{"id":45931,"date":"2023-10-20T15:47:20","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/startupsmart.test\/2023\/10\/20\/the-nine-website-features-that-make-your-retail-business-hum-startupsmart\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T15:47:20","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T15:47:20","slug":"the-nine-website-features-that-make-your-retail-business-hum-startupsmart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startupsmart.com.au\/uncategorized\/the-nine-website-features-that-make-your-retail-business-hum-startupsmart\/","title":{"rendered":"The nine website features that make your retail business hum – StartupSmart"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Some time back, I created a list of website features \u2013 or more accurately website platform features \u2013 required by retailers to run a professional e-commerce operation.<\/strong><\/p>\n


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But like all things digital, the landscape soon changes, so I thought it worth re-visiting just to ensure retailers had the latest information at their fingertips.<\/p>\n

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This list is by no means exhaustive \u2013 each retailer has different specific requirements. But for the smaller retailer embarking on their online journey, or perhaps streamlining it, this will provide a handy guide to what online tools you are going to need to make a fist of your e-commerce website.<\/p>\n

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As their business model is relatively similar, wholesalers are likely to require similar functionality.<\/p>\n

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1.<\/strong> Content management system (CMS)<\/strong><\/p>\n


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An absolute fundamental for your website. Having your web professional alter and edit your website whenever you need it adds unnecessary cost and delays when a CMS makes this relatively easy and convenient.<\/p>\n

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In fact, a CMS is so easy to operate these days that a reasonably computer-savvy shop assistant should easily be able to do this task if you don\u2019t wish to do it yourself. Don\u2019t even consider arranging a website without this fundamental editing and website management tool.<\/p>\n

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2.<\/strong> Integrated email marketing system (EMS or EDM)<\/strong><\/p>\n


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Despite social media very much being the flavour of the month, not everyone uses social media regularly, unlike email, which most people use on a very regular basis.<\/p>\n

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But the days of sending your specials to a group within Outlook are long gone. An EMS or electronic direct mail system ensures your email campaign will look great, be personalised and be integrated with the statistics you need to ascertain its effectiveness.<\/p>\n

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And by being integrated with your website platform, you cut out considerable time in having to keep lists up to date and synchronised. Better still, your customers can alter their details themselves, saving you even more time.<\/p>\n

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3. Integrated<\/strong> customer relationship management system (CRM)<\/strong><\/p>\n


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Of course an EMS without a CRM is a wasted opportunity and something of a waste of time. A good CRM will allow you to integrate your customers so that you can seamlessly send emails, keep purchase records and have a record of website visits, among other things.<\/p>\n

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This approach saves having to keep such data in a myriad of different unconnected places and the time involved in maintaining each one.<\/p>\n

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4. Secure shopping cart<\/strong><\/p>\n


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It goes without saying really, though for those not quite confident enough to take this plunge, they can start with basic product information via a CMS before going the whole cart route.<\/p>\n

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Just ensure that your website platform allows you to upgrade to cart\/e-commerce functionality very easily and affordably.<\/p>\n

Your cart will need to be hooked up to a payment gateway \u2013 the secure encryption technology that allows funds to be transferred securely and safely. At its most basic, PayPal provides a great and affordable way to do this.<\/p>\n

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5. Auto-homepage capabilities<\/strong><\/p>\n


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There are few things worse in the online world than visiting a website some time after your previous visit, only to find that nothing has changed and that the so-called \u201ccoming soon\u201d specials have never eventuated.<\/p>\n

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Auto-homepage capabilities allow you to bring new product, specials and so on to the front page of your website without having to physically alter it. In other words, by literally ticking a box the featured item brings itself to the front page of the website and keeps it fresh, interesting and above all, likely to result in more sales.<\/p>\n

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6. Australia Post delivery integration<\/strong><\/p>\n


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Managing delivery costs can be a major frustration for website operators as they constantly need to be updated to reflect changes in postal charges and product dimension, etc. But a good cart system will be integrated with Australia Post delivery charges. This allows real-time integration of the latest delivery charges so that you never need to alter it beyond your initial inclusion of the product leading to fantastic time and cost savings.<\/p>\n

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7. Currency conversion<\/strong><\/p>\n


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The truth is very few Australian retailers consider making interstate sales let alone those from overseas. 
But why not? A customer is a customer is a customer, no matter where they\u2019re located. And if they\u2019re prepared to pay the delivery charge, even better. If you can\u2019t achieve automatic currency conversion, at least have a prominent link to one so they can do the math themselves.<\/p>\n

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8. Financial software integration<\/strong><\/p>\n


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This capability is not critical to many retailers because online sales can be categorised as such on their financial software and entered periodically with a refer online sales report memo. Others prefer complete integration with their software.<\/p>\n

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Either way, such an integration is becoming increasingly viable with today\u2019s cart solutions.<\/p>\n

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9. Social network integration<\/strong><\/p>\n


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Every retailer should fundamentally not let a customer leave their store \u2013 online or on-street \u2013 without either selling them something or getting their contact details. Just because they didn\u2019t buy this time, doesn\u2019t mean they won\u2019t buy from you later.<\/p>\n

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Social networks provide a convenient, seamless and affordable way for customers to engage with you and for you to promote your wares for essentially nothing<\/strong>. So links to the major social networks should be prominent on your page.<\/p>\n

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Miscellaneous others<\/strong><\/p>\n


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There are numerous other website features a retailer could benefit from depending on the level of sophistication \/ automation required. Some of these include:<\/p>\n

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