Last Updated on April 20, 2023 by Guest
Running an eCommerce store in the current business climate is no small feat. Implementing growth strategies and boosting the performance and sales of such online businesses is even more difficult. With that in mind, having the right marketing strategies and initiatives can drive business more effectively than anything else. Unfortunately, while many marketing strategies an up-and-coming brand can utilize to boost their sales, very few can work actionably and favorably for your brand.
Here are a few powerful marketing strategies that can help you amplify the sales for your eCommerce brand:
1. Create Personalized Shopping Experiences
Let’s face it: running a successful eCommerce store is no small feat. It can take months or even years to create the right eCommerce sales strategy, which is likely to culminate in initiatives that can influence the entire shopping experience for customers. Well-curated shopping experiences can make or break the impression that you are trying to make on your customers.
The good news is that millions of online customers are looking for the right eCommerce store to meet their needs. But, unfortunately, for every eCommerce store online, ten others provide a better shopping experience at very little to no switching costs for customers. Customers opt for stores that better understand customer needs and tailor the product catalog and categories based on their preferences.
Accomplishing such personalization requires you to ace the website’s backend and frontend elements to generate effective results. Several research studies suggest that consumers spend more on websites they feel are personalized to their preferences. Here is a great example of how an effectively personalized shopping experience should look:
The eCommerce store of The Home Depot is the perfect example of a personalized shopping experience for customers. Even before collecting any data from us, the store tracks the area code and optimizes the products based on what is in stock in the nearest Home Depot store. Moreover, the promoted products on the banner, front, and center are curated according to the season and related customer purchases.
2. Write Helpful Product Descriptions
Similar to the eCommerce strategy we just discussed, the one we will talk about now also has much to do with how you design your eCommerce website. One of the most important factors you need to consider while creating a strong eCommerce website is that it should have helpful content that helps customers navigate easily and have a great shopping experience.
Product descriptions have been the guiding force in ensuring customers who land on your website and browse through products are convinced to purchase. Powerful product descriptions can engage the audience and replicate the in-store experience by equipping customers with helpful information for purchasing decisions.
Effective product descriptions highlight the features and benefits of the product and specifically target the problem that it can solve for the customer. From a technical perspective, product descriptions can help sell your product to customers looking for it and reduce the bounce rate (% of customers leaving your website without making a purchase). In addition, when you provide all the necessary information, customers are more likely to choose your website for making the transaction than another competitor’s website. Here is a great example of a product description that helps in boosting sales for the brand:
Frank Body is a great example of using product descriptions to attract customers and drive sales. The brand knows that its primary target audience is young and middle-aged women, and the language used anthropomorphizes the products as a guy called Frank, who is quite a skincare expert. In addition to the main product description, Frank Body also presents the primary ingredients, method of use and pictures that show the difference before and after using the product.
3. Optimize the Checkout Process
One of the most important aspects of your website which influences the transaction process and affects your sales revenue is your checkout process, followed by a full-proof eCommerce fulfillment process. Sure, it sounds like something that can be implemented straight out of a template without putting too much thought. But the reality is that a better and more efficient checkout process directly translates to higher sales. How? We will tell you.
Suppose you have been operating an eCommerce business for any amount of time. In that case, it should be no surprise that the checkout process is highly associated with conversion rates. Shorter checkout times and an optimized billing process ensure that your customer can finish the transaction in a shorter time and thus prefer your website over others likely to have a longer process.
Simple steps such as enabling a guest checkout option, reducing the form fields, and making the checkout process more user-friendly can also go a long way. If you have a WordPress website, WooCommerce provides you with plenty of checkout options to choose from so that you can choose one that is efficient and meets your needs. In addition, you can use online guides to help you find the right one for your store. Here is an example of a highly efficient checkout process:
The checkout process of Bellroy is one that everyone can learn a lot from. It has been designed as a single-page checkout process, which is fulfilled in multiple steps making the entire checkout process completely clear. In addition, all the necessary information is displayed prominently for the customer’s clarity, and error notifications are provided to the customer in real-time in case there are any.
4. Invest in E-commerce SEO
The power of SEO cannot possibly be overstated, yet many eCommerce stores lack the expertise or knowledge to implement it to their advantage. Of course, then there is the additional aspect that eCommerce SEO works differently than regular SEO, as it involves more touchpoints and higher customer interactions. WooCommerce provides a complete suite of plugins and features that eCommerce brands can use to stay at the top of their SEO efforts for WordPress websites.
eCommerce stores are so popular and have a larger scope of boosting sales solely due to their accessibility to a larger audience. Therefore, as an eCommerce business owner, you need to implement SEO effectively for WooCommerce stores to ensure that you can increase your reach and amplify the number of new customers. Right from carrying out effective keyword research to dealing with technical SEO elements on the website, there are many aspects that eCommerce stores can focus on to boost sales.
Since most customers are likely to discover products and online stores through Google, it is important to acknowledge SEO’s impact on your website traffic and performance. Moreover, customers are also more likely to discover your website links to the products they are looking for, increasing the chances of continuing their transaction with your eCommerce store.
Here is a visual representation of how SEO can boost the chances of visibility and sales on your website:
We can see that maximum visibility is attained through direct clicks. However, equally significant traffic is attained through the Search, making SEO an essential tool for boosting sales.
5. Go Social
When discussing eCommerce marketing strategies, not discussing the role of social media platforms would be wrong. Ever since the Internet took us by storm, eCommerce websites, and social media platforms have grown to become some of the most valuable companies worldwide. Undoubtedly, social media platforms have become important mediums for eCommerce companies to carry out their marketing and promotional activities effectively.
Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have proven valuable for eCommerce businesses to attract new customers, engage with existing ones, and increase sales. Some eCommerce stores go a step further to provide efficient and real-time support to their customers on any issues they may face. Studies have suggested that customers stay loyal to brands offering real-time customer support on social media.
Moreover, many eCommerce brands use social media platforms to effectively promote campaigns and sales, bringing more traffic and customers to their websites. The more engaged your customers are on social media, the more likely they are to purchase on your website – making social media a mandatory part of marketing efforts for eCommerce stores.
Seeing the importance of social media nowadays, many successful companies do thorough research to find top companies abroad to ensure that their marketing strategy is more affordable but tailored to their specific needs and goals, attracts more customers and increases customer retention, and is always created based on the latest trends.
Here is a good example of eCommerce brands leveraging their social media presence:
Zara has established a firm presence on social media by exhibiting its products with a higher aesthetic appeal than most brands in the same sector. Over the years, Zara has garnered 43.8 million followers and higher engagement levels, allowing them to gain new customers consistently.
6. Tap into Influencer Marketing and UGC
Influencer marketing is a great way to give your website that extra boost in revenue and sales. Influencer marketing is a strategy in which individuals are hired to talk about or review a brand in return for a financial benefit. The business model in this strategy is that the influencer gets paid based on the sales they can bring through marketing efforts.
In an age where people are turning increasingly to the internet for assistance on their purchase decisions, influencers, and actual customers can be the greatest advocates for online brands. Independent online brands that solely sell through eCommerce brands tend to spend a lot more on hiring influencers who can improve the overall value and performance of the brand.
Similarly, promoting User-generated content (UGC) and using it effectively can also be a great way to boost your brand’s image and let people know that you are credible and liked by your customers. Something as simple as sharing the positive reviews that your customers have posted and presenting their testimonials could be a step in the right direction when marketing your brand effectively. It can help bring more people to your website and make your customers feel appreciated for their reviews. Essentially, a win-win situation.
Here is an example of how influencer marketing can help you promote your eCommerce brand:
With 17.9 million followers, GoPro advocated for user-generated content long before it became a trend in marketing. GoPro encourages its customers to shoot unique videos of their GoPro adventures and post them with the brand hashtag. The company then posts the best entries on its Instagram profile. This is a smart way to appeal to customers and showcase product quality.
7. Count in Email Automation
Email automation is one of those underappreciated options ignored by many eCommerce companies in this age, where almost all communication has moved to emails. Emails can be a great tool to reach a larger audience without worrying about algorithms and search engine rankings. It can create a direct communication channel with the customer to reach your brand without needing any platform in the middle. Even though email automation can seem like an oversimplified mode of communication, that is its best feature.
You can automate emails to stay in touch with your existing customers and target a new audience who can be potential customers for your brand. Moreover, adding images and creative elements to your emails with email designing software and applications to stand them out from the rest is quite easy. You can also add links and buttons as easy Call-to-Action (CTA) options for customers to land directly on your website.
Here is an example of a marketing email automated by a reputed eCommerce company:
This is a great example of an automated email that a brand can send as a follow-up to a customer’s visit to their website. If a customer has browsed through your products and added products to the cart but has not completed the transaction, the chances are that they can be redirected to the website to complete their purchase.
Wrapping up
As the number of eCommerce companies grows, every company faces fierce competition. To help them tackle that, it is necessary to have the right marketing strategies that are actionable and result-oriented. To boost sales of your eCommerce store, you need to ensure innovative steps along with tried and tested marketing strategies.
Moreover, to maximize the results of your marketing efforts, it is suggested that you use a combination of these marketing strategies – as long as they are aligned with your goals.
Author Byline –
Hazel Raoult is a freelance marketing writer and works with PRmention. She has 6+ years of experience in writing about business, entrepreneurship, marketing, and all things SaaS. Hazel loves to split her time between writing, editing, and hanging out with her family.