1. Make your website ‘the great place to go’:

– 84% of Americans are shopping for something at any given time.

– They aren’t going to buy everything they are looking at, but you can help them DISCOVER IT.

– Get the customer engaging with your inventory more often.

2. Put your products to work:

– Tell the story of what you have, otherwise, your inventory is just an expense.

– Once you put your product online, it becomes a marketing tool.

3. Our business needs:

– Increase the lifetime value of your customer:

– How can you show your customers you are a resource for everything they need?

– Improve seasonal sell-through:

– Market the Buy

– What’s the hook to market the product?

– Create customer excitement

– Don’t sit on the sidelines

– More effective product launches:

– Get your customers excited about new products through your site and not just the brands.

– How can you help your customers engage with the new products?

– Influence positive website metrics

4. Five Key Metrics to gauge the success of merchandising your website effectively:

• Users: Get more users because you are a better resource for people.
• Sessions: Get more sessions out of your customers because they want to come back.

* On average it takes a consumer 79 days to make a major purchase.*

• Bounce Rate: If your homepage looks stale, they may bounce right out. However, if they see fresh content, you may pull them in.
• Duration: How much clicking did the do? Clicking is equal to getting a person to ‘pick the product up in your store.
• Page views: You want your customers to browse and look through your site.

5. Customer Discovery:

– Experience the variety of your selection

– Explore product categories

– Learn about new product

– Browse promotions- move the aging inventory. Promote on website

6. Two parts of your website:

• Homepage: This is the front door to your business.

– Put a new product front and center.

– Don’t take it for granted that people know you have certain products.

• Landing Page:

– This is your silent salesperson.

– Make it easy to engage with the product.

– Make this page have easy access to your store. Contact phone number, address, hours of operation.

Leverage that you are the local expert.

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This article summarized an NBDA Webinar presented by Ryan Atkinson, President, and Co-Owner of SmartEtailing. SmartEtailing provides website, marketing, and data solutions to help independent bicycle retailers compete in an evolving retail world. As a new member of the NBDA, you can take advantage of a special offer on a SmartEtailing website. See the discount details here!

NBDA Webinars are concise, information-packed sessions that help independent bicycle dealers survive and thrive in today’s marketplace. To tune in to the next one, visit our Event Calendar and register online.