E-commerce is growing like never before — but that also means it’s much harder to stay competitive. As consumers’ preferences continue to evolve, you must keep ahead of the curve. It’s no longer enough just to be online: you must reach people in the right place at the right time!
Read on to learn how you can optimize your e-commerce presence and jumpstart your business’s growth.
Embrace Omnichannel Marketing
These days, consumers require more touchpoints than ever before. They’re inundated with choices, which means they take longer to warm up to a brand. Those touchpoints also need to happen wherever your customers encounter your brand: on social media, in search results, through apps, etc. More importantly, they must be coordinated across channels.
This is called omnichannel marketing, and it’s the ideal way to create a cohesive, compelling digital experience for your customers. People won’t always see your ad, click on it, and make a purchase in one fell swoop. Perhaps they’ll see you in search results, check you out, then leave. Later, they’ll see a sponsored post on Facebook and visit your website, sign up for a discount code, yet still not purchase anything until you send them an email campaign 2 days later. If you rely on only one channel, you miss out on these opportunities to warm up potential customers.
Go Mobile
Speaking of omnichannel strategies, be sure that your website is mobile-friendly. More than half of consumers access the Internet via smartphones. In fact, a third of all online purchases are made on a mobile device. If your website isn’t responsive, you’re automatically missing out on a significant portion of your audience.
A mobile-friendly website features responsive design, a simple UX, and easy navigation for smartphone users. Be sure that any landing pages from social media or apps are optimized as well. No one likes to click on a Facebook ad and end up on a webpage they have to pinch and squeeze just to read!
Also, consider leveraging SMS or Messenger campaigns in your marketing strategy. As smartphones encourage immediate action with pop-up notifications, you’re better able to run flash sales and other impulse-buy campaigns. Overall, message-based marketing can help you forge strong customer relationships.
Make Better Use of Your Marketing Data
Traditional e-commerce marketing approaches pull the basic metrics: conversion rate, lifetime customer value, etc. Those are all well and good. But what if you could get the kind of fine-tuned data that would allow you to truly refine your strategy?
Today’s consumers like to feel heard and appreciated. That’s why one-to-one marketing is helping e-commerce brands boost their revenue. This approach draws upon robust consumer data, such as browsing behavior, past purchases, geographic location, social likes, etc. E-commerce brands can now take advantage of:
• personalized product recommendations
• dynamic emails and landing pages
• smart offers
• AI-powered drip sequences and follow-ups
• social sharing rewards
To get major growth for your e-commerce business, think small: every customer is an individual. Treat them as such, and you’ll be more likely to earn their brand loyalty.
Wrapping Up
Being online no longer makes you competitive. But being clever and strategic about your e-commerce business will set you apart from the crowd. Take the time to research your audience and refine your platforms and systems. Once you start converting more customers who also feel a strong commitment to your brand, you can boost their lifetime value — and your revenue. As a bonus, automated, data-driven approaches are much more sustainable in the long run. This allows you to build some momentum and scale up your business!