Launching an e-commerce site is the best ticket to the online shopping party—your fast track to growing your sales and boosting your visibility on search engines. But you can’t just list your products and call it a day. A successful online store depends on diverse and targeted strategies. Hence, this article where we’ll break down our top six online sales techniques for your e-commerce site.
1. Follow Up on Abandoned Shopping Carts
The abandoned shopping cart is the bane of the e-commerce vendor’s existence. A Fresh Relevance study from August 2022 found that the abandoned shopping cart rate is as high as 68.7%, meaning that more than half of Internet users never proceed to checkout.
This number is shockingly high, presenting a stress for business owners who are looking to raise their turnover. Reasons for abandoned shopping carts vary, and are par for the course in our world of online shopping, where Internet users have no real physical connection to the items they click on. A portion of abandoned shopping carts arise because shoppers are not yet ready to commit. They’re in window-shopping mode, browsing different sites and comparing prices. But a significant proportion of users also give up due to disappointment—shipping costs are too high, payment methods aren’t convenient, hidden costs were added prior to checkout, shipping times are too long, or the order validation process is just too complicated!
As a store owner, it would be a shame to let these leads go to waste. These are qualified prospects who have shown an interest in your products and taken a few steps along the purchase journey. They’re already partly convinced, having shown a real interest by filling a shopping cart or starting to book an appointment. So it’s worth it to set up an abandoned shopping cart strategy.
A study suggests that follow-up emails on abandoned shopping carts can help to encourage a sale. Here are the numbers:
- 44.1% of follow-up emails are opened
- 11.6% of follow-up emails get clicks
- 29.9% of clicks lead to a purchase on the business’s e-commerce platform.
For this kind of performance, you need to create a strategic and thoughtful email that’s targeted at your prospect. Now is the time to tap into your marketing talents. You can start by personally summarizing the shopping cart contents. To increase your performance by up to 30%, it’s a good idea to send multiple emails 1 hour, 24 hours, and 72 hours after the shopping cart was abandoned.
2. Host Private Sales
To build up your e-commerce site and attract new customers, a private sale is a wonderful idea. Besides boosting your turnover, a special sale will help to strengthen client loyalty. Your existing customers will love being able to benefit from exclusive promotions.
A private sale restricts access to a select portion of your clientele. Its main goal is to offer discounted products to certain chosen customers. Unlike with sales, you are allowed to host private sales all year long. But to keep it legal, they can only be aimed at a limited number of customers.
For a successful private event, the right length is key. You want it to be long enough that your clients have a chance to participate but short enough that it seems special and like there’s pressure to act now. Feel free to work a sense of urgency. A private sale is by nature a limited time only. Remind your clients that their chances to benefit are fleeting. Send them reminders of when the sale is coming to an end with emails like, “Only three days left to save.”
3. Offer a Discount or Reward With a Set Purchase Amount
The advantages of promotions include the opportunity to:
- Attract new prospects
- Encourage your existing clients to buy more.
If you’re looking to promote your e-commerce store, a great strategy lies in offering a discount for a minimum purchase amount. This encourages clients to buy beyond their initial shopping cart. Experience shows that it is easier to sell more to existing clients than it is to attract brand-new prospects. So this tip is extra valuable.
For something a little more personal, instead of a discount, you can offer a specific reward for a minimum purchase amount. Why not add a mini loyalty gift to an order as a thank you? This will help to build client loyalty while increasing your average shopping cart.
4. Host a Contest or Draw
Ever more popular, contests and draws are becoming the go-to for business owners, especially on social media and especially during the holidays.
It’s a win-win-win strategy for e-commerce stores, allowing you to build client loyalty, attract new prospects, and boost visibility on social media platforms. To learn more about selling your products on social media, check out our article, 8 Tips for Retailers Who Want to Get Into Social Selling!
You can adapt your contest format however you wish. Have fun and test your clients’ trivia knowledge with a quiz or flash game. Or if you’d rather keep it fast and simple, organize a draw.
Another big pro of contests is you can ask your followers for their contact info (name, email address, etc.). From there, you can build up your mailing list and target your new followers in your email campaigns.
5. Make a Special Offer for Your New Clients
Offer a special discount for people who are making an online purchase for the first time. This is a popular strategy for e-commerce sites and you have probably already seen promises of “10% off your first purchase” when you visit a site for the first time.
New clients love this and it’s a great way to encourage them to complete their order. But of course, you want to keep your existing clients happy too. Make sure they get rewards for their loyalty. They should get as many or more treats as your newer customers.
6. Send Out a Free Sample
Sending out a free sample early in the purchase journey helps to build trust with your new customer who can test out your product before buying it.
A free sample works as either a complement to an order or on its own as a free gift. While this seems counterintuitive (since you’ll have to absorb the costs), in fact, free samples have been shown to boost sales in a significant way. The strategy has been tested and approved by all kinds of business owners. According to a CSA study of 1500 consumers, 84% of customers have purchased a product that they tried as a sample.
This free strategy lets you target new audiences who don’t know your brand or your products yet. It will help you to solidify your relationships with your current customers and strengthen their loyalty.
Are you a retailer looking to drive more visitors to your website and boost your visibility? Linkeo’s experts are here to help. We have the tools and knowledge you need to draw in more customers and boost your sales.
