{"id":806,"date":"2014-07-17T16:24:18","date_gmt":"2014-07-17T16:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nowinstore.com\/?p=806"},"modified":"2017-01-21T14:32:26","modified_gmt":"2017-01-21T14:32:26","slug":"not-looking-at-things-from-a-buyers-perspective-and-the-other-mistakes-on-your-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/54.82.220.44\/blog\/not-looking-at-things-from-a-buyers-perspective-and-the-other-mistakes-on-your-website\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cNot looking at things from a buyers perspective\u201d and the other mistakes on your website"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every Month Now In Store hosts <\/span>MTL + Ecommerce<\/i>, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Experts in the field of ecommerce and online marketing come and give talks to a packed room. Last month Alaa Hassan of inetvideo.com and ecommerce aficionado spoke about responsive design. <\/span><\/p>\n

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We had the chance to sit down and chat with him after the event…<\/span><\/p>\n

Divya<\/b>: What\u2019s your first memory of selling online?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/b>Alaa<\/strong>: Remembering I sold my first DVD at $400 to an Australian customer.\u00a0 It was Wrestle Mania 2000. That was the most expensive DVD I sold.<\/p>\n

D<\/b>: What has surprised you the most since then?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A<\/b>: The power and flexibility it gives to anybody to become global instantly. Back in the day, barriers of entry in terms of going in to business were very high. It was costly and it required a lot of I.T. Now you can start selling to China and import\u00a0from\u00a0China easily. So that\u2019s something that is really great.<\/p>\n

D<\/b>: Advice to people just starting out to sell online?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A<\/b>:\u00a0Focus on making money.\u00a0Your top line (sales) is exciting but what matters is your bottom line (profits). Because at the end of the day if you\u2019re not making money, long-term\u00a0you\u2019re not going to be able to support your operation.\u00a0Start local before going global.\u00a0I tell people that it\u2019s a lot easier to target everyone in Montreal than it is to target everybody in Canada. So the idea is to\u00a0scale as you grow<\/i>.<\/p>\n

D:<\/b> In ecommerce, if you could only focus your energy on one thing what would that be?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A<\/b>: Establish your hub \u2013 which is your website, so you can own the customer.\u00a0Knowing your customer will allow you to build a satisfying relationship where your customer\u2019s needs are met. At the same time do not stop yourself from venturing into other marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon, or any\u00a0channel\u00a0out there because these companies have a bigger marketing budget than you and I. Online retailers should Leverage that\u00a0opportunity with the right strategy.<\/p>\n

\"20140617_184329.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

D<\/b>: Let’s say, I have an Etsy store, I want to build my own site and make sure it\u2019s responsive what is the first step I take?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A<\/b>: First of all, I\u2019d ask\u00a0why do you need a website?<\/i>\u00a0If your customers are mainly on Etsy I would say go where your customers are going. If they are demanding a better shopping experience, then do it. And if you don\u2019t know \u2013 ask. Ask your top clients. \u00a0This way you base every decision on data, not just feelings.<\/p>\n

If you decide to build a site I would suggest Shopify. It\u2019s affordable, easy to learn & easy to setup even\u00a0for mobile devices.<\/p>\n

D<\/b>: Let’s say, I have a site on Shopify, I have a budget. What\u2019s the first step I take to building a responsive site?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A<\/b>: If you already have a Shopify site I am wondering why you\u2019re not responsive already? Shopify has a lot of templates you can learn from and get inspired from. Then you can buy one for $150 dollars or customize one from scratch.<\/p>\n

Also, I wouldn\u2019t recommend drastic design changes because it could effect your conversions, so start with incremental changes\u00a0unless you have data\u00a0proving that your current site is really bad.<\/p>\n

\"20140617_200218.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

D<\/b>: What\u2019s the one thing people are doing wrong in responsive design?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A<\/b>: Not looking at things from a buyers perspective. They look at things from their perspective. Put the site in front of your shoppers, first time shoppers and return shoppers, and monitor what they do.<\/p>\n

Go to\u00a0usertesting.com<\/span>\u00a0and for $50 bucks you can record someone for a good amount of time to see how\u00a0they use your website.\u00a0That\u2019s how Amazon\u00a0does it and that\u2019s how the biggest ecommerce companies do it. [Divya: We\u2019ve been using Inspectlet at Now In Store and are big fans!]<\/p>\n

D<\/b>: What do you do in your free time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A<\/b>: In the summer I garden. I read a lot now, I am enjoying reading. I love being helpful, I love sharing my knowledge in ecommerce with everyone else through my blog, Facebook, and LinkedIn. \u00a0That\u2019s why\u00a0I am forcing myself to love writing.<\/p>\n

I am reading Rework (by Jason Fried) right now. My favourite writer is Seth Godin, I\u2019ve read all his books, I\u2019ve met him, emailed him \u2013 my favourite book of all time is Purple Cow.\u00a0 Every ecommerce person should read that book. Especially now since ecommerce has matured. It\u2019s no longer easy to differentiate yourself so, being remarkable is key \u2013 so that book is a really good guide.<\/p>\n

D<\/b>: Thank-you very much Alaa<\/p>\n

A<\/b>: My pleasure.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Take aways<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

(1) Focus on your profits<\/p>\n

(2) Think local before going global<\/p>\n

(3) Explore other market places<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

-Divya, with Now In Store<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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