Brick-and-mortar stores have the benefit of the full experience. They can use music; they can use scents, light, depth, layout, and so much more. There are many ways to attract customers into a store and help elevate how they feel in ways that encourage them to buy and return. Not so with a web store, where your brand matters online in a critical way.
When it comes to your online store you have one screen, and it is for this reason that branding is actually more important online, and we identify six reasons your brand matters online below.
The biggest reason for branding, period, is to stand out. It is how you can tell customers who you are and how you are different from your competitors. It can help tell customers what industry you are in, what vibe you are going for, and so much more. If you think this is important in-store and out there in the real world, it is 100x more important online. Online, this visual look is the only thing you have until your customer buys from you or visits your store.
You need your social media and your website to be unified. It shouldn’t look like you have gone to a different business when you go from a company’s social media to their website. It needs to feel cohesive so that you can continue to provide a great experience to your customers.
A great brand is powerful. It is worth something on its own, long before the items you sell come into question. If you have a great look, then you have the potential to sell merchandise. Don’t think about those poorly printed t-shirts. Think real, valuable, beautiful items that people truly want. Businesses from fashion to sports to lifestyle and design have all done this very successfully, and you can do it as well. Whether you want to sell merchandise, improve your product packaging or update your entire look to be more unified and striking, you’ll need a design agency like anthembranding.com.
Though in-store branding can also work to craft a lifestyle, where this tip really shines is online. You can curate a very specific look that transports your product or service beyond its physical asset into a dream. A dream of who your customer could become if they just bought your product. This can be for anything, even your own personal merchandise.
If you aren’t online after the last year we have had; you need to get online now. Being online and having a strong brand identity and presence online can help you weather storms and improve your revenue significantly. A great brand is one that people want to engage with regularly online, and that alone is enough to help keep many businesses’ heads above water.
When it comes to the online shopping experience, there is one component to your brand that you absolutely must nail, and that is the process of actually buying and then delivering the product. Improve your product packaging and your shipping methods so that you can continue the great experience customers enjoyed online, back into the real world. It should always feel and be seamless. Not only that, but you need to delight your customers from the moment they receive their package. This would include the unboxing experience all the way to the final reveal and even the surprising delight if you decided to add in a free promotional product. So from the first view online to the end product boxing, your brand matters online and offline.
