A compelling question has surfaced following the 2014 holiday shopping season:

What can small business eCommerce sites do to compete against the likes of Amazon and Alibaba?

eCommerce sites can better illustrate their uniqueness and personal stories to the shopper’s experience.

The one thing that Amazon and Alibaba do not attempt to do, and with good reason, is put a person’s face/name/identity on their website. Small ecommerce sites, particularly the more handmade type, but also just small dropshippers, can take advantage of this by enhancing their “persona”, the unique personality of themselves and their business.

While online shopping has its idiosyncrasies, in general terms people buy from people and places they like. Here are 3 ways in which small eTailers can take advantage of this in their website and shopping experience:

1. Show their team photo or a staff person prominently on entry pages
2. Thank people for adding to cart with an onscreen alert that fades out
3. After purchase, provide a storyline describing their order fulfillment process and encourage buyers to share their experience socially.

These are just a few examples of how small business eCommerce sites can take advantage of their size and uniqueness in a landscape dominated by behemoth online stores.