The success of any eCommerce store relies on its ability to increase traffic and conversions in order to drive more sales. But with so many other stores to compete with, it can be hard to know the best ways to market your brand.
Whether you’re looking to launch your eCommerce store in the next few months or if you’re interested in ways to drive sales for an existing store, there are tons of options and avenues you can take.
Keep reading to learn about five tried and true methods that you’ll want to use in order to take your eCommerce store to the next level.
- Embrace Social Media
Instagram, Facebook, and other popular social media platforms offer access to tens of thousands of potential customers. These sites are gold mines for eCommerce stores that want more growth and sales. Social media platforms are not only great to use to connect with consumers, but also influencers and even partner brands.
With social media networks, you can market your brand and gain interest around your eCommerce store. This requires consistent posts, using the right hashtags, and knowing what kind of content your target audience is most interested in seeing.
Since your competitors also use social media, find ways to stand out from the crowd. Give sneak peeks into how your eCommerce store is run or how certain products are developed. Run contests that offer a free product or discount at your eCommerce store. Contests and giveaways are great for building excitement and interest around your business.
These options give your social media followers a direct path to make a purchase, which in turn will increase more website traffic and sales.
- Use Software to Better Manage Your Inventory
Inventory management is the backbone of any eCommerce store. If you don’t have enough stock of certain items, you won’t be able to fulfill customer needs. Inventory management is one of the processes that greatly benefit from automation.
Manual inventory management is cumbersome and prone to human error. You don’t want to be the reason why you’re out of stock on one of your top-selling items. You also don’t want to be the one to blame if you have too much or too little stock. With quality inventory management software, you can automate one of the hardest parts of running an eCommerce store.
Instead of leaving inventory management in your own hands, invest in inventory management software. This software offers a variety of benefits including:
- Improved efficiency
- Access to real-time stock numbers
- Ensure your most popular items are always in stock
- Ability to auto-fill orders when the stock falls below a set threshold
Not only does this software make it easier to manage your stock levels, but it also makes for a positive shopping experience for your customers. By always having the appropriate stock levels on hand, you never have to worry about losing a sale because an item is out of stock. This keeps you and your customers happy.
- Don’t Forget About Mobile Customers
An eCommerce store shouldn’t just be designed for shoppers that are using their computers. The reality is that most consumers that visit your eCommerce store are shopping using their mobile device.
A Pew Research study found that 80% of Americans are now online shoppers, and more than half make purchases using a mobile device. This means that your eCommerce site needs to be optimized for mobile devices.
Responsive design is one of the most effective methods to create a website that can fit all screen sizes. You could also consider building a mobile app, which is faster, more convenient, and can offer personalized content to each shopper.
- Embrace Video Content
Consumers love watching videos more than they like product photos. As an eCommerce store owner, chances are that you already offer photos of the products you sell; but photos aren’t enough to continue to drive sales.
A 2017 study found that more than half of surveyed marketing experts say that video offers the highest return on investment. In fact, websites with videos often experience longer on-page views compared to those that don’t.
In order to increase engagement and interest, find ways to use video content on your eCommerce store. Create product demos to show how your product makes everyday life better/easier/more convenient. But be aware that product demos don’t work for all companies.
For example, if you run a clothing eCommerce store, you don’t need a video to explain to consumers how to put on a shirt or a pair of shoes. In this instance, you can use video content to show your product being worn by a model. This allows consumers to see how a product looks on a real person, which makes it easier to visualize how it may look on them.
- Offer Discounts
Consumers like to buy items knowing that they’re getting the best bang for their buck. Discounts and coupons are some of the oldest marketing strategies around, but the fact is that they work. All you have to do is hike up your prices a little and then offer them at a discounted price.
To drive the most sales, skip running a campaign that offers a discount on “select items.” These types of discounts only help consumers that are shopping for those specific products and navigating all of the fine print can be frustrating.
Make it easier for everyone and appeal to all consumers by simply offering a percentage off your entire eCommerce site.
Conclusion
By following these tips and tricks, your eCommerce store will experience more sales than ever before. With more sales come more customers, increased brand recognition, and a healthy bottom line.
Which tips have most helped skyrocket your eCommerce store? Are there any tips you’d add to this list? Share below in the comments!
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