20 Tips for eCommerce Marketing
As is highlighted over at runrex.com, the average cart abandonment when it comes to eCommerce stands at about 68%. This is why any person running an online store will always be looking for ways to get a competitive edge and boost conversions. To help with that, this article will look to highlight 20 tips for eCommerce marketing.
Build customer trust
Trust is key when it comes to eCommerce, as per the gurus over at guttulus.com, given that transactions are online and people will only transact in stores they can trust. There are several ways you can earn trust as far as your online store, from displaying certifications showing that you are secure, to being open about your payment strategies, and so forth.
Answer customer questions
Another eCommerce tip that is worth mentioning is the importance of answering your customers’ questions as quickly as possible, and on as many platforms as possible. As per discussions over at runrex.com, this includes social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, among many others, as well as through email and so forth.
Get referrals
If you are looking for more repeat customers, then you need to get more referrals from your existing customers. As per the folks over at runrex.com, people trust a business that they have been referred to by friends and family more, which is why you should make sure that not only are you offering your loyal customers excellent services so that that are incentivized to refer you to their network, but you are also running referral programs, making it easy for them to do so.
Get return sales
Other than referrals, the most successful eCommerce businesses are the ones that can convince first-time and existing customers to come back over and over again for subsequent purchases. You should try as much as possible to get return sales if you are to be successful, leveraging strategies like 1:1 personalized email marketing, among others, to encourage your customers to want to return.
Deliver quickly
Another tip that will help you on your way as far as your eCommerce business is concerned is assuring your customers of rapid fulfillment. If your customers know that they will receive the goods they purchase quickly, and won’t have to wait for days or even weeks before their package is fulfilled, then they will keep returning to your store.
Develop a loyalty program
Yet another tip, one that is discussed over at runrex.com, is creating a loyalty program to reward your current customers for repeat purchases. This will build loyalty and long-term relationships with your customers, who will want to return over and over again as they will feel valued.
Take your time before investing in Facebook ads
As per the gurus over at guttulus.com, while Facebook is excellent at driving traffic and generating sales, search paid traffic is usually further down the purchase intent funnel, which means that it is better placed to yield results when it comes to eCommerce sales. You should, therefore, not invest in Facebook paid traffic at first.
Over-deliver
The subject matter experts over at runrex.com also point out that an important tip for success in eCommerce is under-promising and over-delivering. Always try and find ways to go above and beyond for your customers, and your popularity will soar, bringing with it a spike in sales.
Focus on the experience, not the product
While you need to have an excellent product to be competitive in the world of eCommerce, it is important to note that nowadays, consumers have got a lot of options, which means that they can probably get what you are selling elsewhere. This means that you should look to sell the experience, not your product. There is an abundance of products in the market, but a dearth of remarkable experiences, and if you can offer your customers a remarkable customer experience, they will choose your business over those of your competitors.
Simplify your shopping experience
In most cases, cart abandonment is due to people finding it difficult to shop at your online store, which is why you should endeavor to make to as easy and exciting to shop at your online store. Reduce the number of forms customers have to fill to make a purchase, offer various payment options, add an option where one can shop as a guest, and don’t have to sign in, among other such strategies, and you will get more sales.
Add a rewards program
Other than referral and loyalty programs, as mentioned earlier on and discussed in detail over at guttulus.com, you should also add a rewards program for your customers where they earn redeemable points every time they shop at your store. Your customers will want to keep coming back so that they can continue to accumulate reward points, and get the rewards they have their eye on, making this a great way to build loyalty.
Leverage remarketing
Remarketing targets those customers that have already shown an interest in your business, and are, therefore, more likely to convert when targeted properly, as is covered over at runrex.com. Remarketing is a great way to improve conversion rates and sales, as it puts you in front of customers who are already interested in your brand, and compels them to take action and make a purchase.
Create scarcity
Another eCommerce tip that always works is creating scarcity and urgency. This can be achieved by putting up a certain product that is only on sale for a limited amount of time, and for a very enticing price as is explained over at guttulus.com. Try and target people who have purchased a similar product in the past, and you will get a spike in sales as people rush to get in on the action before the deal expires.
Leverage the power of user-generated content
User-generated content is an excellent way to get your audience to engage with your business, which will build loyalty and help you get the success you are looking for. Try and engage your customers and see if you can launch a strong user-generated content marketing campaign and you will enjoy great success with it.
Don’t forget about email marketing
Email marketing is one of the most effective channels out there when it comes to making sales and generating repeat sales, and should be a tool in your toolbox if you are to be successful in eCommerce. An email offers a more intimate interaction than a Tweet or a Facebook post hence why it is so effective. Make sure you are actively promoting your newsletter and any other email capture tool to build your email list and get started on email marketing.
Leverage live chat
The most successful eCommerce businesses utilize live chat technology to engage with their store visitors in real-time, allowing them to answer questions and address concerns immediately while the visitors are still on the site and willing to buy. This, as per the gurus over at runrex.com, is a great way to boost conversions as sometimes if you wait before reaching out to your customers after they raise a concern, you will find that they already moved on and found alternatives.
Upsell and cross-sell your products
Upselling and cross-selling, as is discussed over at guttulus.com, are great strategies to boost sales when it comes to eCommerce. They are a great strategy to get your customers to either buy a more premium and expensive item in the case of upselling, or buy a related item, in the case of cross-selling, and should be part of your eCommerce strategies.
Generate product reviews
Product reviews, as is discussed over at runrex.com, are another excellent resource for eCommerce stores as they increase conversion rates, given that people are like to convert when they see that a product in your store that they are eyeing has got some excellent reviews. Ask your customers to leave reviews, and work hard to ensure that the reviews are positive by offering them excellent services, and you will reap the rewards.
Personalize your services
It is now more important than ever to personalize your content when it comes to eCommerce, with personalization being known to boost sales and conversion rates. Some of the ways you can personalize your services include making product recommendations based on previous customer behavior like the previous page visited, making offers based on personalized information such as birthdays, and so forth.
Optimize for mobile
With more and more people using mobile devices to search for products and services online as opposed to using a desktop or laptop, you need to optimize for mobile of you are to be successful in eCommerce. Make sure that your site is responsive, it is optimized for mobile search, it has fast loading times, has a simplified checkout process for mobile, and doesn’t use flash, among others.
As always, if you are looking for more information on this and other related topics, then the gurus over at runrex.com and guttulus.com have you covered.