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How to Boost eCommerce Sales for Your Business

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |eCommerce Sales|How to Boost eCommerce Sales for Your BusinessIt is no secret that online sales skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. While bricks and mortar stores were forced to close, eCommerce businesses were able to take advantage of this and enjoy a surge in sales and plenty of new customers to boot. However, now that physical stores have started to re-open and consumers are spending less time at home, you may have noticed that your sales figures are beginning to drop a little. If you see a decrease in visitors to your website and a reduced number of sales, you are probably keen to get this sorted out and get your eCommerce store thriving once again. Here are some of the actionable changes you can make to increase eCommerce sales for your business:

Keep Engaging With Your Customers

One of the most effective methods of creating a consistent level of sales is to manage your relationship with consumers that are already interested in your products. Engaging with your social media followers and showcasing your products on your platforms can provide a valuable way to encourage extra sales from loyal customers. Social media platforms, especially Facebook and Instagram, can offer a helpful way to capture your customers’ attention with highly visual content. Uploading videos and product images can create immediate interest in a new product or sale items, especially when you link from the post directly through to your eCommerce site.

Encourage Add-On Sales

Encouraging add-on sales is a valuable way to boost your profits and up the value of each order. Suggesting similar products or matching products that the customer may also like can lead to an increase in sales. Even suggesting lower value items that customers may like can make a big difference to your sales figures. Another helpful way to boost sales is to let customers know how much more they need to spend to qualify for free shipping. In most cases, consumers like the idea of gaining an extra product in their order and paying a little more than to pay for shipping costs.

Use Digital Promotion Methods

Everyone likes to pay less for their items wherever they can, and saving money on their shopping generates a buzz that most people love. If you hope to encourage your customers to purchase a specific item and engage with a call to action, or you want to clear stock without reducing the listed price, you could use a Digital Rebates Platform. Offering digital rebates as a money-saving incentive can tempt your customers into buying a product and enjoy all the benefits of getting something they want at a great price.

Make the Most of Your Email List

Your email list is a valuable source of information and has the potential to deliver many sales opportunities for your business. Treating your email subscribers as privileged customers is an excellent way to build your relationship and encourage further sales. Giving your subscribers exclusive discounts and early access to deals and offers will strengthen your relationship and lead to repeat purchases.

Turn Your WordPress into a Shop

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Wordpress Shop|Turn Your WordPress into a ShopWordPress is a fantastic platform that can be used to write and share information on almost anything. The beauty of this little platform is what can start off as something such as a humble blog about soaps could then turn into a full-blown business overtime – bringing in impressive amounts of views and comments and creating a fanbase larger than you ever would have dreamed of. So, what happens if you want to start selling products or services?

The likelihood is you will not want to move domain, and linking different domains together to get different benefits can become confusing.

So, with that in mind, this piece will show you how you can turn your WordPress into a shop!

“Easy, accessible and free to start”

Why Use WordPress?

WordPress is one of the easiest and most accessible content management systems available and is often used to create websites or blogs. Not only is it extremely user friendly, but it is easily customizable to create a website you love and can come with plenty of add-ons to give your users the experience you want. WordPress also offers a good level of security and is easy to manage and maintain. Many businesses start off with using WordPress as it is free to use and offers a decent setup that interacts with search engine optimization (SEO).

“Customize your WordPress so it feels like you and your brand”

Getting Advanced

For those who have moved past the basic setup, themes, and plugins, there are options for you to upgrade, which offers you more features, more advanced plugins, styles and designs, and more options for you to customize your website.

Upgrading can give you significant control over what your website looks like, how your consumers can interact with it and will give you the tools for precise customization.

Don’t forget, you will need to ensure your WordPress site is secure and you have the best WordPress security features activated. Hackers and cybercriminals are always looking for weaknesses in websites, including eCommerce sites and poor WordPress security can lead to your data and that of your customers being accessed and used by criminals in a variety of different ways. So before you make the decision to move past the free WordPress setup, make sure you know how best to secure your site.

“Sell from anywhere; you are not tied to a warehouse!”

Want to Sell?

Many people use WordPress as an ‘access to information’ website. More common interfaces for sales include systems such as Shopify, which are designed for you to sell your goods from the get-go. That being said, many people might not know what direction their website will begin to go in, and then further down the line might want the option to begin to sell without any hassle. That being said, if you are new to selling, do not have enough space, or simply want to test the waters, why not consider WordPress dropshipping?

Why Use Drop-Shipping?

Whether you are a first-time seller or your online store is very much established, drop-shipping is one of the most useful tools when it comes to running an online store. For those who have no space for inventory, or even the costs upfront to produce products, drop-shipping allows a wonderful amount of freedom in not only how much you can sell, but where you can sell from too. A simple plugin can turn your WordPress website into a fully functioning, automated shop for a low-cost, low-hassle option!

How To Start Selling On Amazon

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StrategyDriven Entrepreneurship Article |Selling on Amazon|How To Start Selling On AmazonAmazon is the biggest retail company in the world. It’s no wonder that Jeff Bezos is the richest man alive when you consider how many people use Amazon. It offers all sorts of products and a convenient way for people to purchase goods in seconds.

Consequently, if you can sell things on Amazon, you tap into a massive market. Millions of people use this website every single day, so you could find loads of eager customers. Plus, you don’t have to worry about marketing as Amazon’s power already leads people to the website!

How do you get started? Selling things on Amazon is easy as soon as you have everything set up and ready for action. Here are the three critical steps to help you set your business up:

Create your Amazon Seller account

To start, you have to set up an account on Amazon that lets you sell products. You can do this by going to the Amazon Services page and clicking on the ‘ Start Selling’ button. From here, it’s a case of going through the different menus and filling in all the information. For a more detailed guide, you can check out the video here:

Get your supply chain sorted

Obviously, you have to think about how you will get your products to the customer. Ideally, you have a warehouse or garage that stores all of the products ready to be sent out. But how do you get the products to your premises? Basically, you need to find a shipping partner that can forward the products from their initial location to you. Generally, your best Amazon freight forwarder will have access to countries that provide cheap goods. Therefore, you can buy them for a low price, get them shipped to you, and sell for a profit. It’s business 101, and this is how most people make a profit as an Amazon seller.

Choose your products wisely

You can sell just about anything on Amazon, but be smart with your choices. If you sell a product that loads of other people/businesses are selling, it will be hard to gain a profit. Customers will choose whichever listing has the best reviews, the lowest price, and the quickest delivery! Instead, try to pick products that are quite rare on Amazon. This will be hard, but it’s not impossible. Food and clothing items are two great product categories to look into. It’s much easier to find products that are unique to Amazon in these domains. It doesn’t have to be 100% unique; you just need to pick things that aren’t too common.

These three steps will set you up with a plan to sell products on Amazon. The benefits of choosing this platform over, say, eBay is that it offers more profit potential. Amazon charges relatively low fees but provides a massive audience to tap into. You also don’t have to worry about things like building trust with customers or marketing your brand. The fact you sell on Amazon will make people trust you right away.

Comparing 10 Shopify Alternatives: What Are Their Main Strengths and Weaknesses?

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Shopify Alternatives|Comparing 10 Shopify Alternatives: What Are Their Main Strengths and Weaknesses?Shopify is the most popular e-commerce platform used for setting up and selling products through online stores. The Shopify Point-of-Sale (POS) software is also used for in-person sales. Shopify has been around for ten years and has been very successful.

There are many benefits to using Shopify, including ease of use, flexible designs, and solid support staff. However, there are also some issues, like increased transaction fees and higher charges for increased functionality.

Shopify is not the only e-commerce platform available. These ten alternatives are worth a look that might be more suitable for your online shop needs.

1. Volusion

Volusion is a cloud-based, e-commerce platform currently supporting over 200,000 small businesses and sole proprietors. Volusion charges no transaction fees and has a simplified, one-page checkout interface. Check out Sharp Commerce for additional details.

Strengths of Volusion include ease of use, extensive template library, no extra transaction fees, free themes, a decent mobile app, and numerous payment processors. Volusion has some drawbacks, though, such as limited features, monthly bandwidth limits, and the need for users to possess coding skills.

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2. Big Commerce

BigCommerce has been powering online stores for over eleven years and is very popular. It is flexible and easy-to-use, drag-and-drop-editor provides a user-friendly experience. BigCommerce can track inventory across Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and Pinterest so you never double-sell an item.

BigCommerce’s strengths include compatibility with most business models, outstanding theme designs, numerous features, no additional transaction fees, and a decent mobile app.

But, as with all of the e-commerce platforms, BigCommerce has its weaknesses as well. There are only seven free themes, and it can be a little slow at times. Also, if you exceed your limit of sales, BigCommerce will automatically upgrade your plan to a higher tier, resulting in a substantially higher monthly cost.

3. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is ideal for use with WordPress sites. It is free, open-source, and well thought of by users. There are advanced functions that can be purchased, but the basic platform can hold its own with the other, more-expensive tools.

Advantages to WooCommerce include no additional transaction fees, availability of free plans, and it’s easy to set up and use. It is great to use for all types of physical or digital sales.

WooCommerce has some drawbacks as well. It has no hosting feature, tends to be slow, and may require technical skills.

4. LemonStand

Another great and easily customizable ecommerce platform is LemonStand. It is particularly fitting for medium or large businesses as it offers customizable monthly subscriptions based on the number of orders.

The strengths of LemonStand are no additional transaction fees and that it can accept recurring orders from customers. The biggest weakness is that coding skills, or a web developer, are required. It is also somewhat limited in available templates and third-party apps.

5. 3dcart

3dcart is hosted in the cloud and offers features such as coupons, subscriptions, and Facebook sync. The cost is variable, depending on which features are required.

The positive aspects of 3dcart are support for multiple payment modes, fast load time and store speed, no additional transaction fee, and a multitude of features. But, for updated themes or strong service and support, 3dcart is not the best choice.

6. BigCartel

BigCartel is a good fit for small businesses or soles proprietors. Although the features are limited, it is reasonably priced and offers unlimited bandwidth and inventory tracking.

Other advantages of BigCartel are no extra transaction fee, it works well with PayPay, it’s easy to use and, if you sell five products or fewer, it is free.

Due to its limitations, BigCartel is not a useful tool for large companies. It also does not provide support or an inventory search feature.

7. Magento

Magento is a free, open-source e-commerce platform that is well-suited for medium to large-sized businesses or a smaller business with substantial growth potential. Although it does require coding skills or a staff web developer, Magento offers a vast number of features, flexibility, and adaptability.

Other positives about Magento include no monthly service charges, inventory management, multiple payment mode support, and advanced functionality. The only negative other than the need for a coder is that it does not provide hosting.

8. Wix

Wix is one of the premier, free ecommerce website builders that can also include a simple online store. Although limited in functionality and features, this tool is perfect for a beginner with minimal web development skills. Once the website is up and running, it is possible to migrate over to a more robust e-commerce platform, such as BigCommerce or Magento. Or, switch to Wix Editor and take advantage of the advanced features.

The biggest strength of Wix is that anyone can use it to create a nice website and a functional store. It also has over one hundred templates, works with many payment modes, and the price is right. Its weaknesses include limited bandwidth, traffic options, and apps.

9. Squarespace

Squarespace is another website builder that does not require much technical ability and offers an e-commerce option. Squarespace can compete with the higher-priced platforms in its advanced features and functionality. Other advantages of Squarespace include no additional transaction fees and a wide array of inspiring designs.

The disadvantages of Squarespace include limited compatibility, with only PayPal and Stripe included, and although Squarespace does not charge a transaction fee, both PayPal and Stripe do. Also, there is limited support and add-ons.

10. Prestashop

Prestashop is considered a free e-commerce platform. However, it is not attached to website development tools such as Wix and Squarespace so there will be costs for a domain and web hosting. Prestashop offers limited themes and templates but it will do fine for a start-up shop with limited funds.

The strengths of Prestashop include its cost (free), no additional transaction fees, and that it supports international sales in 25 languages and many currencies. The weaknesses are that it does require some technical skill and, as we said, it has limited themes, templates, and features.

Shopify is an excellent platform for e-commerce, but it just might not be the right fit for your business. If one of these other alternatives calls out to you, give it a try. Your e-commerce store will be up and running in no time.

Why Are Analytics Important for eCommerce?

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StrategyDriven Organisational Performance Measures Article |why are analytics important |Why Are Analytics Important for eCommerce?It’s easier than ever to start an eCommerce store. Just sign up for a hosting account, and your store will be ready in a few minutes. Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy to get customers.

You’re competing with at least 12 million other online stores on the internet. The good news is you can make use of website analytics to make better choices for your business.

The question is, why are analytics important for eCommerce websites? Keep reading to learn the answer to your question.

Uncover Your Traffic Sources

It isn’t too difficult to figure out where you’re getting traffic from if you only run advertising on one platform. It’s much more difficult if you’re getting search engine and social media traffic.

Analytics software will show you exactly where your traffic comes from. You’ll be able to gauge which websites are showing the best results from your efforts, so you know where to focus your energy.

Group Audience Segments

Not all customer demographics will respond to your products in the same way. People of different ages, sexes, and geographical locations will react differently to your content. Your tracking software can help you figure out which demographics take what action.

This data will help you optimize your website and advertising campaigns. When you create messaging specifically for different demographics, you can speak more to what they want in a product.

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Split-Test Pages

You should never be satisfied with your website design. There’s always a test you can do to improve your conversion rate. Unfortunately, this is hard to do without any kind of tracking software.

A heatmap is a tracking script that informs you of what actions your visitors take on individual pages. You can see where they look and where they hover their mouse. Use this information to test small changes to your website to figure out which versions produce the best results.

Track Ad Campaigns

It isn’t enough to get click-throughs on your ads. If you have no method to track what visitors do on your website, you won’t be able to figure out what marketing campaigns are successful.

ECommerce analytics software provides you the ability to set up goal pages. Set a dollar amount for these pages, and you’ll be able to figure out how much money your ad campaigns generate while your campaigns are live.

Learn What Visitors Search For

Your search bar isn’t only there to give your visitors an easy way to find items. It’s also there to help you understand the type of products your visitors are searching for.

Using a tool like Knowi will help you gain insight into the search trends on your website. You’ll be able to see reports detailing search terms and use them to figure out what popular items are and what trends are happening in your industry.

Why Are Analytics Important? Now You Know

Now that you can answer the question, “why are analytics important to online stores?” you’re ready to get started. Sign up for an analytics software package today so you can start tracking the people on your website. The more information you have, the better business decisions you’re going to make.

Do you want more tips for running an eCommerce store? Read our latest articles to discover our newest tips.