5 ideas for increasing sales in your online shop, Monogo E-commerce News, 66
More sales through retention
The first thing that comes to many people's minds is more customers. More customers means more potential people who will put something in their basket and proceed to the checkout. This is true, but there are consequences associated with this approach.
These consequences include the cost of customer acquisition. For each business it will be a tad different, but it always occurs. For example, on average, a click on FB in some industries costs as much as $1.5. For others, it may be $0.5.
This cost can be optimised, but there is a better solution. Take care of the customers who are already in your base, who have already bought something. Such retention is a great way to increase sales.
Sales on your customers can be increased in many dimensions. We are talking about increased frequency of purchase, or an increased basket. This increased frequency can be achieved through communication. By sending newsletters or text messages to your customer base, you will certainly motivate some of them to return and at least take a look at your new offer.
And it doesn't necessarily have to be just a new offer. By creating the right segmentation (e.g. those hunting for promotions, brand/store ambassadors, those interested in new products), you can send out different messages when something new comes along.
And something new is always emerging. You are constantly working on new offers, promotions and opportunities to appreciate regular customers.
The second way is to increase the average basket value. Here I suggest that you also analyse in different segments. Sets, other customers have also bought - these are just examples of what on the shopping cart or in the form of a popup you can suggest to the customer.
Even a few percent increase in the long term can translate into healthy growth leading to the development of your shop.
Increasing ecommerce sales through content
Retention is the way to go for existing customers. And lest it be said, I am not against acquiring new customers. On the contrary, I always strongly encourage you to look for ways to bring in new buyers.
This influx can be achieved by buying adverts and this should be done. However, one effective way is to create a content marketing strategy. With this strategy, after a while, customers will start coming from search engines and other sources where content will be published.
The publications will become clear over time and very relevant to the customers' tastes. Strategy including:
- content architecture,
- topic segmentation,
- SEO for each topic,
- visual (or audio-visual) design,
- publication calendar
It will make everything clear and logical, even if today, now it sounds a bit surreal.
Lately, I feel like I've been writing about content every week. This is not because of my predilection, but because of a pragmatic analysis of what works. Content works. Full stop.
SEO
Speaking of content, it's worth mentioning SEO. When you write you will see in the analytics what phrases a new customer is coming from. These phrases will help you build your knowledge base (likes for your offer and keywords). If you didn't take care of SEO at the beginning, nothing is lost!
Of course, this opinion is a tad controversial. Especially when you talk to SEO experts. And it is indeed the case that it would be best to prepare everything for yourself at the beginning. Only at the beginning, when data is missing, it is hard to find answers to the questions an SEO agency is bound to ask.
Regardless of when you decide on SEO measures, they are necessary. They will ensure that the content you create maximises the potential of pulling traffic to your ecommerce site.
At its core, SEO will boil down to a checklist and analytical work when creating new content. You implement the checklist technically so that each subpage is compliant with the requirements and recommendations of the search engines. The analytical work will tell you exactly what keywords to use in an article.
Brand Story Telling
Having the fuel for action, in the form of a process to improve effectiveness among existing customers, is on the one hand. And on the other hand, marketing activities, particularly content creation and systematically increasing the new customer base, it is worth asking yourself an important question.
Do the customers who buy from you buy because they like your shop, or do they buy because they need your products to cope with the worries of everyday life. In other words, they want a good experience in their everyday life. A minor point, for B2B the case is a little different, but that's a topic for another week.
Brand story telling is a way of building an image based on experiences. Understanding that customers are interested in life, in what makes them happy, and the means to achieve this is through the product they can buy from you in the shop. There are quite a few examples, but let me not list them here but refer you to another article on the platform Medium.
A good Customer Journey will increase sales
With these 4 points above either in full or in full, one cannot conclude without a few words about the Customer Journey. What do we get from great content and great SEO, what do we get from a good brand story when the customer path is poor. When there is no buyer persona?
Since I created the Customer Experience department at Monogo, I have fully discovered what potential there is in taking care of how a customer interacts with a company. Previously, I had only intuited. What's more, this seems to be the most difficult point. Everything else (or almost everything) can be encapsulated in a controlled environment.
Customer Experience, on the other hand, is at all levels, vertically cutting across the entire organisation. From the Board of Directors to the person who answers the phone on the helpline. Getting into building an upscale, best-in-class customer journey requires courage and maturity. You can't let go of this subject when you're serious about growth.
And why?
Because the customer is always right in where they leave their money.