In a world where buyers have hundreds of options for any product they are looking for, businesses have to come up with new tactics every day to keep themselves afloat. Making your brand stand out among your competitors is no easy task. Much research has been conducted on the topics of how to establish a brand presence, increase sales and improve revenue, so much so that whole businesses were developed to advise merchants in these areas.
We have put together a few strategies that e-commerce businesses could adopt to reach out to more customers and increase sales.
- Optimize product pages
Start off with writing compelling content for your website. Create a product page with a detailed product description and relevant keywords added to it. An �About Us� page with vision, mission, values and also a short history of how your organization came into being and evolved would lend a human element to any ecommerce business. But, it doesn�t end with setting up websites and product pages. Search engine optimization is the next important step. Increase the visibility of your web page on search engines and drive more prospective buyers to your page.
2. Try new marketing channels
Channels like Email, Messenger, WhatsApp etc, could help you reach out to maximum customers. Targeted marketing and the use of marketing affiliates will help streamline marketing efforts and concentrate on your potential buyers. It makes your marketing efforts more cost-effective. Create personalized content and reach out to your specific target group instead of sending out messages to a large, diverse audience. Shopify has many interesting apps that let you automate the entire email and WhatsApp marketing campaigns and provide the best results.
3. Increase customer loyalty and encourage repeat purchases
Stay in touch with your customers even after their purchase. By collecting customer feedback, you can make them feel valued. Reward your customers for the feedback by sending discount coupons that can be redeemed on their next purchase. This will encourage them to make a second purchase soon. While collecting reviews, you are sure to receive negative ones as well. By handling these reviews tactfully, you can pacify your upset customers and turn them in your favor.
Shopify review application Reviewbit lets you send automated personalized messages through WhatsApp to engage your customers and gather their feedback. You can also set up discount codes to be sent to your customers through Reviewbit. Also, provide immediate responses to your negative reviewers and connect them to customer support easily with this amazing app.
Loyalty programs, subscriptions, memberships, and referral discounts are other ways of increasing customer loyalty. A loyal customer becomes a brand ambassador for your business. They help attract more customers through their reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations.
4. Provide personalized shopping experience
A customer account page is a great way to create a personalized experience. It will help the customers save the delivery address, save the items in a wishlist to be accessed at a later point, and also to set up recurring orders. You can also provide personalized experience using the purchase or browsing history of the buyers. For example, if a person searches for �party wear gowns� on a clothing store, you can show them �new party wear gowns� on the homepage when they browse next.
5. Provide shopping assistance
Ecommerce websites can provide shopping assistance in the form of live chats and frequently asked questions. Not all online buyers have the time and patience to browse through the entire list of items. Through live chats and FAQ�s you can engage such customers and direct them to their required product pages.
6. Create FOMO (fear-of-missing-out)
Create a fear of missing out in the buyers by adding countdown timers and limited period discounts, free delivery options. Displaying live sale notifications (of the number of people viewing the product or sales numbers) is another way to create urgency in the buyers. In the case of clothes, accessories etc, you can show them that very few items are left. Create a sense of urgency in the buyers by showing them that the products they are seeking out may not be available for long. This helps trigger quick decisions.
7. Upsell and cross-sell
Upselling is the act of encouraging a customer to buy similar but more expensive product. Here you have to convince the customers that by spending a little more they get a better product. For example, someone comes into your store to buy a particular smartphone and you convince them to buy another model which is more expensive but has better features.
In the case of cross-selling, the buyers are encouraged to buy related items that can complement the buyer�s original purchase. For example, when you suggest a cap and swimming goggles to a person looking for swimwear, you are engaged in cross-selling.
8. Continuously monitor webpages
Web analytics help you understand user behavior and gain insights that will help you increase sales. An understanding of important metrics like overall website traffic, new and returning visitors, time spent on web pages, bounce rate etc are critical for the success of any business. You can make informed decisions and build long-term strategies for your business from this data. For example, a high bounce rate on your home page might indicate that the customers can�t find the required information in there.
Heatmaps are a great way to track user activity on your webpage. Stores on Shopify can access analytics and reports page to review their store�s recent activity and get insights into their visitor�s activities. Block SpyTools, VPN/RDP/bots by PartnersWire is a great tool to get your visitor statistics. Visit https://bit.ly/3R0buC3 to install the app.
9. Display social proof
Displaying user-generated content in the form of text, photo, and video reviews is another proven way to attract new customers and increase sales. Customers trust peer recommendations more than brands. Shopify has many apps that help you collect customer reviews and display them on your product page. What was traditionally done through email, is now being done through messaging apps like WhatsApp. Reviewbit is an application that will help you collect feedback on WhatsApp and present them along with the product. This will help you turn your casual visitors into customers.
Increasing your sales could be as simple as implementing these basic strategies. One great thing about Shopify is that you don�t have to build all these features yourself. On Shopify, you will find multiple applications that can be seamlessly integrated with your store. Read the features of different applications, and their customer reviews and choose one that meets your requirements. Equip yourself with the best apps and watch your sales numbers soar high.