The past year in ecommerce has been a whirlwind. New all-time records have been set across the board with IBM saying that ecommerce is five years ahead of schedule. Given the proximity of recent worldwide events, and increased consumer reliance on ecommerce, contactless delivery and skyrocketing demand, it’s no surprise.
Whether you’re just getting into the ecommerce game, or you have an established online store, to make things really click, you need a solid game plan. We’re here to help with this rock-solid guide that delivers 11 proven ways that you can jumpstart digital marketing for ecommerce. Use it as your guide to future successes.
Add Product Videos to Your Game Plan
Amazon figured this out a long time ago: product videos increase conversions and attract more attention to your product pages. This is why you see videos on many of the most popular products for sale in this marketplace.
What do the numbers say?
- More than 80% of businesses selling online are now creating in-house videos.
- The top-performing videos have a 77% watch rate all the way to the end (crazy right?).
- Nearly 90% of digital marketers rely on video content to expand reach.
- Almost 35% of all internet activity goes to watching videos.
- Nearly 50% of marketers say videos increase order value and ROI in ecommerce.
- Videos get at least 1,200% more shares and impressions on social media than any other type of content that you can post.
If you really want your products to stand out: Make simple videos of them to showcase the features. This time spent will be well worth it in the end with the reward of conversions, happy customers, positive reviews and more sales.
Verified Reviews Deliver Coveted UGC
What is user generated content? It’s when users create content that is added to your website via common methods like product reviews, comments, and video reviews.
Want more user-generated content(UGC)? Then you need verified product reviews. With 90% of consumers agreeing that an authentic approach to selling your products online is the best, and with 79% of consumers also agreeing that UGC is a major factor in their buying decision, it’s easy to understand the value proposition here.
Among numerous benefits that adding ecommerce reviews plugins to your online store offer, consider this: One review can increase conversions by 10% or more, whereas 100 can supercharge conversions by as much as 37%!
To get more ecommerce reviews at your online store, you’ll want to look at different types of apps for your cart or plugins for your website. For example, services like YotPo can integrate into most stores and websites and ensure that you add the stamp of “verified” to every review that comes in after a purchase.
One more thing that you may not have considered about product reviews are that even negative ones help because they discourage buyers from making a purchase that they later end up returning.
SEO Optimization is a Must-Do
Did you know that 95% of consumers don’t search past page one of Google when shopping online? And that the No.1 position gets 33% of all clicks?
SEO matters for any website’s online presence and is just as important for online stores. One of the most common mistakes ecommerce brands make is copying and pasting product descriptions that are provided by the manufacturer. When this happens, Google and the other search engines ignore the content because it isn’t unique.
Instead, by learning how to properly optimize ecommerce product descriptions for SEO, you can gain new rankings, new targeted traffic and ultimately, more sales.
To take things a step further, make sure you have a look at two additional guides we’ve created to help you get a head start on your ecommerce SEO:
If you’re unfamiliar with how SEO works, you can always use services like Upwork or Fiverr to find an expert at a reasonable rate. Don’t ignore it, however, because without proper SEO in motion, you’re missing out on a steady stream of sales.
Chatbot Marketing Really Works
Chatbot marketing is newer to ecommerce and there are a variety of different services that you can use to help answer consumer questions about products, upsell and cross-sell them on related products or connect them to a live support representative.
Why add chatbots or live chat to your online store? Because 30% of consumers expect it to be there, that’s why! At the end of 2019, it was estimated that around 10% of online stores offered live chat, but that 79% of consumers wanted it as an available option when shopping online.
Newer chatbot apps can be programmed using artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic human responses or to connect a consumer to a human (when needed).
Live chat and chatbots can help:
- Appeal to 77% of shoppers who won’t buy from you otherwise.
- Increase average order value by as much as 10%.
- Increase conversion rates by as much as 40%.
- Increase revenue by as much as 48% per hour.
Now that you know why they’re so important, what services can you use? It all depends on the cart or service. Take a look at the app store or available plugins to see what your options are.
Predictive Shopping Increases AOV
What is predictive shopping and how does it help your online store? Think about this, whenever you log into your Prime account, it has all sorts of nifty suggestions that it offers you on products it “predicts” you will want to buy based on your previous shopping patterns.
Amazon, and other stores, use this to dramatically increase average order value (AOV) across the board. That’s why predictive shopping was on our list of 19 Things That Changed Ecommerce Forever in 2019, and it’s also a big reason why it should be on your list of things to add to your online store in 2021.
Most online shopping carts offer this feature, just look for it in your “settings” section. Take things a step further by using a premium app or plugin for your online store that gives you an abundance of options and customization methods that you can set up to maximize your AOV.
Social Commerce is the Future
Social proof is something every brand benefits from, but in a day and age of social commerce, it’s a must-have, must-do situation for your brand.
How powerful a force is social commerce? Consider these facts:
- Nearly 90% of consumers use social media to make a buying decision.
- More than 25% of consumers look for advice on social media before buying apparel.
- More than 90% of consumers follow ecommerce brands they like on social media.
- In 2017, social media generated more than $500 billion in sales to top retailers.
Social commerce is prevalent on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, with each social juggernaut offering a way for consumers to enjoy the experience via Buy Buttons and Pins and other means.
Marketing on social media for your ecommerce brand comes with strong returns on investment, too.
Research into emerging social commerce trends reveals that:
- There is nearly an $8 ROI for every marketing dollar spent.
- Influencers help capture an astounding 86% reach.
- Twitter is even helping increase average order value by 26% thanks to influencers.
Looking for more statistics on social commerce? Have a look at our related guide: The Ultimate Bible on Ecommerce Social Media Statistics for 2020.
Omnichannel Marketing is Essential
If you’re not marketing across multiple channels, you’re not doing enough. The term “omnichannel marketing” implies that you’re focusing your strategy across numerous sales channels, including but not limited to: Amazon, eBay, Social Media, Your Shopping Cart, Google, Bing, etc.
As of 2017, only 45% of retailers were marketing their brands in this manner, a number that has climbed to nearly 60% in 2021.
What is omnichannel marketing and why is it important? Just take a look at these recent statistics that we’ve sourced to help you on your path to success:
- 66% of online shoppers rely on more than one channel for purchases.We reported this in our post, “2017 Cross-Channel Selling Statistics you Need to Know.” Today, about one-third of all customers rotate between channels to make purchases, which is something retailers must pay attention to.
- The average customer visits a site 9.5 times before they convert.These shoppers are busy comparing prices and checking on things like shipping prices and return policies.
- Customers who cross-shop are worth 30% more in lifetime value. Compared to single channel shoppers, these customers shop more and spend more.
- Only 5% of marketers are equipped to market across channels. This means that stepping into multichannel ecommerce nowputs you in a good position to outpace your competition.
- Amazon owns more than 26% of the market share. This popularity owes largely to competitive prices, cheap shipping, and easy returns – all of which are offered by the platform.
- 90% of customers want a cross-channel shopping experience. If higher sales weren’t enough to convince you to jump into omnichannel ecommerce, customer preference should
- When retailers implement cross-channel marketing plans, customer retention increases by 91%. While there are many reasons for this, the largest is the fact that customers wantcross-channel ecommerce, and they’re willing to stick with the brands that offer it.
- Companies that pursue a multichannel presence enjoy a 9.5% average growth rate. This is much higher than the average annual growth rate of companies that don’t pursue multi channel opportunities.
- Retail ecommerce sales are expected to reach $2.5 trillion by the end of 2018.This is compared to $1.1 trillion in 2013.
- 60% of shoppers begin product research on a mobile device.Right now, 2 billion people use their smartphones for at least an hour or two per day. This is a major market you don’t want to miss tapping into.
Remarketing Does More Than You Think
Yet another way that you can capture your market share in ecommerce and expand your brand’s presence and reach is via retargeting, commonly referred to as ecommerce remarketing.
What is retargeting and how does it help you improve sales? Retargeting uses browser cookies to follow shoppers who visited your site and left. It doesn’t matter if they ended up buying or abandoning the shopping cart, retargeting serves ads about your brand across millions of popular sites, keeping your brand in sight of abandoners, existing customers and more.
Remarketing appeals to the 75%+ of shoppers who want to see personalized ads. It has a reconversion rate of more than 3%, as compared to PPC’s meager 1.7%. It also has been found to be favorable to more than 25% of shoppers being served ads, according to recent search.
To add retargeting to your online store’s marketing plan, consider using Google Remarketing, Ad Roll and Outbrain or Taboola.
Cart Abandonment Emails Convert Shoppers
Back in 2017, it was estimated that shopping cart abandonment cost retailers $4 trillion in lost sales each year. Imagine what that number looks like today?
If your store suffers from high rates of abandonment, take a look at this Guide we’ve written covering this subject; it can help you beat the odds by making some simple changes.
Another thing that you shouldn’t overlook is sending a cart abandonment email. Keep in mind that this startegy only works on active shoppers who already have a user account created with your store. The numbers say everything and reveal that by simply sending an email when the cart is abandoned, you can increase reconversion rates by as much as 12%.
Press Releases Get You in The News
If you’re not announcing your brand’s products, services, flash sales, specials, etc., in the news, you’re not doing enough to increase your saturation, reach and awareness. Period.
The great news is that it’s not hard to get in the news. What you want to do is routinely issue ecommerce press releases and here are a few powerful things they do for your brand.
- Give you social and PR proof. Now you can add news logos to your website that say “as seen on and in featured in” to gain authority and trust from shoppers.
- You’ll gain new, high-intent user traffic that converts into sales.
- You’ll earn back links from various release services that help improve your SEO and rankings.
- Your press release lives forever online and can be found for many years after you issue it.
If you don’t know how to write or issue press releases, look to services like Upwork to find a great writer at a reasonable price. When it comes time to issue the release, consider services like E-releases or PR Web, both which give you the most bang for the buck.
Email Marketing Keeps Your Brand in Touch
Happy customers want to hear from your brand again and may even make a new purchase after you initiate the conversation with them via email, says recent studies.
In fact, 82% of consumers are likely to open that email you send them if they remember doing business with your brand. If you make the subject line punchy, personalized and engaging, open rates can skyrocket.
Even better? According to research by Campaign Monitor, for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you will get an average ROI of $38. So what’s not to like about it?
If you need automated email marketing for your online business, take a look at services like Drip, MailChimp or Constant Contact. All three are cost-effective, user-friendly and convenient.
Seeing Past the BUY Button
Seeing past the “buy” button also means that your online store needs to be in-tune with the customer journey throughout.
A publication by Inc. Magazine points out that today’s leading internet brands are growing as much as 14% faster by improving the customer experience. From offering a quick-loading and easy to navigate site, to providing cheap or free shipping and hassle-free returns… all the way to keeping your brand in sight with customers long after their orders have shipped.
Along the way, make sure you have necessary tools you’ll need in-hand. Did you know that ReadyCloud is a Shipping, Returns and CRM Suite built for ecommerce? It gives you many of the tools you need to see past the “buy” button and make every shopping experience at your store memorable.
We’re so convinced you’ll like it that we’re offering a 14-day free trial, no credit card is needed. So go ahead, click the “Free Trial” button below and get started today. Got questions? Give us a shout at: 877-818-7447.
ReadyCloud is a Shipping, Returns and CRM Suite built for ecommerce. Start your 14-day free trial now. No credit card is required!
