eCommerce Marketing Strategy Workshop

Recently I was invited to present on the topic of Marketing Strategy in eCommerce, and as a marketer who is an avid online shopper, I was both honoured and excited!

The first step in marketing your eCommerce business is the acquisition component - getting people to your website. The old adage of 'build it and they will come' really doesn't apply to online stores; you need to let your people know that you're there, and to do that most effectively, it really helps to identify your target audiences. If you create avatars for them, it helps us to understand where we can find them (i.e. which social media channels), how they might like to be communicated with, what type of content they'll need, and so on.

Given that only 3.3% of website visitors convert into a paid purchase, we also need to focus some of our eCommerce marketing attention on ways that we can increase conversion. This can be done through:

• A website design that is clear, free of clutter, and gives the user what they need
• Simple menu structure, strong search functionality and good filters
• Devising offers - did you know that retailers that published coupons on their eCommerce stores saw 26% higher average order values from their customers??
• Solid information - Good FAQs, well-written product descriptions, clear returns process.
• Excellent product photography - video is even better!
• Clear and simple to understand shipping fees.
• Customer reviews.
• Simple & effortless checkout options, including Guest Checkouts
• Remarketing ads through Facebook or Instagram - website visitors who are retargeted as 70% more likely to convert on a website!

And then beyond that initial transaction, we need to give some thought to fostering an ongoing relationship with our customers so they keep coming back for more (retention), and they continue to act as brand advocates.

Here are the slides we went through on the day:

If you'd like any help with your marketing strategy, or knowing which recommendations are best suited to your eCommerce business - please just get in touch via the Contact page.