or TemplateMonster to get hold of an attractive e-commerce template with the latest designs and layouts. Minimal text and high quality full-width images are the way to go.

Focus on “About Us”

Your “About Us” page is the biggest bait after your landing page to hook potential customers. Keep the design minimal and mention clearly how your brand was born, what you offer, and why it is important. Include testimonials and achievements to gain customer trust and also mention contact details like address, email, and social media pages.

Don’t ignore the power of online support

Your interaction with the customer is not just till the moment he or she makes the payment and gets the product delivered. It should go beyond that in the form of awesome online support or after-sales services that they might need before using the product. Pre-purchase support in the form of live chats on your website can boost the conversion by more than 10% as well. It will also encourage new buyers to trust your store. Make sure that the chat box or the phone line is clearly visible on your homepage.

Choose the perfect payment gateway  

Without a secure and fast payment gateway, your online business will do anything but prosper. So, go for a gateway like PayTabs which lets you sell your products globally and receive payments even within 24 hours! It has a very robust 2-layer fraud protection system, and accepts 168 currencies too. You can integrate PayTabs very easily into your system and benefit from features like online invoicing, mobile apps, and convenient payment processing. Customer details and purchase history are well-protected, and PayTabs also generates financial reports that can help you monitor cash flow. This payment gateway is ideal for every type of business, it can make your business cycle easier to handle and it will keep a track on recurring customers too.

Make your website and blog SEO-optimized

Ensure that both your website and blog (everyone has one these days) follow Search Engine Optimization or SEO. This means, that the content, product titles and descriptions must contain keywords that will help you rank higher on organic search results. Or in other words, using the right keywords will increase your visibility to the online audience. Before incorporating the keywords which you think will work, type them into a search engine like Google and see who your business competitors are. If they are big ones, change your keyword to something that is not so competitive. For your blog, use SEO tools and Google Analytics to track page views and see which posts do better.

Other tips

Advertise creatively on social media, track analytics of your site, make your site is mobile-friendly, offer free shipping and assured refunds, use email marketing, and network with industry bloggers, traditional reporters and social media influencers to create a buzz about your product. Don’t forget to keep an eye on your competition too.

8 years ago
5 ways you can get referrals for your business
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

5 ways you can get referrals for your business

In today’s competitive world, “word of mouth” marketing is probably the most coveted of all since it’s the most reliable and definitely the most cost-effective way to grow your business. Referrals are most sought after since someone has actually experienced your offering and is recommending the same to someone else. That makes it the most reliable and hence it also doubles the chances of the lead getting converted into sales.

According to a report by Nielson, people are 4 times more likely to buy a product when it is being referred by someone to a particular business. It is also estimated that customers who are referred are more loyal and can spend more on a long-term basis according to researchers at Wharton and Goethe University.

Now the question is how do you get those referrals for your product or service?  Let us look at five ways that can get you good referrals for your business

  1. Offer “best-in-class” customer service:

Your customers are constantly giving you feedback – if you choose to listen. And each feedback, good or bad, is a great opportunity for your brand to shine. Take the example of three year old Lily Robinson who wrote a letter to Sainsbury saying their tiger bread actually looked like ‘giraffe bread’. The customer service head saw this as a fun opportunity and not only responded to Lily’s mail but gave an explanation on why the bread was called so and a $3 gift card. Lily’s mother posted the letter on her blog and within no time, it went viral. They even went on to change their bread’s name citing Lily’s feedback.

All this put the brand in a positive light and build up its goodwill among existing customers. There is a good possibility that many new customers who hadn’t tried the tiger/giraffe bread were now curious to try it out.

  1. Social as a source of referral:

According to Brandwatch, 96% of the people that discuss brands online do not follow those brands’ owned profiles. Juxtapose this with another statistic that says “2015 Facebook influenced 52 per cent of consumers’ online and offline purchases”. There is no doubt that most of your consumers exist on various social channels and many of them are talking about you and influencing purchase decisions of new customers. Do some hard listening beyond your profile. Thank each customer who is spreading a positive word. Listen to those who are angry or dissatisfied and be proactive in solving their concerns. If customers know that you are ‘accessible’, they’ll be more open to giving your products a try.

  1. Highlight your best referral sources:

Your loyal customers are the ones that need the best of your thank yous because they’ll love to refer you anytime, anywhere. Take the example of Christina McMenemy who stayed at the Gaylord Opryland hotel three years in a row and fell in love with their alarm clock that played soothing music. She simply loved the fact that the sounds helped her sleep better and searched high and low to find a clock for herself. When she couldn’t, she wrote to the hotel on Twitter asking where she could get one. During the exchange, Gaylord recognized that Christina was a loyal customer and sent her not one but two alarm clocks.

The interesting part is that the brand did not call out these stories. Their customers did all the talking and got all the positive attention for the brand. (source: https://www.helpscout.net/10-customer-service-stories/ )

  1. Propose an incentive:

A referral bonus is the oldest trick in the game. Use it, recommend it, and get more of it. One of the best examples of this comes from Dropbox who offered extra storage space as a reward for referrals who joined them. Needless to say, the trick continues to work like a charm and got Dropbox into the big league for cloud storage and sharing.

  1. Ask to refer your business:

According to Texas Tech University, 83% of consumers are willing to refer after a positive experience—yet only 29% actually do! Some referral programs run by themselves because of your great customer service and word of mouth that goes on an auto-pilot. Yet, most referral programs need an extra push and don’t miss out on any opportunity to ask for a referral.

Conclusion: Compared to traditional marketing, referral marketing is neither time-consuming nor expensive. It is one strategy you cannot choose to ignore in your marketing mix.

8 years ago
How PayTabs is making it super easy to manage your online store’s payment process
Mohab Ecommerce 0

How PayTabs is making it super easy to manage your online store’s payment process

For any brand that has e-commerce store, a good payment gateway partner is of paramount importance to realize the full potential of the business. A good payment gateway must have a great user interface, should be easy to integrate, non-intimidating, aid in the conversion process and finally, make the post-conversion process easy.

Now, there are quite a few payment gateway providers in the market. Which one you choose largely depends on your exact needs. Some provide to option to offer customized pricing. Others allow a simple a quick deposit of funds. Some allow you to get up and running under an hour. And others allow you to accept payments in multiple currencies. But the one provider that has been doing all of this and more is PayTabs.

Easy to integrate with Shopify, Opencart, Magento and WooCommerce, PayTabs offers everything you need to start running and stay in the business quickly and easily. In fact, it offers many native payment options like Alipay, Skrill, Ukash and giropay to ensure your local customers complete the transaction hassle-free.

One of the best features of PayTabs is its PayPage, which can be used for online invoicing. Even if you don’t have a website or CRM, you can simply send the payment link to your customer to receive payment via credit card or debit card. The system also comes with an invoicing solution which makes you look professional and also allows you to keep track of the payments received.

Track your payments on your phone

With the newly launched PayTabs app for both Android and iOS, it has become a breeze to keep track of payments on the go.

If you are a merchant using PayTabs, you can now access your PayTabs dashboard via the app. The app gives you the ability to request a withdrawal and also create PayPage invoices. To a merchant who is constantly on the go, these features come as a welcome relief from having to carry their laptop everywhere.

Christina

Take Christina, for example, who runs a specialist tour agency for women travellers. She does spend a few days in office but otherwise she is always on the trips she has organized. Her trips are popular because of strong word-of-mouth marketing and bookings for future trips keep happening everyday. This meant that Christina had to check her bookings daily and also spend time making invoices between her trip.

Then, she discovered PayTabs. Using the app, Christina is now able to check new bookings on the app and create invoices in a jiffy. She is able to accept payments without having to direct users to her website and just sending the payment link over an SMS or a messenger.

Andrea

Andrea started her business in eco-friendly jewellery which took off like wild fire. The jewellery raw materials were sourced from the Ecuadorian forests and the artisans locally crafted the jewellery with the help of international designers. As a result, Andrea had many clients from different countries wanting to buy jewellery from her, place repeat orders with ease and pay easily.

Andrea adopted PayTabs, which allowed her clients to pay in their local currency. This lead to a higher adoption rate for her products as they were easier to procure compared to competitors. With PayTabs for iOS, Andrea was able to quickly check for payments, generate invoices on time and request withdrawals easily, helping save time and efforts.

As an entrepreneur, she could maintain her accounts easily no matter where her customers came from.

Built keeping in mind the most important requirements for an online store owner, PayTabs is here to make the payment gateway process simple and effortless. Try it out by downloading the PayTabs app now.

For iOS -You can refer to the link https://goo.gl/FwjVGv to download.

For Android – You can refer to the link https://goo.gl/hjo4ba to download.

8 years ago
The complete guide to launching your very first online store – tools and strategies inside
Mohab Ecommerce 0

The complete guide to launching your very first online store – tools and strategies inside

“If your business is not on the internet, your business will be out of business” – Bill Gates

Starting an online business isn’t a trend but a necessity. It is comparatively easier to set up than a brick-and-motor store, less resource intensive and allows you to experiment and iterate quickly as per your customer’s demands. There is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow… and here’s your guide to get started.

Find a problem to solve: From selling cars to buying accessories to finding dates, the digital world is uniquely finding ways to solve problems by making lives convenient, and   saving time and money. The key to create a successful business online is to not only find the right problem to solve but also have the expertise and skills to solve it. What is your core expertise? What problems do people face in that industry? Why are YOU the best entrepreneur to do this job? Once you have the answers, you’ll know what your online business will be.

Build your website: Your website is your store front. It’s key to determining how you’ll sell and how much time, effort and maintenance you are willing to put up. You may have a store with hundreds of products which will need back end management that you’ll have to think through like updating stocks, offering discounts and being search engine friendly. In this case, you’ll have to make your choice between options like Shopify, WooCommerce, Open Cart, Get Shop and other such services based on their terms and feature list.

Write copy that sells: This is one of the most important parts of your online business. Once people come to your website, they’ll give you a minute or less to make your pitch. Your content will have to be cutting edge, to the point and push people towards the sales funnel. Explainer videos and infographics are strongly recommended to deliver your punches in the shortest possible time.

Choose a payment gateway: A payment gateway is a very important feature for your store. Its functionality will ensure that you can get paid not only in your native currency but from anywhere in the world where people can pay in their own currency and you can receive the money in yours hassle free. The right payment gateway can ensure you can reach any corner of the earth with your products.

Choose a fulfillment partner: A fulfillment partner is as important as your payment gateway. If your products have the chance of getting damaged in transport, you’ll have to find someone who can deliver with care. Some countries have restrictions on the products you can ship and you may need to work with different fulfillment partners who know the local regulations and ensure you aren’t selling anything that can’t be delivered in that country.

Start with PPC and then jump in to SEO: Pay per click advertising on Facebook and Google will allow you to do a quick market validation. Start this as soon as your basic website is ready. You’ll know if customers are understanding your website and products and if they are willing to trust you and make the purchase.

Get social: Social is a great place to build your community. Get together people who have similar likes and you’ll eventually find customers there.

Use email marketing: Build your email list from day one and offer incentives for people to sign up. Email marketing will allow you to sell, up-sell and cross sell, automate your communication and be in your customer’s inbox.

Go on, try it for a few months until you have proof of market. Your online store, if done well, can fetch amazing returns.

8 years ago
10 great quotes that inspire me always as a small business entrepreneur
Mohab Growth Hacks 0

10 great quotes that inspire me always as a small business entrepreneurIt isn’t easy to be an entrepreneur. Those who’ve taken up this uphill journey will tell you that it is a life changing experience. It can take you to the heights of euphoria, pits of darkness, awaken a sense of passion and sometimes drive you insane. It can do all of this on the same day!

Often, when you start living the journey, you look at fellow entrepreneurs around you – those who’ve made it, those who didn’t make it and those who are struggling just like you every day. It is then that a sense of epiphany appears and their world – the collective world of entrepreneurs – begins to make sense. You look for inspiration and motivation and most of all a sense of belonging from this world. Here are 10 legendary quotes about entrepreneurship that will make you look at your own business in a new light.

  1. The richest people in the world look for and build networks. Everyone else looks for work – Robert Kiyosaki

On most days, you want to leave the free fall of entrepreneurship and take up a job that assures a salary at the end of the month. But there is a sense of adventure in that free fall that is a lure. Those who dare take the risk sometimes receive the best rewards. It isn’t easy to be among the elite club of entrepreneurs but it’s worth it.

  1. Karen Lamb: “A year from now you will wish you had started today.”

When the entrepreneurship bug bites it also injects a bit of fear in us. That fear makes us stall and push our entrepreneurship dreams to ‘a bit later’.  A bit later when you have time; when you have money; when you can afford it. A year later when you see another entrepreneur successfully executing your idea, all you’ll have is regrets. Time and tide favours the brave. Take the risk. Fail fast if you have to so that you can learn and move on

  1. Scott Belsky, Behance: “It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.”

Many entrepreneurs think that they have landed a goldmine with their million-dollar idea. The key here is that it isn’t the idea that investors pay for. They invest into the entrepreneurs’ ability to make the idea work. They invest into your cumulative experience, you team and your leadership in executing the idea.

  1. Mark Twain: “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

As a small business entrepreneur, everyone thinks they have the right to judge you. Advice, often unsolicited, will become a part of your life. But not all of it is great and people can be harsh. It’s best to ignore people whose advice is counterproductive. Keep you spirits high by surrounding yourself with people who share constructive criticism.

  1. Bill Gates:“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”

Speaking of constructive criticism, you will get your fair share when you start. And it’ll come from the end user who uses his savings to buy and try your product – a product that hasn’t got the backing of a trusted brand name. It is their criticism that’ll help you evolve faster and learn from small mistakes now rather than big mistakes later.

  1. Warren Buffett: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”

If you are an entrepreneur today, you’ll be an entrepreneur for life. What you do today, how you do it and how you treat people on your way up will all be remembered at every critical juncture in life. Be good because Karma is watching!

  1. Rocky (movie): “Nobody is going to hit as hard as life, but it ain’t how hard you can hit. It’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It’s how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”

Failure is a part of entrepreneurship. If you don’t fail, you can’t learn. And if you don’t learn, you won’t grow. If you don’t grow, you won’t succeed.

  1. No matter how educated, talented, rich or cool you believe you are, how you treat people ultimately tells all. Integrity is everything

This quote is one that all entrepreneurs should remember. Those who you meet and employ today (and even the ones you don’t) will remember how you treated them when they were ‘nothing’.

  1. Vivienne Harr, Make A Stand: “Stick with it, even on the bad days.”

Entrepreneurship will have its days. Good ones when you get orders and things look bright. Bad ones when your biggest customer walks away. You can’t have the rainbow without the rain.

  1. Albert Schweitzer: “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

This one little word – happiness – is what entrepreneurs tend to forget in the rush. And it is all that matters in what you do. Be happy – everything else will fall in place.

8 years ago