When Sammy Gibson from Australia needed a customized neon sign for his daughter, he created a solution himself and then founded his company, Neon Poo
When Sammy Gibson from Australia needed a customized neon sign for his daughter, he created a solution himself and then founded his company, Neon Poodle.
Little did he know that the magic wand of e-commerce will one day help his business generate a whopping 232.14% increase in revenue.
Neon Poodle has expanded over three continents, making it the biggest e-commerce store in Australia within just three years.
You, too, might own a brick and mortar store that you wish to expand or have a variety of products you want to sell worldwide.
E-commerce can be your magic wand, as well.
Look at these e-commerce statistics to get an idea of how fast it is booming with every passing year.
- Statista revealed that e-commerce sales are projected to take over 13.7% of all retail sales globally.
- As per the Pew Research, nearly eight out of ten US citizens shop online.
- Statista’s announcement in 2018 revealed that Amazon’s net revenue that year stood at $232.28 billion, which made it the leading online retail company.
Along with these statistics, success stories like Neon Poodle and other such brands inspire other businesses to foray into the e-commerce arena.
But what tips they need to get a soaring success?
In the guide, we will elaborate on some must-do ways to scale your e-commerce brand. So let’s begin.
- A Tactical Sales Funnel
Firstly, focus on each part of your sales funnel and optimize it. A conversion funnel is like an enjoyable car ride that drives a customer to the destination via a smooth road.
For e-commerce, the funnel begins from the raw traffic, which includes everyone who views the product on your website with or without intention.
Customers go through the initial phase of awareness. Then comes the part of developing their interest such that they convert into leads. The funnel ends at the checkout button, which ensures a completed purchase.
To ace the topmost part of the funnel, traffic, you need to do in-depth research about your target audience. Once you determine who they are, it will be easier to target them with content that solves their issues and turn them into leads.
After procuring leads, you have to make them stay with persuasive copy, a good user experience, and attractive prices. If you nail this part of the funnel, it will take the lead to make a buying decision easily.
Purchase isn’t the end part, as you can convince the buyer to repeat purchases with retargeting strategies.
- A Mobile Responsive Website
Do you know Pew Research found that 51% of online shoppers use their smartphones to make a purchase?
You must focus on website development as a part of your e-commerce success strategy. Your website is your storefront. Therefore you need to design it to make the browsing and purchasing process easy for your buyers.
If most customers purchase with their phone, then not having a mobile-friendly website will push you behind your competitors, no matter if you have a better product than them.
Also, Insights from Think With Google show that 59% of smartphone users prefer to shop from brands with a mobile responsive website.
- SEO Optimization
SEO plays a crucial role in bringing targeted traffic to your site. Finding top keywords according to users’ search intent and infusing them into your product listings, website copy, and blog will help your website rank higher in search engine results.
For instance, a brand selling premium quality men’s underwear online can use relevant keywords on their product listing, including ‘comfort,’ ‘quality,’ ‘moisture-wicking property,’ or ‘durability’ of the fabric.
As these words target customers’ search intent, they will land on the brand’s website if optimization is done correctly.
It would be helpful to channel your efforts towards on-site optimization by ensuring a good user experience, internal linking, and social media integration.
Off-site optimization techniques include online reviewers linking back to your website.
- Building Trust With Customer Reviews
The Global Omni-Channel Consumer Shopping Research Report suggests that 69% of American online buyers expect customer reviews and 46% expect side by side product comparison on e-commerce websites.
Reviews are game-changers for any business, as people interested in buying look for them before deciding.
With honest reviews of satisfied customers, you can gain the trust of your future customers. Even responding promptly to a negative review and showing that you care will build confidence in your brand.
- A Well-Planned Social Media Strategy
Build your social media presence by announcing upcoming sales, new products, user reviews, and other content like product videos to scale your business and extend its reach.
According to Big Commerce statistics, e-commerce brands with a visible presence on social media can reap up to 32% more sales than brands who don’t use social media platforms.
They also reveal that as many as 30% of online buyers purchase something using a social networking site like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.
- Have A Proper Sales Forecast To Balance Demand and Supply
Nothing infuriates a customer more than the sign flashing “out of stock” on their favorite product listing.
Commercial and home appliances supplier McCombs Supply gives us goals to keep the demand and supply balanced. The secret to not having an imbalanced demand-supply is ‘McCombs’ forecasting system of demand.’
The forecast helps them order a large number of products even before the turn of the season.
So, build a good relationship with your distributors/suppliers to avoid any dispute that may result in a demand-supply gap that harms your reputation.
- Make Checkout Effortless
Shopping cart abandonment is a pet peeve of every e-commerce store owner!
But do you know the core reasons behind it? It is mostly undisclosed rates, a complicated checkout process, or the requirement to create an account.
Checkout should be easy and smooth even for anyone who hasn’t created an account. Be upfront with extra charges and hidden costs of any kind. Also, ensure that your keep form fields to a minimum.
Summing Up
To make a brand’s e-commerce platform a soaring success, a lot of factors count. If you own any such business or wish to guide someone who does, following the ways mentioned above will ensure progress.
E-commerce powered business is the need of the hour as the customers’ priorities take a shift. The majority is now turning towards online shopping and want a rejoicing experience.
This guide is meant to assist you in developing a plan of action for your e-commerce brand. Add more value to this blog by sharing your views on the topic, along with suggestions and your own experience regarding e-commerce selling.
