There are over 25 million eCommerce sites worldwide and it is estimated that the business will be worth $4.5 trillion by 2021. In the face of such awesome figures it is perhaps understandable that the task of reaching potential customers can seem insurmountable; whatever it is that you market, there is just so much competition. The reality is of course that there are plenty of customers to go around. The problem for the retailer is not a shortage of potential customers, it’s getting in touch with them. There are two parts to the problem, firstly, getting potential customers to your site and secondly, converting those visits into sales.
Social media
Understanding how to use social media to promote a product and acquire customers is an essential skill for any serious eCommerce trader. This is never going to be just a one-off acquisition of a set of skills, you are going to have to evolve with the media and that evolution is going to be rapid and it’s going to be diverse, so you had better get used to it.
Geotagging
Set up geotagging on your Facebook Business page so that when someone checks in, all their friends will see. The average Facebook user has 100 friends.
Contact forms
Create a contact form or email subscriber form. Keep it as simple as possible, no one wants to fill out lots of fields. Offer some sort of freebie to encourage people to give you their contact details, this could be an infographic, a discount code, an eBook or entry to a lottery. Create images or videos for Instagram and Pinterest and then add a clickable link through to a contact form on your bio. You don’t need a huge social media following or a presence on every platform, you just need to ensure that your social media content is continually attractive to your potential customers.
Influencers
Influencers are social media experts, so if their audience are your potential customers it makes sense to get them promoting your product.
Aggregate or Affiliate marketing
This is where one company brings together many brands in order to market them more effectively. For example, on glasses.com you can find all the leading glasses brands, and on watches.com you can find a selection of watch brands. Traffic is directed to your site and in return you pay a percentage.
Make your website easy to use
It is crucial that your website is visually appealing and that it is easy to use. Design should be consistent from page to page and customers should be able to search categories without confusion. Every clickable image should have ALT text so that it is clear what the link is. Well over half online shopping is conducted through mobiles, make sure your site is responsive to them. Competitions and discounts are a way of engaging browsers, getting them to linger and getting them to commit to that all important first purchase.
