Attract Customers. Rogers Business Guide to Getting Your Store Online SURF

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1 Attract Customers Rogers Business Guide to Getting Your Store Online

2 Rogers Business Guide to Getting your Store Online Canada s Changing Retail Landscape Addressing Growing Demand - Taking Your Bricks-and-Mortar to Clicks-and-Order Setting Up Your Site Driving Traffic Managing Your Operations Rogers and Shopify - Simplifying E-commerce for Canadian Retailers Product Features and Benefits Open for Business - 24/7/ Automate and Simplify Your Operations Learn About Your Customers and Sales Scale Your Business Increase Your Customer Base Putting It All Together About Rogers Rogers Communications 2013

3 ROGERS BUSINESS GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR STORE ONLINE 1 Table of Contents» ROGERS BUSINESS GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR STORE ONLINE E-commerce is finally taking off in Canada. While online shopping habits originally developed much slower in the snowy, white north compared to our U.S. neighbour, that s not the case anymore. In fact, according to Forrester Research, e-commerce sales in Canada are expected to grow by at least 10% annually over the next 5 years that s $33.8 billion worth of sales in What s more, research also shows that Canadian online shoppers will increase their annual spending on the web by more than 37% from 2013 to So, if you re looking to grow your retail business, e-commerce may be the right channel to help you reach new customers. E-commerce sales in Canada are expected to grow by at least 10% annually over the next 5 years - that s $33.8 billion worth of sales in If you don t know where to start, we can help. Rogers and Shopify TM have teamed up and are making it easier and more affordable than ever to create a professional, dynamic online presence for retail businesses. This guide was designed to help you decide if e-commerce is right for your business and provides some practical tips to help you get started. With more and more Canadian retailers moving online to increase sales, isn t it your turn?

4 2 Table of Contents» CANADA S CHANGING RETAIL LANDSCAPE Canada s retail landscape is changing rapidly and drastically. More and more Canadians are using their computers, tablets, and smartphones to make online purchases. They re also visiting e-commerce websites for different reasons, such as product comparisons, to check prices and inventory, or make purchases. Recent studies reveal that 79% of Canadians are already shopping online and 45% of Canadians surveyed even admitted to purchasing goods online from retailers who had nearby stores. Need more convincing? According to Visa Canada s Holiday ecommerce survey, 3 out of 4 Canadians will purchase holiday items online in 2013, and almost 50 percent of Canadians expect to spend between $100 and $499 online this Christmas season. This number is growing rapidly every year and is increasing for almost all age groups and backgrounds. This is good news for your business, even if you re not yet online. The truth is that there s never been an easier time to build an e-commerce site. You can literally get your store up and running in a few short hours. ADDRESSING GROWING DEMAND TAKING YOUR BRICKS-AND-MORTAR TO CLICKS-AND-ORDER Before choosing an e-commerce vendor or building a new site, it s important to spend some time thinking through logistics. Ask yourself these 3 questions: What do I need to set up? How will I drive traffic? How will I manage and deliver orders? Here s some advice to help you answer some of these questions and get you on your way to e-commerce success:

5 ROGERS BUSINESS GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR STORE ONLINE 3 Table of Contents» SETTING UP YOUR SITE A memorable domain name is essential. One of the first steps in launching your e-store is to choose and register your domain name. Your domain, or web address, will be a huge part of your brand identity, so it should be catchy and memorable. You might also want to think about the value of a.ca or.com address. If you have a mainly national or regional audience, there may value in choosing a.ca domain that clearly tells shoppers that you re a proud Canadian business. Your domain, or web address, will be a huge part of your brand identity, so it should be catchy and memorable. Your store is only as good as your storefront. Pick a beautiful theme for your store. Really put some time into deciding how your e-commerce storefront will reflect your personality and consider choosing themes and colour palettes with your target audience in mind. Also start your store off right by using strong product descriptions and working to make your store as trust-worthy as you can by using good, quality images and customer testimonials. It s also a good idea to share any notable press you might have received, since it will help customers feel comfortable buying from you. Fill your site with beautiful photographs. Don t underestimate the importance of great photography on your website. You ll need beautiful images of your products to make up for the fact the shoppers can t touch and feel them. Also, provide information about product materials and sizes, if it s applicable for your merchandise. DRIVING TRAFFIC Integrate your site with social media platforms. Facebook is still the number one social platform for developing an audience and driving online traffic but Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest are quickly catching up. When developing your e-commerce site, make sure you integrate with a variety of social platforms and also invest some time developing your online presence on Facebook and Twitter. Try sharing contests and limited time discounts with Facebook and Twitter followers, as it will encourage more site engagement and increase purchases. Don t underestimate the value of a blog. Content marketing is all the rage with top retailers and marketers, and for good reason it works. Creating valuable, useful, free content tailored for your audience will help build engagement, trust, and also help improve your ranking on

6 4 Table of Contents» search engines. Getting started with blogging can be tricky and first, but it just takes a little organization and inspiration to become an expert. Start by brainstorming a long list of ideas and then create a calendar that includes your best ideas and days you d like to post them. Pictures and videos are an easy way to engage audiences and are a fast way to answer customer questions or share product how-tos. MANAGING YOUR OPERATIONS Organize your operations in advance. Fulfilling orders may be the biggest challenge for traditional retailers moving online, but it doesn t have to be. It just takes some upfront organization. Do some research to compare courier services and make sure you offer realistic delivery offers that you can fulfill. Drop shipping may also be a good option for small retailers, as it s a technique that transfers customer order and shipping details to a wholesaler or manufacturer, who then fulfills the order. It s a great way for new business to manage inventory, since it eliminates the need to keep goods in stock. Don t slouch on shipping. There are many benefits to offering free or flat shipping rates. For example, you may choose to offer free shipping on any order over $39.99, or offer promotions and Facebook coupons for $5 shipping on any purchase. You ll have to do some research first and find the best method for your business, but studies show that consumers really prefer it and free shipping offers can help increase sales. ROGERS AND SHOPIFY SIMPLIFYING E-COMMERCE FOR CANADIAN RETAILERS There s clearly a compelling argument for considering an e-commerce solution to help grow your business and increase revenue. You can also get up and running quickly with a very minimal upfront investment. Rogers and Shopify have partnered together to help Canadian retailers create an end-to-end solution. With Shopify, you ll get access to thousands of templates to build a beautiful and easy-to-manage online store, with tools to automate your operations like accounting and shipping. As a Rogers customer, you ll get access to great rates and offers for your internet, phone, and other business needs. We ve also eliminated

7 ROGERS BUSINESS GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR STORE ONLINE 5 Table of Contents» transaction fees for Rogers customers and have ensured priority technical support, should you require it. PRODUCT FEATURES AND BENEFITS If you re still not convinced about the benefits of e-commerce, here are some other reasons to get your store online. Stop being constrained by business hours and start alleviating holiday and seasonal crunch periods. OPEN FOR BUSINESS - 24/7/365 Stop being constrained by business hours and start alleviating holiday and seasonal crunch periods. An e-commerce site is open for business when your customers are ready to shop, without the need for round-the-clock sales staff. Your store is always open, even if you re fast asleep. AUTOMATE AND SIMPLIFY YOUR OPERATIONS Shopify makes it easy to accept orders, capture payment information, set discounts, and even automate shipping requests. It s an entire logistics team supporting you and your store, helping you ensure customer privacy and quick order fulfillment. You re in charge of setting your shipping zones, so you can enable in-province or cross-canada shipping, but restrict international shipping, if you prefer. Shopify also makes it easy to enable a fulfillment service provider, should you chose to work with a 3rd party warehouse to prepare and ship orders on your behalf. LEARN ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMERS AND SALES Shopify allows you to access product reports, compare monthly sales, view seasonal results, or see what merchandise is most popular for certain customers. It helps you keep track of all your store s customers, so you can search and mine your contact lists for valuable insights about their shopping habits and patterns.

8 6 Table of Contents» SCALE YOUR BUSINESS Start small and grow when you re ready. Instead of spending thousands of dollars to design and develop a unique website, Shopify and Rogers offer the right tools to help you build a site that looks customized, with no upfront investment. You can create a great e-commerce site at a low monthly fee, with no transaction fees if you re a Rogers customer. And, since you re only paying by the month, you have the ability to easily grow or reduce your monthly services, so you can add or remove SKUs depending on your growth patterns or the seasonality of your business. INCREASE YOUR CUSTOMER BASE One of the biggest benefits of moving to online is the ability to grow your customer base. Most brick-and-mortar retailers are restricted to selling to a small, geographic region. But, with Shopify and Rogers, your store has no limits! Selling to other provinces becomes as easy as selling to your next-doorneighbour. And, since your store never sleeps, you can easily sell products to customers in different time zones. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER With more Canadians shopping online than ever, there s no time like the present to get your business online. It s time to start taking advantage of new revenue sources and a bigger, more targeted customer base. Together, Rogers and Shopify have all the tools you ll need to grow your retail business. From in-store tools and high-speed internet and phone systems, to end-toend e-commerce development and hosting tools we ve got you covered. Rogers customers get to take advantage of even more benefits, like waived transaction fees and priority queuing for customer support. So, what are you waiting for? Contact Rogers today about starting your own Shopify site and get monthly service for less than the price of a team lunch. Contact your Rogers Account Representative now to learn more about our retail and e-commerce solutions or visit rogers.com/shopify. Looking for more help or advice? Get small business tips and advice at RedBoard Biz.

9 7 Table of Contents» ABOUT ROGERS Rogers Communications connects small businesses to customers, suppliers, partners, and employees with fast and reliable wireless, telephone, internet, and TV. Over 1.5 million business customers rely on Rogers for proven tools and the know-how to keep them connected. Our affordable services run on our proven networks, backed by 24/7 technical support. Rogers Communications connects small businesses to customers, suppliers, partners, and employees with fast and reliable wireless, telephone, internet, and TV services.

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