These days, Irish consumers have fully embraced the convenience of online shopping, and eCommerce is now the most popular way to shop.
Not only are consumers more active online, but more businesses have followed suit. More and more brick-and-mortar stores have migrated online, too, saturating the already-busy market even further.
This massive growth in eCommerce and online marketplaces is forcing businesses everywhere to work even harder to stand out, maintain a competitive edge, and get noticed online by potential customers.
Whether you’re just establishing your own eCommerce store or are looking to strengthen your current business model, you need to adopt a strategic approach to launch your business into the competitive online market and claim your position as a real contender.
Let’s dive right into our top strategies to help eCommerce websites of all sizes achieve success in no time.
1. Revamp your content marketing
For eCommerce websites selling business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C), content marketing is key to connect with and engage your target audience.
But with endless content being churned out daily in social media content, blog posts, videos, and everything in between, it’s hard to break through the noise and get your online store noticed.
Consumers spend an average of 6 hours and 37 minutes daily engaging with digital content on their laptops, tablets, and phones – creating a massive window of opportunity to reach people online.
That’s why maintaining a solid content marketing strategy designed to attract, engage, and convert your target audience should be a fundamental part of your overall eCommerce strategy.
Regularly posting high-quality content not only appeals to your customers, but also helps your eCommerce website rank higher on Google by contributing to search engine optimisation (SEO).
Creating compelling content that provides real value to your audience and positions you as the expert in your niche is not exactly an easy task.
We always recommend teaming up with a professional content writer (like our friends at The Content Lab) to write expertly crafted copy for your website content, social media posts, blog posts, and whatever else your eCommerce business needs content for.
2. Optimise your Facebook & Instagram Ads
Facebook and Instagram are still going strong on the social media scene, and ads on these platforms are an integral part of any eCommerce strategy.
Running ads on Facebook and Instagram is a highly effective way to expand your organic reach and boost online sales.
But don’t just run the ads – optimise them!
Make the most of your social media accounts by optimising your Facebook and Instagram ads using their audience targeting tools to target your specific niche.
These features allow you to attract more visitors to your page by targeting elements like:
- Location
- Interests
- Behaviour
- Demographic
- Browsing history
- Purchasing history
You can even segment adverts to appeal to different audiences in different ways. For example, you can edit text so it mentions the audience’s location or names specific problems your products can solve.
Once you’re able to target your audience, you can analyse the data Facebook and Instagram have collected for each campaign to make sure you’re getting the most value out of your ads, and that the right ads are reaching the right audience.
Using this data, you can see what times your ads perform best, and who engages with your content the most. That way, you can adapt your campaigns further, maximising their reach and impact for best results.
The more deeply you understand your audience and how they’re interacting with your sponsored social media content, the better. With this kind of insight, not only can you provide the most personalised experience to them, but you also save money on your advertising budget.
Remember – a lot of consumers are logging on to social media like Facebook and Instagram on their phones or tablets. So, make sure your ads are compatible with mobile devices, too. Facebook and Instagram are always adding new tools and ad placements, so test out your ads to see what works best for you and your audience.
With Facebook Ads Manager, you can set up an A/B test in the experiments tab to compare two or more ad campaigns. This way, you can see what works best for your business – and focus your efforts where the best return on investment is.
3. Take advantage of referral marketing for your eCommerce business
Referral marketing is a highly effective way to broaden your customer base and expand the reach of your electronic commerce website.
Humans are very social creatures, and we love sharing our positive experiences with those close to us.
Nobody likes getting ripped off on online purchases or waiting weeks on end for a package to arrive. So, if you deliver an exceptional customer experience, your loyal customers will want to share it with their friends and family – which is an excellent opportunity for you!
The best way to benefit from referral marketing and influence word-of-mouth awareness is to incentivise your happy customers to share positive things about your brand.
A referral program can look different for different kinds of businesses, depending on their audience and how they interact with them.
How to apply referral marketing to your eCommerce business
Not sure what form of referral marketing would be an effective business strategy for your eCommerce business?
Try introducing one of the following into your business strategy and see how your customers react:
- Offer a discount code for customers who refer you to others
- Offer a discount code to share with family and friends after making a purchase
- Run competitions where followers share your content on social media to win a prize item
- Collaborate with popular social media influencers in your niche
Referral marketing not only helps you cast a wider net without having to do a ton of heavy lifting on your end, but it also increases customer loyalty and humanises your brand online.
4. Include AI & AR in your eCommerce strategy
One of the worst things about buying online is that you can’t try before you buy.
Not being able to touch, test, or sample the product or see how it looks and feels in real life may discourage certain buyers from completing online transactions.
This is why AI (Artificial Intelligence) and AR (Augmented Reality) have made huge headway in eCommerce business and online retail sales strategies.
Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence are becoming increasingly popular in retail eCommerce sales as they allow customers to try out their products virtually, increasing the chance of converting them into sales.
For example, IKEA is allowing its customers to see what a piece of furniture would look like in their home or office with AR. Soon, AR will even be able to bring the physical store straight to the consumer’s home.
AI is quickly becoming deeply ingrained in the functionality of online businesses of all sizes.
From chatbots to virtual shopping assistants, AI is revolutionising customer care and retail sales in eCommerce, making assistance available outside of working hours and at record speeds.
Transform your eCommerce business strategy with Ireland Website Design
How you run your eCommerce company directly impacts its growth, making your business strategy vital to your success.
We can help your eCommerce website increase organic traffic, convert more leads, and ultimately grow your online eCommerce business in no time.
Our business strategies are tailored to your unique industry, needs, and goals, so you can trust us to deliver truly personalised solutions that get results.
Ready to take your business to the next level with web development and digital marketing for Irish online retailers? Get in touch today to learn more about our services online, and let’s get started on your journey to success.
Check out our 91-point eCommerce conversion optimisation checklist and learn how to implement improvements to your eCommerce website like a pro and unlock the hidden revenue already waiting to be tapped.
