Running an online business or an eCommerce store is pretty important these days. 2023 is the era of digitalization where every small or large-scale business is willing to milk benefits and make the most of the profit-spinning realm. The eCommerce market continues to rise slowly and steadily. Yes, even after the year of social-distancing norms and lockdown measures during COVID-19 pandemic. Not just brands but several other businesses including small-ones ensure to offer robust digital eCommerce experience like never before. It may quite interest you to know that by 2040, 95% of purchases will take place online.
Why is eCommerce important?
eCommerce stands for electronic commerce and is known for purchasing and selling different items online. In fact, in today’s times people irrespective of their business size and industry verticals are willing to enter the eCommerce realm. You see, a website is more like a showroom where customers can research different products and buy them and sell them according to their convenience.
In today’s times cost savings, kickass competitors, and changes in purchasing behavior, compels any business to jump on the ecommerce bandwagon. Further below I would like to mention some of the most compelling reasons to take into account.
Keeping regular check on costs
One of the crucial reasons to take into consideration is keeping a regular check on the costs. Gone are the days when products were showcased only at a physical store. Fortunately, that's not the case anymore. You can find your kind of product within no time. Also, you see by having an eCommerce store you can save lots and lots of time and money since you don’t have to create a physical store. Here you don’t have to create a physical store and maintain it well. Money can be saved easily with an eCommerce store.
Brand expansion
Another interesting reason or benefit offered by creating an eCommerce business is here you get to expand your brand within a very short span of time. Unlike physical stores, eCommerce stores can be creative, attractive and that too within a pretty short span of time and of course, less money. Here products can be sold round the clock with a dedicated customer support team, social media interactions, knowledge-base, blogs, etc. Today developing a strong online presence is not an issue.
Variety of products
One of the major issues faced by businesses and people across the globe is a wide range of products. With the rise of eCommerce stores, the issue has been well taken care of. Today one won’t be seeing this type of scarcity anymore. Traditional brick and mortar stores tend to fail to satisfy customers due to limited access to different ranges of products. Since the rise of the eCommerce realm, people won’t just browse any product but tend to buy them anywhere and at any point of time. Shopping online can be done within a span of 10-20 minutes or even for less.
Attract new customers
Another interesting advantage offered by eCommerce stores is that they tend to attract new customers and visitors in a pretty short span of time. As mentioned above, eCommerce stores can be browsed, accessed by people from anywhere. So if your webstore is highly-optimized then you don’t have to worry much because customers will get attracted to you in no time. The better optimization, the better chances of enhancing your brand. Also, you can use social media presence to showcase your products.
Lower business risks
Now when you compare an physical store and an eCommerce store, the money invested in a physical store is pretty high in comparison to that in an online store. Right from the physical store rent to overhead charges, hiring salesman and whatnot, these are drawbacks in today’s fast paced time whereas when it comes to an eCommerce store, all these charges aren’t much of an issue and this means it turns out to be a low risky business. With an eCommerce store, one can sell different products at competitive prices.
Convenient selling option
An eCommerce store can be created while sitting at home. Yes, no kidding! Not just home you can operate your eCommerce store from anywhere. Now convenience is available here from both customers as well as businesses. For customers they get to buy, or browse through products whenever they feel like, be it their office breaks, or mid-night window shoppings. With the changing times, people have started to become more and more convenience-driven. Gone are the days when they used to spend hours and hours shopping. Instead today they expect the product to arrive at their doorsteps as soon as possible.
So I guess now you know why the eCommerce realm has gained importance all of sudden. So I am sure you will be jumping in the realm soon but before that here I would like to mention certain best email marketing tips to take into account to boost sales in no time.
e-Commerce Email Marketing Tips to Boost Your Sales
Welcome emails are a must
One of the obvious and the most important ways to take into consideration is by attracting new and new people to sign up for your newsletter. You are the one with the business, it’s your duty to make your end users feel special so let them hear from you. After all, they have signed up for your newsletter for some reason. Once they have signed up you can start reaching out to more and more people. Start with an eCommerce welcome series. Try offering 3 emails so that they do recognize that for you they are special. Also, in your emails do show-off a bit. Try building a two-way relationship so that it can last for the long run.
In fact, several studies have found that welcome emails have resulted in 86% higher open rates instead of other emails and have the chance of increasing 320% more revenue per email.
Personalized Services
Another crucial tip or factor to take into consideration is customization and personalization. Ofcoruse, business is all about catering to your target audience but here you may reach more than one target audience so yes you cannot offer the same service to every customer. You need to analyze their buying pattern and then offer personalized services. You see personalization can offer a drastic change, clicks and higher user engagement.
This surely reduces bounce rates, cart abandonments, unsubscriptions and so more. Make personalization as one of the most crucial parts of the email marketing strategy and see the results. Okay let me say this in another way, suppose you are hosting a party for your near and dear ones. What if you end up cooking one or two items in general for everyone and what if you cook 5-10 different food items featuring each of your guest’s favorite cuisine? I am sure they will love you more if you choose to prepare different food items. Similarly, even when you draft a mail for your end users providing a personal touch is a must. Also, this is the best way to keep your subscribers happy and convert them into your long-lasting advocates. Try segmenting your subscribers into different categories such as details, behavior, clicking habits and whatnot.
Exclusive Discounts is a must
Another important way to get the eCommerce game right is by offering exclusive discounts and loyalty programs. By doing so you will be able to keep your loyal customers coming back to your store again and again. You see those who come to your space repeatedly will soon be your bread and butter as well as they can advertise well. In addition, you can begin with a special loyalty club where people can sign up and receive some additional benefits.
Try focusing on repetitive customers, let them know your exact status, what are you offering, try building some kind of long-lasting relationships, and don’t forget to hook them with some exclusive offers.
Including a clear call-to-action is a must
Next tip or aspect to take into account is to include a clear call-to-action. In the end, what do you want your end customers to do? Do you want them to read your latest post or watch a promotional video or grab their hands on the latest product you are offering, yes it’s your duty to show what you want them to do within your email marketing campaign.
And that’s when a clear call-to-action takes place. In fact, it may quite interest you to know that it has been observed that one clear CTA in email ensures a severe increase in clicks as well as sales. So if you are thinking about offering effective CTAs then clarity and conciseness is the sure-shot way to go! Now here comes the big-question : how? Well, for starters you can think of using action-oriented words such as hurry, do it now, offer limited till the stock lasts, try addressing your customers as a first person, keep things short and simple, try to converse instead of just pointing things out.
Email can be used to encourage more engagement
Last but certainly not the least point you must take into consideration is try using your emails to boost engagement. Here you can even consider recommending different products based on their previous purchases. Focus more and more on building brand trust and try offering relevant discounts to make purchase less risky.
Final Words
So yes, I can simply go on and on when it comes to eCommerce marketing tips but all the aforementioned ones are the most tried and tested ones. In today’s times digital marketing is more effective, more affordable and with so many tools and technologies available - gaining better insights and what not! So this is all for now! Time to consider eCommerce email marketing for your upcoming eCommerce adventure.