What is e-commerce?

We live in a competitive digital world and 2020 to 2021 has been no exception. We have seen measurable changes in e-commerce use with an unexpected increase over the past year. Although e-commerce has surpassed trajectories causing massive brands to close their brick and mortar shops in recent years, staying indoors by government mandates has increased e-commerce beyond what anyone would have imagined. This leaves no room for error. Businesses must get online to survive and, as digital branding becomes increasingly innovative, the competition is ferocious. So, what is e-commerce? E-commerce is a simple model that establishes buying and selling exchanges through an internet platform and includes B2C and B2B engagements. With a multitude of free analytical tools online to help business owners sell products and services, you’d think platforms have established foolproof e-commerce strategies to help businesses be successful with little investment. If everyone is looking to use the same free tools, the same free templates, models, and “modern”  interfaces, you can expect shoppers to navigate to your competition who may be investing in profound innovation that sets them apart. We have gathered some of the hottest e-commerce trends of 2021 to help you navigate these unusual times with a bit more clarity into your digital branding and online offering.

E-commerce & SEO

Let’s get back to basics. When people ask us, “what is e-commerce and how do I get started” we always start with the basics to help explore why and how it all works. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the most powerful and simple tool to get potential customers to visit your website, web pages, and, potentially, convert. SEO works by using keywords that internet goers may naturally use when searching for a product or service to find what they are looking for. Your website may be stunning – great colours, expert branding, and you might have incredible videos riddled throughout, but if your content does not contain keywords placing you at the forefront of google ranking, you’ve staged a great show, while forgetting to sell tickets. Search engine optimization (SEO) is paramount to your e-commerce platform because it drives traffic to your featured items in simple words or phrases that may be used to naturally describe your products when Googling online. If you sell beautiful pottery, nix calling it something overly complicated that’s not traditionally known to your public. This is the simplest way to put it but certainly involves a lot more work. Expert e-commerce specialists explore the back-end of your website to see what words are being captured through your website and optimize each term and phrase to ensure more optimal ones are being captured, and all so you can capture customers. There are many ways you can establish keyword ranking to get to the front page of Google and includes expert content writing, SEO strategy, website development to house it all, and more.

Social Media E-Commerce

Privacy has become a massive concern for the public and many are reluctant to use social media for obvious reasons. We completely understand your hesitation, but don’t discount social media platforms entirely when thinking of your branding and e-commerce strategy. Social media has many functions, the least of which involves sharing the contents of your breakfast. When written and posted strategically, social media can serve as backlinks that promote your website and can increase business. For example, say you post blogs you’ve written on LinkedIn and include your website, this serves as a link that redirects potential buyers to your website. The same works for other social media accounts when placed on various profile summaries and so much more. These are very small examples of backlink opportunities you can hone to garner sales through increased traffic. You can do this on your own, but remember the experts can cover all your bases without you having to research and take time away from running your brand. When getting down to the business of what is e-commerce, don’t let the waves of the future catch you in an undertow. You can do this. Better your e-commerce strategy so fans can find you and buy what you’re selling. So, what is e-commerce? It’s the online shopping experience your customers engage with. You owe it to yourself to implement the best digital marketing strategies for your customer’s e-commerce experience. Contact MYC Interactive to learn more about what is e-commerce and how we and help innovate your digital branding for increased business.