Top eCommerce Marketing Strategies and Trends
eCommerce has been taking the world by a storm in recent years and as a business owner, it is important to know how to stay on top of all the latest trends and strategies in marketing.
When it comes to eCommerce, digital businesses allow you to collect data which can aid in developing better strategies that will foster company growth. Keeping in line with the rising digital trends, here are some of the best strategies to follow for increasing your eCommerce sales and further your business.
Make Websites Compatible for Mobile Devices
It goes without question that a smartphone is an essential part of everyone’s lives. People tend to spend loads of time browsing on their smartphones as compared to computers. This is why it is essential to develop your professional website in such a way that it is fully optimised for mobile usage. A consumer should be able to navigate your website on a mobile just as well as they would be able to on a computer screen. For instance, ensure that information on your products and services are easy to view and interact with. If a consumer is not able to interact properly with content on your website, or if your site is not as appealing as it looks on a computer screen, they may scroll away immediately.
Ensure a Uniform Customer Experience
One common issue that consumers face is inconsistency across channels. Sometimes, ads look quite appealing at first glance but, once a consumer clicks on the ad, it takes them to a page that looks completely different. In other cases, inconsistencies occur once a customer tries to pay for an item and the page does not cooperate.
It is very important to maintain your brand image and product availability across all channels like social media, desktop computers and smartphones. If there are inconsistencies, customers will begin to question the authenticity of your brand and it will become difficult to build trust and further growth of your company. Make sure to maintain a uniform customer experience across all platforms that you operate on.
Promote Customer Reviews
More often than not, consumers tend to make purchases based on the reviews left by other customers. A company can go on and on about how great their product is, but nothing sells a product better than a 5-star customer review. Studies show that if a business has really great reviews, customers are likely to spend 31% more than they normally would. This is why you need to make sure that your reviews are clearly visible on your website.
Reviews are also a great way to learn more about your own product. Do not be disheartened by a bad review. Instead, use the information to make changes to the product and/or services and make it more customer friendly.
Personalise the Shopping Experience
One thing that can potentially drive consumers off your site is if the content is irrelevant to their needs. Setting up your website to personalise itself in real-time is a great solution to this problem. Wherever possible, try to add suggestions for similar products on the site.
Another way to personalise the shopping experience for consumers is to occasionally send them emails with product suggestions based on products they have previously viewed or purchased.
Keep It Simple
Keep the shopping experience easy. Make sure your site is simple to navigate and that customers can find what they are looking for. Ensure that the website has a decent structure and headings wherever necessary. Adding search filters can help narrow down customer choices and enable them to easily find what they are looking for.
Activate Live Chat and Voice Search
Live chat on websites is commonly favoured among consumers as it offers instant answers to any queries regarding products and services. In addition to motivating consumers to buy your products, live chat also helps you collect data from the conversations you have with them. These are vital to help you understand where people are experiencing issues on your website. This way you can better optimise your website and make changes to suit customer needs.
Similarly, voice technology has become a huge part of our everyday lives, whether you are at home or at work. This is why optimising your content for voice search is a good idea as it will enable you to connect with a larger audience. Use SEO rankings to figure out what keywords are best suited for voice search questions and integrate these as part of your site.
Invest in Third-Party Logistical Support
Depending on what kind of business you are in and the size of your company, you may want to consider investing in third-party logistics. These services help identify problems in your supply chain and offer solutions immediately, rendering your supply chain more responsive, quick and efficient. Due to the uncertainty of today’s digital market, you will benefit from having someone who has the expertise, experience and technology to assist you with logistics management. It will save you time as well as some effort when it comes to managing supply chain duties and responsibilities.
Consider Free Shipping
Several studies have revealed that eCommerce sales and revenue tend to be higher on websites that offer free shipping. In the long run, it might be a good option to consider since most consumers are more likely to buy products from a site that offers free shipping. So, even if you have to pay a small price for the shipping, you’ll be profiting a lot more from the extra sales that come in.
If you have a small business and are feeling apprehensive about offering free shipping, a good strategy might be to offer free shipping to those who are willing to sign up for a membership. This can prove to be beneficial in the future since you will have their information to send targeted ads.
Step Up SEO & Modify Content
One way to get your website to grow is to ensure it ranks higher than others on Google and other search engines. Frequent content creation increases a company’s rankings. A good way to put out content is through blogging, which allows you to make connections with other websites in the same industry as yours. This also gives you the opportunity to showcase yourself as an expert in your field which further builds trust among your customers.
Aside from written content, you can also consider putting out good-quality videos which promote your company and your products and services. If your video is viewed a lot, it can help you rise through the ranks on search engines.
Maximise Your Marketing By Staying Up-to-Date With Trends
The bottom line is that there isn’t just one particular way in which to boost your e-commerce revenue. Each company is different and depending on what your business is, you may need to follow different strategies in order to succeed. The good news is that you have several tools at your disposal to ensure that you and your business can thrive, especially as we enter a new era of eCommerce due to the COVID-19 pandemic.