4 E-Commerce Best Practices for Service Businesses

Most anticipate a service business to operate out of a brick-and-mortar store. It allows customers to walk in and talk to consultants about what their expertise will net them. In the age of e-commerce, people have this opportunity less often. Marketers have to get creative by making buying a service online as appealing and straightforward as it is with physical products. How do they achieve this, regardless of business size?

1. Easy Online Booking

Scheduling with a small business feels intuitive and fast if the platform has a clean user interface. Personal life coach Allan Johnson combined product offerings with the booking page to provide as much information in one place as possible. It also includes pricing and length of time so clients know exactly what they are getting into when they click “book now.” 

The scheduling pages also have separate categories so the number of options does not overwhelm the prospect to the point of decision fatigue or page abandonment.

2. Essential FAQ

Service businesses should only need short FAQ sections. Lengthy ones imply the answers are unavailable within the page’s copy and can also mean the company’s model is confusing. Short and sweet FAQs should reinforce and expand upon what is already there.

The educational community platform inHub does this well. The page describes what its services include, explains the benefits and posts relevant press releases without wasting page space. The only explanation includes what matters, which is why it has only two FAQs on the page. They reference earlier portions of the copy in more detail, which is helpful for prospects who immediately jump to the FAQ anyway.

3. Personalization

Competitive advantages equal to how much a service is customizable to each customer. Around 62% of shoppers need personalization to become loyal to a brand. Service industries that offer financial guidance can especially benefit from this. 

Wisr is an Australian fintech company with just over 100 employees that combats conventional banking practices by offering diverse, specific lending options for customers. The personalization shines with the site’s built-in tools. Its Debt Bustr allows visitors to calculate how much their debt is costing them and how Wisr could help them with their unique monetary circumstances. 

The page notably acknowledges the customer with phrases like “Take control of your debt” and “Tailor and supercharge repayments to match your needs.” Wisr also boasts personalized rates where customers can choose the terms they want.

4. Social Proof

Business owners have opportunities to brag and share their knowledge beyond having a conversation with a prospective client. The website can do that for them. Authentic social proof comes in numerous forms, including:

• Testimonials
• Reviews
• Case studies
• News coverage
• Social media posts

Small service business SkinByGabby doubles up on several best practices. Her skin coaching services are personalized, and she also has robust social proof to verify that her tactics work. She has customer reviews on the front page. However, she also diversifies her social proof by having skin transformation images interwoven with service information. This contextualizes what buyers are committing to when they schedule with her.

Small Service Success

Service businesses are as likely to grow via e-commerce platforms as they would in traditional stores. Incorporate these best practices to boost lead conversions and revenue in the coming year. The changes will foster more dedicated customers until they become repeat customers.