E commerce is becoming big business, with many businesses or even brick and mortar retailers offering online buying facilities to their customers. Businesses have continuously improved customer experience when buying online, making customers come back for more. Products that are perishable or ones that has a big price tag do not however sell well online. Items that do sell well are low priced items such as hard luggage sets, clothes or even costume jewelry. It is unlikely that customers easily buy things online if certain requirements are not met, therefore let’s look at some of these factors and how businesses can benefit.

• More precuts to choose from: online businesses do not have to worry about costs of extra shelf space; they can easily stock more product varieties. Since customers are drawn to wider product choices, it is important that businesses increase their inventories. This is something brick and mortar companies too should consider when it comes to their online extensions.
• Comparison capabilities: online savvy customers know what they are looking for and they have the option to compare many products and even stores at the click of a button. For example if there is a bed and mattress sale, they can quickly navigate several sites to compare, price, quality and even product reviews before making a purchase. Therefore businesses are able to take this as an opportunity to provide the most sought after details by customers early on in the buying cycle. This is a big opportunity for big and small players alike.
• Bargain hunters: some customers however use a mix method when it comes to buying products. They first visit a brick and mortar store, find what they are looking for and then compare the prices of the same product by going online. This is especially true for products that customers like to touch and smell before purchasing. Businesses can take advantage of this by offering discounted products or offering deals based on different seasons.
• Importance of reviews: people that constantly buy online, keenly look for product reviews. Therefore if you want customers to stay on your site, then it is important to provide details of what other shoppers have said about their purchases. This does not have to be limited to the products only; reviews can be added on the whole online buying process.
• Time saving process: people value their time a lot, this means that the online buying process should be straightforward and not excessively time consuming. This also includes the delivery of the actual product as well. Any expected delays should be promptly communicated to customers. It is important that customers are not kept hanging with no knowledge of their purchase.
  As you can see, there are many avenues for businesses to make their online customers happy and in turn reap rich rewards.