eCommerce has grown increasingly popular among consumers over the years. Around 65% of the world is expected to have made at least one online purchase by 2021. While the upward trend of eCommerce has been inevitable for some time, 2020 has been the biggest game-changer so far. With people continuing to stay-at-home more through the pandemic, more consumers have relied on eCommerce than ever before. In order for businesses to keep up with the demand, meet consumers' needs, and remain competitive, it's necessary to build a specific eCommerce strategy. In this blog post, we will help you develop an effective eComm strategy for your brand.
Understand Your Target Audience
You won't be able to effectively advertise to your audience unless you know exactly who your audience is. Consider the demographics of your ideal target audience. Ask yourself questions that you can answer as you conduct audience research: What are their viewing and browsing habits? What is their buying power and average budget?
You should also consider where and when you can reach them, whether they hang out on social media platforms, or spend more time in online stores. If you can gain a deep understanding of your audience, you can more effectively appeal to their wants and needs.
Begin with the Consumer Experience in Mind
Your eCommerce strategy needs to be customer-centric if you want it to succeed. Consider what your audience expects from their ideal eCommerce experience. Think about what specifically will grab and hold their attention as well as what might turn them away.
Ultimately, you'll want to ensure that all of the elements of your strategy are developed and implemented with the user experience in mind. Otherwise, prospects are likely to avoid you well before making an order.
For example, your online storefront needs to be easy for users to navigate. People should be able to find the appropriate product categories, along with the specific details about each product. From there, completing an order should be straightforward, with streamlined shopping cart and checkout processes that aren't obstructive to the shopping experience.
You also need to account for mobile shoppers' experience. If your eCommerce site isn't intuitive and mobile-responsive, this could be hugely detrimental. One study found that mobile devices see a higher rate of abandoned shopping carts than any other device, with a staggering 85.65% average abandonment rate. The main reason for this was inferior user experience.
Create Responsive Marketing Materials
In addition to a mobile-optimized and generally user-friendly shopping experience, your marketing materials should also be responsive. Make sure all of your ads and other marketing content are consistent across all devices. Otherwise, people may not trust your brand and even consider making a purchase from you. As such, the key to starting prospects along the buyer's journey is to maintain a seamless experience with your marketing campaigns.
Don't underestimate the power of responsiveness. Google Responsive Search Ads alone have a 5 to 15% higher click-through rate compared to standard ads.
Offer Helpful Content
You can't expect to increase eCommerce sales by simply promoting your products and services. Consumers want content that adds value of some kind.
While marketing your offerings can help boost sales, you need to produce and push other types of content that consumers will find helpful. In the process, they will come to trust your brand for the value it brings to them.
Some content to consider producing may include:
- How-to guides
- Videos
- Directions and instructions
- Tips and tricks
Creating and sharing helpful content can be the step needed to start people on the buyer's journey.
For example, you might have a store that sells home painting supplies. A prospect in your target audience might be looking for a guide about how to complete a DIY painting project at home. At this point, they may find an article on your blog that details how to paint their home's exterior. From there, they may begin their search for specific painting products with your brand in mind. They may not be interested in making a purchase at that time, or they may even abandon their shopping carts just as they're about to complete a purchase. However, while browsing other websites on their smartphone, the power of mobile-responsive retargeting ads may eventually bring them back when they're ready to buy.
Work with a Digital Agency
If you want to get the best results from your eCommerce advertising strategies, working with a digital media agency can be the key. An experienced digital media agency will have the knowledge and experience needed to develop an effective custom strategy. They can also work with you to determine what works and what doesn't to fully optimize your campaigns.
When advertising eCommerce businesses, digital media agencies are there to make sure it's done right.
Develop a Full-Fledged Custom eCommerce Strategy to Stand Out
To stay competitive in 2020 and beyond as an eCommerce business, it's important to harness the power of a custom eCommerce strategy. By developing comprehensive advertising campaigns with the help of a digital media agency, you can stand apart from competitors and appeal to consumers. As a result, you'll be able to stay ahead and maximize the profitability of your marketing efforts.
