How to Increase eCommerce Sales: Get 15+ Strategies for Your Online Marketplace
Do you have a great product but facing problems in reaching the right customers?
Or are you not sure how to address your customers online? We are here with proven strategies to increase sales of your online store/marketplace.
Building something could be easy, but selling is always challenging.
Did you know?… Tech startup success rate is below 50%. On average, 63% of tech startups just don't make it, 25% close down during the first year, and only 10% survive in the long run.
Finding people to buy your product is the main part of the entire sales process. If you can't sell your product or service, none of it matters at all. As you know- sales are everything to your business.
You may find lots of strategies in a minute from Google. You need to understand what strategies are fit for your project and how to effectively implement them. All strategies are not good or equally applicable all the time.
Let's get proven strategies that can help you get up to 250% growth…
First Thing First: Prepare Yourself and Your Team to Ensure Desired eCommerce Sales
To go ahead with your marketing strategies, you need to prepare yourself and your team first.
Are you really aware of your products' ins and outs?
Do you dare enough to face all your customers' queries?
Are your team members ready to start with implementing new ideas and strategies?
Some people try to do anything in order to prevent loss. It's a harmful practice that could cause a huge loss. Unethical attempts are always dangerous for your business, especially when you're running an eCommerce store or multivendor marketplace.
So, don't forget to take enough preparation. Be responsible, keep promises, and try to maintain honesty all the time.
Sit tight and go ahead with the strategies to increase sales this year-
15+ Proven Strategies to Increase Sales of Your Online Store
Strategies are the same most of the time. You need to implement them in a smart way. Try to read your customer's minds, be aware of industrial changes, treat technology as a gift, and keep A/B testing all the time.
Now, let's check out the following strategies to grab your desired sales online in 2023-
- Understand Your Target Audience and Do User Mapping
- Find out more about Your Customers
- Define the Market for Your Products
- Prefer Relationship Selling
- Employ the Power of the Web
- Publish quality content and don't compromise
- Create a Sense of Urgency
- Consider Up-selling and Cross-selling
- Invest in Quality Images
- Improve Your Website SEO
- Increase Social Media Engagement
- Utilize Useful CTA
- Utilize Offline Connections as Well
- Sponsor Appropriate Events and Fairs
- Keep Growing Your Email List
- Make Use of Online Ads
- Grow Better With Mobile Optimization
Now, let's get a detailed overview of each point.
1- Understand Your Target Audience and Do User Mapping
To define and understand your target customers, consider the following questions.
- Who will buy your products or services?
- What value are you going to add & offer? (problem-solving)
- Who are your competitors in the market?
- How would you differentiate from their offering?
- How often consumers would buy your products?
- What is the amount they are ready to spend on your products?
- What is the best way to reach your audience?
- How long would this product meet customers' needs and expectations?
These questions will help you define your target group of customers. Clear knowledge about your customers is the first thing you need to be sure about.
2- Find out All The Details About Your Customers
This is always tough to find and get new customers. It's also time-consuming and requires enough investment. So, it's preferable to market to your past and existing customers. There are more possibilities to get desired sales from your loyal existing clients. But do not forget to search for new customers at any level of your business.
To run promotional works or campaigns among old or existing consumers, you need to find out their information. Take time to gather their personal information through online surveys, chatting, e-mailing, direct communication, or other useful ways.
Collect information about their age, gender, education, income, marital status, etc. But be ethical in collecting their data. One single mistake could destroy the faith in your brand.
3- Define the Market for Your Products
You can't afford to target everyone. That's why you need to define your market to ensure where you are spending your money and resources. Small businesses can effectively compete with big companies by targeting a niche market. It's important to get the best ROI or output.
How to Define Your Market?
Consider the following facts to perfectly define your market.
- Look at your current customer base
Who are your current customers, and why do they buy from you? Pinpoint the personality of your running customers and find similarities.
- Check out your competition
Who are your competitors in the market with similar products? Who are their customers? If possible, try to avoid the market they have already chosen.
- Analyze your product
Write out a list of each feature of your product. List the benefits it provides.
- Determine specific demographics to target
Think about the following factors of your customers like Age, Location, Occupation, Ethnic background, etc.
- Consider the psychographics of your target
Psychographics are more like the personal characteristics of a person, such as personality, attitudes, values, interests, hobbies, lifestyles, behavior, etc.
4- Prefer Relationship Selling
In this competitive era, you may ignore relationship selling. But this is a great way to create a loyal base of your customers. Try to develop a personal relationship with new customers. Be their friend and they will work as your brand's storyteller completely free of cost.
Is it so tough to build and maintain a personal relationship with your customers? We think no! Just try to engage with them according to the personal data you already have. You don't need to focus on everyone, that's even not possible.
Over 65% of B2B buyers shared that they found value in discussing their situations with salespeople
Consider the area and number you can easily cover. And you will be surprised to see the result at the end of the day.
5- Employ the Power of the Web
Since you are running an online store, there is almost no option for your customers to make a physical visit. Take help of the modern technology to ensure easy and smart communication with them. Although relationship selling is better. But for online stores or marketplaces, today it's simply impossible to maintain a personal relationship with this huge number of customers around the world.
So, give full attention to properly utilizing the power of the web.
Create a user-friendly website, ensure proper speed and flexibility, show clear contact information and keep providing awesome customer service.
This is the actual way to ensure the growth of your online business. Employ and utilize the power of the web. Consider perfect development while starting and check whether all the functions are working well or not.
6- Publish Quality Content and Don't Compromise
In today's online market, content is king. People love to make their decisions depending on the information in your content. Content is the best way to educate people about your products, and inspire them in the most trustworthy way.
People actually buy benefits, not your products. So, try to focus on the benefits and problem-solving while writing contents.
Today's customers love to be and feel independent. Rich and well-researched content is the only way to help them in this regard. You can create original and creative content on your service or products like explaining:
- What is the product about
- How it will help to solve the pain point of your customers
- Success stories
- Your business journey
- Why your product is better than your competitors
Prepare and publish your content as rich as possible with appropriate data and a clear image of your product. Don't forget to tell people the actual benefits of your products and show perfect comparison.
7- Create a Sense of Urgency
People buy to solve a problem or to meet a desire. While you are running campaigns, try to create a sense of urgency. When your customers feel they badly need your product or they would lose a great opportunity, they will certainly consider buying your product.
8- Consider Up-selling and Cross-selling Very Seriously
Upselling is the approach of selling a slightly more premium product than the one the customer was originally considering. On the other hand, cross-selling is the process of selling an additional product with the main product.
For many eCommerce businesses, upselling and cross-selling can be more effective than acquiring a net new customer. Sometimes your customers don’t know that a premium product is available, or they may simply need more evidence to understand how an upgrade (or package) is a better fit for their needs.
There are two main considerations when using upselling to increase sales:
- Make sure your upsells are related to the original product
- Be sensitive to the anticipated price range of your customers
Your product has to fit the customer’s original needs, and they may not be enthusiastic about a higher price point once they have an anchor price in mind.
Also Read: Unleash The Power of WooCommerce Cross Sell to Boost Sales
9- Invest in Quality Graphics-Images
Images or media collection work as your sales force. You have no person to present or describe your products on your online store or multivendor marketplace. So how will you tell your story, how can you create an emotional attachment?
This is where comes the importance of the visual presentation; images, videos, and other ways you have chosen to present your products. So, don't forget to invest enough to add quality images and relevant videos of your products. Check how better images increase your sales.
10- Improve Your Website SEO
SEO or search engine optimization is something you can't ignore at all. This is the way to increase your Google ranking. Better Google ranking means more possibilities to increase online sales. In online stores, most people get to an online store by doing a Google search. If you can't ensure a better Google ranking, then you will most certainly lose a huge number of customers.
Here are some tips that can help you to get your job done. The more perfectly you can optimize your site following these tips, the more you will succeed in attracting traffic to your online store.
- Ensure all important pages are indexed by Google
- Build a logical website architecture that’s three clicks deep
- Improve page load time
- Do keyword research and align content with search intent
- Address duplicate content
- Implement structured data
- Ensure all pages are mobile-friendly
- Fix broken links
- Use image alt text
We have a series of blogs on eCommerce SEO, you can check these blogs to get a more clear understanding of what you should do and what you should avoid optimizing your site for search engines as a beginner.
- eCommerce SEO: The Ultimate Guide for Startups
- A Guide to SEO for eCommerce Product Pages in 2022
- 7 Proven eCommerce SEO Tips to Get More Traffic
11- Increase Social Media Engagement
Social media is a proven way to increase your traffic. People love to share what they buy on their social media accounts for several reasons. Their friends and family members follow their activities by clicking on the link to buy that product, show support, or simply encourage others.
Before you start implementing this eCommerce marketing strategy, make sure you:
- Understand who are you trying to connect with by learning where your target market lives, how old they are, and what their likes and dislikes are.
- Find out which networks are the right ones for your business, and look at their demographics. Learn the number of users they have, their users’ age, locations, and more.
- Discover what your competitors are doing on social media. Try to find out what eCommerce marketing tactics they use, what they post, and how they engage users.
12- Utilize Useful CTA
CTA or call to action button plays an important role in an online store. Keep A/B testing on adding and replacing useful CTA to your websites. If you could add a CTA button perfectly, your eCommerce sales would double without giving much effort. Check out more on how to utilize CTA buttons to increase eCommerce sales.
13- Utilize Offline Connections as Well
To do this, bring online the connections that you made through personal networking. These include your family, friends, and any connections you have made through acquaintances and people who you have met at events and on different occasions.
Bring those influential people, businessmen, and individuals whom you have come to know through mutual friends and relatives. Take their emails, add them up on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, wherever you may find them, and leave no scope to let them know of your online business!
14- Sponsor Appropriate Events and Fairs
If your budget allows, participate in different local fairs and conferences that are relevant to your business and fields. Also, consider sponsoring products and services in these fairs and conferences that will represent your seriousness and passion for the services and products you sell.
15- Keep Growing Your Email List
Use referral programs to create email lists that will increase your leads to whom you can send subscription requests. Create subscription pop-ups in your blogs and eCommerce site. Send welcome emails, and follow-up emails to new customers after a purchase.
Here are some tips that you should follow while implementing the email marketing strategy for your eCommerce business:
- Focus on providing your audience with value
- Don’t overuse links in emails
- Promote high-quality products
- Focus on building a meaningful relationship rather than just selling
- Follow a fixed timetable to send emails
- Place important CTAs
- Send special coupons and personalized discounts for particular subscribers
16- Make Use of Online Ads
Use Google, Gmail, and Facebook ads to reach your target customers. All of these sources have amazing targeting and customization features and are very popular among all types of businesses. With Google Ads, you are able to track both clicks and conversions to your ads. It is very powerful given that it is the most popular search engine and you can play around with keywords to create ad campaigns.
Create campaigns on Facebook and target them to the right group of audience by sponsoring. Now with Facebook video ads, which work similarly to YouTube ads, you can showcase the creativity of your business. Also, use Gmail ads to target the same keywords as your competitors so buyers who are purchasing from them will also see your ads in their inboxes.
17- Grow Better With Mobile Optimization
With the huge impact of smartphones in everyone’s lives and the growth in smartphone users, it has become ever more essential to make your website mobile-friendly.
A large number of smartphone users are heavily influenced by online ads and products displayed attractively.
So, it is essential to make your online site mobile friendly. Though more often than not you have to get a professional solution to make your site mobile friendly, the investment does pay off. You will realize this when you see growth in your sales again.
Some Deadly Sales Sins You Should Avoid
You can boost your online sales by implementing smart and useful strategies. But you need to be careful while applying these strategies. Sometimes what you think may not fit your products. That's why satisfaction with an idea isn't a good sign in online marketing.
Moreover, there are some approaches that may be considered deadly sins. Be aware and keep away from these activities. Check out the following facts these are recognized as sins in marketing, especially in eCommerce.
- Selling without knowing your customer
- Avoiding dissatisfied customer
- Ignoring small orders
- Using the same old strategies again and again
- Not taking enough sales training
FAQ on Sales Strategies and Small Business Growth
A successful sales strategy involves a systematic approach to identifying, attracting, and converting potential customers into paying clients. It requires a deep understanding of customer needs, effective communication, building trust, and delivering value. A successful sales strategy also focuses on building long-term relationships and providing excellent customer service to drive repeat business and referrals.
1- Identify and target your ideal customers
2- Build and nurture relationships with prospects and existing customers
3- Clearly communicate the unique value proposition of your products or services
4- Utilize effective sales techniques such as consultative selling or solution-based selling
5- Continuously analyze and improve your sales process based on customer feedback and market trends
The 7 sales process steps are as follows:
Prospecting: Identifying potential customers and gathering relevant information
Qualifying: Evaluating prospects to determine their fit and potential as customers
Needs Assessment: Understanding the specific needs and challenges of the prospect
Presenting: Demonstrating how your product or service addresses the prospect's needs
Handling Objections: Addressing any concerns or objections raised by the prospect
Closing: Guiding the prospect toward making a buying decision
Follow-up: Maintaining contact after the sale to ensure customer satisfaction and explore future opportunities
1- Customer: Understanding the customer's needs, preferences, and behaviors.
2- Convenience: Offering convenient ways for customers to engage and purchase.
3- Communication: Effective and open communication to build trust and rapport.
4- Cost: Demonstrating the value of the product or service in relation to its cost.
1- Attention: Capturing the prospect's attention through compelling messages or presentations
2- Assess: Assessing the prospect's needs and requirements
3- Align: Aligning your product or service offerings with the prospect's needs
4- Assure: Assuring the prospect that your solution will meet their expectations and deliver value
1- Product: Developing and offering a desirable product or service
2- Price: Setting the right pricing strategy that aligns with customer value and market dynamics
3- Place: Determining the appropriate distribution channels to reach the target audience
4- Promotion: Creating and implementing effective promotional campaigns to generate awareness and drive sales
Building a strong network and community is essential for business growth. By attending social events and connecting with people, you enhance relationships, gain recognition, attract potential customers, and may even find valuable employees or investors. It expands your opportunities, provides a platform for knowledge-sharing, and contributes to overall mental well-being.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools are highly recommended for automatic customer integration. CRM systems streamline customer interactions, manage relationships, and track sales processes. They are efficient tools for businesses to centralize customer information, enhance communication, and improve overall customer management. A survey even revealed that 20% of users expressed a strong attachment to their CRM tool, highlighting its value in business operations.
Final Words
Strategies are something that helps you to easily attract and encourage people to make a decision. Since sales are everything to your business, you need to find out and implement only proven strategies to increase sales of your business.
We hope, now you know what strategies would most fit your project and how to implement them. Go ahead with your strategies and let us know what else you're applying to boost your sales in 2023.
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