The Internet is a place full of creative, savvy users responsible for generating an immense amount of content. Online shoppers are the same way, and unlike yesteryear, when you went looking for a new couch at a few local furniture stores, now there are hundreds of options with the click of a button. Every year, the business of eCommerce continues to grow, but there a few ways to make your business stand out. Engaging the creativity of your customers or, hopefully, future customers is one way to set your business apart from the rest.

Make Online Shopping Fun

Part of the charm of online shopping is the ability to rapidly and broadly browse a huge array of options without setting a foot outside the door. Online shoppers have a wealth of choices at their fingertips, but sometimes it can be overwhelming. Make your business stand out by offering creative ways for potential customers to engage. Offer ideas about starting an inspiration board, and make images of your products available. Pen a blog and put your products in a framework, using fun topics like the history of a particular style of garment or furniture. Invite users to submit featured reviews of products they love. Find ways to use your merchandise as content, and integrate eCommerce into the vast internet lexicon. Making your store stand out by offering creative, alternate methods of engagement will endear you to users and, more importantly, future customers. One of the oldest, surefire methods of closing a sale is making the customer feel special by tailoring their experience. By engaging online shoppers as individuals and tapping into their creativity, they’ll most likely want to reciprocate. There’s a reason that things go viral, everyone wants to share.

Window Displays Matter, Even Digital Ones

Make your online store as attractive as you would your physical one. No one wants to go into a dark, dingy shop to look for an item that they’re going to live with on a daily basis. The same is true of online store design; only “dark and dingy” translates to non-user-friendly and clunky. Most eCommerce websites offer templates that cater to particular types of business. For example, if is you’re in the furniture business, seek out furniture web templates that are specifically designed to cater to that type of merchandise. Think about what you want your customers to know, and what you want to highlight. Having a welcoming, accessible online store is as important as an attractive window display. Make customers want to give you their business, and build confidence with a professional, user-friendly site.

Let the Record Speak for Itself

While choosing the design of your online store, keep in mind that many users highly value organic reviews from other customers. Although shoppers may find your tactics and approaches engaging, don’t leave them hanging by lacking solid, tangible information about what that thing they loved as an image will look like in person. Be candid. Authenticity and the breaking down of barriers is part of the Internet’s magic. Make sure your store has an efficient user review system, keep your customers happy, and business should boom.