Online shopping marketing is highly competitive as just about every brand, retailer, and company has a competing digital presence. The competition increases every day, as it’s estimated that there are more than 1.5 billion websites online and that number continues to grow. Retailers who want to stand out need to find ways to connect with consumers in their product categories—even when their catalog of products is as extensive as the competition.
It’s not enough to just set up shop online and wait for orders to come in. Companies must compete with everything from major online retailers like Amazon to smaller challenger brands with loyal followings. Here are ten specific tactics companies must consider when competing in the online shopping space:
#1: Online Shopping Marketing Tip: Target Top Products
One issue that eCommerce retailers have is their diverse product listings, as this can be a challenge for managing search engine optimization. Multiple product listings also expand competition. These companies compete with hundreds of other companies selling similar products. Campaigns should be focused around specific products or niches to ensure a company can compete in the eCommerce space.
#2: Online Shopping Marketing Tip: Create Micro-content
Micro-content allows brands to create short-form advertisements and pieces which are quickly and easily consumable. Things like memes, GIFs, and short headlines enable brands to instantly connect with consumers and improve word-of-mouth, as consumers are more willing to comment on and share short-form content.
#3: Online Shopping Marketing Tip: Leverage Existing Trends
When something is trending online, brands should try to take part in a way that engages consumers. This is something we see strongly in mobile shopping trends, as consumers use their devices more to shop online. A good example of this occurred when the Pokemon Go craze started in 2016. Many brands used it as a way to leverage in-store visits by advertising various gyms, Pokemon, and other rewards available in their areas. eCommerce retailers can also use this to their advantage by capitalizing on the trends in which consumers participate.
#4: Online Shopping Marketing Tip: Add Hashtags in a Niche
Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook all organize content by using hashtags. Companies should seek out hashtags which are relevant to their products and offerings as a way to gain consumer attention. Popular trending hashtags can gain a lot of attention for a brand, which is why their use is imperative on social media.
#5: Online Shopping Marketing Tip: Partner with Influencers
Influencers can have anywhere from 10,000 to 10,000,000 followers and their endorsement can have the potential to make or break a retailer. Companies should seek out individuals with large followings in their niche and build partnerships.
#6: Online Shopping Marketing Tip: Set Up a Hub and Spoke Shopping Campaign
Online retailers should not rely exclusively on their site. Instead, they should treat their site as the main spoke in their campaigns. Shops on Amazon, Facebook, and other online shopping platforms can act as spokes in this campaign, helping brands to gain sales and drive consumers to their sites. This is especially important when marketing to Millennials, as these consumers are heavily focused on social media and may turn to it first for shopping recommendations.
#7: Online Shopping Marketing Tip: Personalize Direct Messages
Emails and text messages should not be sent in bulk but instead, be focused on specific consumers. For example, a company wouldn’t want to use a back-to-school promotion to pull in single adults with no children. Instead, these companies should use available data to target messages specifically based on a consumer’s own circumstances.
#8: Online shopping marketing tip: Reward brand interaction
Rewarding interaction with a brand, where a consumer receives something for interaction, improves a brand’s reach and builds brand affinity. This is a strategy Shopkick uses through its mobile platform, in that consumers can interact with participating brands to receive rewards points.
#9: Online Shopping Marketing Tip: Encourage On-site Reviews
Most consumers—63%—search Google for reviews before making a purchase. Companies must consistently monitor their reviews to ensure poor ones are addressed and positive ones come in from satisfied customers. Reviews are deal-breakers for many consumers and even a bad one can be used as an opportunity to create a positive brand impression.
#10: Online Shopping Marketing Tip: Retarget to Reach Past Browsers
Retargeting is a great way to increase sales as it focuses on consumers who have browsed websites before. This feature is available on major platforms like Google, Facebook, and Instagram. It uses cookies to parse out what a consumer is looking for and offers up ads designed around these offerings.
eCommerce retailers must be prepared to use online shopping marketing across as many platforms as possible.
eCommerce retailers must be prepared to use online shopping marketing across as many platforms as possible. This strategy could involve everything from the creation of micro-content to the development of retargeting campaigns. By using as many avenues as possible, these retailers expand their reach and help grow their followings.
Shopkick helps our partners connect with consumers through a popular app which provides rewards for consumer interaction. To add our app to your marketing mix, contact us.
Image courtesy of MrMrsMarcha
