Ecommerce has been one of the most influential things in retail for nearly a decade. It is so prevalent in the 2020s that companies that would never have thought of jumping from brick-and-mortar to ecommerce are doing just that. And with the jump, they are having to embrace ecommerce marketing.
If you own a business and are planning to make that jump, know that there is plenty of help out there. Successfully transitioning to ecommerce is not going to be easy or fast. But with the right help and support, you can make ecommerce work just as well as brick-and-mortar retail.
From a marketing standpoint, here is what you need to know to get started, complements of Salt Lake City’s Webtek Digital Marketing:
You Still Have to Know Your Customers
Ecommerce creates a divide between retailer and customer. You are no longer meeting with customers face-to-face. You are no longer having conversations at the cash register. Nonetheless, ecommerce marketing still demands that you know your customers. This suggests you will have to do a little bit of research every now and again.
Not knowing your customers ultimately means not targeting them properly. Unfortunately, failing in this respect has a more profound impact in the ecommerce arena. So above all, know your customers.
Be Prepared to Scale Quickly
One of the biggest challenges retailers face when making the jump to ecommerce is keeping up with demand. A retailer never knows which products will prove popular in which ones will not. The best way to avoid trouble is to concentrate on products that will scale quickly. Being able to keep up with demand is critical to a new ecommerce operation.
Not scaling will quickly put a damper on even the most reliable ecommerce marketing strategies. All the marketing in the world will not help if a retailer cannot fill orders. Starting with easily scalable products allows a retailer to adapt quickly if early response is significant.
Give Priority to the Customer Experience
As you are building your site, don’t confuse ecommerce SEO with ecommerce marketing. They are two different animals. SEO is designed to drive traffic. Marketing is designed to turn casual traffic into paying customers. In order to do that, customers need to have a positive experience.
Be sure to give priority to creating such an experience. It starts with a website that is easy to use and navigate, easy on the eyes, and easy to understand. Provide detailed product descriptions with as many specs as possible. Make sure at least a couple of high-quality images represent every product. Above all, use plain language. Use the words and phrases your customers speak. Do not try to impress with fancy words that are largely meaningless.
Give Priority to Analytics, Too
During the early days of your jump to ecommerce, you are going to constantly wonder how well your operation is doing. Don’t rely exclusively on revenue streams. They only tell part of the story. From an SEO and ecommerce marketing standpoint, you are going to need proper analytics to tell you everything you need to know about traffic, conversions, etc.
Note that ecommerce marketing is driven by data. The better your analytics, the more effective your SEO and marketing strategies will be.
Ecommerce Marketing is on the menu at Webtek. They offer comprehensive ecommerce and SEO services to companies in Utah and beyond. Here’s the best piece of advice they could offer as you make the jump – be patient and do things right. A slow and steady approach combined with white hat practices will ultimately win the day. They are the keys to your success.
