How to encourage customers to purchase at your online store?

Hi

Any good ideas or advises, I believes this is the hardest of all, you can get a lot of hits a day or target the correct group of consumer but you cant simply force them to purchase or trade through your website...

Initially, i thought getting a domain name or maybe having SSL would actually help but now I dont think so...

Hey,
Get a good reputation on a well known forum about the product you're selling.

A REAL domain, possibly a phone number to call in, and SSL are all needed. Offer multiple payment methods - NOT PAYPAL.

Goodluck

Here's one idea. Create a forum and foster a community. The sense of community encourages customers/members in the forum to make purchases at your store.

yes, that's one way but the members must be quite active in the forum in order to work.

True, but the forum does a couple of other things. It gives the sense that real people are operating the website, not some automated script. The sense of trust. I think that it's an important aspect of e-commerce/e-business site development.

Add full contact info or a PO Box and a Chamber of Commerce number so people can verify it. Offer online transactions, Paypal, Moneybookers etc. Anyone can use them.

Get real customer support e.g. ticket system.

ADD A LIVE CHAT SUPPORT. PUT A 100 % GURANTEED LOGO, IF POSSIBLE USE VERISIGN SSL AND PAYMENT PROCESSING SYSTEM, GIVE BONUS ON EVERY PURCHASE, CREATE A CONTROL PANEL WHERE USERS CAN SEE THEIR PREVIOUS PURCHASES HISTORY.
MAKE THE CHECK OUT A SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE,

AND THE BEST OF ALL:

GET IDEAS FROM AMAZON (e.g. 1 CLICK CHECK OUT!)

It's noticed that many people cancel the process of purchase right at the checkout point. They fill the basket, get everything they want, and then simply split.

You should check out if that is the case with you (check logs). Probably some useability in question.

Also consider that you give some bonuses or even better a discount on purchase of more than 2,3 products, or say on over $100. But mention it when they put the enough things in the basket that they will get it cheaper.

You should also give money back guarantie, not so easy for real things as with software but still posible.

BTW. Didnt AMAZON got copyright to one click check out ?