E-commerce is currently booming, providing one of the best business growth opportunities. Fortunately or unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic is a major reason for this growth. As per IBM’s U.S Retail Index study, e-commerce is projected to grow by nearly twenty percent. Thus, If you have an e-commerce business or looking to start one, now is the right time.
But, running an e-commerce business isn’t an easy task. You already have competitors from major e-commerce players. Then, there is stiff competition from other business owners. Therefore, you can get lost in the sea of competition. So, to help you out and improve your e-commerce sales, here are some tips that can help.
Ensure Mobile Optimization
It is no secret that people nowadays are glued to their mobile phones. They are one of the reasons for the growth of e-commerce in general. People can easily purchase items from e-commerce platforms with the help of a mobile phone.
Thus, you should have your e-commerce site or app optimized to run smoothly on mobile phones. You can have a simple UI, a fast payment processing system, and detailed product information in general. For example, if you have an e-commerce website for customized printed apparel like instagraph.com, you need to have detailed product descriptions, prices, delivery dates and ensure that the customer can easily buy items in as few clicks as possible.
Automate Customer Discounts
One of the simplest ways to increase sales is to have loyal, returning customers. One sure way to ensure this is to provide periodic discounts to regular customers. You can provide discounts and special offers to customers on their birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. To reduce the hassle, you can automate the process using a marketing automation tool. These tools help send automated and personalized emails to customers and can result in higher sales for your business.
Having special customer discounts also provides an excellent opportunity for targeted marketing. You can create personalized ads that can better connect with your customers and entice them to make a purchase. For instance, you can offer an additional discount on your products on the customer’s birthday by sending a customized birthday email with the discount code.
Offer An Affiliate Program
The rise of social media has led to a surge in influencers and affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing can help increase your exposure to a wider audience easily. A strong marketing program can help you stay miles ahead of your competitors. You will have to provide a certain percentage commission on the sales generated by the influencer. Additionally, you can provide your products for free by running an affiliate contest. This will help keep loyal affiliates, bringing more sales over a period.
Use Multichannel Marketing
Every marketing channel provides a new opportunity to reach out to customers and possibly increase sales. Similarly, multichannel marketing also helps showcase your creativity as every platform requires unique content. You can use various channels such as SMS, emailers, newsletters, and social media platforms to promote your business and grow it.
Expand Your Business
You can expand the products and services you offer, which can help attract new customers. This will ultimately result in increased sales as your customer base will grow. When you are looking to expand, it is better to start with similar products you are currently offering. You can then expand to new different categories eventually. For example, if your e-commerce business is currently focused on kid’s toys, you can expand into kids’ clothing wear and kids’ footwear. You can then eventually expand to other areas like an adult clothing line or makeup products.
Collect Customer Feedback
This is one of the easiest ways that you can grow your sales. Customer feedback helps understand what’s working and what’s not. Based on the customers’ suggestions, you can make the necessary changes and fix shortcomings in your e-commerce business. This will help enhance the user experience while shopping and lead to increased sales.
For example, suppose you find out through customer feedback that people don’t shop for products from your business because of the lack of available payment options. Based on this, you can integrate multiple payment options such as debit and credit card payment, net banking, and cash on delivery. This will help solve the issue faced, and ultimately more customers will end up ordering from you.
As a business owner, it is necessary to keep the business growth rather than have it stagnating. If followed diligently, the above-mentioned tips will ensure that your business will reach new heights with each passing day.