How to Build Your Empire with E-commerce in 2021
You have got a fantastic product, a great service to share with the world. You love it! And why not? It’s fantastic and everyone needs to be shopping for it in 2021 and eyond! But how do you get the whole planet to know how amazing your product is and then buy it? Well, future billionaire, we all have to start somewhere, even Steve Jobs started in his garage. You have it easier than Steve though, you’ve got us. We are here to help. You don’t need a pocket full of gold coins to start! A positive attitude and these next tips are all you need to begin. And with that, we give you the most basic and useful 5 steps to build your e-commerce shopping empire in 2021.
1. SEO
2. Social Media
3. Trends in 2021
4. Brand Packaging
5. Customer Relations
Photo courtesy of Myriam Jessier
1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
· Speed
· Structure
· UX
Alright, your website is your foundation, your home. It needs to have the proper structure or else it could collapse. Or worse, no one will ever find it. Wait! Don’t run, it is easier than it sounds to get your cyberstore fit and ready to roll in 2021! You can do SEO yourself! Or you can hire someone from Fiver or Upwork. There are many other platforms with freelancers or companies offering SEO help. But first, you do need to know a little basic information on SEO.
There are three basics of Seo:
· Speed
Your site must load quickly. No one wants to wait, no one will wait. That is it.
· Structure
How are your pages structured? Is everything lumped together in one big paragraph? Or do you have short easy to read paragraphs, with proper dpi photos?
How many clicks are your posts from your homepage? No more than three clicks should be your standard.
· UX (User Experience)
What is your bounce rate (how quickly do they come and then go from your site)?
Is it easy to navigate back and forth on your site?
Do you have the information that is useful to your customers?
At the end of the day, all shopping online comes back to user experience. If you have made it easy (fun even) for a person to navigate and shop on your site, they will return to you.
If you do decide to give it a go with SEO yourself, check out a list of free tools that will help you out. These tools, given by the gem of the SEO industry, SEMRUSH will assist you. So do you want to learn the ways of the SEO Lords? Take a class with Skillshare or any other online school that suits you!
Tiffany & Co
Photo courtesy of Hootsuite
2. Social Media
· Fun
· Community
· Inspiration
During this pandemic, more people than ever have gotten on to social media.
What does this mean for you? More opportunity! Take in these three key factors of using Social Media to your benefit:
· Fun
Be where people are having a good time.
Tik Tok, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat…. the list grows as we speak. Join many or pick your favorites that fit your style. Anywhere people are having a jolly time, your brand should be there. You do not want to only be selling in your shop. People enjoy seeing your product when they are having a good time. It puts (at the very least) a seed in their minds to associate your brand with a good time. So, jump in!
Photo courtesy of Jed Villejo
· Community
One of the best things about social media is that you can find like-minded folks. Your neighbor not your cup of tea? No worries, you can find your own community through social media! With millions and millions of people on social media, you are sure to find your next good buddy!
What do good buddies have to do with building your empire? Using a social media platform alleviates any pressure to buy for potential customers. Here, you can show people what you and your company stand for.
You share your likes, travels, hobbies, and who you are as a brand. You share these aspects of yourself or your brand with the public you would not share at the store. This allows people to get a deeper view of you and your brand. You can answer questions potential customers might have. It gives them a feeling of security and trust towards you. They become your buddy. And who better to buy from than a trusted friend?
· Inspiration
Get inspired! See what inspires others! What’s your competition doing?
Social media has a wealth of research opportunities. You can stay on top of the latest trends and perhaps foretell some new ones.
3. Trends in 2021
· Omni-channel
· Influencers
· Go Green
Possibly the most important new trend in E-commerce this year is the Omni-Channel.
· Omni-Channel
“At its core, omni-channel is defined as a multi-channel sales approach that provides the customer with an integrated customer experience. The customer can be shopping online from a desktop or mobile device, or by telephone, or in a brick and mortar store and the experience would be seamless.”
- Clint Fontanella, Hubspot
Basically, it is selling on many platforms in the same way. Look at it this way…. When you go into your favorite chain store in another city, you expect certain things. You expect them to be the same way each time, be it a hamburger, pizza, or favorite shoes. The more familiar and consistent you make it for your customer, the more reliable you become. And as a result, that customer is more likely to return. Furthermore, customers might just start telling their friends and family about the great product you consistently provide.
You can go a little deeper into omni-channel selling by checking out this article on Hubspot. It gives great examples of companies doing it right.
· Influencers
Who or what is an influencer?
" An influencer is someone who has the power to affect others’ purchasing decisions because of their authority, knowledge, position, or their relationship to the audience."
They have enough credibility to persuade their audience in a particular direction. Let that direction be towards your product!
This trend is becoming more and more popular each day. I admit I like to see my favorite celebrity with an interesting product, it bumps up that product’s status in my book.
“Working with an influencer will undoubtedly help you gain the trust of your audience. It will also bring untold exposure to your product.”
It doesn’t even have to be a big celebrity like Beyoncé or Chris Hemsworth (all hail Thor!!) with millions of followers. They can also be what is called a micro-influencer. Micro-influencers are individuals with somewhere around 10,000 to 25,000 followers on their social media accounts. These influencers can still help you acquire that e-commerce empire you are striving towards.
How do you get influencers to promote your product?
Well, you throw a lavish party at your estate and invite the celebrities you wish to give a pitch to. What? Your estate is currently being remodeled? No problem. The nice folks at Single Grain have written an in-depth article called: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Business with Influencer Marketing on how to get those influencers behind your brand! Thanks guys!
Photo courtesy of WikiImages
· Go Green
More and more companies are jumping on the Green bandwagon. And why not! It’s great for our planet, and a notch on our “do-gooder” belt.
You can start small just in your office. Get rid of those paper or goodness forbid Styrofoam cups and start using mugs. Stop buying those sugar packets and bring in a sugar jar. Bam! It is that easy to start.
You can then move onto bigger things like recyclable packaging. Yes, we have that here, we at Arka love our planet too. Partner with companies that use green practices- like us!
More and more options are becoming available to help keep our planet beautiful. And as a bonus, you get the customers who would rather purchase sustainable products. Going green is a win-win scenario. Hey, you can easily go as green as can be and go vegan too! Ok, ok, let’s all calm down…haha.
Here is a good article on how you can go green at home and work from Green Match titled 30 Ways to be more Eco-friendly in 2021.
Photo courtesy of Arka
4. Brand Packaging
· Free Advertising
· Theatrics
· Sustainability
You see the postal delivery person, carrying so many packages. All brown, all blending into one big blurry mess. Who knows what’s in them?
But wait! You see an iconic blue box heading your way. Wow, it’s a box from Tiffany & Co! Recognizable anywhere. Now, you are excited!
Photo courtesy of Tiffany & Co.
Would you be as excited if it was a plain unmarked box headed your way? Probably not. These days, you might even be suspicious of a boring brown old box.
There are many reasons why your boxes need to be branded, let’s look at our top ones.
· Free Advertising
Remember all those brown boxes your postal worker was carrying? No? Well, I bet you remember the Tiffany & Co. box. And that is it right there my friends. That iconic blue box just gave Tiffany & Co. an enormous amount of free advertising. Who knows how many people saw it? Whether they went to purchase their products right then, who knows. What we do know is that box made sure people thought of their company, for however long. The point is your product will be on their minds, and that is what we want.
· Theatrics
There comes something special with a beautifully packaged item:
Intrigue! Drama! Excitement!
What can be in this carefully put together package?
“If the outside is this nice, what’s inside must be great!”
The fact that your product is branded so beautifully will only enhance your customer’s experience.
There is a joy in online purchasing your amazing product. Remember, it’s not just your product, but how you present it.
Custom branding raises the value of your product.
You have put so much effort into your product, does it not deserve the same effort for its packaging? Yes, yes it does.
You can even look at this way… how enticing are baked goods!
Photo courtesy of Darrah Worobe
Where did you think your eye goes first, the plain baked good, or the one decorated?
Now, what if I showed you baked goods with color and pizazz?
.Photo courtesy of Heather Ford
Obviously, you will remember the unique décor over the plain ones.
Brand packaging is the same thing. So is getting dressed in your Sunday best! It’s all about presentation.
It can be very easy to do, and we at Arka are here to assist you with your décor needs. Sure, we have plain boxes, but wouldn’t a little splash of color jazz things up? Yes, yes it would.
What do most companies miss out on? In our humble opinion, it is brand packaging. Don’t miss out! We make it super easy for you to brand your products and make them memorable. You can do your own thing with design, or we can be there in every step, it’s your choice!
· Sustainability
Did you know that 25% of customers keep and reuse their packaging? And if that packaging is customized or attractive to them in some way, that number jumps to 60%?!!
Therefore, just customizing your packaging is also going green!
Who knew it could work out so well? Not only is that a huge plus for the environment, but one for you too. Having your packaging around longer keeps you at the forefront of their minds. And in an age of super-short attention spans, every bit helps!
Now, what was I saying? Oh, ya, your final tip for your e-commerce Empire. (drum roll please) …..
1. Customer Service
· Be Present
· Keep in touch
· Returns with a Smile
Last but never least is customer service. This one thing, no matter how big or small your shopping empire should be a top priority.
· Be Present
Do you have a chatbox, or a phone number on your site so your customers can ask questions as they shop? It can be frustrating as an online shopper when you need some assistance. If there is no one to answer your questions, most likely you will move on rather than buying something you are uncertain of.
Make sure your customers have a way of reaching you. It is that simple.
· Keep in touch
Now, we are not saying email them five times a day. That may turn them completely off to you. We are just saying send emails a couple of times a week, and perhaps give them an option of more or less emails to receive. Make these emails not only informative but add a bit of humor and joy to them. Whether it’s a corny joke or an all-out laugh riot, people like to be entertained.
Give your emails that personal touch. Your customers will look forward not only to your sales but also what you have to say. All of a sudden, the likelihood of your emails being read jumps up and so does your customer retention.
This is especially true for your accounts on social media. Make sure you answer any questions and make an effort to engage and know your customers. Giving them replies to their comments makes people feel that you care. It also helps to solidify your bond with the public.
Photo courtesy of Omar Lopez
· Returns with a Smile
There is nothing worse than being a loyal customer with a return that is refused. Every merchant needs to take responsibility for their products.
Studies show that even loyal customers will not return to an unfriendly store. If they are met with rudeness and suspicion with their returns, they will not come back to shop with you. They may go and pay an even higher price for that item to a store that has a better, more friendly return policy.
One of the reasons Amazon Prime remains King is that of its return policy. They have easy, fast, hassle-free returns. Rarely if ever are you met with a discourteous Amazon employee.
Be like Amazon, take that rejection with a smile. Watch that customer return to you time and time again.
Off you go!
We have reached the end of our tips for your Empire. A great attitude and these basic steps are all you need to get going. With the right tools in your belt, you can do this! Go on out there and get started! And remember to invite us to your lavish victory party!












