None of that makes moving to eCommerce easy. It makes the decision to move easier. The execution still requires careful thought, a proper investment, and a clear understanding of what you’re getting into.

The competitive environment has intensified significantly. Customers expect fast-loading sites, transparent delivery costs, and a seamless checkout experience as a baseline, not a differentiator. AI-powered tools are reshaping how products are discovered online. And the businesses winning in eCommerce aren’t just the ones who launched first, they’re the ones who launched well.

Whether you’re a bricks-and-mortar retailer considering your first online channel, or a business that launched an eCommerce store a few years ago and knows it needs a serious upgrade, this is what the current environment demands.

Get the Platform Decision Right Before You Build Anything

The platform you choose is the foundation everything else sits on. Get it wrong and you’ll be rebuilding within three years.

Shopify is a low barrier to entry hosted solution for most retail eCommerce businesses. It handles security, hosting, and updates, the app ecosystem is extensive, and its checkout conversion rates are well-documented. If your business is primarily product-led and you want speed to market with low technical overhead, Shopify could be the best place to start.

WooCommerce, built on WordPress, offers more flexibility and lower long-term costs, but requires more active management. It’s the better choice for businesses that need tight integration with existing WordPress content, more complex product configurations, or want full ownership of their data and codebase.

The decision shouldn’t be made on cost alone, or on what a competitor is using. It should be made on your product complexity, your expected order volume, your internal technical capability, and your long-term growth model. We can provide professional advice on this before you commit. Migrating platforms later is expensive and disruptive.

Treat Product Content as a Strategic Asset

The single most common reason eCommerce stores underperform is poor product content. Thin descriptions, low-quality images, and missing specifications are not just a conversion problem, they’re a visibility problem.

In 2026, product content needs to work for three audiences simultaneously: human shoppers who are evaluating whether to buy, search engines indexing your pages for traditional organic results, and AI systems that are increasingly surfacing product recommendations in response to natural-language queries.

For each product, that means original, detailed descriptions that go beyond the manufacturer’s copy. It means high-resolution images from multiple angles, with lifestyle shots where appropriate. It means structured data markup using Schema.org product schema so search engines and AI tools can accurately understand and represent what you’re selling. And it means complete technical specifications, sizing information, and any other details a customer needs to make a confident purchasing decision without picking up the phone.

Product content at this standard takes time to produce. Factor that into your launch timeline. Rushing to publish with placeholder content is one of the most damaging things you can do to a new store’s early performance.

Understand How Your Products Get Discovered Now

The discovery landscape for eCommerce has changed substantially. SEO remains important, but it’s no longer the only game in town, and the rules have shifted.

Google Shopping and Performance Max campaigns are now major drivers of eCommerce revenue for most product categories. These campaigns use AI-driven bidding and creative optimisation, and they require clean, complete product feed data to perform well. If your product data is inconsistent or incomplete, your paid campaigns will underperform regardless of your budget.

Organic search for eCommerce is increasingly influenced by GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) as well as traditional SEO. When someone asks an AI-powered search tool for product recommendations or comparisons, the businesses that appear are those with well-structured, authoritative product and category content. Entity SEO, structured data, and genuine content depth are the signals that matter.

Social commerce on Instagram and TikTok is a real revenue channel for certain product categories, particularly fashion, beauty, homewares, and food. If your target customer spends time on these platforms, a social commerce strategy should be part of your launch plan, not an afterthought.

The point is that no single discovery channel is sufficient. A well-constructed eCommerce launch plan maps out how customers will find you across paid search, organic search, social, and email, and allocates budget and effort accordingly.

Nail the Customer Experience Before You Scale

The technical performance of your store is not optional.

Google’s Core Web Vitals directly affect search rankings, and slow-loading pages cost real revenue. Research consistently shows that even a one-second delay in page load time reduces conversions meaningfully. On mobile, the threshold is even less forgiving. Your store needs to be fast on mobile by default, not as an afterthought.

Checkout friction is the other major conversion killer. Every additional step, every form field that isn’t necessary, every moment of uncertainty about delivery costs or returns policy is a reason for a customer to abandon their cart. Best-practice eCommerce checkout in 2026 means guest checkout as the default option, multiple payment methods including Buy Now Pay Later (Afterpay, Zip, Klarna), transparent shipping costs displayed before the final confirmation step, and a clear, easy-to-find returns policy.

Trust signals matter enormously for new stores. Customer reviews, security badges, clear contact information, and an accessible customer service channel all reduce the hesitation a first-time customer feels when deciding whether to transact with a business they haven’t bought from before.

Get these fundamentals right before you invest heavily in driving traffic. Sending customers to a poor experience is expensive in every sense.

Work Out Your Margin Before You Set Your Prices

This sounds obvious. It’s surprising how often it’s skipped.

eCommerce has a cost structure that looks different from retail. Payment processing fees (typically 1.5 to 2.5% per transaction depending on the gateway), delivery costs, packaging, returns handling, and platform subscription fees all eat into margin before you’ve factored in marketing spend. For businesses moving from bricks-and-mortar to online, the margin arithmetic is often a genuine shock.

Customers no longer expect products to be dramatically cheaper online than in-store. What they expect is convenience, speed, and reliability. That gives you more room to price for profitability than the race-to-the-bottom thinking of the early eCommerce era suggested. But you still need to understand your true cost of sale before you set a price.

Map out every cost that sits between a customer clicking “add to cart” and the product arriving at their door. Build your pricing from there. Free shipping is a powerful conversion tool, but only if it’s funded by a margin that can absorb it. If it can’t, a clear and competitive flat-rate shipping option is a better choice than free shipping that erodes your business.

Build Your Logistics Before You Launch

Delivery expectations have been reset permanently by major retailers offering next-day and same-day options in metropolitan areas. You don’t need to match that to compete effectively, but you do need to be clear, consistent, and reliable.

Before launch, have firm arrangements in place with your fulfilment and delivery partners. Know your dispatch times and communicate them clearly on your product pages and checkout. Understand how you’ll handle the spike in order volume that often comes in the first weeks after a marketing push. Have a process for managing out-of-stock situations and communicating proactively with customers when there are delays.

Returns logistics deserve specific attention. A generous, easy-to-use returns policy is one of the most powerful conversion tools available to an eCommerce business. The operational cost of managing returns needs to be factored into your model, but the conversion uplift from a clear and fair policy almost always justifies it.

If you’re moving significant volume, third-party logistics (3PL) providers offer a compelling alternative to managing fulfilment in-house. The economics become attractive at relatively modest order volumes, and the capability and reliability gains are substantial.

Use AI Tools, But Don’t Automate Your Brand Away

AI-powered tools have made meaningful aspects of eCommerce management faster and cheaper. AI can assist with product description drafting, customer service responses, personalised email campaigns, inventory forecasting, ad creative testing, and search trend analysis. Used well, these tools give a small team the output capacity of a much larger one.

The risk is homogenisation. If every business in your category is using the same AI tools to generate product descriptions from the same manufacturer data, the content becomes indistinguishable. That’s bad for SEO, bad for GEO, and bad for conversion.

The businesses getting the best results from AI in eCommerce are using it to accelerate work that starts with genuine human expertise. They’re using AI to draft content and then editing it to reflect real product knowledge, brand voice, and the specific questions their customers ask. They’re using AI to analyse customer data and then applying human judgement to what that analysis means for the business.

AI is a productivity multiplier, not a replacement for the thinking that makes your eCommerce business worth buying from.

Plan Your Marketing Before You Launch, Not After

A new eCommerce store without a marketing strategy is a shop in an empty street. Traffic does not arrive by default.

Your marketing plan should be in place before the store launches, not assembled in a panic afterwards. At minimum, it should cover: a Google Shopping and Search campaign strategy with budget and measurement framework; an email capture and nurture sequence for new visitors who aren’t ready to buy on first visit; a content and SEO strategy for key category and product pages; and a social media approach appropriate to your category and audience.

For bricks-and-mortar businesses launching online, your existing customer base is one of your most valuable assets. An email to your current customers announcing your online store, with a compelling first-purchase incentive, will almost always outperform any paid campaign in the first weeks. Don’t overlook the audience you already have.

eCommerce marketing requires ongoing investment. The businesses that approach it as a one-time launch spend consistently lose ground to those who treat it as a continuous, evolving programme.

Set Up Your Measurement Properly From Day One

You cannot improve what you cannot measure, and eCommerce gives you more to measure than almost any other business model.

Before you launch, ensure Google Analytics 4 is properly configured with eCommerce tracking enabled, conversion events set up, and your paid campaigns connected so that every dollar of ad spend can be traced to revenue. Set up Google Search Console to monitor organic search performance from the start.

The metrics that matter most in the early months are conversion rate, average order value, cost of acquisition per channel, and cart abandonment rate. These four numbers will tell you more about where to focus your improvement effort than any amount of traffic data.

Review them regularly. Build a habit of weekly review for paid channels and monthly review for broader performance. The stores that grow fastest are those that identify what’s working and do more of it, and identify what isn’t and fix it quickly.

Commit to the Long Game

eCommerce is not a channel you can switch on and immediately assess. Building organic search visibility takes months. Building customer trust and repeat purchase behaviour takes longer. The email list that becomes a major revenue driver in year two starts as a trickle in month one.

The businesses that give up on eCommerce too early almost always do so because they didn’t set realistic expectations at the start. A well-built, well-marketed online store will grow. The trajectory is rarely linear, and the early months require patience alongside effort.

The decision to move to eCommerce is the easy part. The commitment to building it properly, marketing it consistently, and improving it continuously is what separates the stores that become genuine business assets from those that become expensive lessons.

If you’re planning your eCommerce launch or looking to get more from an existing store, talk to the team at HyperWeb. We’ve been building eCommerce websites for Australian businesses for 25 years, and we know what it takes to build a store that performs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use Shopify or WooCommerce for my eCommerce store?

Both are strong platforms, and the right choice depends on your business. Shopify is a hosted solution that’s faster to launch, easier to manage, and well-suited to most product-led retail businesses. The downside is, for every non-standard functionality, or promotional tool, there is another ongoing cost. And they add up. WooCommerce is built on WordPress, offers more flexibility and lower long-term platform costs, and is a better fit for businesses that need complex product configurations or deep integration with existing WordPress content. The decision should be based on your product complexity, growth plans, and technical capability, not on cost alone. Get advice before you commit, as migrating platforms later is expensive.

How much does it cost to launch an eCommerce store?

The range is significant. A basic Shopify store can be self-built for a few hundred dollars in monthly platform costs, but will often lack the design quality, conversion optimisation, and technical foundations needed to compete effectively. A professionally developed eCommerce website typically costs between $5,000 and $30,000 or more depending on product complexity, custom functionality, and integration requirements. Ongoing costs include platform fees, payment processing (typically 1.5 to 2.5% per transaction), marketing spend, and ongoing development. Build a realistic total-cost model before you commit.

How long does it take for an eCommerce store to generate revenue?

Most well-built, well-marketed eCommerce stores begin generating revenue within the first month, particularly if the business has an existing customer base to communicate with. However, meaningful organic search traffic typically takes three to six months to develop, and a profitable acquisition cost from paid channels often takes two to three months of testing and optimisation to achieve. Set realistic expectations for the first six months and plan your marketing investment accordingly.

What is the most important thing to get right when launching an eCommerce store?

Product content quality and customer experience at checkout are the two factors that most directly determine conversion rate, which is the foundation everything else builds on. A store with high traffic but poor product descriptions and a friction-heavy checkout will not perform. Get these right before you invest heavily in traffic acquisition.

Do I need structured data and schema markup on my eCommerce site?

Yes, and this has become more important in 2026 as AI-powered search tools increasingly use structured data to understand and recommend products. Product schema markup helps search engines and AI systems accurately represent your products in search results, including price, availability, reviews, and shipping information. It also improves eligibility for rich results in Google, which typically generate higher click-through rates than standard listings.

The post Moving to eCommerce in 2026: What You Need to Get Right appeared first on HyperWeb.

The Dawn of the AI Shopper

Agentic commerce represents a major shift in how online transactions take place. Unlike the AI recommendations we’ve had for years, AI agents are now capable of autonomously completing purchases on behalf of consumers. They discover products, weigh options, negotiate where possible, and transact, all without a human needing to click “add to cart.”

This isn’t science fiction. In September 2025, OpenAI partnered with Stripe to launch the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), a technical standard that enables AI agents to interact directly with merchants and payment providers. Platforms including Shopify and Etsy are already adopting it. Google followed with its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), extending these capabilities across its entire ecosystem.

AI agents don’t browse websites the way humans do. They don’t scroll through product pages or get drawn in by lifestyle photography. They make decisions based on specs, stock levels, price accuracy, and brand reputation.

What This Means for Australian Businesses

For Australian businesses, particularly those in ecommerce, this shift presents both an opportunity and a strategic imperative. The businesses that prepare will capture transactions that competitors miss entirely.

Here’s the key thing to get your head around: AI agents don’t browse websites the way humans do. They don’t scroll through product pages, admire hero images, or get drawn in by lifestyle photography. Instead, they rely on structured data, APIs, and product feeds. They make decisions based on specifications, availability, pricing accuracy, and increasingly, brand reputation signals.

This creates a new discipline we’re calling Agentic Commerce Optimisation (ACO), the practice of ensuring your digital presence is optimised not just for human users, but for the AI agents that will increasingly represent them.

The Core Elements of Agentic Commerce Optimisation

Structured Data Goes from Nice-to-Have to Necessity

Schema.org markup has always been important for SEO. In an agentic commerce world, it becomes the language through which your products communicate with AI shoppers. Complete, accurate structured data using industry standards like GS1 product identifiers isn’t optional anymore. Without it, you’re invisible.

Content Needs to Serve Two Masters

Your product descriptions, specifications, and supporting content must now serve both humans who browse and AI agents who parse. This means concise, accurate, unambiguous information alongside the engaging copy that converts human visitors. The good news? These goals aren’t mutually exclusive. Clear, well-structured content serves both audiences.

Brand Authority Influences AI Decisions

This is where things get interesting. AI agents don’t just read your product data. They also assess sentiment, reviews, brand reputation, and trust signals when making recommendations on behalf of their users.

The same brand-building work that influences human purchasing decisions will influence AI agent behaviour. Delivering on customer expectations, earning genuine word-of-mouth, and consistently being a business people trust matters just as much to AI shoppers as it does to human ones.

Technical Infrastructure Must Support AI Access

Ensuring your site is crawlable by AI systems, that your product feeds are complete and current, and that you’re prepared for direct API integration will separate the prepared from those left behind. This aligns closely with the Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) work that’s already becoming essential for visibility in AI-powered search.

A Balanced Perspective

While the potential here is significant, a measured approach is warranted.

The timeline for widespread adoption of autonomous purchasing may be more extended than some predict. Technological capabilities need to align with regulatory frameworks, consumer trust, and practical implementation realities. Security concerns around autonomous transactions remain valid, and the need for human oversight isn’t disappearing anytime soon.

Smaller merchants in particular may find the integration costs and technical demands challenging. The industry is still developing competing standards, and it remains uncertain which protocols will achieve dominant adoption.

Consumer acceptance is another variable. Many people aren’t yet comfortable with AI making purchasing decisions on their behalf, particularly for significant purchases. Privacy concerns around AI agents accessing personal preferences and financial information will need to be addressed before mainstream adoption takes hold.

The assumption that AI agents will rely solely on structured data may also prove to be an oversimplification. As these systems evolve, they may develop more complex interaction patterns that more closely resemble human browsing behaviour.

Practical Steps to Prepare

For businesses looking to get ahead of this curve thoughtfully, here’s where to start.

Audit Your Structured Data

Review your current schema.org implementation. Is your product data complete? Are you using appropriate industry identifiers? This work benefits your current SEO while preparing you for agentic commerce. Our structured data audit checklist can help you identify gaps.

Test AI Perception of Your Products

Ask current AI assistants like ChatGPT or Claude to describe your products or recommend options in your category. What information are they using? What gaps exist? This provides valuable insight into how AI systems currently perceive your offering, and where you might be losing ground to competitors.

Monitor Protocol Development

Stay informed about ACP, UCP, and competing standards. If you’re on Shopify, WooCommerce, or Wix, monitor when ACP integration becomes available for your platform and assess whether early adoption makes sense for your business.

Balance Optimisation Efforts

Don’t sacrifice human user experience in pursuit of AI optimisation. The most effective approach serves both audiences, with clear, accurate information presented in ways that work for human browsers and AI parsers alike. This mirrors the approach we recommend for balancing GEO and traditional SEO.

Keep Building Brand Authority

The fundamentals of brand building remain as relevant as ever. Positive customer experiences, authentic reviews, and consistent reputation management influence AI agent decisions just as they influence human ones. There are no shortcuts here, and that’s actually good news for businesses doing the work properly.

Businesses that prepare for agentic commerce will capture transactions through channels that competitors aren’t yet serving. Those who wait risk invisibility to an increasingly important class of customer: the AI agent shopping on behalf of a human who never visits your website at all.

The Bigger Picture

Agentic commerce is part of a broader shift in how AI integrates into daily life. For businesses that understand and prepare for this change, it represents an opportunity to capture transactions through channels that competitors aren’t yet thinking about.

For those who wait, the risk is invisibility to an increasingly important class of customer: the AI agent shopping on behalf of a human who never visits your website at all.

The businesses that thrive will be those that serve both audiences effectively, maintaining the human experience that builds relationships while ensuring the technical foundation that makes them visible to AI.

The post Agentic Commerce: What It Means for Your Business When AI Becomes the Shopper appeared first on HyperWeb.

E-commerce Development

E-commerce development is the foundation of any online store. It’s the process of building and maintaining an e-commerce website that looks great and works seamlessly. This is a combination of web development, software development and digital marketing to ensure your site is user-friendly and sales-optimised.

At its core e-commerce development includes:

• E-commerce Platform Selection and Setup: Choosing the right platform is crucial. Whether it’s Shopify, WooCommerce, or Magento, the platform must align with your business.
• Custom Theme Development and Design: Your online store should reflect your brand. Custom themes will make your site stand out and provide a unique user experience.
• Product Catalogue Management and Integration: Efficiently managing your product listings and integrating them into your site is critical.
• Payment Gateway Integration and Security:  Multiple payment options and security builds trust and convenience for your customers.
• Shipping and Fulfilment Integration: Streamlining your shipping process ensures timely delivery and customer satisfaction.
• Order Management and Fulfilment: Effective order management systems keep track of sales and inventory.
• Reporting and Analytics:  Understanding your site’s performance through analytics helps you make informed decisions.

With e-commerce development being so complex, partnering with an e-commerce development company like HyperWeb can make all the difference. We have expertise in web development, AI and application integration, and digital marketing, so your online store is set up for success. Here’s is our top 10 e-commerce features that will take your website from good to great.

1. Mobile-First design for E-commerce Websites

Let’s face it we’re all glued to our smartphones. 90% of Australians own a smartphone, so your e-commerce site needs to look good and work seamlessly on mobile devices. Custom website development is a dedicated process that meets specific client requirements, so your site has a responsive design that’s not nice to have but crucial for impulse purchases and keeping customers engaged.

2. Fast Loading Times

Attention spans are short, and patience is wearing thin, especially when it comes to slow websites. Every second counts in e-commerce. Optimise your images, leverage browser caching and consider using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to speed up your site. A faster site not only improves user experience but also your search engine rankings.

3. User-Friendly Navigation

Make sure your site is easy to navigate. Clear categories, robust search and intuitive filtering options allow customers to find products quickly and easily. Consider using HyperAi, a trained AI application, as a virtual buyer agent. Streamlined navigation reduces bounce rates and increases conversions. The easier to browse the more likely to buy.

4. High-Quality Product Images and Descriptions

Online shoppers can’t pick up and examine your products, so your images and descriptions need to do the heavy lifting. Invest in high-quality, zoomable product photos from multiple angles. Pair these with detailed, benefit-focused descriptions that answer all potential customer questions and highlight key features. Compelling visuals and information are key to online sales.

5. Secure Payment Options for E-commerce Websites

Trust is everything in e-commerce. Offer multiple secure payment options, including credit cards, PayPal and the increasingly popular buy-now-pay-later services like Afterpay. Display security badges prominently so customers know their data is safe with you.

6. Streamlined Checkout Process

A complicated checkout is the fastest way to lose a sale. Offer a guest checkout, minimise form fields and consider a one-page checkout to reduce abandonment rates. Remember, the goal is to make buying as frictionless as possible.

7. Customer Reviews and Ratings

Trust is important for Australian consumers, and Australians trust other Australians. Have a robust review system that allows customers to share their experiences and use this social proof. Positive reviews can increase conversions, and negative reviews provide valuable feedback.

8. HyperAi AI-Powered Personalisation for E-commerce Websites

HyperWeb specialises in using AI to personalise the customer journey. AI driven personalisation can increase your sales by a lot. HyperAi can be a virtual buyer agent, offering product recommendations based on natural language inputs. HyperAi can help you deliver a tailored shopping experience that brings customers back.

9. Clear Shipping and Return Policies

Be upfront about your shipping costs and delivery times. Consider offering free shipping above a certain amount – it’s a powerful incentive for customers to add more to their cart. Also, make sure your return policy is clear and fair. A fair and simple return policy can actually increase sales by reducing perceived risk.

10. Proactive Customer Support for your Online Store

Sometimes, customers just need a quick question answered before they’re ready to buy. Offer instant support through live chat, ideally with AI-powered support for 24/7 availability. Answering customer questions quickly reduces hesitation and increases conversions.

Implement these on your e-commerce site, and you’ll see a big increase in sales and customer satisfaction. At HyperWeb we help Newcastle and Australian businesses succeed in the digital space. We don’t just build websites, we build partnerships.

Are you ready to take your e-commerce game to the next level? Give us a call or contact us. We would love to meet you, learn about your business and your journey, and talk about how we can help your business grow online. Your success is our goal.

The post Boosting Online Sales: 10 Key E-commerce Features Every Australian Business Needs appeared first on HyperWeb.

The constantly changing Instagram algorithm is hard to keep up with but know one thing for sure – Instagram is favouring (promoting) reels over images and it doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.

While it is possible to grow on Instagram without reels – creating reels is a great way to increase followers and engagement. In fact, they are a real growth hack!

Not only are they addictive to watch, consumers are 95% more likely to retain the message or remember a product or service when consumed via video. 

We often remind our clients who are hesitant to dive head first into the world of reels that it’s an excellent opportunity to:

• Create connection with your audience
• Add value by sharing hacks, tips, tricks and how to’s
• Build trust and credibility in your niche – remember you are the master of your art and your knowledge about your product/service is your strongest USP (unique selling point)

While diving head first may seem daunting, we encourage you to dip your toes in the reel pool by trying these 5 hacks:

• Create original content

As Instagram has evolved so has the desire for perfectly curated feeds. People want original and approachable content that they can relate to. This means no one is judging you (they are actually supporting you) to create non-polished reels that foster connection and add value.

• Use texts or captions

Did you know that 85% of reels are watched without sound? Make sure you always use text in your video or captions if you’re speaking. It’s also an invaluable tool for those who have hearing difficulties. 

• Don’t post a reel once

Have you spent hours making a reel, only to use it once? This may shock you, but you can actually re-post the same reel 1, 2 even 3 times. Remember, when you post a reel you are competing with hundreds of thousands of other reels – at the same time (some may even be communicating the same message as you) and, it might take 3 posts for your reel to reach your target audience.

• Don’t use a video that has a TikTok watermark

Instagram devalues reels or videos that have been created in other apps. Make sure if you’ve made a video on TikTok you don’t post it to Instagram with the watermark (there are watermark removal apps available on the app store – however they can decrease the quality). The best way to avoid this is to create your content directly in the Instagram app.

• Include 3-5 hashtags

It’s hard to know whether to hashtag or not but using 3-5 hashtags will help the Instagram “algorithm” understand your content and serve it to relevant audiences.

At HyperWeb, we create marketing strategies that include reel creation and management within a wider strategy. Looking to take your brand or business to the next level? Get in touch today and find out how we can help you.

The post Are reels the only way to grow on Instagram? appeared first on HyperWeb.

So, how do we get people to pay attention for extended periods and create a lasting impression? By connecting with them through the art of storytelling.

Think about the last time you learnt something new, was it over coffee with a friend? Or listening to a podcast on your way home from work?

A study by Stanford University revealed that people remember stories 22x more than facts and figures.

Tapping into people’s emotions sharing the good and bad is how stories inspire, motivate, and eventually, drive action.

Creating a narrative around your brand will not only foster brand loyalty, but it also humanises your brand and inherently markets your business.

Storytelling sets compelling brands apart from simple businesses and one-time customers to loyal consumers who return repeatedly.

We’ve shared 5 examples of good storytelling to help get you started and inspire your next campaign.

• Know your audience

Before you put pen to paper, you need to understand who will be reading your story. Who wants to hear your story? Who will benefit and respond to your story?

Take some time to research your target market and define your buyer personas. This process will allow you to become familiar with whose reading, viewing, or listening to your story.

• Keep your story authentic

Stories make us human, and the same go for brands. When brands are transparent and authentic, it brings them down to earth and help consumers connect with them and the people behind them.

• Put your best foot forward

Share the most valuable parts of your story at the beginning rather than saving the best till last. You immediately want to lure the reader and not only connect with them but compel them to share your content with others.

• Use your customers stories

Rather than proving expertise and skill by showing off case studies and statistics share the impact of your brand by sharing customer testimonials or stories.

• Foster community and collaboration

Tell a story that moves readers to discuss and share your story with others. Use a situation or experience that other can relate to and say, “me too”.

Struggling to get your messaging, right? We know it can be to put your own story into words. We can help – get in touch today.

The post How to master storytelling in your marketing appeared first on HyperWeb.

“whether you are a candle business making a foray into e-commerce, a musician selling merch or a food blogger expanding into your own cookware line, any eligible business or creator account with at least one eligible product can use shopping tags to drive people to their website to make a purchase.” – INSTAGRAM

Instagram Shopping is a feature that allows users to share products through Instagram posts and Stories and appear in Search & Explore. Product tags in the post or product stickers in the story will connect the user to a product description page featuring an image, description, price, and a link that loads your website product landing page within Instagram. This means the user does not leave Instagram throughout the shopping experience. Accounts can also feature a large call to action on their profile to View Shop to see all the products on offer via Instagram.

Typically, the eligibility criteria is vague and open to interpretation but it also appears easier for most businesses that are currently selling products online to comply. Businesses must have at least one product available for purchase and are required to tag products on Instagram from a website that they “own and sell from.” Meaning affiliate sales is not complaint. Instagram states this is to ensure “a consistent and trusted shopping experience.”

“Businesses of all kinds will now have access to our Shopping tools, which is especially important in light of the economic challenges many are facing this year. We’re also ensuring that our updated commerce policies make shopping on Instagram more transparent for businesses and people alike.” – Facebook Australia director of sales Naomi Shepherd.

This change represents an acceleration in the availability of omni-channel ecommerce options available to businesses. Search and social media shopping is experience experiencing a dramatic rise in popularity, and now, accessibility.

How effective will it be for businesses? Instagram is an a platform driven by aspiration. Users experience a spike in dopamine and the rush lowers inhibitions and increases the impulse to purchase. This means that bringing your product forward to the user to purchase paired with an aspiration, and uplifting content and image is going to be a powerful opportunity to sell.

In order to take advantage of this, your website must use an “approved platform”, such as WooCommerce, and it needs to be connected to your Facebook Page. The latest versions of WooCommerce have has a connector built in which enables a feed of your product data to be available in Facebook & and Instagram. Contact us today to have your store setup in Instagram and set up your first sales post.

The post Instagram Shopping Accessibility Eased appeared first on HyperWeb.

They were clearly quite frustrated with their experience with their existing website and the developer. They had done some homework and were able to show their online store had a cart abandonment rate of 99%! That means 99 out of every 100 customers chose a product, added it to the cart, then did not buy. Their money remained on the table, or more correctly, remained in their wallet when they were interested in buying the product.

The reasons for cart abandonment could be one or many. The site looks quite old, is visually unappealing, and overall navigation experience is confusing. Yet, people were managing to find the products they were interested in, they just were not purchasing. During our meeting, I played the role of the user, I managed to navigate the site (challenging), find a product, add it to cart, then I hit a User Experience (UX) road block.

The checkout page was quite “messy”, it had the same off-putting look and feel as the rest of the site, lots of black background, unnecessary information written in a chunky bold font. The biggest issue was a small checkbox to create a password. Why do I need to create an account to buy a product?

I explained this UX roadblock to the client. Shoulders dropped and frustration expressed itself, they had tried to make this issue smoother with their previous developer, but did not get what they were asking for. Worse, they had a would-be purchaser make her frustration known by emailing them complaining about the difficulty of the checkout process, declaring that she would never purchase their products, and she would tell her social and professional networks all about it. Alarm bells.

I asked the client, do you NEED your purchasers to create an account to access your website? No. So why are you forcing them?

Long story short, we took over the site, reinstalled it, simplified the purchase process and email notifications while we developed their new site. Straight away, in the days and weeks following, purchases were being made and their cart abandonment rate has fallen to around 40%. Not bad when the average is around 70%. Yes, 70% is the average. The client is very happy they have been able to start the transition from the previous developer to HyperWeb with such a positive result with their existing website. Wait until their new, modern looking, UX focused website goes live!

Why are cart abandonment rates so high in general?

We have written previously on things to avoid in e-Commerce, but reiterating some of those points:

1. Introducing additional costs in the checkout screen (such as shipping, or credit fees). Make them known at the start.
2. Lack of security trust. Is the checkout page secure?
3. Shopping information off-putting, i.e., a note saying the product won’t be delivered as fast as the user requires.
4. The checkout process is too complicated.

If you believe you are not getting the sales you should with your online store, get in touch with us for a review of your website and online shopping experience to see if we can reduce your cart abandonment rates and lift your revenue.

The post Cart Abandonment – A Lesson in User Experience appeared first on HyperWeb.

There are many benefits for both the business and the consumer to sell and purchase online. From the seller’s point of view, there’s lower overheads, with of course initial e-commerce platform implementation, but generally speaking hosting and website maintenance severely undercuts rent, bills and merchandising put together. From the buyer’s point of view online shopping opens up the opportunity for 24/7 armchair browsing, with the flexibility to shop around with ease and a wider selection all at the click of a button delivered to the door.

We recently re-developed an eCommerce platform for long time Sydney cake delivery business CBD Cakes, co-existing with their physical location in Martin Place. With their target audience being primarily located in and around the City of Sydney, the new online store enabled the ability to automate order and payment systems online, as well as collecting new customers through organic search. This meant their physical store could focus on counter orders, pickups and processing online orders, with a reduction in customer service over the phone and by email. In addition, they were able to offer direct automated gift vouchers, loyalty rewards for repeat customers, and also the ability to collect customer data for marketing purposes.

So what should your online store’s shopping experience entail?

You’re essentially replacing a shopper’s store walk-around, so ease of access to product lines and categories, along with a smooth flow from products to purchase is essential.

Related products and up-sell can be present all the way from a product page to checkout, and can be matched specifically to products they are purchasing for a more targeted promotion. This is a very handy sales tool which in a physical scenario could be easily marketed to the wrong audience.

Since we’re replacing look > touch > buy with look > research > buy then good visual representation is key, along with well documented resources, such as size guides, and access to reviews where possible for credibility of product, brand and service.

FAQ page and contact details are a must have, however where possible an online chat (to be monitored by staff) is a fantastic tool to act as an online “sales assistant” to help answer customer questions in real time like a shop assistant.

Shipping is one factor to consider when moving your store online. Free shipping means more frequent shopping with less payout and greater reward in the eyes of the consumer. However smaller purchases may affect profit margins so a minimum order amount is a great way to cover costs and also encourage further purchase to reach the minimum.

There are also fantastic new payment tools to utilise through your e-commerce platform that benefits the customer, one for example is the new checkout tool AfterPay which enables consumers to pay through their payment gateway in 4 fortnightly installments, meaning the customer pays 25% upfront and still receives their items instantly, they then have 3 remaining installments automatically debited thereafter. This is appealing over the traditional lump sum payment, opening up the opportunity for more products in the basket as they can then afford the smaller installments, or just larger payment orders in general where they may not have been able to afford otherwise.

Overall, an online e-commerce platform will streamline processes, automate ordering systems, enable greater connectivity with an extended audience, encourage more frequent browsing and the ability to capture and market to your audience with minimal outlay. So what are you waiting for? Contact HyperWeb and join the online retail community today.

The post The super power of online shopping – how an e-commerce store can change your business game plan for the better appeared first on HyperWeb.