The web is awash with search engines, directories and portals, and many of
them are purely designed to make a hefty dent in the consumers' wallet. For
many Internet shoppers they are key to finding that inspired birthday gift
or Mothers Day present. For online retailers they can also be heaven sent.
A good listing within a high profile shopping directory could be the make of
your e-commerce site.
Many surfers first port of call when looking to shop on the web is their
favourite engine. Lycos, Yahoo, Excite all have shopping guides. But how
comprehensive are they? Do they independently review stores? Shamefully it
appears not in many cases. Many engines work closely with partner retailers
to gain the lion's share of the traffic, which can often mean a big spend
and a hefty dent in the retailer's wallet. But what about those retailers
with smaller budgets, or in some cases none at all?
Specific shopping directories such as ShopsOnTheNet.com, ShopNow etc, play a
vital role in bringing traffic to online stores. Games Direct a UK based PC
games retailer that works closely with shopping specific directories and
price comparison services has increased its traffic and customer
registrations by over 200%. The moral of the story being that once your
e-commerce site is listed with shopping specific directories you are opening
yourself up to a core group of web surfers that actually want to shop
online. Many registered users of directories receive tailored e-mails
updating them on the latest shopping sites and product innovations according
to their personal profile. The question is, can you afford not to have your
site listed with directories that announce e-commerce sites and products
directly to seasoned Internet shoppers?
So, how do you go about getting listed? Before you go straight to the
directories and try to get listed, take a look at your site. Does it offer
secure transactions? This is paramount to getting anybody to shop online
with you. With it taking the average surfer two years to make a purchase
online (Forrester Report), security is a must. Are you using shopping
baskets? Do you clearly show your terms and conditions? Do you have a
postal address for customers to contact? Have you been accredited by an
assurance programme? Such as, Trust-On-Line.com or Web Assured. All of
these points will greatly improve the possibility that a surfer will get
over their initial fears and take the leap of faith that is tapping in their
credit card number at your checkout.
After you've addressed these issues it's time to get listed in those
shopping directories. You can find lists of them on Yahoo and all of the
other major search engines.
But what for the future? Directories are going to get larger and larger
with more e-commerce sites coming online everyday. This creates a problem
in scale. The sheer volume of sites out there will mean surfers getting
lost in a murky sea of cyberspace. As a retailer try to strike up
relationships with directories, keep them informed about your web sites
developments, products and special offers. The directory editor will be
only too pleased to have a constant source of editorial at their fingertips,
especially when they have thousands of shop-aholics waiting at the end of an
email just itching to spend their hard earned cash!
About the Author
Roger Donald
Senior Web Editor
ShopsOnTheNet.com