Tips for Attracting and Keeping eCommerce Customers
Starting a new e-commerce business involves significant planning, resources, and strategizing. The robust compound annual growth rate for online sales means new e-commerce entrepreneurs face more competition than ever. Therefore, ensuring a steady stream of first-time visitors to your digital store and converting them to loyal repeat customers is critical for meeting your sales goals and competing in the marketplace.
The following tips can help you attract new customers and grow your business.
Create an Inviting Website
Your website should convey your mission, present your offerings and project your image. Start by choosing a memorable domain name and a reputable hosting company. Consider linking your site to a Shopify platform that allows you to create an appealing online store that loads products quickly and has custom features to help your customers find what they need. Professional site developers recommend including all the information you want to highlight above each site page’s fold line and adapting your site to be scalable to mobile devices.
Remember the Power of Social Media
Linking your site to your social media channels via prominent buttons increases your visibility on the internet. You can place social media icons to encourage visitor engagement with minimal effort, including beside new products where they can offer simple but helpful feedback.
You can also use social media to build anticipation and encourage dialogue about new products. Consider posting behind-the-scenes glimpses into your manufacturing process or conducting a new product giveaway contest that ties to joining your mailing list. These strategies can inspire the necessary trust, familiarity, and transparency that customers value.
Kickstart Your Site Traffic
Targeted ads can quickly bring more visitors to your site and attract new customers. Before purchasing an ad campaign, set an affordable budget and define your audience. Most platforms allow you to set parameters to select ad recipients by age, gender, location, income, buying habits, and other variables.
Provide Stellar Customer Service
Customer service weighs heavily in online purchase decisions, and those who have positive experiences on your website are more likely to remain loyal to your business through repeat purchases. Therefore, it is essential to understand and provide your target audience with what it values and avoid causing common frustrations resulting from slow responses to inquiries, shipping delays, low inventory, defective products, and impersonal communication.
Create a Blog
A blog on your e-commerce site positions you as a valuable information resource for your audience. In addition, a blog is where you can highlight specific products, positive customer experiences, and business reviews to increase brand loyalty. Blog posts should include strategic keywords reflecting relevant search terms and a call-to-action that directs your visitors to your site’s product pages. Ask other bloggers or website owners to link their blogs to yours or contribute to your content to enhance your shop’s visibility.
Incorporate Invoicing Software
Invoicing software is indispensable for issuing error-free invoices to local and international customers using different currencies. This software can also enhance your customers’ experience by allowing them to view and securely pay their balances online through an integrated gateway and notifying them about out-of-stock products before they proceed through transactions. Finally, you can use this cloud-based invoicing software to generate financial reports that improve your accounting practices, track your cash flow, and issue invoices automatically to customers making recurring payments.
Attracting customers to your new e-commerce store requires a consistent and thoughtful marketing approach. However, once you start getting orders, you must ensure that your site gives first-time shoppers a reason to return because loyal customers are the key to success.
