First Time Ecommerce Owner: 4 Ways To Gain Traction And Boost Sales

If you’ve ever run an eCommerce website, things may get really confusing fast. Here’s 4 simple ways to get more exposure and boost your sales numbers.

By the year 2040, it’s estimated that 95% of all purchases will be through eCommerce, so there’s no better time to become an eCommerce owner and make online sales an integral part of your strategy.

If you’ve never set up a website before, never mind an eCommerce site, you might be wondering where to start and what’s important. In this article we explain tips for running an eCommerce site to help you achieve your sales targets.

1. A Beautiful Site

User experience is crucial when it comes to success on your eCommerce site, which is all down to a simple layout, clear content and of course, great design. The world of design is moving quickly, so check out the latest design trends when creating your site to ensure you can catch the eye of potential customers.

Clarity is key. Make it easy for your users to navigate to different areas of the website, with a clear menu and simple language. Statistics tell us that 25% abandon shopping carts because the website was too difficult to navigate, so don’t allow this to put off potential customers.

As well as ensuring a clear journey through your site, product information is just as important to hook in your customers. Item descriptions should be well thought out, accompanied by high quality photos or examples of the product.

If you want people to stay on your site, and keep coming back, remember that a good experience = customer retention.

2. Try Interactive Content

70% of marketers say that interactive content is effective at converting site visitors. If you need an extra push to get your customers over the line, consider implementing content like quizzes, videos and assessments to help push your site visitors down the funnel.

Interactive quizzes might be the easiest way to add some engagement to your eCommerce website. Incorporating some fun, or ‘gamification’ is a great way to provide information to potential customers about your products, whilst entertaining them and keeping them on your site for longer.

A good example of this is a quiz. The basic concept relies on the quiz taker answering a series of questions, where the result provides an outcome page that points them to your products, explaining to them why they need to purchase it on the way.

When it comes to shopping, most of us appreciate a helping hand, or a nudge in the right direction. 80% of shoppers are more likely to buy from a company that offers personalized experiences.

Give your website visitors a ‘personal shopping’ experience with a quiz that can help highlight products especially for them based on their quiz responses.

A few examples of this could be “What’s your party style?” on an events supply store website, with the outcomes providing themes based on products that they sell, such as ‘safari’, or ‘superhero’. A site specializing in technology could use a quiz to find out requirements from potential customers, to provide them with a product recommendation based on their responses.

3. Don’t overlook the power of social media

It’s not just the content on your website that’s going to win sales, it’s about getting people there in the first place. Social media is a great way for people to discover your business, as well as reminding existing followers of why they should come back.

We know that online stores with a social media presence have an average of 32% more sales than those that don’t. If you aren’t active on social media yet, then what are you waiting for?

Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are all highly active channels, great for building a community and promoting your products. Depending on your audience, LinkedIn might be another option, or if you’re trying to attract Gen Z, consider the growing app TikTok. 

What does ‘getting it right’ mean?

Showcase your products, with clear links through to your website for purchase. Instagram (and parent company Facebook) are making this even easier with pop-over information on images when you link your online store to your page.

Post frequently to keep your brand top of mind for your followers. Regular posts are favoured by algorithms and searches, so your content is more likely to be seen. It also adds credibility to your ecommerce site, as it’s clear there’s someone behind the scenes keeping things going.

Use your social media channels as a way for people to get to know your brand. Determine a clear tone of voice, and highlight your strengths. Share content from outside of your company to show what you support and what you’re interested in. Just like the importance of posting regularly, a human voice adds credibility to your business.

4. Draw people back with email

As well as social media, email is a great way to connect with potential customers. 61% of consumers prefer to be contacted by brands via email and 60% of consumers say they’ve made a purchase as the result of an email marketing message they received.

One of the ways you can encourage people to hand over their email address is by adding website popups within pages of your website to sign up to your mailing list. To make this even more compelling, this could come with a special offer, such as a discount code for future purchases.

Marketing emails can be used to highlight new products, make your mailing lists aware of upcoming sales, or to send a monthly or weekly newsletter with a round-up of products that might be of interest. You can also highlight events, or content such as your blog.

An impressive 82% of marketers have reported an increase in open rates through email personalization, so pay close attention to the behavior of your customers and use this to segment and tailor emails to drive sales. A good example of this is ‘abandoned cart’ emails, or recommendations based on previous purchases.

Here’s a great example from Glossier:

TL;DR? Gaining traction and boosting sales with your ecommerce site can be done by:

1. Ensuring good design and usability of your site

2. Using interactive content like quizzes to make personal product recommendations

3. Solidifying your brand and promoting products with social media

4. Developing an email strategy that brings people back to your site