We’ve all purchased from an online store at one point in our lives. And let’s admit, we love online shopping because it’s faster, cheaper, and more convenient. And with the booming eCommerce industry expected to spike its sales to $600 billion by 2024, this trend is not dying down anytime soon. If you want a piece of this exciting venture, here are 10 digital marketing for eCommerce tips for surviving in a fierce competition. But first, here’s a rundown of why eCommerce marketing is vital to your online business’s success. 

 

Why Ecommerce Digital Marketing is Important 

Simply put, for an eCommerce business to thrive, digital marketing is non-negotiable and should be strategized from the get-go. Although you can advertise your eCommerce business offline, entrepreneurs and marketers find online marketing works well with their audience. Here’s why:

 

Lets customers engage with your digital ads directly

Compared to print media advertising, your online audience can interact with your ads directly. Putting the right strategies means leading your audience to your website in one click of a mouse.

 

Targets audience

Contrary to the extensive random reach of outdoor advertising, online marketing has a more targeted approach. Analytics and targeting features enable marketers to get to know their audience in terms of demographics and psychographics. 

 

Cost-efficient

Digital marketing for online businesses comes out cheaper than other conventional advertising. This is because marketers can control their budgets and leverage well-performing ads. For instance, Facebook’s Campaign Budget Optimization allows advertisers to set a budget and automatically spends it on ads that are faring well. 

 

Trackable and measurable results 

Since entrepreneurs and marketers can track and measure their ads’ results, they can easily change course when needed. Through analytics, they can find out which ads are increasing website traffic and which ones aren’t adding up to conversions. This gives marketers a clearer path of where they want to take their marketing approach next. 

 

10 Digital Marketing for Ecommerce Tips

For an advertiser to whip up the most effective digital ad and marketing design, resources are needed. Here are the four must-haves before creating online advertisements:

• Manpower. Marketers would need to work with creatives like graphic designers to develop marketing designs that cut through the noise.
• Budget. Advertisers need to set aside an online marketing budget. For example, if they’re looking at costs per click on Facebook, the average would be around $0.27 per click. 
• Time. Entrepreneurs and marketers should give themselves time when dealing with digital ads. A lot of trial-and-error processes are inevitable, and it takes time to finally figure out the ads that work. 
• Skills. Online advertisers need proper skills to know the industry benchmarks. This is so they can implement the right strategies and use the right tools.

In the meantime, here are 10 eCommerce marketing tips regardless of the online industry type:

 

1. Leverage User-Generated Content

Did you know that Goodreads received about 90 million user-generated book reviews on their site from 2012 to 2019? This is a staggering number that brings exposure to artists and the Goodreads site overall.

User-generated content entails letting your customers promote your business online for free. You can do this by organizing online giveaways, competitions, or making viral hashtags. 

 

2. Word-of-mouth Marketing

Getting customers is hard, let alone retaining them. When you want to gain loyal patrons, make sure you make their experience worthwhile. Loyal customers can up your profits by 75 percent, so make sure you keep them talking. Sephora launched a birthday freebie campaign that surely got cosmetic fanatics buzzing!

 

3. Personalize

Personalization could set you apart from the competition. From your Facebook Ads down to your newsletters, putting a personal touch appeals to audiences. And we surely can’t get enough of how Sephora knows how to play this game. For their email campaign, they gave their regular customers a 20-percent off, while addressing them by their first names.

 

4. Create Loyalty and Rewards Programs

One foolproof way of getting repeat customers is to create loyalty and rewards programs. This is a win-win strategy that benefits both your business and customers. Take a cue from Starbucks’ Rewards program that lets consumers redeem free food, drinks, and items. The esteemed coffee chain says this program increases its US sales by 41 percent.

 

5. Upsell Products and Services

There’s a reason why McDonald’s had supersized menu options, and that’s because it helps drive sales. And digital marketing for eCommerce should do the same. Upsell your products and services to prospects. However, ensure that what you’re upselling is related to the product on offer and the price range is reasonable. Here’s Spotify’s way of getting more music lovers to pay for a Premium account. 

 

6. Use Live Chat

While your eCommerce store won’t be able to greet every visitor with a warm welcome, live chat can at least make it easier for them. Integrate a live chat feature so you can assist those prospects who have inquiries about your products or services. 

 

7. Boast Testimonials, Reviews, Case Studies, and Ratings

Social proof adds to brand trust and credibility. And eCommerce brands should take advantage of social proof like reviews and testimonials not only to ease worried customers’ minds but also to drive conversions. Did you know that 92 percent of customers read a review first before purchasing online? Check out how POO~POURRI made use of a slideshow boasting customer reviews and testimonials. 

 

8. Create an Email Recovery Campaign

Abandoned carts are an eCommerce entrepreneur’s worst nightmare. An online shopper may abandon a cart due to many reasons. A few reasons are expensive shipping fee, no free returns, unsecure websites, slow delivery timelines, and more. Check out this chart with top online shopping motivators. Online brands should make the shopping experience seamless and offer at least a couple of these motivators. 

Next is to create an email recovery program to try to get the customers to proceed to their charts. This is vital as 69.23 percent of online shopping carts are abandoned. 

 

9. Improve Email Campaigns

One way to boost your conversion is through email campaigns. Since you’re sending emails to prospects directly, make each email count. First, create compelling email titles to make them click. Second, ensure that emails are highly-visual. Lastly, make sure to give them an offer they can’t resist. 

 

10. Referral Programs 

Referral programs work like a charm. Akin to word-of-mouth advertising, referral marketing validates your customers’ affinity toward your brand. It also does a bang-up job in gaining repeat customers. Here’s Gilt’s Refer-a-Friend program offering a 25-dollar reward. Plus, the use of technology by allowing the invites via QR code is a brilliant tactic!