Three E-Commerce Marketing Trends That Will Help You Boost Online Sales

Consumers today have a lot of options when it comes to shopping, and the digital marketing landscape is constantly shifting. If you truly want to boost your sales and convert more visitors into buyers, there are three easy e-commerce marketing trends you should be focusing on.

1. Personalization

When is the last time you went to the doctor’s office and were greeted with, “Hello, patient #2345”? Probably never. You enter the facility with the expectation that your medical provider knows your pertinent information to ensure you have the smoothest visit possible.

Your customers expect the same treatment. With the rise of AI capabilities, the most successful e-commerce sites will nail personalization, from pre-purchase ads to the entire checkout process.

Personalized Emails

As an e-commerce shop owner, you know how important a well-executed email strategy is to your success. But did you know that emails with a personalized subject line are 26% more likely to be opened?

Test your emails, then test them again. Most email marketing platforms give you the ability to A/B test everything from subject lines to the color of the button associated with your call to action.

Also, use your customer’s first name for a more personalized greeting. “Hey, John! What do you think of that green hoodie you bought? We just got in these new shorts that would match perfectly,” packs way more punch than, “Hi there. Check out our new products we think you might possibly like.”

Emails are a chance to show off your brand’s personality, so don’t be afraid to add some flair to your messaging.

Ask Customers What They Want

You have to adapt to your customers’ changing needs, and an easy way to know what they want is to simply ask them. Survey your customers to get a feel for what they want more of, like more mobile functionality. There are tons of free tools out there to help you with this. It’s a good idea to reach out to customers once a quarter, if possible.

In order to get the most survey responses as possible, incentivize your customers. You don’t have to break the bank. Customers will still be inclined to fill out a survey if they’re entered for a chance to win $100 or if they’re the first of 10 respondents to win some sort of prize.

Keep surveys short — no more than 10 questions is ideal to ensure you keep their attention. Make open-ended questions optional so respondents don’t get turned off from completing. Chances are high that if they have something they really want you to know, they’ll tell you.

2. Social Media

Social media isn’t a new concept at all. In fact, if your e-commerce site doesn’t have an active presence on multiple social media platforms, then you probably need to rethink your e-commerce marketing strategy altogether. But what does continue to evolve are the ways active users on each platform consume and take action on information being shared.

Brand-Building

Social media is the perfect place to showcase your brand’s personality and shape it in a meaningful way to connect with customers. Some things to remember: be human, authentic and responsive on every platform you’re active on.

Shoppable Posts

Though the rollout of shoppable posts was limited at first, more and more brands now have access to this feature. A telltale sign that a post is shoppable is the presence of a shopping bag icon in the top right corner of the image. Users can tap the post and add the item directly to a shopping cart to purchase. Implementing this feature is a convenient way to get your products in front of today’s socially connected world.

Pay To Play

If you really want to sell your products, the term “pay to play” is the new norm for social media. According to research, organic reach dropped 42% over a four-month span in 2016.

Just because Facebook suggests that you boost a certain post doesn’t mean it’s the best option. However, retargeting ads could be a goldmine for keeping your products top of mind for potential customers.

E-commerce and social media can be the perfect marriage if you spend your advertising dollars wisely. Determine your end goal with social media and test everything.

3. Influencer Marketing

You’ve seen it in your own news feed and maybe didn’t even realize it: Influencers are everywhere these days. People like to buy based on reviews from people they trust. By having someone genuinely promote your products, you can create a better connection with a larger audience.

A recent survey concluded that businesses make around $6.50 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing. Talk about more bang for your buck. But don’t confuse influencers with celebrities. In fact, only 3% of consumerswould consider buying a product in-store if it was endorsed by a celebrity.

If you’re new to the influencer marketing game, it’s a good idea to start with people who fall into the microinfluencer category. Identify these people with between 1,000 and 10,000 followers (and good engagement), and start interacting with them, as long as they’re appropriate and influential in your niche.

Outline your goals for your influencer program. From there, craft an authentic message to those influencers you’ve identified and determine the reward you’re going to give them (e.g., a free workout outfit for them to post a photo in). Keep in mind that some influencers will want to create their own content, others will want you to do it for them.

Between Google and Facebook changing algorithms, it can feel overwhelming to try to stay ahead of the curve. But these three trends aren’t going anywhere anytime soon and they’re easy to implement without a crazy budget.

Personalize your messaging, use social media shopping to your advantage, and consider an influencer marketing campaign to get closer to e-commerce marketing success.

 

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