The products you’re selling in your online store are among the best of the best. But e-commerce success requires more than high-quality products that solve your customers’ problems — you need to stand out from the competition. And to do so, you need to employ sales strategies that close the gap between you and your customer. Here are three to try.
1. Banish Abandoned Carts
If there’s one thing that technology has revealed, it’s that the human attention span isn’t much better than a goldfish’s. Add the near-instant gratification of digital devices, and holding your customers’ attention is harder than ever.
More often than not, people begin a shopping quest and fail to execute it during the same session. A quick search for a recent product recommendation while standing in line at the bank gets cut short once the wait is over. Now, their search is in a holding pattern until they get to their desktop or remember days later, if ever.
In the beginning of a product search, users will feel the momentum and excitement of discovery. But after hitting “add to cart” several times, things can fizzle out. Whether it’s sticker shock or the demands of life keeping consumers from coming back, abandoned shopping carts mean massive revenue loss. However, retention marketing strategies can regain your customers’ attention and lead to finalized sales.
Consider your customer whose wait for a teller was made bearable through a little online shopping. Once their time in line was finished, so too was their shopping session. Instead of allowing their cart to linger in a forgotten tab, use retention marketing to nudge them to re-engage. By tracking activity across devices, you can incite a friction-free shopping experience and appear wherever your customers are. Integrate seamlessly within your shoppers’ natural search behaviors, and you can reclaim five to 10 times your abandoned cart rate.
2. Let Content Confirm Your Product’s Value
Your product descriptions have been perfected. And your customer reviews are nothing but glowing. But if your site isn’t ranking high in organic search, there’s no way anyone will know.
That’s where content strategy comes into play. Beyond blog posts, content marketing using search engine optimization techniques helps you create more authority on the web. The more frequently your site is mentioned on or linked from reputable sites, the higher you’ll rank in organic search.
For example, say your e-commerce site specializes in simplifying hot tub ownership and maintenance. An unexpected adventure in chemistry, spa maintenance can quickly overwhelm new hot tub owners. Luckily, your expertise in hot tub care and top-notch selection of products makes it easy. As hot tub owners search online for answers, troubleshooting tips, and more, you have an opportunity.
Draft a list of blog content to create and post on your site, making it available as a resource to everyone. Use this content to generate interest online through social media posts and promoted ads. Publish guest posts on reputable third-party sites, embedding specific keywords and links to bring readers back to your site and improve your SEO. By offering helpful and actionable advice along with quality products, you’ll increase sales and build trust along the way.
3. Use Personalized Upselling to Maximize Existing Customer Relationships
We all have our go-to products. And after years of use and reliable results, it can be a big ask to deviate from the norm. But for the customers you’ve already earned, half of the work is already done for you.
The old saying “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” holds true. The customer you’ve already sold to is incredibly valuable. They have an awareness of your brand and its products, and you already have a direct way to connect with them. But selling to them requires more than just adding them to your email marketing list. Relevant, targeted campaigns that suggest specific products and solutions will yield the best results.
Use existing customer data to build your upsell strategy while augmenting it over time. Use traceable online actions to enhance your CRM database to make your targeting that much more effective. If your database already holds your customer’s birthday, use that as a jumping-off point for some reasonable assumptions.
If your e-commerce site sells loose leaf herbal teas, upsell your 40-year-old customer with tailored suggestions. Send an email promoting caffeine-free blends to enjoy while winding down after a long day at work. Include a “buy-now” button in the email along with suggestions of products customers like them have purchased. Offer quantity discounts and free shipping for additional items, further strengthening your upsell pitch and value.
Testing New Strategies for Impact
Trying new sales strategies can feel like taking a shot in the dark, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Instead of launching a full-blown campaign, start by piloting a sales technique that best fits your business. Select a target group of customers for experimentation, using criteria that relate to your chosen strategy. Then build a campaign with periodic milestones and data-gathering opportunities.
As you monitor your campaign, check each tactic’s effectiveness and adjust your plan accordingly. Share your results with your team to determine whether expanding or shelving it is the right call. Over time, you’ll fine-tune your new e-commerce sales strategies, boost revenue, and earn more happy customers.
