Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Chapter 3: Window Dressing for the Online Display

In This Chapter

• Revealing your store's unique identity
• Organizing your store so that customers can find anything
• Designing a site that convinces your visitors to become customers

As a brick-and-mortar retailer, you probably gave a great deal of attention and thought to your store's appearance — the selection of paint colors, the placement of shelving, and even the way each product is positioned for display. You probably agonized for days, if not weeks, over each decision — and for good reason, too.

Major retailers spend a substantial amount of time and money sorting through the same details. And, when they find that perfect look, it becomes a blueprint for every store that follows.

Why go to all this trouble? Your goal in creating a positive shopping environment is to increase your sales. That process begins with the look of your store. And, the way products are arranged contributes to that overall feeling or mood. Customers will buy more if they're comfortable shopping in your store, can find what they need, and are treated well. Retail merchandizing experts have shown that careful attention to in-store displays can have a direct (positive!) effect on your sales.

The same concept holds true for your online store. In one e-commerce case study, a global online retailer experimented with how they featured a group of lighting fixtures on their Web site. They claimed to see an increase of 30 percent in their online sales for one particular ...