Technology continues to change the way we do business every day – from billboards to online banner ads and in-store shopping to online retail and e-commerce. Though this may not seem new to those in other industries, it is still only recently relevant to those of us in the automotive aftermarket space. Sources have forecasted e-commerce volumes of $13 billion by 2018 already – only a little more than a year away!
And today, technology has made it easier than ever to target their core audiences through online marketing and retail, making e-commerce tools highly in demand. You see pages on retail websites that “build dynamically in real-time in response to who you are, where you are, and what you’re searching for.” The advantage of the web is that it is able to act on-demand and in real-time, so if you’re on the web, you should be able to act on-demand and in real-time as well!
But just having a presence online isn’t enough. You have to be easily accessible and create a cohesive shopping experience for the customer that will have them coming back. If customers are confused while navigating your platform, they are likely to jump ship to a provider who has a more user-friendly website. What’s more, the information you’re able to provide on your site will help them click “add to cart” a lot more easily and confidently – as long as that information is complete, consistent, and timely – adding to their experience and your brand’s value.
It’s been repeated so many times over the year, but it’s worth repeating again – excellent content is crucial to your sales. Why? Because it can sell itself! But excellent content does not just happen on its own. As stated above, it requires being complete, consistent, and timely. Along with that, it requires compiling and consolidating information; it requires creating a single source of truth for information about your products; it requires an organizational digital strategy that can easily adapt to your company’s needs.
As we go into the new year, data and e-commerce will continue to grow as trends within various industries, but especially in the automotive aftermarket. Take the first step with your product information management today. At Product Data Command, we make it easy and affordable to retrieve, create, manage, and deploy product data. Call us at 215-491-2641 for a short demonstration.
We’ll see you in the new year!
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