Afterpay is the modern day of the layby, but unlike the old laybys, you can get delivery of your purchase right away.  Afterpay allows shoppers to pay for items in four simple instalments and you the merchant to be paid immediately.

What it mean for the Ecommerce Merchant

• An increase in conversions:  Helps you get customers that may not have made a purchase due to cost. 
• Increase in Average $ spend: Helps your customers spend more, as it removes the need to pay for it all upfront
• Overall increases sales revenue
• Zero fraud or credit risk.  Afterpay assumes all end-customer non-payment risks for every transaction
• Doesn't cost your customer any more money.  No interest.  Fees only appear if their automatic payment is unsuccessful.

How it works

Like any checkout process, your client selects their preferred payment method (often our e-commerce clients have the standard Visa, Mastercard as well through another payment gateway provider eg. Paypal). 

Then, the site will send your customers off to Afterpay to organise the payments, over four equal instalments with their nominated debit or credit card.  This process is simple with no lengthy forms and best of all they will get instantly approved. 

Afterpay makes money by charging:

• Retailers a fee for use of the Afterpay payment platform
• Customers late fees if they don't pay their instalments on time.

Other popular questions:

• Is it trustworthy:  Hundreds of the top retailers are using it online here in Australia and overseas.  Cue, Country Road, OfficeWorks, Adairs, Booktopia (see a merchant list here)
• What Cards do they accept: At present Mastercard and Visa credit and debit cards.
• Is there a purchase limit:  For debit cards, the maximum you can spend is $500.  In regards to credit cards, Afterpay calculates a limit based on what it knows about your account (NB/ After pay does not have access to your credit history)
• What are the Late payment fees:  $10 Late payment fee, and $7 on top of this if you still haven't paid it in a week. (as at May 2017)

If you are keen to get Afterpay running on your website through your Bloomtools Shopping Cart, please call your Bloomtools consultant as we are a certified Afterpay e-commerce provider and can connect quickly to your Afterpay account, as well as 7 other major Australian Payment Gateways.  

SMALLER companies think it is hard to compete against bigger players for the spotlight in a heavily saturated online market, but there are several ways they can greatly improve their chances.

One of the keys to getting seen, if not the most essential key, is content. Well-planned and carefully niche-targeted content will always stand a better chance of being noticed, and ultimately draw traffic to your website and revenue.

Here are seven crucial tips from industry professionals for developing the right kind of content for your online shop and website.

1. SOLVE A PROBLEM, OFFER A SOLUTION

Nine times out of ten: when people want to solve a problem, the first place they will look for advice or direction is on the internet.

Every single internet user wants to do something, know something, go somewhere or buy something, and companies should be trying to meet these 'wants' through the content they produce.

If any company can offer a visible and comprehensive solution to a customer's needs, it will likely be rewarded by increased traffic, reviews, transactions, click-throughs and social shares.

For E-commerce, this is super important.  For anyone looking to buy something, they are often looking to solve a problem... whether it be a dining table to work in their small kitchen or an eyeshadow that works on mature eyes.  Think about your target market and what problems they may have to solve.

2. MAKE IT EASY FOR PEOPLE TO BUY WHAT YOU'RE SELLING

The content on your home page, contact page and specific product pages should appeal equally to two types of people: those who want to buy your product quickly, and those who want to do thorough research beforehand.

Ensure there is no shortage of 'calls to action' on your site. Buttons urging customers to 'Buy now', Learn more' or 'call us now' can complete the customer's experience and encourage them to take action.

The cardinal rule of having an online shop is that everything should be streamlined, and the way your website is set up should allow people to feel comfortable when parting with their money.

3. ENCOURAGE CUSTOMERS TO TRUST YOUR WEBSITE

A common challenge faced by online shops is that their websites don't have enough information on the product or rather, they think someone is going to give them money with relatively no questions asked.

The greater detail you give about your products, the more likely people will trust you enough to buy them. Spare no details about the materials used, the product's features, its functionality, its size or nay other important points.

Make sure customers have everything they will need to know to make an informed decision, including adding client reviews and showing your physical address and contact phone number.

Showing that your website is secure is also a must. Ensure your customer service policy is clearly worded and visible at every stage of the buying process, and remind consumers that the product they are buying is legitimate using authentic reviews.

4. DO YOUR SEO RESEARCH TO SEE WHICH KEYWORDS YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE USING THE MOST

This goes hand-in-hand with offering customers a solution through content. Consider the fact that Google has countless SEO tools and measurements by which businesses are ranked, and use only the words or phrases you think your own customers would use the most when they are searching.  Often the product names we have in our industries are not the same as what your future buyer will call it.  

According to Google, an internet user's habits boil down to four key motives as mentioned earlier: they want to 'do, know, go or buy'.

Do your research to see exactly what keywords your customers are using the most, and what kinds of questions they are asking, through a reputable SEO service provider like SEMRUSH.

It's important to fill in your SEO Tabs for the products listed in your shopping cart (in the backend of your website for your each of your inventory) because this is what Google will look at first. If you do one for each of your products, you will multiply your results by covering multiple search terms.

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, you can also start by offering rich extras to your product such as video tutorials, checklists, infographics, interviews and blog feature articles.

5. PICTURES TELLS A THOUSAND WORDS AND VIDEOS A MILLION

For selling products, make sure your product images are clear, and if needed to be shown from different angles.  For many of our clients, having an image of the product in use or placed - increases sales.

For content in the rest of your website, when was the last time you looked at a popular online article that didn't have a picture, video or infographic to go with it?

Content that is complete with extras including good imagery, video content and graphics will be far more popular than content that isn't.

Plus, enriching in this way opens several new publishing avenues, particularly on social media, through channels including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest.

Be careful not to go overboard and aim to find the right balance between rich content and plain copy.

6. MARKET TO A SPECIFIC NICHE, PERHAPS ONE YOUR COMPETITORS AREN'T CONSIDERING

If you were to write a list of the people who would be interested in your products, it might reveal a variety of demographic profiles including different industries, personal interests and age groups, for example.

When you make the list, it will become easier to work out your best niche markets to target online, keeping in mind that they might not all be ones your competitors are chasing.

Here are some things you might want to consider about your niche market:

• Who are they? This relates to their industry, demographics, interests, location, needs etc.
• What other websites would they visit?
• What are their challenges, and which ones can you solve?
• If you were the customer, what would you be searching for to solve these challenges?
• What unique benefits do you have to offer?

Once you've done your research on these questions and others relevant to your business, write your content based on the answers. Create an online advertising campaign which will draw attention to these markets and keep building on them.

The internet is moving at such a speed, the same as technology, devices are changing, so does users expectations, and lessons we learn.    Your Bloomtools consultant will be able to review your ecommerce website and online shop and give you direction on what would be the best improvements to work on your website.

In a competitive market place, it is interesting to note how some businesses do so much better than others in their industry.  And what we often see, these businesses do so well because they focus their energies into sub-niches.  Versus trying to compete with their competitors who are trying to be everything for everyone.  This works whether you are selling a product, or service, B2B and B2C.

We especially see this being an extremely effective strategy online...

A niche is a specialised and select segment of your target market, it is so important to understand what your niche/s are in order to effectively engage and communicate with your audience. 

Zone in and engage

If you sell fishing gear, don't just have your website sitting there as a massive marketplace for all fishermen. Zone in on some sub-niches, have detailed and specific sections of your website so that you can promote material relevant to a targeted group of people and all of their needs will be met in one place.  These areas maybe the ones you are most passionate about, or see there are less competitors in these markets, or an area that gives your business a good return on.

Understand your Audience

It is amazing how much money and time people spend on things when they are passionate about it or they have a problem. So if you sell fishing gear, you have a niche market of enthusiasts that you can engage with special loyalty offers, tips and guides on how to catch the best fish, what's hot in fishing spots and fishing competitions. However you also have a niche market of fishing first timers, you would engage this market by providing informative content around products and tools or weekly tips and tricks. 

Understanding your audience - means you know who they are and what they need, and hence you know how to spark the online conversation with them and at their different stages.  If you are unsure, start talking to your clients in these markets and ask them what they want to know, need, what they often search for and who they follow to get some ideas.

Provide value

You need to be able to help your potential customers solve their problems and answer their questions. Therefore you cannot simply sell something, you need to also produce and provide informative and quality information, advice and helpful services. This develops your businesses credibility, develops goodwill and loyalty and reassures buyers that you will be there to help.  

What are the Niches in your business markets, and sub-niches within?  How could you attract them more on your website, through your email communication, offers and online advertising?  Our clients that work this out, often have a much better result online than those who aim to be everything for everyone in a greater target market.

Contact your local Bloomtools Consultant to chat about how you can better understand what your businesses niche is, and how you could engage them better online. 

This one-hour online workshop will be the best investment of your time this year, for your business.  At the end, you will clearly understand how you get found on Google and the simple steps you can action to be noticed.

This is an actual workshop where you will leave knowing what to do next. You will learn the strategies that you can implement yourself immediately, that work!

We hear regularly from our clients -  that there is so much information out there, how do you know what is out of date, what really works and most of all how to decipher it so you it is simple to understand the why, what and how?  BOOK YOUR SEAT NOW

You will walk away knowing:

• How Google determines which website they will list higher than others
• How you can simply enhance your presence, and stand out above your competitors
• The number one major activity you can do regularly on your website, to be noticed more
• The top locations your business needs to be listed on, to help increase your search position
• Tricks that get you noticed more than your competitors
• How you know it is working
• SEO vs SEM (AdWords) - When should you do both, or just one?  And why?
• Following this online workshop, we will make it even easier for you - with the best checklist to keep all attendees on the right path after the workshop.

Obviously you can pay us to do some of this for you, however, we find that the majority of our clients want to do this themselves, so they understand it, can control and can continually grow this area.

Whether you have recently just launched your website, or have been around for a long time.  You will gain value from this short one hour workshop.

Register for the workshop now

Date:  Tuesday, 11th April
Time:  12 noon (QLD time)
Location:  Online
Duration:  1 hour
Phone enquiries: 1300 399 399

Question: How is this different to what you have already done for us on SEO?

The initial service we do for you enables Google to know what your website is about when they initially scan your website.  These strategies taught during this online workshop will take your website to the next level.

Question: Can you please just do this for me?

Of course we can! Just call us so we can discuss with you about what we can do for your business, based on your industry, competitiveness, and what you are needing, to work out your investment in these services.

We are amazed how many websites don't have these key elements... they are so incredibly essential for any business, to get results from their web presence. Best of all they have been tried, tested and proven time and time again.
 

1. Instant appeal: Your website needs to grab the attention of your target market from the very first view. This is achieved by having a website design that looks modern, is up to date and current, and overall attractive to your target market? What is your website design saying about your business?
2. Stand out from your competitors:   With the ease that prospective clients (even if they have been referred to you) can look at others in your industry, it is important that your business stands out above your competitors.    What are your business strengths? How do you overcome clients fears of dealing with you and your industry? If you were a prospective client, what makes your business website stand out above your competitors?!
3. Get some action: The reality is you have a website to achieve a result, so you need to facilitate this and make it easy for people to take the next step.  The common 'call to action' for most businesses is their phone number -  this needs to be bold and prominent in the top right of your website. However, it is really important to ensure you have other prominent 'calls to action' (CTA) like 'buy now', 'request a quote' or 'make an enquiry' these also need to be strategically placed (and designed to stand out)  within your website design and content to increase the number of people taking action.
4. User-friendly gets results: The functionality of your website is just as crucial as the design and content. Ensuring everything works, flows logically, facilitates ease for the user to find and do what they want quickly and effectively.   Using a mixture of navigation, images and buttons are essential to assist helping your site visitors find what they are looking for and flow into taking action.
5. SEO friendly: 86% of all people will use Google when searching online for a local business, service or product in Australia. So, as a business striving for results it is crucial that you are found on this search engine, to do so there are a number of factors that can be included within your website. Two important elements are having an .xml sitemap and a robot.txt file incorporated into your website, allowing it to be viewed, read and ranked by Google's electronic spider bots.
6. Make it mobile friendly: Over 50% of consumers are using mobile devices when going online. If your website is not mobile (thumb) friendly and makes potential and existing customers stretch the screen and move around your site with difficulty, you will not only frustrate them but lose them. Ensuring your website can be effortlessly accessed and used on a mobile is a crucial aspect for businesses in order to meet the needs and trends of society in our modern and digital world.  Google are now also penalising websites that are not mobile certified by them in their search results (if searched on a mobile device).
7. Know your numbers:  Knowing where the traffic comes from for your website, whether the numbers are going up or down and more relevant data, are keys to a successful online presence. This information enables you (or your internet partner, like Bloomtools) to make informed decisions on how to continually improve your presence, so you are reaping better results year after year.