The start of the year is the perfect time to take an objective look at your online store. Don’t wait until spring cleaning to determine how to attract new customers and increase conversions. A strong strategy now will help your e-commerce business stay successful all year.

We’ve compiled five key questions to get you started…

1. Have You Personalized?

Personalization is going to be a big buzzword this year for good reason. Whether we’re talking about greeting a returning customer with their name at the top of the site, retargeting shoppers with ads for products they’ve viewed, or recommending products similar to the one in their cart, personalizing the shopping experience is what’s going to differentiate one retailer from another this year. Research has shown that in the apparel industry, users who clicked on at least one recommendation converted to purchase 355% more frequently than non-recommendations users. That’s a huge increase for a simple suggestion!

2. Can Customers Understand Your Policies?

From having a crystal clear return policy to an easy-to-find shipping cost calculator, making sure your customers can easily find answers to their most pressing questions has never been more important. With so much competition for consumer loyalty, you can’t afford to have a shopper get frustrated at your site when they can’t figure out how much it will cost to get an item to their door. Consider creating an FAQ that’s linked to from your homepage, or at the very least linking to all important information in the footer of your site. And, finally, be sure your privacy policy is easy to understand!

3. Are You Making The Most Of Your Loyal Customers?

Shoppers trust the opinion of other shoppers. Ratings and reviews can be great for businesswhether they’re positive or not, and social proof can take this idea one step further. Take advantage of the fact that 70% of people trust consumer opinions posted online by showcasing the approval of others on your site. You can do this by encouraging consumer-generated content (CGC) – post customer photos with your item on the product page itself or host a contest on social media where customers submit images of themselves using the product, letting them tell the story of your brand for you. Even a simple counter showing how many people saved a product to their wishlist can help give a consumer the confidence to buy from your site.

4. How Will You Use Customer Data?

The better use of data is one of the most-talked about trends in e-commerce this year. In recent years, e-retailers have collected plenty of data on customers, and now this is the time to figure out how to use it. From better-segmented email campaigns and targeted social ads to knowing what inventory to stock up on before the holidays, make sure you’re using the best analytics tools available to make smart decisions on how to grow your business.

5. Have You Made It Easy For Yourself?

There are plenty of tools available to help store owners make sales while saving time. Automated emails can remind your customers about abandoned shopping carts and give out birthday coupons. Scheduling tools like Buffer and Hootsuite can let you set up social media campaigns weeks in advance. And tools like our own Smart Merchandiser make reorganizing your site as simple as drag-and-drop. By using the technology available you can increase conversions and free up more of your precious time!

Searching for a sophisticated partner to grow your online business? Talk to us today!