Did you know that the US Marketing for eCommerce is expected to generate $4.9 trillion revenue by 2023?
That’s because the number of consumers shopping online is increasing at a staggering rate:
This is naturally the case because millennials are much more familiar and comfortable with technology as compared to Generation X.
Unfortunately, this also means that setting up a good website is not going to cut it.
It’s a competitive world out there which makes marketing for eCommerce much more challenging.
However, you need to keep in mind that it’s going to take months of effort in various areas before you see results, which requires hard work and commitment.
Check out the best marketing for eCommerce tactics that you can incorporate into your strategy:
#1. Post Interactive content
Your goal should be to create engaging content when marketing for eCommerce and text no longer falls into that category.
A study by Databox revealed that videos were definitely the most interactive content when creating Facebook ads, ranking slightly higher than pictures.
Similarly, a HubSpot study revealed similar results:
Here’s how you can make effective use of videos:
- Live videos
Since live videos allow for two way communication at the same time, they’re much more interactive than normal videos and that’s important because they take into account the customer’s input as well.
The cosmetics brand Benefit is one of the leading brands in the industry and its innovative use of live video is part of the reason why:
A lot of cosmetics brand post makeup tutorials, but by posting a live video, Benefit allowed its viewers to ask questions throughout the video so that they would get a better understanding on how to use the product.
Plus, Benefit also held a trivia round within the video in which the host asked viewers questions and those who engaged the most got a chance to win free products!
By doing this, the brand effectively increased engagement and by demonstrating the use of the product, they increased the likelihood of customers buying the product since they helped them become familiar with it.
- Customer-generated content
81% of customers trust online reviews and recommendations more than they trust businesses.
If you think you as a business entity can’t do anything about this, you’re wrong. What better way to promote your brand than to share content posted by existing customers?
Yes, online reviews are important, but customer feedback videos are much more interactive.
Plus, they’re personal so its easier to gain the trust of viewers.
The other day I saw an Instagram advert of ManyChat.
The captivating video was full of statistics of the results ManyChat creates for businesses.
By quantifying these values, they made it easier for potential customers to visualize what they could gain from signing up with the chatbot platform.
Plus, the video also included customer review quotes with pictures of each reviewer which added trustworthiness to the video.
The idea is to use the same content and showcase it in a way that catches the attention of viewers and videos are great for doing that.
#2. Partner with the right people
Success in the business industry does not come single-handedly.
You will, at some point, require the help of other businesses even if they may be your competitors.
Apple aggressively competes with Samsung, yet it buys its screens for the iPhone.
Sony and Ericsson came up with a joint venture to create a phone together while remaining separate business entities.
Similarly, when it comes to marketing for eCommerce, you need to create a good network of contacts in the industry to succeed. How?
One way is through guest blogging.
I myself was considering partnering with industry experts to write guides on this blog in order to improve SEO.
Steps like these are crucial because 67% of users do not scroll past the first five search results.
Getting a good search engine ranking means that you’re competing with thousands of other businesses to get to the top.
Anyhow, by getting industry experts that are influencers of my target audience, I’ll effectively be diverting traffic to my site.
Similarly, if you have an established brand, you can get your company experts to write on other blogs to reach a broader target audience and potential customers for your business.
You can also go with the old trick of partnering with brands that sell complementary products/services, for example, if you book a certain wedding hall the management will recommend a photographer or event decorator for your wedding as well.
This is a great way to increase traffic and get referrals for your brand because if a wedding couple wants a specific location, they’ll be willing to consider the affiliates that come with it, so make sure you partner with the best businesses in the industry.
#3. Retarget your customers to complete purchases
Did you know that the average cart abandonment rate is 69.2%?
This happens for a number of reasons – the most common being added costs at checkout.
However, retargeting is the perfect solution to get your customers to complete their purchase:
By creating a sense of urgency about the limited time offer, the brand is effectively communicating that customers should avail the offer as soon as possible.
Retargeting ads have a 0.7% click-through rate, which means that 70% of your customers are likely to convert i.e. complete their purchase after seeing a retargeting ad.
I visited Charlotte Tilbury’s website the other day and later saw ads for products similar to the one that I viewed at least 4 times on different websites:
#4. Take social media marketing up a notch
Brands are constantly coming up with new and innovative ways to market their content on social media, one of the trendiest things being shoppable content:
Instagram’s inbuilt features allow you to create additional tags that customers can view with just one tap.
These include details of the product and hyperlinks so that customers are directed to the webpage where they can purchase the product.
The simple, hassle-free process provides an incentive for customers to purchase.
Plus, you’ll notice how the brand Lulus mentioned both the before and after-sale prices of the discounted product; thus, tempting customers to buy the product and save money.
The idea is to create ease of shopping for your customers online by doing the grunt work yourself because time is of the essence and your customers will abandon a purchase if it takes too long.
#5. Don’t underestimate the power of email & SMS
Email & SMS are two of the oldest digital marketing channels and yet they still provide the highest ROI.
To create brand awareness and build customer loyalty, you need to create email and SMS subscribing lists.
Customers who opt into your marketing campaigns will have access to exclusive discounts, offers and other benefits.
Here’s why both channels are crucial:
- SMS has a 98% open rate whereas email has an open rate of around 20%
- Text messages are opened and read in under 3 minutes of being sent out
- Email still generated more web traffic and leads as compared to social media
The best part is that email and SMS are very budget-friendly so they’re accessible to even the smallest startups.
Plus, they both require the consent of customers to receive promotional messages so they’re currently one of the few non-intrusive platforms for marketing.
Both platforms allow you to create a more seamless online shopping experience for customers, for example, through order tracking, password verification, confirmation etc:
Freelancers, small businesses and other organizations that have limited marketing resources can take advantage of email marketing and SMS marketing.
For SMS, check out ExpressText for the best features, pricing, and results.
For email, check out MailChimp, currently the world’s Number 1 email service provider.
#6. Local Marketing
A lot of eCommerce sites overlook this tactic but it’s just as crucial as any other.
With the use of cookies, you’ll be able to locate your potential customers and use this to offer discounts and incentives to them:
So, for example, you own a clothing eCommerce store. Your target audience could be as broad as spreading over different cities but using cookies will help you determine where it’s most concentrated.
With frequent deliveries in the area, you can offer discounts or free shipping to consumers in that area, thus, ensuring they remain loyal to your brand.
Using cookies will also allow you to target highly specific ads towards consumers, for example, retargeting ads.
#7. Offer great customer service
To finish off a great sale, you need to offer amazing customer service, especially now when it’s more important than ever.
American Express says that 90% of Americans use customer service as a factor to determine whether to purchase from a brand or not.
Customer service is also the Number 1 reason why dissatisfied customers switch to other brands.
But what exactly do you need to do in order to retain loyal customers?
- Make use of chatbots
Millennials no longer have the time to wait around for customer representatives.
If your customer support team is unresponsive, potential customers may not purchase from you which is exactly why you need to incorporate automation into your strategy.
Instead of burdening your limited number of employees with a thousand queries during the holiday season, sign up with a chatbot service like ManyChat:
With the right software, your chatbots will carry out personalized conversations with each customer.
You can also manually carry out the conversation by sending out pre-written messages (similar to the picture above) thus, saving you time.
- Personalize each purchase
Customers are willing to spend 17% more on companies with good customer service. All they want is to feel appreciated and you can do that by personalizing each experience.
The first step is to address each customer by their first name. That will get their attention.
Secondly, you can send out holiday and birthday greeting messages to your loyal customers to make them feel valued.
The more you personalize each customer experience, the more loyalty you instill in your customers.
- Don’t forget feedback
Even if you plan everything perfectly, things don’t always go according to it and feedback is crucial in determining where you went wrong.
You can collect feedback via SMS, online forms, chatbots and many other ways.
Focus on your dissatisfied customers and provide them with incentives to repurchase from your brand or avoid negative word of mouth that could harm your brand’s reputation.
Conclusion
Marketing for eCommerce requires just a little bit of creativity, innovation and the right marketing tools.
If it weren’t for eCommerce, half of the small businesses wouldn’t even have existed today. If you have a startup, you need to take advantage of all these tactics and grow your business among the aggressive competition. For more information on marketing for eCommerce, check out my guide on the eCommerce marketing strategy which include multiple tips because many times, its the little things that make the most difference!
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