What are the e-commerce best practices to follow?
In 2024, there will already be more than 153,000 active online sellers in France (9% more than in 2023)¹. Succeeding in e-commerce in this ultra-competitive landscape therefore represents a real challenge. Fortunately, there are some good e-commerce practices to help you structure your business, stand out from the crowd, attract customers and increase sales. Whether you sell on your own site, via a marketplace or both, discover the best e-commerce practices for creating a successful online store.
Choose the right sales channels
The first best e-commerce practice is to choose your sales channels carefully, based on your objectives. Here are the three main options available to you:
- The e-commerce site: by selling through this channel, you retain total control over your brand identity, customer relations, e-commerce customer journey and your data. It’s also a space where you can fully customize the user experience.
- Marketplaces (Amazon, Rakuten, Etsy, etc.): these give you immediate access to high visibility, qualified traffic and high-performance sales tools. It’s also an excellent way to test your products with a wide audience.
- Click & Collect or Phygital: this hybrid model combines online sales with a physical point of sale. This solution enables you to offer a local service while optimizing your delivery costs.
Please note: these channels are not exclusive. By combining them in an omnichannel strategy, you expand your audience and improve customer satisfaction. The figures prove it. A study conducted by Fevad shows that 36% of consumers buy fashion items both online and in-store. It’s a strong argument that highlights the benefits of complementary points of sale.
Put the customer experience at the heart of your e-commerce strategy
User experience is a key factor for success in e-commerce. It directly influences your conversion rate, customer loyalty and reputation.
A clear offer and competitive prices
On marketplaces, price is a major differentiation criterion. The best practice is to remain competitive while maintaining an acceptable margin. Our advice: be transparent by indicating whether shipping costs are included, offer clear discounts and avoid hidden charges (e.g. processing fees, unmarked paid options or unforeseen surcharges for certain delivery zones).
Fluid, intuitive navigation
A slow or poorly designed site turns customers away. Here are the best e-commerce practices to adopt:
- Loading speed: your site should load in less than 3 seconds per page to avoid abandonment. Use optimized image formats such as WebP or AVIF to lighten the weight of your visuals without compromising quality.
- Clear design and visible calls to action (CTA): structure your pages with a clean design and strategically placed action buttons, to guide the user naturally towards purchase.
- Mobile first: with 65% of buyers using their smartphone, your website or marketplace must be responsive to ensure a seamless experience on mobile.
Optimized product sheets
Your online adverts are your shop window. As such, they need to be polished and engaging. Elements not to be neglected are :
- Quality visuals (multiple angles, details, zoom).
- A clear description with relevant keywords for your e-commerce SEO optimization.
- Mandatory legal information (CE marking, manufacturer’s identity).
- Customer reviews and responses to comments to build trust.
Quick and easy ordering process
85% of e-buyers buy online to save time². It’s good practice, therefore, to eliminate all unnecessary steps in the sales tunnel. One-click purchasing, clear call-to-actions and automatic confirmation emails are all key to boosting the performance of your online store.
Varied delivery and payment options
Your customers need to be able to choose how they want their order delivered. To achieve this, offer several delivery methods (standard, express, relay) and payment methods (credit card, PayPal, payment in instalments).
Discover our article on delivery methods, to make the best choice for your business
Impeccable customer service
Your e-commerce customer service is a powerful weapon for building loyalty, provided it follows best practices. To improve it, consider :
- Multiply contact channels (chat, telephone, email).
- Respond quickly to complaints.
- Adopt personalized, human communication.
- Monitor performance with indicators such as complaint rates and Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Visibility and acquisition: best practices for attracting new customers
Having a good product isn’t enough to succeed in e-commerce. You need customers to find you. Here are some winning strategies to help you do just that:
- E-commerce SEO optimization: structure your product pages with clear titles, hierarchical tags and strategic keywords. Take care with descriptions, visuals and metadata to improve your positioning on search engines and in the internal results of marketplaces.
- Targeted advertising: develop high-performance campaigns using Google Ads, Meta Ads or Rakuten Ads. These tools enable you to target your audiences according to their interests, behaviors or purchasing intentions, while controlling your costs thanks to a pay-per-click bidding system.
- Social proof: capitalize on customer reviews, testimonials and product evaluations to build trust. Display your certifications or quality labels if available. Regularly measure your Net Promoter Score (NPS) to assess overall satisfaction and anticipate areas for improvement. This indicator shows how likely your customers are to recommend your store to their friends and family.
- Digital communication strategy: support your e-commerce activity by regularly producing high value-added content: blog articles, practical guides, newsletters, posts on social networks… In addition to nurturing your customer relations, this content contributes to your natural referencing and reinforces your expertise.
- Data analysis: track your key performance indicators (KPIs) with tools such as Google Analytics, the Rakuten Merchant Dashboard or marketplaces’ dashboards. Analyze conversion rates, cart abandonment rates or campaign ROI to make informed decisions and refine your strategy.
Implement these best practices to make your e-commerce a lasting success!
Ultimately, it’s by mastering e-commerce best practices that you’ll lay the foundations for developing your business. From content personalization to secure online payments and e-commerce accessibility, every detail counts. Always remember that it’s your customers who make your store a success. By offering them a seamless customer journey, a personalized experience and impeccable service, you’re building a solid, lasting relationship.
So why not sell on a marketplace like Rakuten? You’ll benefit from a powerful growth lever, high-performance tools and customized support for selling your products online.
Source: Rakuten