Online sales are the lifeblood of any ecommerce brand. Without a steady stream of sales, your business will quickly dry up. That's why it's so important to constantly explore new ways to boost online sales. Here are nine effective strategies that you can use to boost your online revenue.
1. Start with a good website design
Your ecommerce website is your digital storefront, so it's essential to make sure that it looks good and is easy to use.
Make your site user-friendly
Make it easy for your brand's website visitors to find what they're looking for. That means having a clear navigation, well-organized categories, and search functionality.
On your category pages, shoppers should be able to sort by things like rating, price, and recently added. And if you have a lot of products in a category, filters are essential so customers can find options that suit them. Consider adding filters like size, color, style, and features.
It should also be easy to find any policy information, like your returns and shipping policies, and contact information so shoppers can get in touch with customer service.
Adopt a mobile-ready design
Furthermore, every ecommerce site needs to be mobile-friendly. More than 50% of traffic comes from mobile devices in the US, and it's predicted that 44% of ecommerce purchases will be made on mobile devices by 2025. So if you're not thinking mobile-first when it comes to your ecommerce design, you're missing out on sales.
So, use a responsive site design that changes depending on the website visitor's screen size and orientation. Use large font sizes and buttons that will be easier to read and tap on mobile. And redesign your site menu for the mobile experience.
2. Optimize your site for conversions
When optimizing your site for conversions, it's important to consider the buying journey from beginning to end. Run a conversion rate optimization (CRO) audit on your website to make sure customers are taking action and update any aspect of your site that's not performing.
A few important places to focus are your homepage, product pages, and checkout page. You can (and should!) audit your entire site, but these are great places to start since they're essential to the purchase journey.
Home page
Your home page is where many customers first land, so it should be clear what your company does and easy to browse your product selection.
When running your audit, check that your navigation is clear and easy to use. And make sure calls-to-action (CTAs) are getting clicks.
Product pages
When it comes to product pages, ensure all the information a potential customer needs to purchase is there and that the product feels enticing.
That means using high-quality photos and videos, providing clear and concise product descriptions that focus on benefits, including customer ratings and reviews, and providing technical details like sizing and materials.
Checkout process
It's also important to make sure the buying process is as frictionless as possible, so you don't lose sales at the last minute.
That means providing a variety of payment options, ensuring that the checkout process is easy to navigate, and offering fast and reliable shipping. Any logistical information should be clear at checkout, too, so customers know when they'll receive their order.
3. Prioritize customer experience
If customers have a bad experience when visiting your online store, they're unlikely to make a purchase. Here are some tips for improving the customer experience and making shoppers more likely to purchase.
Adopt customer-centric policies
For customers to feel confident in their purchase, you need customer-centric policies.
Offer free returns or exchanges, free shipping, and a generous product guarantee. Then customers can try your products risk-free.
Provide excellent customer service
Bad customer service experiences can send customers, and their credit cards, straight to your competitors. So stop thinking of customer service as a cost center and start thinking of it as a customer engagement strategy.
Make it simple for customers to get in touch with any questions or concerns, whether by email, chat, text, phone, or social media. Contact information should be easy to find, and you can even include a contact widget so customers can get in touch anywhere on your website.
4. Focus on building relationships
Increasing sales isn't as simple as getting online shoppers to buy your products. Since many consumers won't buy from you in their initial interaction, you must first build relationships with potential customers to establish trust and develop a connection. Then, when they buy, they'll be more satisfied with their purchase because they're buying based on more than product features -- but value alignment too.
You can connect with your audience through social media, email, and SMS marketing. Use these channels to provide value beyond product promotions and stay top-of-mind when a customer is ready to purchase.
5. Develop a customer retention strategy
Acquiring new customers is important, but it's also crucial to focus on retaining your existing customers. Returning customers are more likely to increase their spending with each purchase, and they're often more valuable than new ones in the long run. That means you get more out of your initial spending on acquisition.
So start a loyalty program to incentivize repeat purchases. Offer rewards based on various actions like making a purchase, signing up for texts, posting on social media, or referring a friend. Then let customers redeem points for discounts or free products.
You can also offer even more perks for being a loyalty rewards member, like free shipping, early access to product launches, and exclusive sales.
6. Use social proof to your advantage
Social proof is valuable for increasing sales online. It shows browsers that other people are happy with your products.
Customer reviews
Include customer reviews on your product pages. Highlight the best ones to bring prospective customers over the line. And consider using reviews in ads, emails, and on social media.
You can encourage more reviews from customers by providing a discount or loyalty points.
Influencers and affiliates
Partnerships with influencers and affiliates are another form of social proof that can increase trust in your brand and drive more sales.
These individuals have an established following that trusts their product recommendations. So, partnering with those your target audience would connect with is a valuable form of promotion.
7. Optimize your site for search
Search engine optimization (SEO) gets your ecommerce website in front of potential customers. Making your site properly optimized for search engines can increase the likelihood of appearing in relevant search results, particularly for purchase-intent keywords, and drive more website traffic.
Start by researching keywords to understand what terms your target audience might use while searching. Then include those keywords throughout your website content, product titles and descriptions, and meta tags.
You can show up in even more searches by launching a blog that provides value to your target audience. For example, if you're a beauty brand, you could have a blog with skincare tips and makeup tutorials. This kind of content builds trust and brings readers one step closer to purchasing.
8. Increase brand awareness with paid ads
Paid advertising can increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, and increase sales.
When setting up a paid ad campaign, start by determining your target audience and defining your campaign goals. Then decide on the appropriate channels for reaching them, like search engines, social media, or display networks.
Consumers are unlikely to buy from one ad, so consider using a CTA to grab their email address or phone number so you can continue building the relationship.
You can also use retargeting ads to increase the likelihood of converting website visitors. These ads target individuals who have already visited your site, making them more likely to convert with a follow-up message.
9. Boost cart value with upsells and cross-sells
Upsells and cross-sells increase the value of each customer's cart by recommending similar products.
Upselling means suggesting a higher-priced or upgraded version of the product they're currently viewing. For example, if someone is browsing your basic cotton sheet sets, you might recommend your higher-grade eucalyptus sheets to keep them cooler.
Cross-selling involves recommending related products that complement their current selection. Taking our bed sheets example again, you could recommend pillow inserts to go along with the sheet set.
Include these suggestions on your product pages, in email and text marketing, and during the checkout process to boost cart value and sales.
Tie it all together with SMS
These strategies provide a solid foundation to increase online sales. But no one strategy will work magic on its own. Rather, it's necessary to use a variety of methods to reach your target audience and increase trust in your brand.
As you test out different strategies, you'll want to provide a seamless customer experience along the way. One way to tie your online marketing efforts together is with SMS marketing.
With text message marketing, you can get in touch with shoppers who have abandoned their carts, answer customer questions, recommend products, connect your loyalty program, and promote products and sales. SMS ties together the entire experience as a backbone to increase product sales.
Want to launch your own SMS marketing program? Emotive is a best-in-class SMS platform with automated two-way conversations, dynamic audience segments, and detailed analytics so you can see how text is impacting your business. In addition, white glove services help you define your text marketing strategy, write copy, optimize campaigns, and even respond to customer inquiries.
Learn more and try Emotive for free today.