Optimise Your E-Commerce Strategy for Sales
by Amelia Hodges on March 25, 2022 in Online Marketing
Every internet company wants more visitors and sales. There are always new strategies that can be used to get a cutting edge on the competition. E-commerce is more than just having a store front, you need to appeal to your customer’s emotions so they choose you over the sea of options online. The buying process is becoming increasingly convenient for consumers, and each day the market becomes more saturated with retailers. Here are 5 simple ways you can optimise your e-commerce strategy and win over your prospects.
1. Advertise and Sell on Social Media
Facebook has the largest consumer reach with a total of 2.9 billion monthly active users. Instagram's users spend more however with an average order value of $87 AUD. Studies show that Facebook and Instagram users are 2x more engaged than users of other platforms making them perfect platforms for e-commerce brands to advertise and sell their products.
Facebook and Instagram are powerful because you can target them to specific people. Both platforms allow you to choose the age, gender, location and even interests of the people who are served your ads. These capabilities will increase the probability that those who see the ads will be interested and will reduce the amount of budget that you’d waste serving ads to uninterested people with traditional marketing methods like TV and billboards.
2. Reviews
The internet is riddled with scams and counterfeit products which make it hard for consumers to know who to buy from.
“Genuine reviews from existing customers are a great way to increase a prospect’s trust in your brand” explains wholesale lash supplier and e-commerce store Lashstreet, “Studies show that 70% of consumers trust the opinion of other consumers online”.
Today most people will not buy something unless there are reviews with images from existing customers. Encouraging your buyers to leave a review on your site or on google reviews is the easiest way to improve your brand's image and perceived reliability.
3. Follow up
Research has revealed that 68% of carts are abandoned at check out. You can combat abandoned carts by being transparent about shipping prices on your homepage, having a guest checkout that doesn't require sign up, offering a discount code at checkout or offering services like Afterpay.
Abandoned carts normally mean the customer wants to buy, just not right now. You need to have processes in place to recapture leads by reminding them of the items they left in their cart. The best way to do this is by having automated emails that are sent out to shoppers who abandoned their cart. Showing them the items they left or offering them a discount are great ways to entice them back.
4. Spice Up Your Socials With Interesting Content
People will be more likely to build a relationship with your brand and follow you if you provide them with educational content.
“Whether it be newsletters with industry updates, entertaining videos or informative guides, providing your customers with free content that they find interesting and valuable will help drive your engagement and organic traffic for free” suggests property and divorce consultant Terry, who provides his clients with useful advice via email daily.
5. Give In-Depth Product Descriptions and Demonstrations
Providing your customers with as much information on a product as possible is the best way to ensure they follow through with the purchase. Create informative and instructive videos, write long descriptions with heaps of information and product specs and get as many customer photos as possible.
“Think about who you're selling to and appeal to their issues” advises wealth creation consultancy experts from BMA Consulting, “Tell them how your product will solve all their problems and appeal to their emotions”.
Highlight your unique value proposition that sets you apart from the crowd. E-commerce doesn't allow people to try the product before they buy so giving them as much information as possible is key to making them feel confident about committing their coin.