One of the best things you can do as an ecommerce business owner is to surround yourself with other ecommerce business owners. If you can’t do that, the next best thing is to pay attention to other ecommerce businesses that are doing things right. They can be your mentors from afar. If you look closely, you can learn a lot from them about how to run a successful ecommerce store.
Fortunately, you have many “mentors” to choose from. There are numerous companies who have mastered the art and science of ecommerce. Whether they have great design, user experience, or digital marketing, there’s lots to learn and implement for your own business.
Here are a few companies doing ecommerce right:
Warby Parker
Warby Parker is an online (and offline) eyewear store. They sell prescription glasses as well as sunglasses. One of their most unique offers is to allow customers to choose, order, and try on up to five pairs of glasses at home for five days. Also, for every pair of glasses that is purchased, a pair is given to someone in need. Adding a socially conscious component is a great way to generate buzz, sales, and some good in the world.
Recently, they partnered with YouTube Star Tyler Oakley to launch a limited edition glasses line. Glasses have always been a signature part of the style of Tyler Oakley, and with his audience of millions of YouTube viewers, it should be a great partnership and business opportunity for Warby Parker. Ecommerce entrepreneurs can also form partnerships with influential figures on social media to sell their products.
Everlane
Everlane is an online retailer that specializes in modern, basic essentials. They sell apparel and accessories for men and women at low prices. Everlane is refreshingly transparent about the factories that make its clothing and its low markup compared to other retailers. Not only does this approach result in lower prices, but it also boosts the trust and relationship they have with their customers.
For the holidays, Everlane created content for gift ideas for both men and women. Ecommerce stores would be wise to create collections of gift ideas for their own products to make it easy for customers doing holiday shopping. Everyone also offers free shipping on orders with two or more items, another technique to increase sales.
For most apparel and accessory stores and other large businesses that carry a lot of products, an enterprise ecommerce platform is a great way to manage large inventories.
Sierra Designs
Sierra Designs offers high performance camping, high alpine, and backcountry gear for outdoor enthusiasts. With such an adventure-driven brand, their website is full of stunning photography of their products in action in beautiful outdoor locations. Their gear is neatly organized and easy to navigate.
With outdoor gear, it’s important to educate your customers about the product and how it’s used in addition to convincing them to buy. Sierra Designs does a great job with their product descriptions to inform the customer about the product. They even include professional product videos in the description as well as customer reviews.
Dollar Shave Club
The Dollar Shave Club splashed onto the scene in 2011 providing a subscription service for men’s shaving products and other personal grooming items. They’re best known for their viral (and hilarious) video explaining their products and service. The video has been viewed over 23 million times. It brilliantly showcases their brand, unique voice, and sense of humor. A good sense of personality can be an excellent quality in an ecommerce business.
As you can see, there are plenty of great companies out there leading by example in the ecommerce industry. Check them out and consider how you can improve your ecommerce business too.
