“Focus on superior user experience, harnessing advanced digital tools, and applying a multi-channel marketing strategy” – that’s according to Mark Plunkett, SOZO’s Ecommerce Specialist.

The world of online sales has grown exponentially over the past decade, presenting valuable opportunities for users to shop at anytime, anywhere. With so many advancements in digital technology, it can be difficult to stand out in a crowded marketplace; here’s how you can supercharge your ecommerce business growth…

Key considerations for ecommerce business growth

When a consumer visits your online store for the first time, it’s vitally important that they receive a positive UX (user experience). If they are presented with all the relevant information upfront, they will be more likely to travel down all stages of the marketing funnel and purchase a product; boosting ecommerce ROI and increasing sales.

Your website needs to display a range of products, as well as demonstrating core business values and USPs (unique selling points). It’s easy to set up a basic website for ecommerce; however, what’s not easy is to stand out from the crowd and convince shoppers to spend with you, as opposed to Amazon or large multi-nationals. You must ask yourself, if the price is the same, why would someone buy from you?

Nowadays, many initial ecommerce experiences take place on a product page rather than the home page. That page, therefore, needs to display so much more than just images, pricing and product information. The product page must function as a homepage would, demonstrating a wide range of alternative product lines, as well as illustrating brand USPs, values, and ethos.

But how can you achieve all of this? Let’s dig a little deeper…

Our top tips for ecommerce success

Nasdaq predicts that 95% of all purchases will be made online by 2040. To meet this unprecedented demand, it’s vitally important that your brand is set up for ecommerce success…

Showcasing of Products

Over the coming years, we can expect to see better showcasing of products and improved UX on ecommerce sites, which we highly recommend taking advantage of. Businesses will be able to utilise existing technology, such as videos and interactive experiences, to showcase products in scenarios that are relevant to their target audience. For example, AR (augmented reality) will allow users to try on clothes and view furniture as it would appear in their own homes, creating a more immersive online shopping experience.

AI & Personalisation

As Tjeerd Brenninkmeijer of Bloomreach remarks, ‘effectively engaging with customers begins (and ends) with personalisation.’ Many brands are now implementing personalisation features that fully understand what customers are looking for, whilst offering alternative products or solutions.

The use of AI and personalisation tools in ecommerce are predicted to become more enhanced and relevant to customers in the future. AI customer support, wherein an AI bot answers customer queries with bespoke answers, will replace the need for human intervention. AI technology will also be used to improve the personalisation features on websites, linking them to the latest and greatest shopping solutions. If you can tap into current (and future) AI personalisation trends, your ROI is guaranteed to soar.

Subscriptions

In a world where convenience is king, the global ecommerce subscription market is projected to be worth $2227.63 billion by 2028. Some best-in-class websites do currently offer subscription services, with ‘buy now pay later’ and split payment options available. Refill products such as coffee lend themselves perfectly to these payment methods. However, we can expect to see more hyper-personalisable subscriptions that are built upon an individual’s unique interests and preferences.

So, what can you do to prepare for this imminent rise in subscription-based products? Dig deep and get to know your customers well, considering any future opportunities for tailor-made subscription business models. SOZO is well versed in all the latest enhancements in subscription-based software, allowing you to reach new heights in the ecommerce space and remain one step ahead of your competitors.

Social Media

In terms of marketing, we are now seeing a continual shift in consumer behaviour following the evolution of social media. As reported in the Vision Critical ‘From Social to Sale’ white paper, around 40% of users purchased an item after sharing or favouriting it on social media.

Many popular social media platforms now offer shoppable experiences. Specifically, TikTok shops have taken the ecommerce world by storm over the past few years, with customer spending via the app now surpassing $2.5 billion globally. The platform’s vast audience of over one billion active monthly users presents an invaluable opportunity for brands to expand their market reach; therefore, ensuring that your products are shoppable via TikTok is likely to boost your ecommerce sales tenfold.

Combining Paid Social with Paid Search

When surveying high level retailers about their strategies for ecommerce growth, IMRG found that paid search and paid social came out on top. They also noted that customer targeting and personalisation was a key concern for many ecommerce businesses.

Integrated PPC campaigns can help skyrocket your ecommerce business growth in today’s digital-first shopping era. By providing access to valuable customer data that will help refine your targeting, this unified approach to paid marketing allows you to get more out of your advertising spend. If you’re only using a single paid channel to target your audience, you risk paying a premium for little-to-no cross-channel visibility.

Email Automated Workflows

Ecommerce email automation has emerged as an extremely powerful tool in recent years, allowing businesses to streamline their communication and drive sales. Predefined triggers can send personalised emails to potential customers, for example when an online shopping cart has been abandoned.

To create a successful email automated workflow, you’ll need to segment your audience based on specific criteria, set up precise triggers, and integrate this within an ecommerce email automation tool. This approach is driven by data; so the more details you can obtain from your customers, the better.

Sustainability

Customers now care much more about sustainability than in previous years. In fact, 73% of consumers reported that they would change their buying behaviours to reduce their impact on the environment. We can expect to see a shift in the implementation of eco credentials at an ecommerce level, such as introducing carbon offsetting initiatives; if your brand can implement innovative sustainability solutions, you’re likely to attract even the most eco-conscious of customers.

Drive your ecommerce business forwards with SOZO

SOZO offers a comprehensive multi-channel ecommerce strategy all under one roof. We combine custom website design and branding with intelligent digital marketing, enabling us to deliver exceptional ecommerce solutions to business owners on a daily basis. Other services such as social media advertising, SEO, PPC, and email marketing are all integrated to create a full-service, holistic solution, keeping the customer in mind at all stages of the marketing funnel.

SOZO offers three core ecommerce business platforms:

1. Shopify – this involves renting an ecommerce solution from a platform for a monthly fee. SaaS (software as a service) products offer some flexibility, but the business does not own the infrastructure or hosting. Only certain elements of the shopping experience are customisable, and some products such as vapes or e-cigarettes are prohibited.
2. WooCommerce (open source solution) – adds ecommerce functionality to any Wordpress website. If a business already has an existing Wordpress site, it is more practical to add WooCommerce functionality, as they run on the same core platform.
3. Magento (open source solution) – this platform offers full flexibility and is suitable for most ecommerce businesses, allowing them to sell any type of product. We can create highly customised buying experiences, from purchase flows to product explainer/onboarding, bringing in your content and video strategy.

We’re extremely proud of the comprehensive ecommerce websites we have built for our clients. Just look at this product page we built for Smart Home Sounds; seamlessly integrating video content, personalisation features and product descriptions with cutting edge design and UX.

If you’re hungry to drive your digital shopping strategy forwards and boost overall sales, please get in touch with mark@sozodesign.co.uk to discuss your requirements.