| Every shopping cart should have one. It's | | | | any other aids that they use to help build |
| something that sets you out as different from | | | | consumer confidence? Do they offer deals, how |
| your competitors and makes online shoppers | | | | does their shipping, returns policy or terms |
| return again and again to buy from you. It's | | | | of sale work. At the end of your marketing |
| called your Unique Selling Point, or USP for | | | | report measure your findings against your own |
| short, and it may persuade an online shopper | | | | site. Be honest when comparing your site |
| to buy from your site instead of somewhere | | | | against your competitors it may be the key to |
| else. | | | | your own success. |
| | | | |
| Every e-commerce site has a USP, just some | | | | It's important to understand that investment |
| sites get their message across better to | | | | at this stage should and will bring a return |
| their buyers than that of their competitors. | | | | if managed correctly. Every promotional or |
| | | | advertising campaign has a limited budget and |
| So, what determines a site's USP? | | | | will not be sustainable if you do not have |
| | | | sufficient revenue coming in consistently. |
| - Free phone 24/7 customer service | | | | You must be aware of what is happening around |
| | | | you in your own marketplace. |
| - Contactable via an instant messenger | | | | |
| service is a good USP | | | | Once you have established your USP, make it |
| | | | noticeable to the consumer. Use some of that |
| - Easy-to-exchange, no-nonsense return | | | | prominent real estate space on your website |
| policies | | | | to get the message across. A great example of |
| | | | a company promoting their Unique Selling |
| - Cheap product prices | | | | Point is Archers Beds. Within the site at the |
| | | | very top of the page they have their contact |
| - Buy one get one free product deals | | | | sales hotline number. Backed by contrasting |
| | | | colours to the rest of the site their message |
| - Reliability and honesty | | | | gets across. Down the left-hand side they use |
| | | | a how-to-buy guide, again prominent in |
| There can be a host of selling points that | | | | colour, to highlight just how easy it is to |
| sets you apart from your competition. But it | | | | order from their site. Underneath this is |
| has to be visible to the person browsing your | | | | their payment gateway partner, reassuring the |
| site. You also have to back-up your claims if | | | | potential customer that an on-line |
| you don't want your online brand to fizzle | | | | transaction through Archers is safe and |
| like a damp squib. | | | | secure. |
| | | | |
| Have a look at your competitor's sites. How | | | | Remember, one of the tools of being a success |
| does their brand hold-up? Go through their | | | | online is figure out your Unique Selling |
| site, analysing each stage of the process. Is | | | | Point and promote it to gain consumer trust. |
| their product descriptive enough? Are there | | | | |