Published on April 15th, 2021 | by Mike Jackson
0Pump Up Your Sales With These Remarkable Ecommerce Tactics
Believe it or not. The eCommerce industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. Even brick-and-mortar stores are now also following the trend and moving towards eCommerce development for customer accessibility. Almost everything in the eCommerce industry is in a constant state of evolution.
Besides, the global pandemic has further accelerated the growth. According to Stefanie Kruse, vice president, digital commerce and omni-channel, for Walgreens. ‘When the pandemic struck in March 2020, we knew that convenience and ways to shop from home were going to be more important now than ever before.’ She also added, ‘Overall customer response to these services has exceeded expectations.’
Customers shifted online because of the global Pandemic to comply with the social distancing and lockdown policies and therefore, the eCommerce industry started to bloom unexpectedly. Customers who were hesitant to buy online suddenly went online without a thought and many of these customers will likely continue to shop online even after the pandemic is over. And many, if not most, of these people, are expected to continue buying online long after the pandemic is over.
According to sources, Online marketplaces and tech giants make the biggest gains in SEO visibility since the pandemic began. Speaking of marketplaces, Amazon sales grew 38% in 2020 to $386.1 billion. The figures are huge and living proof of the demand for eCommerce.
But not all eCommerce businesses succeed. Only those who have the name, have the game. Therefore, the real question is, how to boost eCommerce sales? Because the demand for goods and services online will continue to grow as it provides a perfect platform and ample opportunities for millions of online buyers and sellers to connect. Below are few tactics using which small businesses online can boost their sales without any question and should be an important part of your eCommerce marketing strategy 2021:
Offer Seamless Checkout Process
According to sources, on average 69.23% of customers abandon their carts during checkout and this can be due to many reasons. Moreover, according to Business Insider, approximately $4 Trillion worth of online merchandise was abandoned in incomplete shopping carts last year alone, of which 63% was potentially recoverable. The above stats show the importance of seamless checkout processes. Complex checkout processes directly impact the conversion rates, that’s a given. So, therefore, it is important to know what might be causing the friction and making people leave on checkout but without checking out. Regular process testing should be an important part of your eCommerce development strategy only then you will be able to fix customer issues. Your checkout process should be as smooth-sailing as your website navigation. Try to reduce the checkout steps, keep it as minimal as possible, also skip the unimportant detail fields.
Offer Multiple Payment Options
Paper money is becoming obsolete. No, I am not saying that it will vanish but people surely prefer credit cards over cash. I do too. So does your business take credit cards? Or do you offer payment options through Google Wallet? Apple Pay? Stripe? Paypal? Anything? No? Then, my friend, you are in trouble.
Customers like to have payment choices because not everyone prefers to pay through cash or vice versa. By offering multiple payment options, you are offering flexibility and giving your potential customers control over how they want to pay. Therefore, do not think about the hassle of integrating various payment options, just do it. Because at the end of the day, it will benefit your business and that’s all that matters.
Additionally, mCommerce is on the rise and thus, the popularity of digital wallets is useful for accelerating mobile transactions. Besides they are a great way to boost your business and sales altogether.
Offer Quality Product Imagery
There is no denying the fact that quality imagery lures people in. The appearance of your brand is very important because it does affect the potential customer’s buying decision. Therefore, no matter what you are selling or whichever industry you belong to, it’s crucial to include high-quality product images. Additionally, try to include product imagery taken from every angel since people love to explore the nitty-gritty, every inch and corner of a particular product before buying.
Content Marketing is King
Many businesses tend to overlook content marketing but what they don’t know is that it’s a huge mistake. Just so you know, your search engine optimization activities are directly related to your content. Therefore, your content must stand out. Because customers, like myself, like to read meaningful product descriptions before making a purchase. Content-driven website plays a huge role in turning potential leads into actual customers.
Apart from product page content, having an appealing blog can do the trick. But just ensure to do your research before writing a blog post. You should know your target audience, the problem they are facing, and your solution, nonetheless. eBooks, guides, videos are some of the most common eCommerce sales promotion ideas.
Not just content, your content distribution channel also plays a major role: Social media, guest posting, outreaching help you to reach your target audience and strengthen your SEO activities.
Email Marketing is Queen
It’s a proven fact that 99% of first-time visitors to a site won’t make a purchase, thus making email marketing an integral part of your eCommerce sales strategy. You need to and you have to remind people why they need your product or why should they buy it the first chance they get. Keep reminding them! This is where email marketing comes in. Email marketing gives you a chance to connect with your potential customers and nurture the relationship.
Weekly or monthly newsletters are a great way to keep people coming back and connected. Not only this, you can send emails about seasonal offers and discounts. Include marketing automation into your overall eCommerce development strategy. You can send out automated emails at multiple instances such as abandoned cart emails, welcome emails, and other downloadable content such as eBooks or how-to guides even DIYs can come in handy.
Landing Page Optimization
They say it right, ‘Save the best for the last. And that’s exactly what I did. Your website’s optimization, design, and responsiveness are of utmost importance if you want to win customers over. A poorly designed website with no or little focus on UI/UX branding will do more harm than good. There is no denying the fact that an optimal eCommerce web design can help give your customers a better experience and potentially lead to more conversions. Your first impression counts.
Let’s think about it this way: you have entered a physical store that is very poorly organized, things are all over the place. It’s messy and crowded. You would probably have a negative first impression and you would leave without a second thought, right? The same is the case with online eCommerce stores.
A crowded layout with poor imagery and low-quality content can ruin the first impression and make you lose your customers on the spot. The reason why you must follow the design guidelines and trends. Having said that, UI/UX is one of the main factors.
User interface or UI design is all about how things look whereas UX or user experience design is all about how things work. Both are not the same thing but they are still not exclusive of one another. Moreover, make sure your eCommerce website is mobile-friendly and has all the basic features such as search functionality, product categorized into catalogs, etc. Additionally, a good website design is crucial for a consistent brand image across multiple platforms.
Even though there are several online platforms available for eCommerce development such as Wix, Magento, Shopify, etc but a custom-designed website has its charm. It provides a valuable experience to people. But if you lack the in-house capabilities and expertise for eCommerce development, it’s always better to outsource website or mobile application development companies for their expertise optimal results and performance of your digital products.
Photo by Blake Wisz on Unsplash