Selling online means expanding your reach beyond your neighborhood and into the billions of potential customers around the world. You’re not limited to serve one area. You can advertise to only those people who’re interested in your niche. You can build relationships with people in other countries. You can build and expand without ever renting out another building. The power of online stores is massive. Here are five things that every online store should have:

1. A Beautiful Design

The first thing anyone notices when they’re shopping online – or, arguably, with most things – is the look of something. Having a beautiful and eye-catching design for both your website and your online store is the first step at hooking potential customers. You have a very small timeframe to convince them to stay and peruse your inventory. If you aren’t sure about how to create a beautiful store, can build one for you.

2. Product Descriptions

Product descriptions are useful for many things. First, they describe the product in more detail. They can provide contextual information about materials used, how it works, the limits, the quantity, and more. You want to more inform and entice your customers so that they feel like they’re making the right purchase for them. Second, they help search engines. The higher you rank in Google’s search engines, the better.

3. Professional Photos

No one wants to buy products they can’t see well. They also don’t want to buy products that make the product itself look cheap. That’s why professional photos are so crucial. You need to not only highlight the product, you also need to emphasize the care and quality through the quality of the image itself. White backgrounds, proper lighting, and a high-resolution photo will do wonders for sales.

4. Add Incentives

You want your customers to make that first purchase, and if you want them to come back, you will have to add incentives. Discounts, sales, early access and more are great ways to increase your sales and to boost your company’s value in the eyes of your customers. For instance, you can have a system that gives every customer who’s signed up with your company a discount for their birthday.

5. Clear Policies

Customers want to make informed purchases. You should make all policies clear and easy to find. The biggest policies are return and shipping. Your customer should know before they make their purchase that their options if they buy your product, but for whatever reason need to send it back. Perhaps the item didn’t fit, or it doesn’t work with what they already have – regardless, they need to know their options.

Selling online means creating a digital environment that customers enjoy being in and trust. It means you’ve installed a program that lets them find the exact product they want and the information they need. Online shoppers are savvy – they compare products and prices online. and they distrust new online stores. That’s why your priority should always be nurturing your relationship with them. Loyal customers are better than one-time clicks.