Global eCommerce sales are on course to reach $6.54 trillion in 2022, up almost double from $3.53 trillion in 2019. Are you ready to take advantage of this market? Growing your eCommerce sales requires a plan – which could include these effective strategies:
- Leverage the Demand for Voice Search
According to ComScore, 50% of the search will be through voice search in 2020.
The traditional keyboard-typing for searching and buying products is being replaced by voice instructions. Termed Voice Commerce, this method enables customers to search for and buy products through a voice search facilitated by virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri.
Sales via Voice Commerce are set to rise over 2000% between 2017 and 2022. Benefit from this growth in Voice Commerce by optimizing your eCommerce website to voice search.
Ensure that you use the right keywords – keywords in voice search differ from that of standard search as people tend to use different language when talking to a speaker than when typing.
- Get Great Reviews
More than ever now, customers seek online reviews before making a purchase. Either leverage third-party review sites or create your own page or site that allows customers to leave reviews. For example, growthink reviews show that the company’s reviews for multiple product and service lines. Having such a website allows prospective customers to see how actual customers feel about the company in order to make more informed buying decisions.
- Use Smart Content Techniques to Build Engagement
Credibility is vital for eCommerce businesses. One way to build credibility is by writing entertaining and informative content.
Good content gives you an opportunity to increase website traffic and chances of conversion.
Good content also gives you an opportunity to reach out to your customers beyond the purpose of sales. You can engage your audience with content such as articles on common problems related to your best-selling products, and buying guides.
While creating fresh content is always good, you can save time by smartly repurposing existing content. Choose popular articles and convert them into engaging videos, infographics or podcasts – research shows that these content formats have a greater engagement rate.
Remember that content promotion is as important as creation. Promote your content on all major online and offline channels such as social media, in-house publications, and business stationery.
- Take the Support of AR and VR
AR, or Augmented Reality, and VR, or Virtual Reality, are technologies that enable your customers to see how their desired products would fit in their settings in real-time.
According to Statista, 5% of AR and mixed reality market will be dominated by the retail sector by 2022.
An example of successful AR integration for business is that of IKEA, the home décor specialist. The chain enables shoppers to view their choice of furniture in realist settings through its mobile app Ikea Place. Shoppers can check for the look, size, and color, and choose furniture that best fits their environment. Ikea Place boasts 98% accuracy, and downloads showed an enormous increase, reaching 13 million in 2018.
VR goes a step farther than AR and shows how your product would behave in specified settings. For example, you could see how your car would feel like on a mountain drive using VR.
Though the VR market is still at its nascent stage compared to AR, it still has a substantial market that can be tapped for eCommerce success.
- Go Omnichannel
Your customers are no more on a single channel. They are using different devices for purchase, engagement, and entertainment. If you are optimizing your eCommerce business to a single channel, you will be using sales, engagement, and brand-building opportunities on other channels.
The best approach is to go for omnichannel marketing where you integrate communication and interaction across multiple channels. This way, customers will have an integrated experience. For example, a customer who initiated a purchase on his desktop can complete it and checkout on his or her smartphone.
- Include a Business Plan in your Ecommerce Marketing Strategy
A business plan organizes your eCommerce marketing approach. If you are planning to seek funds from investors, a business plan helps you convince potential stakeholders of the viability and depth of your business idea.
Include the marketing strategies that you intend to employ for your eCommerce startup or expansion. Your business plan should give details about the target market, competitors, your short- and long-term goals, timeframes, and expected results and financial projections.
Keep in mind that all good business plans are backed by thorough market research to explain the feasibility of every marketing idea and the practicality of financial projections.
In Conclusion
If you want to succeed in the highly competitive eCommerce market where more retailers are entering at lightning speed, you need to be aware of different marketing strategies.
A willingness to experiment with emerging trends (backed by thorough market research, of course) can help you stay several steps ahead of the competition. Leveraging techniques that are already popular with shoppers help you reinforce your presence in the market.
