Foolproof Ecommerce Marketing Strategies That Just Work

The global pandemic and economic crisis have given a push to eCommerce.

Many businesses have gone digital to cut costs and keep going.

What is eCommerce?

Ecommerce, or electronic commerce, refers to the buying and selling of goods or services using the internet. Every business with an online store that can take payments and fulfill orders is an eCommerce.

In previous articles, we’ve covered Basic Things To Know About eCommerce, Characteristics Of A Profitable Online Store, and Benefits Of Ecommerce Business Model.

Today we will solely concentrate on eCommerce marketing strategies that are proven to work.

What is eCommerce marketing?

Ecommerce marketing is a set of promotional activities aimed to drive traffic to your online store, converting that traffic into paying customers and retaining those customers post-purchase.

The key to successful eCommerce marketing is simple:

Make it easy for your customers to get what they want.

Omnichannel marketing – the secret to a successful eCommerce business

If you want to become No 1 shop in your industry, you need to embrace omnichannel marketing.

Omnichannel marketing means providing customers seamless shopping experience on any device or channel. This can be an app, mobile, desktop, email, chat, text, telephone.

The goal of omnichannel marketing is to provide a convenient user experience for customers anywhere they are.

This means you have to have a system in place between integrated distribution, promotion, and order fulfillment.

Omnichannel marketing in practice:

Omnichannel marketing has lots of examples. The idea of omnichannel marketing is that for a customer, you appear to be everywhere.

Suppose a customer DM-d you on social media about a product, ideally, they should be able to buy your product there and then.

Or someone called you via telephone, you could run retargeting ads or text message marketing to incentives them to buy.

You could also set up regular intervals (lets say every 3 weeks) when you send text messages to notify your customers to buy your product again (this is especially great if you sell things like protein powder, shampoo etc).

Omnichannel marketing takes a consumer-centric view of marketing tactics. Consumers can now interact with brands on many channels, from social media to customer service hotlines. An omnichannel marketing offers:

• Consistent, identifiable brand message and a vision
• Personalised messaging based on specific interests
• Content that is informed by past interactions and the current stage of the buyer’s journey

Learn how to sell better on social media

Social commerce is gaining traction as we see more and more people purchasing through social media platforms.

When someone buys a product or service through a social media platform, we may refer to this as social commerce.

The ease at which customers can be led to eCommerce purchasing is growing, with platforms like TikTok raising the stakes in recent times. 

If you sell services or products on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Depop, or Pinterest etc. – you are in social commerce.

Social media presence will not only increase traffic to your site, but it grow customer trust in you.

Did you know 92% of users do not convert on their first visit to a website?

The great thing is that you can capture those sales by showing your product on social media channels your customers are visiting.

This advertising technique is called ‘retargeting’.

You can retarget your website visitors on other websites, social media, and email.

Product photography is essential in eCommerce marketing

You may think photography is not marketing, but in eCommerce it is.

Customers can’t touch or experience your product in real life so they rely heavily on the photos.

Your photos and colour schemes are what give your brand a vibe and differentation.

Make sure to photograph your products in plenty of natural light at all the right angles using a professional camera (not a phone). The more customers see your product, the more likely they are to buy it there and then without any additional questions. Your goal is to minimise answering customer emails and have plenty of information on product pages.

There are product photography services if you feel like it’s not your strong skill. All you have to do is send your product to the company and they’ll do the rest. You can find out more here.

Improve your email campaigns

Roughly 20% of eCommerce sales happen in email (Smart Insights).

Email is the second biggest traffic source driving sales after organic (22%).

The great thing about email marketing is that the people who subscribe to your email list are ACTUALLY expecting emails from you. About 80% of consumers WANT to receive retail emails that recommend products to them based on previous purchases.

Which is why email is excellent for repeat purchases.

Below are the types of personalised emails you should be sending:

• Send Wishlist reminder emails
• Send personalised “Nearly Out of Stock” emails
• Provide exclusive promo codes and free gifts for loyal customers
• Personalise emails related to their recent purchases

Try Google Shopping Ads

Google Shopping Ads is a form of paid advertising that allows you to place your products on Google Shopping search results pages.

When someone searches for a keyword that you have selected, your ad will appear at the top of the search results.

By using this method, you are essentially putting your website in front of people who may already be interested in what you have to offer.

Google Shopping Ads and Pay-Per-Click ads where you pay a small fee each time someone clicks on one of your ads.

Instead of spending money on estimated impressions, you’re only paying for the traffic these ads generate, making them a great option for businesses that want to have total control of their performance and budget.