How to Increase eCommerce Sales: 13 Full-Funnel Tactics to Make More Money
Every online store vies for consumers' hearts and wallets, so merchants must skillfully design and manage all aspects of the buyer’s journey to captivate their audience.
Every interaction—from ad clicks to “add to cart” functionality—can make or break a sale. So, what's the secret to success? Compelling customer attraction, conversion, and retention strategies across the entire buyer’s journey.
Let's explore how you can implement 13 full-funnel tactics to increase your eCommerce sales.
Marketing tactics to increase eCommerce sales
1. Employ email marketing to attract, convert, and retain shoppers
Email marketing is a critical digital marketing strategy for attracting, converting, and retaining customers. Merchants can drive sales and build customer loyalty using personalized content, targeted segmentation, and automated campaigns.
Try these tactics:
- Tailor your email content based on customer preferences and behaviors to enhance engagement and drive conversions.
- Divide your email list into targeted segments to deliver relevant content and promotions that resonate with specific customer groups.
- Set up automated email workflows to deliver timely messages like welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and post-purchase follow-ups to nurture leads and encourage repeat purchases.
2. Reach more potential buyers with influencer marketing
Influencers have large, engaged social media followings with the target customers merchants want to attract. By partnering with influencers, merchants can tap into these audiences directly, engage potential customers, build brand awareness, and boost conversions.
Try these tactics:
- Collaborate on sponsored content, product reviews, or giveaways tailored to influencer audiences to boost brand visibility and drive traffic to your online store.
- Promptly respond to comments, messages, and inquiries across your social media channels. Cultivate a sense of community by featuring user-generated content (UGC) like photos, videos, and testimonials to bolster brand loyalty and trust.
- Work with influencers to amplify your targeted social media advertising efforts. Create persuasive ad campaigns with clear calls-to-action directed at specific demographics, interests, and behaviors to drive traffic and catalyze conversions.
3. Drive targeted traffic with Google Ads
Boost online visibility with pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and only pay when someone clicks on your ad. With Google Ads, you can reach potential customers actively searching for products like yours, boost brand awareness, and drive conversions.
Try these tactics:
- Choose relevant keywords, create compelling ad copy, and use demographic and geographic targeting to reach and connect with potential customers.
- Enhance your ads with site links, callouts, price extensions, and structured snippets to give shoppers more information and drive engagement.
- Create remarketing campaigns that re-engage previous website visitors who didn't purchase using tailored ads based on user behavior.
- Track metrics like conversions, click-through rates, and return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) to measure the effectiveness of your ads and optimize your campaigns.
Website optimization tactics to boost online sales
4. Simplify the checkout process
Eliminate friction and distractions in your checkout process to ensure shoppers have a smooth, hassle-free experience. Cutting unnecessary form fields, offering guest checkout options, and providing clear instructions will help you reduce purchase anxiety, minimize cart abandonment, and increase purchase completions.
Try these tactics:
- Direct shoppers with clear calls-to-action (CTAs) and bold buttons that guide them to your checkout page once they add items to their carts.
- Reassure buyers by displaying trust signals like security badges, reviews, and guarantees within your checkout process.
- Segment checkout into steps with progress indicators to show shoppers what comes next.
- Reward completed purchases with incentives like discounts or free shipping and keep shoppers informed about order tracking post-purchase.
- Urge happy shoppers to share their positive experiences on social media or review platforms and refine your checkout process based on their feedback.
5. Prominently feature bestsellers and popular products
Highlighting your top-selling products can significantly impact your sales. Showcasing these items prominently on your website captures the attention of potential customers, builds trust, and encourages them to purchase.
Try these tactics:
- Position your bestsellers and popular products prominently on your homepage and category pages so shoppers see them immediately.
- Use eye-catching visuals like high-quality images, videos, and customer reviews to showcase your featured products.
- Include social proof elements like customer reviews, ratings, and testimonials to build trust with potential buyers.
6. Offer multiple payment and shipping options
Providing a diverse range of payment and shipping options enhances the shopping experience, reduces barriers to purchase, and increases customer satisfaction. By offering flexibility in payment methods and shipping choices, merchants can cater to various preferences and needs, improve conversions, and drive sales.
Try these tactics:
- Offer popular payment methods like credit and debit cards, digital wallets (e.g., PayPal, Apple Pay), and alternative payment options (e.g., Klarna, Afterpay) to accommodate customer preferences.
- Communicate domestic and international shipping options, costs, and delivery times at checkout to provide transparency and manage expectations.
- Allow customers to choose from shipping methods like standard, expedited, and same-day delivery to best suit their needs.
Presentation tactics to sell more products
7. Optimize your product descriptions and images
Optimizing product descriptions and images is crucial for attracting potential customers, improving search engine visibility, and driving conversions. By crafting compelling product descriptions and using high-quality images, merchants can enhance the shopping experience, increase organic traffic, and boost sales.
Try these tactics:
- Incorporate relevant keywords naturally into product descriptions to improve search engine rankings and attract qualified traffic.
- Use high-resolution images that showcase products from multiple angles and perspectives to provide customers with a clear visual representation.
- Provide comprehensive details, including dimensions, materials, and usage instructions, to help customers make informed purchasing decisions.
- Implement on-page SEO techniques like meta titles, descriptions, and schema markup to improve search engine visibility and drive organic traffic.
8. Curate product ratings and reviews
Product reviews and ratings are crucial in influencing purchasing decisions and building trust with potential customers. Merchants can provide valuable social proof, enhance credibility, and increase sales by allowing customers to leave product feedback and ratings.
Try these tactics:
- Simplify the ratings and reviews process and encourage customers to leave them directly on product pages.
- Display ratings and reviews prominently on product pages to instill confidence and address concerns constructively.
- Encourage reviews through post-purchase emails, incentives, or campaigns. The more reviews you collect, the more credibility your products will have.
- Monitor and promptly respond to positive and negative ratings and reviews to address concerns and show that you value your customers’ opinions and are committed to their satisfaction.
Pricing tactics to make more sales
9. Use upselling and cross-selling techniques
Upselling and cross-selling are effective strategies for increasing AOVs and maximizing revenue per customer. By suggesting related or upgraded products during the purchasing process, merchants can encourage customers to buy more.
Try these tactics:
- Recommend complementary items as add-ons to enhance your customer's initial purchase.
- Bundle related products or offer upgrades strategically at checkout to entice customers with more value.
- Personalize your upselling and cross-selling efforts based on customer data and purchase history.
10. Create deals around peak shopping seasons
Capitalizing on holidays and peak shopping seasons is a proven way to boost sales and attract customers looking for special deals and promotions. By strategically planning and offering discounts, bundles, and limited-time offers during peak shopping, merchants can drive traffic to their stores and increase sales volume.
Try these tactics:
- Anticipate customer demand and plan promotions for upcoming holidays and events to capture their attention during these peak periods.
- Offer exclusive promotions like limited-time deals, free shipping, or bonus gift-with-purchase during holidays to stand out and encourage purchases.
- Bundle-related products at discounted rates, especially for holiday-themed gifts, to encourage customers to buy more for themselves or their gift-giving needs.
11. Use competitive and dynamic pricing techniques
Implementing competitive and dynamic pricing strategies is crucial for staying competitive in the eCommerce market and maximizing sales revenue. By monitoring competitors' prices, adjusting pricing in real time, and offering personalized discounts, merchants can attract price-sensitive shoppers, drive conversions, and optimize profitability.
Try these tactics:
- Track your competitors' prices, promotions, and discount strategies with price comparison tools to identify gaps and ensure your pricing remains competitive.
- Use dynamic pricing algorithms to optimize your prices based on demand, seasonality, inventory levels, and competitor pricing to maximize revenue, minimize stockouts, and capitalize on demand fluctuations.
- Personalize discounts and promotions based on customer data to drive loyalty and repeat purchases.
Customer engagement tactics to drive sales
12. Provide shoppers with personalized recommendations
Personalized recommendations enhance the shopping experience and drive eCommerce sales. By using customer data, merchants can deliver tailored product suggestions, increasing the likelihood of purchase and driving revenue growth.
Try these tactics:
- Analyze customer browsing history and past purchases to suggest related products.
- Use machine learning algorithms to analyze customer data and provide automated personalized recommendations.
- Include personalized product suggestions in your segmented email marketing campaigns to increase sales.
Discover how AfterShip Personalization, an AI-powered platform, enhances shopping with visual discovery, boosts engagement, and drives sales.
13. Offer exceptional customer service
Exceptional customer service builds trust, fosters loyalty, and encourages repeat purchases. By prioritizing customer satisfaction and promptly addressing inquiries and concerns, merchants can create positive shopping experiences that keep customers returning.
Try these tactics:
- Offer multiple support channels like email, phone, live chat, and social media for convenient, timely assistance.
- Respond promptly and courteously to customer inquiries, even if resolution takes time.
- Simplify order tracking and returns with user-friendly tools like AfterShip Tracking and streamlined return processes.
- Equip customer support agents with resources, training, and authority to resolve issues efficiently.
Key takeaways
Making more sales takes an approach that caters to every stage of the buyer's journey. Whether through strategic marketing, website optimization, or customer engagement strategies, sellers have ample opportunities to maximize revenue. These full-funnel tactics help merchants attract, convert, and retain customers effectively, drive more sales, outperform the competition, and build a thriving online business.
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