If you’re reading this blog post you’re most likely still in business, congratulations! I don’t mean to be glib but being a SMB or brick and mortar company in 2020 is scary. This year has been brutal for all of us, but we are still here, navigating the daily challenges coming our way. As we hunker down to see what obstacle 2020 will throw at us next (we all still need food, drink, shelter, clothing and entertainment) you need to keep your business going and adapt to the ‘new normal’ of a touch-free customer experience. This blog post will give you some tips and tricks to improve or even get your touch-free ecommerce solution going.

We all know that SHTF right now. In addition to the global pandemic of COVID-19, our country is dealing with a struggling economy, record unemployment, a pending housing crisis and civil unrest – not to mention killer hornets and flying snakes. Despite all of this, people still need what your business has to offer. Have you made it easy for them to do business with you? Do you have a touch-free solution to sell your product? Is your business listed online for customers to find you when they use voice search on their mobile device? We all know everyone has an Amazon Prime Account, but people want and need to keep their local retailers in business by shopping local, even online. Shopping local benefits our local economy and keeps our local friends and family employed – end of PSA.

How tough is it to be a brick and mortar business in 2020? Some of our favorite places that have filed chapter 11 bankruptcy protection or closed completely include:

• Golds Gym
• 24 Hour Fitness
• JCPenney
• Chuck E. Cheese
• Lucky’s Market
• Earth Fare
• Pier 1 Imports
• Crew
• Neiman Marcus
• Sweet Tomatoes
• GNC

The list is so long and grows daily, a Wikipedia page was created just for the 2020 bankruptcies.

Here are 5 steps to improve or launch your ecommerce platform.

1. Improve Your Online Presence – You need to ensure you are listed correctly with all the online directories so you will come up in search results. You can easily check your listing using Moz here. For under $200 you can use their service to improve your business listing on nearly 30 directories including the Google. All listings need to be the same to be effective. If your business is on a street, is it Listed as Elm Street or Elm St.? All these counts and is important.
2. Google My Business – I am going to assume you already have Google My Business account but in the slim chance you don’t, and this if for the SMBs out there, this is important. Getting an account will help you connect with customers using Google search and Google Maps.
3. 3 seconds – You’ve heard all your life that speed kills and that is more true when it comes to your mobile website speed. If your website doesn’t load in less than 3 seconds your potential customer is gone. Your website speed, for both desktop and mobile, is critical for your ecommerce business. Ideally, your website will load in 1.7 seconds. How fast is your website?
4. Embrace Ecommerce – Companies that are making it through 2020 have an ecommerce solution, they are mobile-friendly, and they are easy to find in search results. If you’re struggling to find an ecommerce solution I recommend a turn-key WordPress website with WooCommerce. Anvil offers this as a service and you can email me for more information at mike@anvilmedia.com. If you want options for ecommerce, you can also use a Shopify I would avoid the Wix, Weebly website world unless you sell one or two products. Is your website or ecommerce solution mobile friendly? Mobile online shopping (m-commerce) will account for 44% of US online sales by 2024, according to Business Insider.
5.  Amplify Your Brand – Assuming you have accomplished the 4 steps above, you’re ready to advertise and drive customers to your website. That is what we do here at Anvil. Whether you are a B2C brand or B2B brand, there are several advertising channels to bring customers to your business. If you already have repeat customers and would prefer to not advertise, you can take a longer approach to driving new traffic with organic search or SEO to drive search results.

Why is Shopping Cart Abandonment so high? – Mobile shoppers, those using smartphones and tablets, have an 85% shopping cart abandonment rate. To fight this high rate, you need to ensure your mobile experience makes it easier for customers to buy quickly. What might that be, you ask?

1. Keep the copy short and simple
2. Increase mobile site speed
3. Keep the important stuff above the fold
4. Simply navigation

We are all looking forward to putting 2020 in our rearview mirror. With these simple tips you can maintain and grow revenue as your competition drops out or stops advertising. For help on getting started feel free to contact, mike@anvilmedia.com .