How to increase sales in an online store? The best ways!

Online stores have gained a lot of momentum, according to the E-commerce in Poland 2020 report, as many as 73% of Internet users have made an online purchase in their life. This trend is obviously rising, so e-commerce shops are springing up like mushrooms. There is also more and more competition in the industry, which is why it is getting increasingly harder to stand out from the crowd and reach your target group. However, there are several elements that can always be implemented or improved on to increase your e-shop sales.

Create a profile of the perfect customer

Before getting the store on its feet or making changes, it is worth bearing in mind the user who is going to make a purchase in the store. It is about creating a persona, i.e. a profile of the ideal customer representing your target group. Generally speaking, a persona is a set of features common to a certain group of consumers. When creating the perfect customer, pay attention to demographic characteristics, as well as his or her character, interests, shopping preferences, and even what brand he or she surrounds themselves with. Once you get to know your client, it will be much easier for you to direct the marketing message to them.

Place an emphasis on the aesthetic appearance of your store

A vast majority of the population are visual learners, which is why the appearance of your online store is extremely important. An attractive and simple form of an e-shop makes the potential customer linger instead of leaving it immediately upon entering. A very important element related to the appearance is constituted by responsiveness, i.e. the store’s or website’s ability to adapt to different screens. Research shows that 69% of consumers complete purchases using a smartphone. Therefore, don’t lose customers only because of a lack of functionality, which is simply a standard in today’s Internet world. Also, place an emphasis on good navigation – include product categories and subcategories, as well as filters so that the user is shown only the products they are looking for. The shopping process should be as simple as possible. Thanks to this, you will mitigate the risk of cart abandonment. Remember to secure your online store with an SSL certificate so that users are certain that their information doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. 

Advertising is the driving force behind trade – promote your store in Google Ads and social media

Now that your online store is ready, it’s time to promote it. Brands are more frequently leaning toward being present in social media, because it is the perfect place to enter into dialogue with stakeholders, as well as present their offer and educate recipients within the area of ​​their activity. Consumers often have to trust your brand first, which is why they observe you on social media. In addition to standard posts or social media coverage, you can create sponsored (paid) content.

In order to reach new customers, also use the opportunities offered by Google Ads. With this tool, you’re able to create several types of campaigns and test them to see which one brings the best results. When entering the keyword that the ad is targeted to, the user will see it first before seeing the organic results. Take a look at Google Shopping where you’ll be able to create product ads (photo, short description, price, link to the store) displayed on each page of search results after entering the key phrase. 

Don't forget about remarketing

Maintaining a regular customer is cheaper than acquiring a new one, so it is worth investing in remarketing (paid advertising, email marketing and web push notifications). Moreover, remarketing also allows you to reach consumers who simply visited your store. Just because they didn’t buy anything doesn’t mean they won’t do it in the future. That is why it is worth reminding users about your products. To do this, observe the behavior of consumers in the online store to offer them personalized items. Remember to regularly update your remarketing list.

Content marketing on your blog – offer valuable content

Valuable content cannot be missing from your marketing strategy. It’s what will assist you in optimizing the store for various keywords related to your industry and products. On top of that, content that further educates customers paints you as a professional and even an enthusiast, which increases customer loyalty and trust in your brand. You can post content related to your product on your company’s blog. Do you sell furniture? Share new trends in interior design. Tell people what to look for when choosing a specific piece of furniture. You can also write about different styles of decor and show furniture from your offer that matches the current trends. Remember that consumers often first and foremost search the web for information on various topics, so they may come across your blog. If the content they find draws their attention enough perhaps they’ll go ahead and make a purchase in your shop.

Newsletter and loyalty program

Email Marketing is a very good idea to boost sales in an e-shop. Through emailing you can remind your customers about yourself and offer them various deals or discounts. For the subscription itself, you can offer a discount on your first purchase. You can even offer a discount for merely joining the newsletter. Remember that a loyalty program attracts new customers, builds brand loyalty, and increases consumer engagement, as well as encourages positive reviews. In communicating with club members it’s also worth using Text messages in which you can include a special discount and offer only for a selected group of customers.

Correct product descriptions to position your store in the search engine

Check your product descriptions. Customers very often complain that the purchased goods are not as described in the online store. Content marketing is also useful here, as it additionally optimizes products in terms of SEO. Long, well-prepared product descriptions have a positive effect on visibility in search results. Write in the language of benefits while dispelling any consumer doubts. Also, make sure to have good-quality photos of your products. You can also use videos to best display the items you sell.

Collect and show off reviews

Did you know that 97% of consumers check the ratings and reviews of the company whose products or services they’re about to use? That is why it is so important to keep getting feedback from clients. A large number of positive opinions can convince a potential customer when he or she is hesitating whether to choose your store or the competition. For this reason, it is also worth responding to all comments, especially the negative ones. Quick and appropriate response shows that you care about the opinion of your customers and that you’re constantly improving your offer. In addition to collecting reviews on various opinion-forming portals, you should brag about them. For this purpose, you can use social media profiles. You can even share a private message from a satisfied customer, but make sure to ask them for their consent first. 

Recover abandoned carts and increase sales

Sometimes a customer may add a product to their cart and even start to complete their purchase, but ends up leaving your store for some reason. However, not all is lost! If you have that customer's email address, you can remind them of their unfinished purchases or ask why they didn't complete them. This way, you can learn how to improve your sales process so as not to lose customers. Of course, it may also be the case that after such an email the customer will return to the store and make a purchase. To further motivate the customer to return, offer him or her a discount or free delivery. It’s a very good idea to use web push notifications that the consumer may receive even while browsing the competition's offer.

Make sure delivery time, return policy and various payment options are on point 

Consumers don’t like to pay extra, so free and fast shipping can very often convince them to buy in a given online store. If you cannot afford free shipping on every purchase, introduce a lower price limit to make your customers eligible for free shipping. Customers prefer to buy more than pay extra for delivery. Consumers often check the return and complaint policy. If you offer free returns, they'll be more likely to use your offer because they'll be sure that they can return the product with no hassle. Online shoppers often give up buying because they don't see their preferred payment option, so make sure to include as many of them as possible to avoid losing customers.

Use cross-selling, upselling and a sense of urgency to increase conversion

Cross-selling involves suggesting matching products, e.g. accessories, during the shopping process. Suppose you run a clothing store and a customer has added pants to their cart. You can suggest other products they may need, e.g. a belt. Whereas upselling means offering goods of a higher standard. Based on the example above, when a customer views or adds pants to their cart, you can offer them a more expensive model, but made of a better material. Both types of sales are good tactics to increase your store's profits. The sense of urgency, on the other hand, is making the customer concerned that they may lose a product, discount, or free delivery. You can use this tactic, for example, by showing a limited number of products in stock or the elapsing time of the opportunity to take advantage of a more attractive price.

Let users contact you via Livechat

Livechat speeds up communication between the store and the customer. It is also the way of contact that customers prefer the most. If a potential client may have doubts about the selection of the right product for him or herself, it is worth giving them the opportunity to use the help of a chat adviser. Livechat will prevent customers from sending too many emails or calling the store with every petty matter. Emailing or calling is also another additional activity for them that they simply do not have time for. Live chat reduces the wait time for a response. In addition, the answers to the simplest questions can be automated by introducing chatbots, so very often the adviser won’t even have to type a single word.

Increase sales in an online store – summary

The increase in sales in your online store depends on the actions you take. Check again what to look out for:

1. Ideal customer profile.
2. Aesthetic appearance, store’s responsiveness and a security certificate.
3. Advertising and remarketing activities.
4. Content marketing and SEO.
5. Newsletter and loyalty programs.
6. Customer opinions and recommendations.
7. Recovering abandoned carts.
8. Delivery times, return policy and various payment options.
9. Cross-selling, upselling and a sense of urgency.
10. Livechat and chatbot.

You already know what to do to make consumers want to buy your products more often, now put your knowledge to concrete action.