TLDR.
Don’t have enough time to read the entire blog right now? That’s okay! Here are 7 tips that can help you boost your eCommerce sales;
- Use analytical tools to research how customers interact with your store.
- Choose the eCommerce platform that meets your needs.
- Make the shopping process easier for your customers.
- Increase the quality of customer service.
- Tick all of the SEO boxes to make sure your customers can find you.
- Re-engage shoppers who have abandoned their carts.
- Build a strong presence on social media.
Introduction.
For the last two decades, online shopping has become THE major trend and eCommerce continues to grow. Instead of having to travel to a store, customers have the convenience of the store right at the tips of their fingers. This we know, and have known for some time.
The growing popularity of online shopping is one way that increases eCommerce sales, but it’s not enough. Shopping online means unlimited options of where to buy from. To make your store stand out from competitors, stay socially connected and updated about customer needs.
Whether you are a start-up or a well-known brand, there are always tips to increase your eCommerce sales. As there is no sign of online shopping slowing down, eCommerce owners need to work constantly to keep sales up.
Keep reading to find out the different ways to give your eCommerce store a boost in sales. Here are our 7 simple tips for driving ecomm sales on your site.
1. Research Customer Interaction With Analytical Tools.
Knowing how to satisfy site visitors is the key to staying successful. It is more difficult to connect with customers online than in a brick-and-mortar store. Online shopping eliminates in-person interaction, leaving businesses unable to learn customers’ interests through conversation.
Businesses need to accommodate for the lack of face-to-face interaction. Analytical tools, such as Google Analytics, help classify purchasing patterns and preferences to learn what parts are appealing and what areas need improvement.
Heat mapping is being able to track the more popular areas of a website by using some tools that detect buyers’ scrolling and clicking patterns. Online stores have the opportunity to discover how customers locate their website and the amount of time they spend looking.
To learn more about heat mapping, click here.
These tools help plan the next moves. If there is a product drawing a lot of attention, then there should be more content promoting that product. If social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, are leading customers to your website, then advertise more through those platforms.
2. Choose The eCommerce Platform That Meets Your Needs.
Numerous platforms allow customers to purchase products online. Your business does not need to mimic others and join every platform in existence. It can be useful to research what your competitors are up to, but remember to choose the right platform for your business. WordPress, Shopify, Lightspeed are just some examples of the different ecomm platforms that you can build your online store with.
It will be beneficial to choose a platform that both you and your target audience can easily operate. Constantly updating the online store or fixing features will cause damage to your brand. Your attention will shift from focusing on your brand to solely focusing on the online store.
When designing online stores, remember that some customers like to shop on different devices. Construct shopping pages that fit the screens of numerous devices to make the process easier. This also reduces the risk of misunderstandings due to important information being missed.
Customers will lose interest if they are required to jump through hoops when making purchases.
Keep the platform simple to keep your customers happy, and so that you can focus on growing the entire business. So our top tip here, before launching your brand online, take the time to do your research as to what platform will serve you best.
3. Make The Checkout Process Simple.
Building on the previous tip, keep the entire online shopping process simple, including checkout. You do not want customers to spend their time shopping and then become frustrated when trying to checkout. This will lead them to associate your brand as difficult.
This is a major step in the shopping process and deserves your attention. Avoid overwhelming customers with multiple forms to fill out. Instead give them options to choose from, so that they can pick the one best fit for them.
Try to use multiple short pages instead of one never-ending checkout page. Short and simple can go a long way. Icons can also be useful in staying simple, but don’t confuse customers by using unfamiliar ones. Stick to standard icons, like a shopping cart.
4. Increase The Quality of eCommerce Customer Service.
Customers need to know that they are cared for and that their voices matter. Online stores can make it difficult for them to ask questions or receive any form of assistance. If you want to increase sales, then increase the quality of your store’s customer service.
The quality of customer service can be a big factor in the decision-making process. According to a report from Zendesk, over 80% said that customer service is a key factor in determining whether or not to make a purchase.
Make it easier for customers to contact your business when they are in trouble. Add a contact page to your website that stands out and is monitored closely. Include an appropriate phone number and email address. To make the process faster, add in a FAQ section of previous and most asked questions.
Include a link to a chat on your contact page for queries that do not require immediate attention. Monitor this feature regularly, but no need to stick an employee to the computer all day. Add in automatic responses to let customers know when you will be able to answer their questions.
5. Check All SEO Boxes To Ensure Customers Can Find You.
Brick-and-Mortar stores have the upper hand in a way that customers can easily locate them. The internet is filled with endless information and topics, so make your online store stand out. One tactic to do this is focusing on your search engine ranking.
Having a high ranking on search engines will lead to customers finding your site before your competitors. A Statista study from 2019 revealed that search led to over 60% of all eCommerce sessions.
To increase your SEO focus on keywords, but stay away from repetition. Search engines will flag any suspicious activity and decrease your ranking. Make sure you’re on the right track by checking your SEO on sites like WordPress.
6. Re-engage eCommerce Shoppers Who’ve Abandoned Their Carts.
Online shopping gives customers the option to leave items in their carts and take the time to think before purchasing. Some customers will take a short time to think, but others eventually end up abandoning their carts.
This can be a nerve-racking experience for online stores, especially if the customers decide to not purchase. It is okay to give eCommerce shoppers a reminder that will lead them in the right direction. Try a friendly email that reminds them of their items or try more promotions.
Using email to get your consumers’ attention may seem like an old technique, but it is actually quite effective. There are some platforms that collect users’ email addresses and make it easier to send reminders, new product information, and even news about upcoming events and sales to re-engage customers.
Although abandoned carts can be frustrating, it allows eCommerce owners the opportunity to understand what products do not speak to customers. Owners can then make adjustments to make products more appealing and reduce the number of abandoned carts.
7. Build A Strong Presence On Social Media
Social media’s influence over consumer purchases has grown rapidly over the years. These social media platforms open the door for product discovery. In fact, according to a report from Instagram, 60% of users find products from shop-able content that is mixed into feeds.
Having a presence on social media is a great opportunity for your potential customers to meet your brand. Sharing content designed for your unique audience will lead to an increase in brand awareness and customer loyalty.
Another report from Instagram mentions that over 90% of users have either purchased a product after discovering it in their feeds, visited the brand’s website, or requested to follow the brand.
To make the buying process easier for customers, connect your online store to your social media accounts. This also eliminates the struggle of online searching. If customers have trouble during the shopping process, then people will associate your brand with difficulty.
Try attaching checkout links to your social media accounts, so customers are transferred to the correct checkout page. This speeds up the purchasing process and will dispose of any phony websites. Keep your accounts secure to avoid losing the trust of your customers.
There are other options to make the shopping process easier for customers. Some social media sites allow businesses to create posts that customers purchase from without having to be directed to another webpage.
Conclusion.
Gaining customer loyalty and increasing sales does not have to mean endless customer giveaways or coupons. Although these are great tactics to engage your target audience, too many of them can end up being more trouble than they’re worth.
Now you see that there are more ways to boost your eCommerce sales without costing your business precious time and money. Use this information to figure out where to direct your marketing efforts.
Are you looking for a simple solution that creates results quickly? Or something a little more strategic that will set up your business for the future? Either way, give it a go with any or all of these 7 tips to boost your eCommerce sales.
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