If you’ve been running an online store in the market for some time now, one of the biggest challenges you may be facing is its growth. Getting more customers, increasing its average ticket and increasing the buyback.
Sometimes, everything works technically great, your products are of quality and your after-sales service is impeccable, but your customers don’t arrive. Simply, because they have no idea you exist or that what you offer them fits what they are looking for.
There are several tactics that allow you to maximize your online store’s visibility and scale it. Here’s a review of Wholesale Ted that teaches some of these tactics.
And now, I’m going to show you 5 ideas to boost the sales of your online store (and grow your business into a successful one without having to spend all your hard-earned cash).
1) Make sure your online store is optimized
CMS such as Woocomerce or Shopify require version updates, themes, plugins, modules…
Having the latest stable versions of each of the elements will ensure the best functioning of the store and therefore a better shopping experience for users. Of course, I’m assuming your online store has a good navigation structure, that you’ve taken care of aesthetics, you’ve thought about the user experience and that your website isn’ outdated.
If not, you are already wasting time and money.
Your website is essential to convert visits into sales: a slow store, without different payment options, without an activated SSL security certificate that offers trust to users, without quality images that show the products well and its details, etc. will mean that, although users have come to your website, you won’t be able to convert those visits into sales.
2) Offer discounts and promotions
Discount coupons and deals are two of the most powerful marketing tools. Both Woocomerce and Shopify (the two most used platforms for online stores) have utilities by default, so you can take advantage of that and activate them.
And if what you are looking for is something more powerful or specific, there are countless plugins or additional modules to offer all kinds of offers, discounts, loyalty programs… 3×2 offers, discounts for purchases greater than a certain purchase amount, discount to use on their next purchase, offers on seasonal products, discounts on the customer’s birthday…
The list is endless!
3) Install a plugin or module for abandoned carts
There are people who have the wrong idea that, to increase sales, it’s cheaper to get more visits to your online store, than to improve the purchase processes. However, it’s easier and cheaper to improve the conversion rate of the visits we already receive.
There’s a high percentage of users who come to your website, start the purchase process but don’t finish it. These are what’s called abandoned carts: Purchases that don’t reach completion. The customer browses our website, selects products but doesn’t complete the purchase for some reason.
Analyzing these reasons would be a topic for another post, but if you have an online store it’s important for you to know that the possibility that these users end up buying is much greater than that of generating a new purchase by another user.
So let’s give them the push they need.
Install an abandoned cart module in your online store that will send them reminder emails telling them they haven’t completed their purchase. Make sure the email shows them what the content of their cart was, or at least provide them a link to access their cart and complete the purchase in an easy and convenient way.
4) Send mailings to your database
Your database is one of your greatest assets. Take advantage of it to offer your customers offers, new products, news from your online store … tell them what you can offer them, stay “connected with them”. This way you will get them to always keep you in mind when it comes the time to make a new purchase.
5) Suggest cross-selling products
Cross-selling is a selling technique based on product suggestion. While users are browsing your online store viewing a product, you can offer them other similar ones or suggest them to complement their purchases with other products.
This practice can increase the purchase ticket and retain customers (if a good cross-sale is made). But, remember:
It’s about offering products that enhance the customer experience so they can successfully complete their purchase, not about “placing” products on the customer.
Conclusion
The number of people with permanent internet access increases at the same rate as the demands of digital projects. What you learned in forums and tutorials isn’t enough to grow as an online store, especially when there are so many factors to take into account in the success or failure of an ecommerce business.
This isn’t the time to improvise. You don’t need to spend an absurd amount of money on techniques that will end up sinking your business. Use the tips on this list and make the most of them. It’s more useful to know your audience in depth, connect with their needs and expectations, and provide a service tailored to their interests.
