7 simple tactics to drive eCommerce sales

Every online store strives to increase their traffic and conversions. However, with the increase in competition, it can be hard to decide on which strategy to choose from for maximum positive results.

This article lists some of the most effective tactics, eCommerce tools, and ideas to help you implement them. You could try a few new ideas every day for the next few weeks and on the last day of your sprint, review the ones that worked best in terms of more sales and traffic.

1. Reduce abandoned carts

You lose sales every time a user fills their cart and leaves without purchasing. That’s the harsh truth. Here are a few things you can do:

• Send them an email reminding them to complete the purchase.
• Make this email as personable as you can.
• Address every small hesitation of the buyer directly.
• Try to find out what made them abandon the cart. This will help you be better prepared for the future.

2. Upsell your products

Upselling is the tactic to sell a slightly more premium product than the one the customer was originally intended to buy.

Keep the following in mind when trying to upsell a product:

• Upsell a product that is related to the product the customer was considering.
• Be careful about the price range. Your suggested product cannot be significantly more expensive than the original product.
• Make sure you highlight the differences in the two products (the original choice and your recommended product).
• Specify how the premium product can better serve their needs.

3. Get friendly with Instagram

Instagram boasts of a good +500 million daily users. It is one of the most used social apps connecting friends, brands, and influencers.

Here’s how you can use this fantastic social platform:

• Take high-quality pictures of your products.
• Use relevant hashtags and post regularly at optimal times (you can get this information from Analytics).
• Actively engage with your followers and influencers through behind the scenes, contests, etc.
• Add your products on Instagram Stories and posts and allow users to directly purchase from the platform.

4. Make the most of email marketing

Email marketing is hands down one of the most effective tactics to drive eCommerce sales and generating repeat customers. People pay slightly more attention to their email messages than to their social feeds. Also, it allows you to have a more personal, intimate conversation with your customer.

Here’s how to get started with email marketing:

• Ask people if they’d like to receive special promotions through email when they visit your site.
• Actively promote your newsletter through your social media and blog.
• Share more than just products. If you sell clothes, give fashion tips to your readers.
• Give your current subscribers a special discount for bringing in new subscribers.

5. Keep improving your email campaigns

Getting new email subscribers isn’t enough. Keeping them engaged is what’s going to count in the long-run. The way to do this is to send value-driven emails on a regular basis. That’s the only way for this channel to work in favor of your eCommerce business.

Here’s how you do it:

• Send a warm welcome email as soon as someone subscribes or makes a purchase.
• Send them exclusive promos and deals. Bonus points for sending them free gifts.
• Share tips, trends, product information, and company news (if relevant).
• Share content that can help the customers get the most of their purchase.
• Keep your customers updated about their purchase, shipping details, if there are any delays, etc.
• Send customized thank you notes to your most-valued customers.
• Ask for feedback on a regular basis. If someone comes to your website and doesn’t make a purchase, ask them what you can do to improve their experience.

6. Make your store look credible

A shabby looking store is never going to win you any customers. People need to trust you and your business. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Make sure your domain name is short, simple and keyword rich. The way to do it is to go for an industry-specific domain extension such as .STORE. It tells your potential customers who see your domain name for the first time that you’re an online store.
• Have a clean web design with enough white space, high-quality pictures, and clear font.
• Give a detailed product description. Highlight as many features as you can and be specific. For example, instead of “wood”, mention “oak wood”.
• Have your contact details up-front so that customers know how to contact you. You can consider keeping live chat to better engage with your website visitors.

7. Make your website mobile-friendly

Optimizing for mobile implies having a more responsive design. It means designing your site keeping mobile visitors in mind from start to finish.
Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Have a slightly bigger add to cart button on mobile product pages.
• Make it easy for them to sift through categories.
• Present images in a way that are easier to zoom in.
• Make the checkout process simple. Ideally anything between 3-4 steps.

Go on and make a kickass online store!

Building and promoting an online store take time and consistent effort. It also involves a lot of trial and error. Try as many tactics as you can and see which one converts the most.