It seems that just about everyone is trying to sell something online today, and there is a constant push to increase traffic and conversions. But after you’ve assembled your basic marketing strategy, how do you decide which tactics are going to give you the best results?

Here are six ways to boost your eCommerce sales and get the most bang for your buck while doing so.

Be mCommerce Optimized

According to IBM, 26% of all online sales were made from mobile devices in 2019. While having a responsive website is a good start, optimising for mobile commerce requires a more proactive approach to improving your website’s mobile user experience. From using simple mobile payment processing to testing the design of your mobile checkout, mCommerce optimisation is an ongoing process that will surely pay off as mobile adoption rates continue to rise.

Share Customer Testimonials

Amazon has set the standard for online shopping. Few people buy anything online anymore without researching and reading a ton of customer-generated reviews.

According to Zendesk, 90% of survey respondents reading online reviews say that positive reviews will influence their buying decisions. In other words, people want to use “virtual word-of-mouth” to decide whether or not they’ll buy your products. The best way to increase your online sales is to include these customer reviews and testimonials on your site. If they’re not there, customers are likely to leave your website in search of them, and they might not return.

Leverage Omnichannel Marketing

Putting together a functional and secure eCommerce website is only the first step to generating income. Setting up your social media pages is just the second. To get the most impact from your marketing efforts at the lowest cost, you’ll need to leverage all of the online platforms possible to create a seamless brand and customer experience.

Most customers will do a Google search on any business that they might use, so it should be a priority to set up a Google My Business page. The good thing about Google My Business is that it’s free of charge. It doesn’t need any fee to set up your eCommerce presence that can boost your sales. Your next step should be to begin marketing your site on social networks such as Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. When consumers see that you’re active online and are responsive, they’ll be more likely to give you their business.

Use Facebook Ads with Exchange

Thanks to the high level of customer targeting, Facebook Advertising can be enormously effective for acquiring new customers and re-activating old ones. For eCommerce sites specifically, Facebook Exchange is especially effective in reducing shopping cart abandonment.

Facebook Exchange works by dropping a cookie on a user’s computer when they visit certain pages on your site. If a user adds a product to the shopping cart but doesn’t purchase, a cookie can be dropped on their computer, signalling Facebook to display an advert on their timeline encouraging them to complete their order!

Use Video Demonstrations

We’ve become a visual society. If someone is thinking of purchasing a product, you have a better chance of converting the sale if you can show that product in action on your website. According to one study released by Stacksandstacks.com (now Organize-It), shoppers are 144% more likely to place an item in their shopping cart after viewing a video as opposed to not having this available.

When consumers watch a video demonstration, they picture themselves holding and using the product. This increases the chances of them buying it from your site. On top of this:

• Google loves video – These can be ranked separately and give you another opportunity for organic traffic.
• Videos are shareable – If you play your cards right, your videos can get shared on social media.
• Videos are popular – Many consumers would rather spend time watching a video than reading your product description.

Some of the ways you can effectively use videos are to showcase your product’s features and capabilities, instruct users on product use, provide product selection advice, and add value to a product.

Simplify Your Checkout

If you make the eCommerce process too difficult for consumers to buy and pay for products on your website, they’ll be quick to ditch you for a competitor.

According to Barilliance, the average cart abandonment rate is 78%, meaning more than three-quarters of shoppers leave a site without making a purchase. Some of the top reasons for this include:

• Unexpected shipping costs
• Being forced to create a user account
• Was only conducting research
• Concerns about security
• Confusing and long checkout process

To help customers convert, be transparent about shipping costs. One of the top drivers of online sales is free shipping. If you can provide this, do it! If you can’t, don’t make it a surprise during checkout.

The success of any business relies on sales. Increase your online sales, and you’ll also boost your bottom-line results. You can run a successful online business by leveraging these improvements that will make a significant difference in your results. If you need any help along the way, don’t hesitate to contact our experts at Virtual Image!