In an age where brick-and-mortar stores are struggling to compete with online retail, eCommerce has become a major player in the market. Optimizing eCommerce sales should be at the forefront of any business’s to-do list, seeing as online sales are outpacing physical stores.

The online eCommerce environment has become incredibly crowded, with big digital retailers like
Amazon taking up large shares of the market.
However, by focusing on certain key aspects of your online store, you can build a more competitive
business. Implementing five key concepts can help you in e-commerce optimization and boost your success in the online marketplace.

Loyalty Programs

• Loyalty programs are a simple and straightforward way to build brand engagement and boost online sales. By having site visitors sign up for a points or tier program, you can not only have a contact list of names and emails to reach out to with promotions and content but also derive other benefits.
• A set of purchases tied to user identity can be incredibly useful, giving you data to determine to buy patterns. A user logged in through a loyalty program can also provide data on which products they view and what they look at but decide not to buy. This sort of “ghost data” can help you see what products could be redesigned or repriced to increase the rate of closure.
• But the primary reason for starting a loyalty program is to drive more sales. By offering incentives like free shipping, percentages off, and even small bonus gifts, you can convince consumers to spend more and buy more frequently than they otherwise would.
  These loyalty program incentives more than pay for themselves in the increased revenue they lead to and are a must for any company looking to optimize eCommerce.

• User Experience

This one may seem obvious:  make it as painless as possible to buy, and people are more likely to.
As obvious as aiming for a good user experience should be, many businesses don’t consider all the
factors in play and the magnitude of effects they can have. Not only does a good experience lead to more sales, but it can also be a way to set yourself apart from other eCommerce sites with similar products but a worse interface.

• Speed is a major issue, especially for mobile optimization and the modern attention span. Two extra seconds of loading time can lead to a 17% increase in people abandoning their online shopping carts.
• Make sure to test your website’s speed on both desktop and mobile browsers, and determine whether it’s worth it to pay for higher hosting speeds or a different platform.
  Ensuring a good user experience also comes down to offering options like quick guest checkout (with an option to create an account later), retaining a cart when the page is refreshed or accessed later, and simple and clean navigation around the site. Weigh the cost of improvements in all of these areas against the potential gains in sales, and you’ll see that it’s worth it to invest in user experience.

• Basket Abandonment

• To get a little more specific, basket abandonment is actually a key problem that, if solved, can boost your sales greatly.
• You’re much more likely to sell to a customer who’s already added to their cart but left, than to someone who’s just visiting your site. By using cookies and tracking, you can send targeted emails to people who have left an empty cart reminding them to check out.
  Another cart-related strategy to optimize your eCommerce returns is to have a constant push
  notification or reminder that the cart has items in it. This will leave the customer more invested and more likely to take the actual step of completing a purchase, which is the main goal.

• The Human Touch

You’re selling to real people; try using real people in your advertising.
Good photos are crucial to selling your products online. Instead of simply including a picture of a shirt, accessory, etc, try hiring a real person to model the article for you.

• Promo models are not hard to find and will give your online marketplace a more personable experience.
• In 2019, the focus is on the consumer, not the product or the company. By including people in your messaging, consumers can see themselves in your product better and feel a closer connection to what you’re selling.
• Another option is using brand ambassadors to lead traffic to your eCommerce site. By partnering with people who have a large social media following, you can direct people straight to your platform with integrated social media purchasing links, bypassing the potential competition.

• Flash Sales

Lastly, a tried and true way to e-commerce optimization productivity is to utilize flash sales.
Sending emails about sales that are limited time or only open to a certain number of people builds
pressure to buy. You can also integrate sales into banners on your website itself.
When people don’t have a timeline to buy something, they may keep putting it off and never get around
to it.

• A flash sale can change that, offering a better deal that needs to be acted on immediately.
• Flash sales can take the form of dated sales, timers and countdowns, or even single-day sales.
• Use them to lead to a higher closure rate and to offload products that aren’t being purchased at their regular price.

FIND: REASON TO OUTSOURCE DIGITAL MARKETING SERVICES

Conclusion

• With eCommerce marketplaces surpassing physical stores at every turn, every business has to get good at digital.

• Online stores are no longer a bonus experience, they’re a mainstay.

• By utilizing loyalty programs effectively, you can both analyze more customer data and boost sales at the same time.

• Faster and more enjoyable user experience can help you beat out the competition, and a focus on fixing basket abandonment has been shown to be an incredibly effective way to increase revenue.

• Lastly, giving your site a human touch by using promo models and social media influencers, as well as putting pressure on consumers to buy using flash sales can contribute to eCommerce success.

• Of course, there are plenty of other factors to consider when trying to e-commerce optimization for the platform, but these five big ideas are the place to start.

• For more tips on eCommerce and other digital marketing topics, check out Nimap Infotech’s website and facebook page!