How is your store differentiated and better?

It’s rare to be a one of a kind store. More often than not you’re going to have dozens of competitors. Shoppers are spoilt for choice and with e-commerce stores, switching is almost effortless.

You need to position yourself so they buy from you instead of the other guys. Show them the benefits of buying from you. Your selling points should be unique and be presented somewhere above the fold on your homepage. 

Here are some examples of unique selling points:

• Free returns for up to 60 days
• Free international shipping
• Fast and free shipping over $35
• Safe curbside pickup
• We price match
• We set up and install
• We offer credit and leasing
• 5% cash back on every purchase
• Unbeatable selection
• Excellent customer service

How do you come up with unique selling points?

• Think like a customer
  Put yourselves in their shoes. As a seller your natural impulse is to get your product or service out to as many people as possible. A customer has other considerations. The buying experience is just as important as the product itself. Think of what you would expect if you were buying from you. 

• Study your competitors
  Find out what other e-commerce sites are doing right. You can pick and choose from their best practices and improve on what they aren’t doing so well. Amazon has the free expedited shipping that comes with the Prime program. Zappos has a hassle-free returns policy. You can adopt something similar for your store.

• Find an underserved niche
  This is especially important if you have to grapple with a larger competitor. You’re probably not going to win a price war against the likes of Amazon. That’s why it’s imperative to find your own niche where your expertise can shine. If you have to take on a larger player, compete on product quality and customer service, not price.

• Find what motivates buyers’ decisions
  A good example is the cosmetics market. A large majority of products position themselves as premium brands. And these premium brands outsell their modestly-priced counterparts all the time. Alcohol is also another product category where a significant number of people prefer pricier options to alternatives that are significantly cheaper. Finding out what motivates such purchasing decisions can help you position yourself better in the market and craft your selling points along those lines.

Examples

Amazon

Macy's

Sears