As a product-driven company, if you aren’t offering your products online, you’re likely losing a large segment of your customers to your competitors. An online sales platform has become essential to sales in the current context, and with the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) in Singapore making digital transformation more accessible, many SMEs have already seized the opportunity.
However, while the grant makes it easier to create an ecommerce website, there are crucial details that business owners often overlook. Most of the time, these mark the difference between disappointed users and repeat customers. If you’re considering tapping into the PSG for eCommerce development, here are five things to keep in mind to ensure you have an edge over the competition.
1. Ensure a Smooth User Experience
Design is important, no doubt, but a polished interface means nothing if your customers can’t navigate the site easily or complete a purchase without being confused and frustrated. Far too many businesses focus on aesthetics without considering usability, and this is where conversions can suffer.
This is a key point when creating an ecommerce website: Don’t just think about how it looks; think about how it works. Is the shopping process smooth? Can users easily find what they need? Is the mobile experience just as intuitive as desktop? How can we make it easier for a visitor to buy a product?
These are questions that should be addressed early in the development phase. Incorporating features like easy navigation, fast load times, and a streamlined checkout process will make your site a pleasure to use — and increase the likelihood that visitors will make a purchase.
A good user experience (UX) is the digital version of great service — it’s what keeps people coming back. Don’t just build an online store; build an experience that makes shopping simple and enjoyable.
2. Invest in Strong Security Measures
Just like in a physical outlet, an online store needs to have security measures and trust certificates in place to convince buyers to share their billing information. Shoppers today are highly cautious about where they enter their payment details. If your site doesn’t look secure, they’ll hesitate to complete a purchase, or worse, abandon their cart entirely.
Make sure to integrate secure payment gateways and highlight your site’s trustworthiness by displaying information about SSL certificates, well-known payment providers like Visa and PayPal, and customer reviews. They might seem small, but they make a massive difference in convincing users to trust your business. If you are relying on the PSG, eCommerce security solutions certainly deserve a sizeable allocation of your budget.
Trust is the currency of the internet — don’t underestimate its value in turning browsers into buyers.
3. Get Your SEO Right From Day One
You can’t expect customers to come rolling in as soon as you create an eCommerce website if they are unable to see you online. To secure this visibility, search engine optimisation (SEO) is critical, allowing people to see your store when searching for products you offer.
Too often, business owners overlook SEO, assuming traffic will arrive organically. However, if SEO is part of the web development process, you won’t need to spend even more trying to play catch-up later. Use relevant keywords, optimise product descriptions, improve page load speeds, ensure mobile responsiveness — these are all vital to make your business pop up before anyone else’s.
4. Don’t Overlook the Need for Scalability
Many business owners create an eCommerce website with their current needs in mind, but few think about the future. What happens when your inventory grows, or when traffic surges during a sale? Will your site be able to handle it?
An often ignored consideration when creating an ecommerce website is planning for scalability. You want a platform that can grow with you, whether that means adding new products, integrating with social media stores, or expanding into international markets. Financial support schemes like the PSG for eCommerce can help you offset the costs of setting up such measures so that your site doesn’t let you down when the most customers are coming in to buy your product.
5. Keep Updating and Improving Your Website
Creating an ecommerce website and hosting it online is just the first step. More work begins once the site goes live, and ongoing maintenance is critical to ensuring a smooth customer experience over time. From software updates to performance monitoring and bug fixes, post-launch support is often overlooked but essential to long-term success.
More importantly, make sure the site is updated with new product offerings and ongoing offers, or customers will assume it is no longer in use. You can also update your product descriptions based on customer reviews and share relevant insights through a blog section to keep your customers engaged.
Make sure you have a plan in place for ongoing technical support and regular updates. If you’re working with one of the pre-approved vendors listed under the PSG for eCommerce, they will most likely present you with a plan for ensuring your ecommerce site is visible and competitive after launch.
W360 Group: Access New Markets at Low Cost Using the PSG for eCommerce
Securing PSG ecommerce support is an excellent opportunity for SMEs looking to establish a foothold in the digital marketplace. However, you will want to choose an experienced vendor to help ensure your site is visible, secure, and effective at turning browsers into shoppers. For expert digital marketing solutions that guarantee a strong start to your online business journey, choose W360 Group.
From user experience and security to SEO and long-term returns, W360 can give you all the elements of a digital strategy that excels in driving conversions and ensuring success. If you’re ready to take advantage of the PSG for eCommerce website development, get in touch with us. Your future customers—and your bottom line—will thank you.