8 Effective Ways to Ensure Growth in E-Commerce Sales
Businesses and brands have given the same amount of importance to E-Commerce as they do with traditional retail. Imagine being able to market globally at a more manageable cost and having faster reach due to online visibility. These are just some of the many advantages of E-Commerce.
It can be quite a challenge to stand out in this competitive market and really gain from it. Consider these steps when starting an e-commerce business to ensure higher sales, bigger audience reach and successful consumer conversion for your online business.
Explore Various Online Listing Platforms
It’s easier to add listings these days with the help of several e-commerce platforms. Consumers are more open to canvassing beyond the usual listings on Amazon, Google Marketplace, and E-bay for better deals and offers.
Listing places such as Shopify, Topspot 101, and Commercehub have grown popular because of their accessibility for both business owners and consumers. That’s why it’s essential to practice both B2C or B2B marketing to target both audiences. Listings on these websites are more personal and also easier to navigate.
Social media platforms are also integrating E-Commerce in their user experience. Facebook Marketplace and Instagram Shopping have become the best options for a wider word-of-mouth reach. These platforms are also perfect for reaching highly-targeted audiences for your online business.
Use Media to Provide Additional Information
Aside from posting images, including video demonstrations on prominent E-Commerce platforms gives consumers a better idea of the item being sold. Displaying how many people have bought an item or are currently looking at the item adds additional guarantee. For service-based businesses, video testimonials and reviews are highly recommended.
Utilize social media platforms for these demonstrations and testimonials as well. This can be done in the form of an online event or showcase, VODs or even a live stream.
You can also run micro-influencer marketing strategy campaigns to reach a niche audience and grow a dedicated community around your brand.
This can also be done by sending emails that include information on the purchased product or service. These will also help lessen the frequency of item return and exchange.
Simplify the User Experience
One way to ensure customers engage with your site is to have a website design and brand identity with a simple user experience. Keep the user interface clean and simple both on desktop and mobile. Several plug-ins can also be used to create tabs or banners for the best or highly recommended products on the landing page. Adding explainer videos can also give customers a gist of what they can expect as they further navigate the website.
Having a section for blog posts also adds to the convenience of shopping. Make the experience easier and more accessible by creating blog posts that target a certain demographic or address specific needs, like “The Best Laptops for Video Editing”,”Top Bitcoin Calculators for Cryptocurrency Investments“ or “10 Must-Have Gluten-Free Ingredients in the Kitchen”. Another thing to take note of is providing alternatives or substitutes for items that are no longer in stock.
Make Checking Out A Breeze
Make engagement lead to conversion by providing as many payment and shipping methods as possible. Be transparent with the additional fees these may entail by including plug-in calculators and even currency converters. This way, consumers won’t be surprised with the final amount just right before checking out. Once done, provide them with an efficient package tracker that can be easily accessed through both the website and even via e-mail.
There are consumers who tend to keep adding to their carts without checking out. In order to lessen checkout abandonment, send follow-up emails reminding them of the items that have been in their carts for more than a month.
Offer Incentives That Require A Call To Action
Having incentives is one of the easiest ways to ensure more sales. Offering free discount coupons after spending a certain amount encourages a consumer to buy more and explore other products on the website. Another way to benefit from incentives is by giving special discounts or cashback to those who leave reviews.
These incentives can be taken to social media and email marketing as well. Give promo codes to first-time visitors, registered users, loyal consumers, and even influencers. This gives them a call-to-action of sharing information to people in their network. Once their codes are used, they are given a commission in the form of either a free service or a discounted item.
Seasonal incentives add excitement to the shopping experience as it gives consumers something to prepare for. These incentives can come in the form of free-shipping, seasonal or holiday bundles and items they can get for free if they avail of a certain product or service.
Keep Up with Fast-Paced Customer Correspondence
Shopping online happens so much faster, which is why quick accessibility to information is very important in keeping a customer on a well-developed website.
Integrating Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp and other chatbots on the website enables consumers to ask about products, services and policies. Apart from this and the traditional email correspondence, having someone prioritize answering queries on social media and chat extensions is definitely a must.
Personalize the Shopping Experience
Gain loyalty by letting consumers know that their needs are paid attention to. This can be done through cross-selling and up-selling.
Cross-selling is presenting additional products related to their current purchase. This adds ease to the shopping experience because consumers don’t have to go through several landing pages to get what they need. Cross-selling also reminds customers of products that they may have overlooked beforehand.
Another way to personalize the shopping experience is through upselling, or encouraging consumers to upgrade their items to a higher-end version or increase the quantity they want to buy. Added perks such as product warranties, protection and even free shipping can guarantee successful upselling.
Being presented with several options can be overwhelming, so this has to be done strategically. Fortunately, there are several softwares that can provide information on customer behavior. This information is then used to generate accurate and on point product suggestions.
Assure Data Protection
It is an amateur mistake not to show trust symbols prominently on your site and checkout page.
In order to reach target sales and build trust, you should use right marketing strategy and show online consumers that the website is a safe place to buy from.
Shopping online requires consumers to give confidential background information. To minimize the risk of data breach, consider SSL certificates. SSL certificates make sure that consumer data is stored safely. The use of firewalls and HTTPS also makes consumers know that they are using a secure connection. Include a clause assuring consumers that their data will not be sold to third parties.
Adding authentication steps such as OTPs or electronic signature confirmations may seem like extra work to do, but this is something that will make consumers feel more at ease with pushing through with their purchases.
E-Commerce is a Culture That is Here to Stay
In previous years, Bigger brands and businesses opt for E-Commerce so that they can provide a more convenient option for customers who are already familiar with what they offer. Start-ups and SMEs have made E-Commerce their main entry point into the market. Online shopping has already become a culture in itself, so might as well take advantage of everything that it has to offer.
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