As your ecommerce business progresses from the stage of startup to an established company that’s generating income, it’s natural to look for ways to grow. However, this is where many entrepreneurs can run out of ideas and struggle to take the business forward. If you have found yourself in this position, here are five great ecommerce tips to grow your online business.
Transfer to a Powerful CMS
When many entrepreneurs create their ecommerce startups, they will opt for a simple and easy-to-use platform that suits their needs at the time. Platforms that focus on usability and a fast setup process like Shopify and Big Cartel have long been popular for those starting an ecommerce business. During the first stage of the life of your company there is usually nothing wrong with them.
But when you want to start growing your business, you may begin to require a content management system (CMS) with a broader range of features and customization options to serve your audience better. This is something that platforms like Big Cartel simply do not offer. It could be time to move onto something else.
For example, Magento is a CMS that has been designed for ecommerce but offers a far more powerful experience, with wide-ranging modification options and tools. As your business grows, a platform like this can make a huge difference.
Embrace a Broader Range of Marketing Methods
It’s often the case that when a business first starts it will rely on a fairly small range of marketing methods. This is to be expected—any entrepreneur will have their preference in terms of marketing, and it’s natural for a business to utilize any channel that is producing results consistently. However, there may come a time when relying on a single channel for your sales will stunt growth, as you will no longer find adequate returns.
This means that in order to grow your ecommerce business, you need to embrace other ways of marketing. For example, if you have built your business on the strength of paid adverts on Google you may well get a lot of conversions from this method. However, not every visitor will be ready to buy straight away. This is why it can be so valuable to look into marketing methods such as retargeting.
If a customer has already viewed your product and then left your site, they will see an advert for that product in the advertising space on other websites. This reminds them of the product and makes them more likely to return to your page and buy.
Invest in Great Content
Many owners of ecommerce sites believe that a great product is the only thing you need to ensure that success of your business. But recent research has shown that in some industries, a customer might visit a site as many as 38 times before they place an order.
Before making a decision, someone will need to feel that they are doing the right thing. The best way to reassure a potential client is by creating fantastic content on your website. If your website is the one that they return to over and over for information they will become more comfortable with your brand.
Focus on creating fantastic, useful, and informative content so that your website is more than just somewhere to buy a product from—it’s a trusted resource.
Use Discounts the Right Way
If your business is built around the idea of selling at the lowest price, then using discounts can be a powerful tool. However, for many businesses looking to build a brand and grow outwards as a respected company, you need to be aware that price isn’t everything. When a customer sees heavily discounted products it can create questions in their mind—why is it so cheap? Is no one buying it because it’s a poor quality product?
Rather than devaluing your brand with price reductions throughout the year it can be a much better idea to use them sparingly so that you can attract loyal customers rather than those simply looking for a bargain.
Incorporate Feedback Into Your Site
Holding onto existing customers is a very important part of the business structure of many ecommerce sites, however, if you want to grow your business there is no doubt that you need to attract new customers as a priority. The challenge with new customers is gaining their trust so that they will purchase through your website as opposed to others.
One of the best ways to do this is to incorporate feedback. Utilizing previous customers’ reviews shows that your business is used by real people who are impressed by it.
