If you’re new to eCommerce marketing, or you’re a startup starting to run an online store, the eCommerce tips are a “gold standard” that boosts your business from scratch to six figures profits a month.
The point is that 95% follow the wrong tactic because there are so many good and bad references out there. And it can be tough to decide which marketing tips are the most effective for your business.
Here are five best eCommerce starting marketing tips that guide you step by step to help save not only time and energy but also accelerate business growth.
- Build a stunning website
- Using marketing tools
- Run attractive promotions
- Influencer Marketing
- Affiliate Marketing
- Show Feedback from Customers
Let’s dive right into each important step now:
Why Do You Need Marketing For Your Ecommerce?
In today’s 4.0 algebra, the speedy influx of new technology in the retail experience has driven consumers of all ages to expect a convenient and connected experience that seamlessly aligns with their everyday lives. For retailers to stay ahead of the curve, they need to employ forward-thinking strategies that will allow them to meet the needs of these tech-savvy consumers. And eCommerce is one of them.
Ecommerce is a great solution to grow your business worldwide. If you own a physical store, it might be limited by the geographical area, which is a disadvantage for your business when it cannot reach many potential customers in another region or country.
With an online store (open 24 hours a day), connecting and expanding your customer network is easier than ever. It delivers your services and products to customers worldwide regardless of distance or time zone.
According to statistical estimates, 95% of assets will be made over the internet by 2040. That means eCommerce is a long-distance playing field with potentially high-profit sales for businesses, especially businesses that are in the boom phase of the digital market.
What are the TOP Ecommerce Marketing Practices?
To become a successful business, understanding customer buying behavior is the top golden key. In other words, whether you want to sell anything from physical products to services, determining how customers complete the buying journey from product knowledge to purchase decision will help you have a sharp eye and be more thoughtful in all marketing decisions for your business.
Still, wondering? Take a look at the map below and you’ll instantly understand how buyers go through the six stages of the decision process, whether you’re new or not an expert in marketing.
Obviously, before making a real purchase, buyers need time to think about their own needs, then learn about the quality of the product they are going to buy, whether it is a good or satisfying product. Satisfy their needs, whether the brand is trustworthy, then purchase determination and finally, the most critical stage – evaluate the product after purchase.
Depending on the level of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction (delivery time, product quality, customer service, return policy, warranty, etc.) they can become a loyal customer or never return to buy. Social media and media are exploding, and even a bad review can negatively affect the brand.
Therefore, businesses need to develop a perfect solution based on consumers’ purchasing process. And eCommerce has proven its success, and it is estimated that there are 12-24 million e-commerce websites worldwide, which includes the biggest businesses like Amazon, Alibaba, Meituan, Pinduoduo, and more.
The good news is every success always comes with a proven formula. Here are six eCommerce tips that summarize the marketing steps to help your business get in front of and ride this trend for handsome profits.
1. Stunning Website
The statistics indicate that there are 1.7 billion websites online and that there is only one opportunity for you to hold a customer’s attention for 15 seconds and turn them into a customer.
Suppose a website is not built with an intelligent customer approach strategy and does not provide the correct information, the proper functionality, and the right time for customers. In that case, the effort to build the website will only go down the drain.
Depending on the industry or product, or business goal, you can choose to create a suitable website.
There are three main types of websites:
- eCommerce website: Website is a channel to introduce goods and products and act as a channel to help businesses sell goods
- Landing page: Website to attract potential customers (lead)
- Information hub: Website to promote and increase trust about the business
In this article, we will focus on an eCommerce Website. Possessing a stunning website helps you build your brand, increase customer trust, and generate good traffic to open higher customer conversion rates.
Building a fantastic website needs a lot of factors, but we will need to pay attention to the four most essential things that need to be on your website.
Home Page
Most likely, your visitors will land on the homepage first. It should be exciting and engaging enough to draw readers in and encourage them to explore the rest of your website. One strategy for capturing visitors’ attention is to have a compelling “hero” image or slider at the top of your homepage.
A virtual try-on feature at Lancôme allows customers to test new products on their skin before purchasing. With this function, conventional eCommerce sales can be simplified, for example, by reducing return costs. Moreover, Lancome’s website features an easy checkout process and a harmonious UX layout.
About Us Page
The about page is where customers know about the mission or history of your company. Or explaining what makes you different from the competitors will often convince visitors to stay on your website. This will generate a more personable experience for your customers.
The best in international arts and culture may be seen on the video channel NOWNESS. It follows naturally that their “About Us” page includes a collection of different videos they host. The text on their page is brief and to the point to maintain their video-centric design.
Service Page/Product Page
Set up a page to highlight your goods and/or services and start by summarizing each offer. You might want to categorize and filter your many services and items into sub-service and product sites. Additionally, you should provide a call to action, such as a button, for your customers to click in order to get in touch with you or finish the order.
Daily Harvest develops superfoods in the form of smoothies, soups, and more, and delivers them to your doorstep. They show very detail about their product. Not only can you see what the smoothie looks like, but the foods also used to create this drink even the ingredients and a simple description of each one.
Blog Page
A blog is a fantastic tool for communicating with current or new clients. It offers you the ability to respond to frequently asked questions, and impart knowledge about brand-new goods, market trends, or corporate news. A blog is a fantastic tool for marketing your company and can improve SEO results and conversion rates. On the other hand, not updating it could have a negative impact on your brand and search engine presence.
The BRIT+CO is adorable and includes a picture that perfectly captures the essence of the story. The subtle “trending” header is a smart approach to advertising popular content and attracting an audience eye-catching.
Optimize For Mobile
Optimizing for mobile is a crucial element that is frequently overlooked. When a website is mobile-optimized, it is significantly simpler to navigate and ensures that it displays correctly on smaller devices. The chances of your target audience using your services and purchasing your items will increase if your website functions properly on smartphones. Therefore, having a mobile-friendly website will increase conversions for your business.
2. Using Marketing Tools
Social medial marketing
Social media is one of the best eCommerce tips to connect with potential customers and promote your products or services. By adding products to your posts and using relevant hashtags, you can create a direct route for people to purchase your items.
This is a great marketing strategy for eCommerce businesses, as it allows you to reach a wider audience and build brand awareness. Additionally, social media can be used to drive traffic to your website or online store, which can lead to increased sales.
Here are some of the social media channels you might use for your business:
- Facebook: Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a good model of advertising to run on Facebook. You can target specific personas, choose exactly who you’ll advertise to and the type of ad that’s shown, and leverage a variety of ad formats to promote your products.
- Instagram: Adding products to your Instagram posts, Stories, and Reels for eCommerce marketing gives your followers a clear path to buy, which is essential for boosting your online sales.
- Tiktok: With over a billion monthly active users, Tiktok is exactly as effective as other social media marketing platforms. Over half (51%) of TikTokers make purchases from brands they see on the app. The site also provides Livestream advertising and purchasing to support the promotion of your goods.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the oldest forms of digital marketing, and believe it or not, it holds specific value in the world of eCommerce marketing. While some may write it off as an outdated method, its ROI (return on investment) potential is still very relevant today. Email marketing has an ROI of 4,300%! That’s a huge number that any eCommerce business should pay attention to.
The best part about email marketing? It can be automated. You can quickly send emails to thousands of people without putting in too much time or energy.
Even better. You can easily track the success of your campaigns by looking at metrics such as open rate, click-through rate, unsubscribe rate, and more. This allows you to see which types of emails are performing well and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Here are two types of email marketing your business should use:
Post-Purchase Follow-Up Email
If you have a website that sells products, it’s important to stay in touch with your customers after they make a purchase. A follow-up email a few days after they receive their product keeps the conversation going and helps you gauge their future interest in your product line. This is especially important if they agree to receive emails from you during the checkout process.
A post-purchase follow-up email is a great way to show your customers that you care about them beyond just making a sale. It also shows that your company has an interest in their success using your product. By sending a post-purchase follow-up email, you can stay top of mind with your customers and build a relationship with your customers and keep them coming back for more.
Abandoned Cart Email
Users abandon their shopping carts for many reasons, but it’s essential to reach out to these customers and try to retain their business.
You can send them an email that diagnoses the problem and offers a solution.
For example, if you think the user abandoned their cart because they were not ready to purchase, you could offer them a discount or coupon code that encourages them to come back and complete their purchase. If you feel the user abandoned their cart because they found a better deal elsewhere, you could match that deal or offer a better one of your own. And finally, if you think the customer simply changed their mind, you could give them some suggestions for other products they might be interested in based on what was in their shopping cart.
Reducing shopping cart abandonment can be difficult, but it’s important to reach out to these customers and try to keep their business. By diagnosing the problem and offering a solution via email, you’ll be able to increase your chances of success.
3. Run Attractive Promotions
Offers
There are two offers that eCommerce marketers love using: discount sales and free shipping.
- Discount sales: Buyers always like a discount no matter how small or big, it still makes them happy and feel they have bought a bargain. Understanding this psychology correctly, businesses can come up with appropriate discount strategies to increase sales. For example, buy one get one free, or discount 60% of everything.
- Free Shipping: Free shipping is a big hit, and it can reduce your odds of competing against your competitors if they don’t offer free shipping. The benefit of this promotion is very clear for your business increasing sales and revenue.
Content
Promotion is great, but if misused, it will cause objections to consumers, and even negatively affect your brand image. So make sure the content quality is the best before publishing.
Images
The saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” is mainly true regarding your promotional efforts. In fact, content with photographs generates up to 40% more shares than content without pictures. People don’t just want to look at pictures; they want to share them, and then they want to see more of them.
4. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing has become a powerful tool to help businesses maintain and boost profits. The results of Tomson’s research show that influencer marketing generates enormous profits for businesses, on average more than 600%.
Influencers can be anyone with thousands of followers on social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). With their great influence on the online community, your business will find the right Influencers for your brand, through which you can naturally promote your products to users.
5. Affiliate marketing
81% of brands employ some form of affiliate marketing according to recent studies, and eCommerce sites are outstanding candidates for this type of performance-based advertising.
The difference between traditional advertising and affiliate marketing is that with affiliate marketing, you only pay for results. That means if an affiliate sends you a customer who makes a purchase, you don’t have to pay anything upfront; instead, you only pay a percentage of the total sale.
There are two types of affiliate programs: cost per action (CPA) and cost per sale (CPS). With CPA, also called pay-per-action, affiliates are paid based on each visitor they bring to your site, regardless of whether that visitor makes a purchase. CPS, on the other hand, pays affiliates based on actual sales made. CPS generally offers higher commissions than CPA because it entails more risk for the retailer since they pay out money only after a sale.
6. Show Feedback from Customers
Reviews is one of the most essential eCommerce tips in a business’s marketing arsenal. They help customers overcome mistrust and make more informed decisions about products and services. In addition, reviews provide businesses with valuable feedback that can be used to improve their offerings.
There are a few things to remember when soliciting and using customer reviews. First, businesses should never offer incentives for positive reviews. This practice is unethical and will damage your reputation if discovered. Second, don’t forget to respond to all positive and negative reviews. Thanks to customers’ feedback, you value their opinions and want to create a dialogue about your product or service.
A case study is a written or video testimonial that details a customer’s success using your product or service. They often include statistics and quotes from the customer to help push prospects over the edge and convert them into customers.
The best case studies are those that relate directly to your buyer persona. By creating a case study that speaks to your target audience’s specific pain points and goals, you’ll be able to show them how your product or service can provide a solution. This type of case study will be much more effective in converting leads than one that doesn’t speak directly to their needs.
Ready for Startup Success?
Establishing an eCommerce firm is no easy task for aspiring business owners.
It is imperative that you have a robust marketing plan in place before you launch your small business in those challenging first few months. From building a website to content marketing and business partnerships, use the tips we’ve discussed today to create a strategic marketing plan, and you’ll go from strength to strength.
Hope those eCommerce tips today will help you launch more effective marketing and start growing from day one.
Sources
- https://webmarketsupport.com/affiliate-marketing-statistics/
- https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/uk-online-shopping-and-e-commerce-statistics-2017-2017-03-14
- https://www.similarweb.com/corp/blog/ecommerce/retail-insights/ecommerce-statistics/
- https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/nearly-half-of-tiktokers-are-buying-stuff-from-brands-they-see-on-the-platform/
