This may sound like an unusual starting point to talk about doing business online. Surely e-commerce is going to increasingly take the place of having to make a physical journey to shop around or buy a specific item. We'd agree with that premise, but there are still similarities between a web presence and an actual store in a shopping centre. Or, to put it another way, it's always good to learn from the past...

What attracts you into a store?

There are two possibilities: either you are visiting that store for a specific reason or you are, to use the old term, window shopping. For the latter, many retailers would employ window dressers to make the outward appearance as eye-catching and attractive as possible, grabbing the attention of passers-by and enticing them inside.

Online, the latter still holds true, providing such a welcome for those people who are browsing rather than searching. For searchers, who have input key criteria to find your business coming up in the search results, providing landing pages designed to catch those visitors by talking specifically to their needs is vital.

How do you find your way around a store?

In a physical store, you'd look for effective signage, or staff to help direct you to where you need to be. Online, skilful web design for your Canberra business, including easy access points to click through to different pages, gain extra information through drop-downs and so on, carry out the first of these roles. A chatbox, or similar facility, can offer the instant, human help to deliver answers to any query or provide directions.

How easy is it to pay?

Physical stores can lose business by having a lack of payment locations, or by being unable to cope with large numbers at any one time. Online, the payment process should be as swift and simple as it can be, and as easy to access.

Have a nice day!

You would hope that a person in a store, while not necessarily using this infamous phrase, would indicate their thanks for your being a customer. There are still online businesses who don't bother - an impersonal 'payment complete' doesn't exactly encourage any future contact.

So, through an attractive welcome, a helpful attitude, swift payment and a personal touch, your online store can take the positives of a brick and mortar shop into a web-based future. To discuss how to achieve this, and more, for your e-business, please talk to our experienced web design team here at Canberra Web.