Starting an eCommerce sales always seems like a great idea. You get to be your own boss, set your own hours, and sell products that you’re passionate about. But then reality sets in. You realize that running an eCommerce is a lot of work. There’s product research, sourcing, manufacturing, marketing, website design and development, customer service, shipping, and fulfillment. It’s a lot to handle!
And you do all of this while trying to run a profitable business. No wonder so many ecommerce businesses fail within the first year.
And then comes the worst part: you do everything necessary to get your ecommerce off the ground, but your sales just aren’t where you want them to be. You’re frustrated, exhausted, and ready to give up.
Before you throw in the towel, there are a few promotional strategies you can use to jump-start your sales and hopefully drive them through the roof. These are tried and true methods that will help you increase your traffic, conversion rates, and average order value.
#1. Create Gift Cards and Guides
Photo Credit: Sephora
Gift cards are a no-brainer when it comes to promoting your ecommerce business. They make great gifts for Birthdays, Christmas, Hanukkah, or any other holiday. You can also use gift cards to promote special sales or events. For example, you could offer discounts on all purchases made with a holiday gift card.
On the other hand, gift guides are a great way to promote specific products. You can create guides for different occasions, like weddings, new babies, or graduations. Or you could make guides that focus on a certain type of product, like kitchen gadgets or workout gear.
If shoppers can’t decide what to buy, they can purchase a gift card and let the recipient choose. And if they need some inspiration, they can consult one of your gift guides.
You want to use eye-catching visuals and persuasive copy to promote your gift cards and guides. You also want to launch them at least three months before the relevant holidays. Shoppers will have them in mind when looking for gift ideas.
Indicate who your gifts are for: graduates, new moms, or anyone who loves a good laugh.
Have something for Father’s Day, the 4th of July, and a little something for back to school.
Examples:
- Zero Gravity announced their Father’s Day gift card on a banner.
- Etsy created a separate landing page to promote its gift cards.
- Lucky Brand went as far as providing choices on their gift card designs and amounts. Customers would then select their desired card, customize it to their liking, and add it to their shopping bag.
You can take a cue from these two examples and design banners or landing pages specifically for your gift cards and guides. You can also promote them on social media or in your email newsletter.
Pro Tip: We suggest you optimize your gift cards for the right keywords. That way, when people search for “gift ideas” or “last-minute gifts,” your gift cards should be among the results that pop up first.
#2. Give Away Gift Vouchers and Coupons On Ecommerce Sales Day
Everyone loves a good deal, which is why gift vouchers and coupons are such powerful marketing tools. You can use them to increase traffic to your website or brick-and-mortar store, boost sales during slow periods, or get rid of excess inventory.
Unlike gift cards, which can be used to purchase anything from your store, gift vouchers and coupons are usually for specific products or services. For example, you might offer a $10 gift voucher that can be used on any purchase over $50. Or you might give away coupons for 20% off on all swimwear.
37% of shoppers say they’re likely to buy more from a store if they receive a coupon.
Gift vouchers and coupons are also great for boosting customer loyalty. You can give them to your best customers or use them as part of a loyalty program. The idea is the more customers spend with you, the more vouchers and coupons they’ll rack up.
When creating gift vouchers and coupons, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, you want to ensure the offer is enticing enough to get people to take action.
You also want to create a sense of urgency. For example, you might want to offer a gift voucher that expires in 30 days. Or you might give coupons for 20% off all purchases made within the next 48 hours.
Finally, you want to use eye-catching visuals and persuasive copy to promote your vouchers and coupons. You can use social media, email marketing, or print ads to get the word out.
#3. Create a Holiday-Themed Landing Page
A holiday-themed landing page is a great way to promote your ecommerce business during the holidays. You can use it to highlight special deals, showcase new products, or spread holiday cheer.
To create a holiday-themed landing page, start by coming up with a list of holiday-related keywords. For example, if you’re promoting Christmas gifts, you might want to target keywords like “Christmas gifts,” “gift ideas for Christmas,” and “best Christmas gifts.”
Once you have your list of keywords, you can use them to create content for your landing page. For example, you might want to write a blog post about the best Christmas gifts for her. Or you might create a video tutorial on how to make a holiday-themed wreath.
In addition to keyword-optimized content, your landing page should have eye-catching visuals and a strong call to action. For example, you might want to include a banner with a special holiday discount or a countdown timer to create a sense of urgency.
#4. Offer Free Shipping
Free shipping is one of the most effective marketing tools for ecommerce businesses. In fact, 95% of shoppers say free shipping is the number one factor that influences their decision to buy online.
There are a few different ways you can offer free shipping. First, you can offer it on all orders, no matter how much they spend. That is an excellent option if your margins are high enough to absorb the shipping cost.
Another option is to offer free shipping on orders over a certain amount. For example, you might offer free shipping on all orders over $50. It’s a great way to encourage people to spend more money on your website.
Finally, you can offer free shipping as part of a loyalty program. For example, you might give VIP members free shipping on all orders. Or you might give customers free shipping for every 10th order they place.
#5. Run a Holiday-Themed Contest or Giveaway
Contests and giveaways are a great way to generate buzz and drive traffic to your website. And when you run a holiday-themed contest or giveaway, you can really capitalize on the festive spirit.
You can run a holiday-themed contest or giveaway in a few different ways. First, you can ask people to submit photos of themselves with your product. Then, you can choose a winner and give them a prize.
Another option is to run a social media contest. For example, you might ask people to share your holiday-themed landing page on Facebook and Twitter. Then, you can choose a random winner to receive a prize.
Finally, you can give away a prize package filled with products from your website. That is a great way to promote your products and get people excited about your brand.
#6. Produce Stellar Videos
Videos are a great way to connect with your audience and promote your ecommerce business. If anything, videos are 50 times more likely to rank on the first page of Google than text-based content.
In addition, 80% of marketers say that video has helped them increase sales.
And since YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world, investing in videos is a smart move for any ecommerce business.
You want to produce stellar videos that tell a story and creatively promote your products. For example, you might create a video tour of your ecommerce store. Or you might produce a customer testimonial video.
You also want to create a video highlighting your products’ best features. For example, if you’re selling holiday-themed gift baskets, you might want to create a video that shows people how to put together the perfect basket.
You can feature these videos on your website’s homepage, blog section, product catalogue, and any other relevant space on your website. You should also promote your videos on social media and other channels.
Harry’s website shows one of the simplest, most effective uses of video in ecommerce I’ve ever seen. On its banner, they display a zoomed-in mini video of its shaver. And it does an incredible job of getting you interested in the product without being too intrusive.
Suppose you’re running out of video ideas or don’t have the budget to produce high-quality videos. In that case, you can repurpose some of your previous posts or articles into videos. For example, if you have a blog post about the best holiday gifts for her, you can turn that into a video by adding some visuals and narration.
#7. Design a Huge Banner Ad
Grab your customer’s attention with a massive banner promoting your ecommerce business this holiday season.
Your banner should be designed to grab attention and convey a strong message. For example, you might want to include a photo of your product with a holiday-themed tagline. Or you might want to include a special offer or discount code.
Make sure your banner is placed in a high-traffic area of your website. And make sure it’s large enough to be seen from a distance.
Here’s Showpo’s banner:
The banner flashes 30% off their dresses in large, bold letters. The rest of the banner is a beautiful image of two of their models wearing their dresses.
This banner does an excellent job of attracting viewers and promoting Showpo’s flash sales.
The 30% off offer is also prominently displayed, accompanied by a medium-sized “SHOP NOW” button.
Your banner design must align with your brand identity. But more importantly, it should be designed to get attention and convert visitors into customers.
#8. Leverage Countdowns
Nothing creates a sense of urgency quite like a countdown timer. You can use this to your advantage by creating a sense of urgency and encouraging people to buy your products before they run out.
For example, you might want to create a banner that says, “Only three days left until Christmas!” or “Hurry! Only ten gifts left in stock!”
Doing that compels people to take action and buy your products before it’s too late.
Bootea uses this tactic on its website’s banner. They use a countdown timer in their floating hello bar to create a sense of urgency and encourage people to buy their 14-day teatox.
Bootea designed the hello bar to match its brand identity. It uses its brand colours, fonts, and logo.
Tarte Cosmetics uses a similar tactic on its website. They have a 15% discount code that expires in a few hours.
The banner also prominently displays the offer and the countdown timer.
By telling people that the offer expires soon, Tarte can create a sense of urgency and encourage people to buy its products before it’s too late.
#9. Launch Referrals Programs
A referral program is a great way to get more people talking about your ecommerce business.
It’s a way of incentivizing your customers to refer your business to their friends and family.
For example, you might offer a discount to customers who refer your business to others. Or you might offer a free product for every successful referral.
You can start by creating a landing page for your referral program. On this page, you can explain the details of the program and provide a sign-up form.
You want to announce your referral program on your website and social media channels. You can even include it in your email newsletters.
We can all learn from Soko Glam, a Korean beauty retailer. They have an excellent referral program that gives customers $10 for every successful referral.
They also make it easy to share your referral link by providing social media share buttons and an email share button.
They have also simplified the registration process to encourage more people to sign up for their referral program.
Even better, they have a devout page for their referral program that explains everything in detail. The page is displayed on their website’s menu and footer section.
#10. Run a Reward Campaign
A reward campaign is a great way to incentivize people to buy your products.
The idea is to reward loyal customers while encouraging new ones to become frequent buyers.
A reward campaign can take many forms. A common one is to offer loyalty points on every purchase. These loyalty points can then be redeemed for discounts or free products.
Another common tactic is to offer a discount on the customer’s next purchase. That encourages people to buy from you again in the future.
You can also offer a free gift on some of the purchases. That is a great way to upsell customers and get them to buy more expensive products.
Origins, a cosmetics retailer, uses this tactic on its website. It offers a free gift for purchases exceeding $50.
The free gift is prominently displayed on the hello bar, with a call-to-action to “learn more.”
Origin dangles the free gift to get their customers to buy expensive products – and yes, the strategy works like a charm.
They even have a page on their website that’s dedicated to their rewards program. The page explains the program and provides a “Join Now” button.
Origin has three tiers in its rewards program. The higher the tier, the more benefits the customer receives.
It encourages people to keep buying from Origins to move up the tiers and receive more benefits.
Customers earn a point for every $1 they spend. They also receive a birthday gift and free shipping on every order.
Their level 1 membership is free to join, whereas you have to spend more than $250 to enter level 2 and more than $500 to join level 3.
#11. Collaborate with Other Brands
Collaborating with other brands is a great way to get more exposure for your ecommerce business.
The idea is to partner with another brand to promote each other’s products. That can be done in many ways, such as co-branding, cross-promotion, or co-marketing.
Co-branding is when two brands come together to create a new product. For example, you might collaborate with another brand to create a new line of products.
Cross-promotion is when two brands promote each other’s products. For example, you might include a coupon for another brand’s product in your shipment.
Co-marketing is when two brands come together to create a marketing campaign. For example, you might run a joint social media or email marketing campaign.
Nordstrom and Everlane are two examples of brands that have collaborated in the past. Nordstrom has featured Everlane’s products in its stores and on its website.
Everlane has featured Nordstrom’s products on its website and email newsletters.
Collaborating with another brand is an excellent strategy for both brands to get more exposure to their target audiences.
#12. Use Customer Reviews
Customers trust the words they read or hear from other customers more than they trust brands. In fact, 92% of consumers say that they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
That’s why customer reviews are so important for ecommerce businesses.
The best way to get customer reviews is to ask for them. You can do this by emailing your customers after they’ve made a purchase.
In the email, you can thank them for their purchase and ask them to leave a review.
You can also include a link to your product page so they can easily leave a review.
Another way to get customer reviews is to offer incentives in exchange for them.
For example, you could offer a discount on the customer’s next purchase in exchange for a review.
That is an excellent strategy to increase the number of reviews you get while encouraging people to buy from you again in the future.
#13. Go Incognito
Go incognito and pose as a potential customer. That means you’ll browse your website and see what the experience is like.
You can also do this with competitor websites. It will give you a good idea of what people look for when shopping online.
When you’re browsing your own website, take note of anything confusing or unclear.
For example, is the navigation easy to use? Is it easy to find what you’re looking for?
Be sure to iron out any issues you find, as this will make it easier for people to buy from you.
You’re not doing this to promote your business but to gather the information that will help you improve your business.
You want to identify the behavioural patterns of your customers so that you can better cater to their needs.
You also want to explore how your customers interact with your website and their overall experience.
#14. Use a Live Chat
You’d be surprised how many people are willing to chat with you if you give them the opportunity.
That’s why live chat is such a valuable tool for ecommerce businesses.
Live chat allows you to converse with your website visitors in real time.
You can use live chat to answer questions, resolve issues, and build relationships.
Live chat is a great way to provide excellent customer service.
It’s also been shown to increase sales and conversion rates.
#15. Financing Options
Offering financing options is a great way to increase sales.
It allows people to buy now and pay later.
That’s especially helpful for people who can’t afford to pay the full price upfront.
There are a few different ways you can offer financing.
One option is to partner with a company that specializes in financing.
Another option is to offer financing through your own business.
Have loyal customers finance your products or services through weekly or monthly installments.
Plus, they don’t have to pay any interest.
Or, why do you think mobile phone companies are doing this so well?
They know that people want the newest and latest phone, but they may not have the money to pay for it all at once.
So, they offer to finance so people can pay over time.
You can do the same thing with your products or services.
You just have to figure out what financing option is best for your business.
#16. Include a Human Touch
Include a human touch in all of your marketing efforts.
That means that you should try to connect with your customers on a personal level.
One way to do this is to use video in your marketing.
Video is a great way to connect with people on a personal level.
It allows you to show your face and connect with your audience in a way that’s impossible with written content.
Another way to add a human touch to your marketing is to use customer testimonials.
Customer testimonials are a great way to show potential customers that you’re trustworthy and that you care about your customers.
#17. Offer a Free Trial
People are always hesitant to buy something new, especially if they’re not sure if they’ll like it.
That’s why free trials are such an effective marketing tool.
Free trials allow people to try out your product or service before they commit to buying it.
It eliminates the risk of buying something new, allowing people to see the value in what you’re offering.
Free trials are a great way to increase sales and conversion rates.
Plus, they allow you to build a relationship with your customers.
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