You already have an online store and a product. Now you are faced with the task of increasing sales. Where to start?
These 13 methods will help you:
- get more profit from customer traffic,
- attract new customers,
- increase the turnover of your online store without high costs.
1. Reveal the value of your store
Value proposition, or USP - unique selling proposition - describes why potential customers choose your products. It may not exist if you sell, for example, mass-market goods. However, even in this case, try to determine what is your special feature that distinguishes your store from other similar ones?
Perhaps you will come up with an unusual way to deliver orders during rush hours or in the absence of light, which is now relevant for all Ukrainians.
Having found your "zest", tell about it - in social networks, on the website, in product descriptions, as the American manufacturer of handmade watches NOVO does.
The value proposition of NOVO watch: "We make watches from sustainable materials rich in history. Because our watches are handcrafted using meaningful memorabilia, none of them will be the same as the next."
2. Conduct surveys among customers
How much do you know about your potential users? Why did they buy your products instead of competitors?
Conduct a survey: ask customers questions that reveal pain points and recommend personalized products based on their answers. Create email marketing campaigns. In messages and emails, provide a solution to the customer's problem with your product.
For example, the American manufacturer of gluten-free food Skinny Mixes on its website offers to take a test to understand what dishes consumers like to cook. Participants receive an exclusive discount code along with a personal recipe. To receive the code, you need to enter an email address or phone number. This allowed Skinny Mixes to collect 13,000 customer emails and generate $500,000 in revenue.
3. Share customer reviews
Most online consumers are actively looking for reviews before buying. People monitor Google, Rozetka, Aliexpress, Trip Advisor or Booking to choose the best deal. The opinion of other customers helps them make a decision, especially if they do not trust the reviews on the brand or store pages.
Invite your consumers to leave reviews, for example, in Direct messages on Instagram or Facebook. Screenshots of reviews can be published in:
- email newsletters,
- social networks,
- on product pages on the Internet.
A good example is reviews in the Rozetka online store:
4. Dispel doubts of customers in the blog
A blog is an inexpensive alternative to contextual advertising or social media advertising. Investing in content marketing will save you money on promoting your store on the Internet, as your articles will appear in search engines for free.
Give detailed answers to user questions - write in the phrases that your customers ask. This will affect the SEO promotion of the site and increase the ranking of topics, increase the display of the site in search engines.
5. Offer free shipping
According to a study by the international consulting center McKinsey & Company, two-thirds of shoppers expect free delivery for most online orders, and 49% will abandon their shopping carts if the additional costs are too high.
Nowadays, almost all logistics companies offer cooperation programs for corporate clients. Allow your customers to place an order for a certain amount or for certain groups of goods, or place an order before the holidays or on weekends - to get free delivery.
For example, the network of Ukrainian online stores ModnaKasta offers its customers to purchase a monthly or annual subscription for free delivery, product inspection upon receipt, increased cashback and return of goods.
6. Launch campaigns for abandoned carts
Procrastination is a characteristic feature of modern people. Even if the customer sat for an hour or two at the computer, found your product, added it to the cart, it does not mean that he will make a purchase. How to work with this? One option is to send an email with a reminder about the abandoned cart and an offer to purchase the product while it is in stock. Offers to complete the purchase with a discount for a certain action (for example, for liking or reposting on social networks) also work well.
Creating a sense of urgency for the product is an effective marketing technique to increase sales.
7. Use upsells and cross-sells
Users often end up on a product page that does not quite meet their needs. Recommend them better or related products.
Upsells: show customers products that cost more than the one they are currently browsing. For example, a customer wants to buy an ordinary table lamp, and you offer him a more modern model with a variable height, different light intensity, with a USB adapter, etc. Although it is more expensive, but more functional.
Cross-selling: show products that would complement the customer's choice. They can be recommended either in the cart or on the site pages. Cross-selling works to increase the average order value. For example, the selected protective film for iPhone 14 for 500 hryvnias can be perfectly matched with a PopSocket phone holder for 99 hryvnias. So you will demonstrate your concern for customers.
8. Add trust signals
New customers often do not trust unfamiliar online stores, so they rely on the opinion of influencers or authoritative people in their choice. They also simply do not want to give their confidential information to an unfamiliar resource. Prove the opposite by using social proof in your communications:
Money-back guarantees
If you sell, for example, clothes, shoes, components, where there is a high probability that they will not fit in size or characteristics, take care of the guarantee of return or exchange of the purchased goods.
User activity on the resource
Add widgets with variable statistics of sales or user registrations to the site pages. This will help customers decide to buy faster. You can track the actions of visitors to the online store using the useproof.com service.
SSL certificates
The issue of security of financial transactions is especially relevant for online sales. Customers must be sure that their personal data is securely protected.
Logos of cards and payment systems
For example, the American beauty and body products store NCLA Beauty increases sales by showing its customers the logos of popular payment systems to which they can entrust their payment data.
9. Improve site navigation
Site navigation will help customers find what they are looking for effortlessly. Redirect them to category pages with search and filter functions that will lead them exactly to the right place. The user-friendly interface of the site, when all the buttons work, links open, plus the fast work of the server - are able to fall in love with the strictest perfectionist.
At the same time, prompt elimination of deficiencies in the work of the store and optimization of navigation in mobile and desktop versions inspire respect and trust of users to your product.
10. Simplify the user journey
Less confusion on the checkout page means more sales.
Reduce the number of fields on the order form so that customers don't want to leave your store right away. Enable the auto-complete feature so that it takes minimum time to complete the purchase. Add the ability to make payments via Google Pay. The conversion rate of the simplified order form is 1.72 times higher than the usual one.
11. Accept alternative payment methods
Modern consumers have a variety of payment methods available online. You can increase sales by offering the most popular ones:
- debit and credit cards,
- buy now, pay later (AfterPay),
- installment or payment by installments from Ukrainian banks,
- mobile wallets - Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Amazon Pay, etc.
Do not refuse cash on delivery, as buyers like to pay for the goods at the moment when they arrive in their city.
12. Provide excellent customer service
New customers will contact your sales team for a variety of reasons. The questions may concern both the return of damaged goods and the operation of the purchased product.
Therefore, make sure that salespeople are knowledgeable about the range of products, their characteristics; politely answer the customer by phone or in messengers, and do everything possible to solve their problem. Thus, you will build long-term and friendly relationships with customers, and this directly affects the growth of business profitability.
Having solved the problem of the consumer, you increase his loyalty to your store and product.
13. Offer a loyalty program
Now your task is to encourage attracted customers to repeat purchases. You can work with the base of existing consumers with the help of a loyalty program.
According to a study by the American consulting company Shopify, two-thirds of consumers say that the opportunity to receive rewards changes their attitude to spending. Motivate customers to make repeat purchases with a reward system as part of your marketing strategy.
Incentive bonuses can be given for:
- recommendations of your store - "word of mouth" marketing,
- distribution of products in social networks,
- writing reviews in social networks and thematic forums,
- making another purchase.
For example, take a closer look at how the online discount store Fishka organized its loyalty program.
Conclusion
Increasing sales in online business is a continuous process. To find the best way for your store - find out what your customers respond to best and strengthen it. Connect with your potential audience, encourage them to take action and provide them with comprehensive solutions in one place. By demonstrating care for each customer, you will create a positive image of the company in the market and are guaranteed to increase your revenues.
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