Category: eCommerce

Brand awareness is crucial for any brand but more so for an e-commerce brand. Since the competition is so cut-throat, you need people to know exactly who you are and what you stand for as well as your products. 

Having a recognizable brand helps with generating more revenue, hiring new employees, and getting potential investors on board. 

Here are 7 things you can try to build brand awareness – 

1. Add some free merch to the order

For your first set of customers or a loyal group of customers, you can try an approach where you offer them free company merch like stickers, hoodies, stationery, or other apparel that has your branding. This way, these customers then become your brand’s micro-ambassadors and let other people know about you. 

You don’t have to make a huge investment for this because there are many print on demand services you can try. A merch maker allows you to upload design files and recreate them on any number of objects. 

2. Do a giveaway

When starting out, giveaways can be the ticket to building brand awareness. Invite users to post about your brand and select one or a few lucky people and give them a free product. You can also partner with another brand and do a joint giveaway. Make sure you have a clear goal. Sometimes giveaways are also a way to increase sales. But if your objective is to increase brand awareness, look out for an increase in traffic and an increase in clicks for branded keywords. 

3. Work with an influencer

Influencer marketing is apparently going to be the way forward for a lot of industries. A lot of fashion brands have leveraged the power of influencers regularly and sold out products within minutes. If you recall the infamous Fyre Festival, you may remember the hype around the festival thanks to influencers and how everyone was talking about it. While you can ignore the Fyre festival’s inevitable failure, the brand awareness campaign was something people talked about for a long time. 

4. Send PR kits

If you want to get your products out there, another way to build brand awareness is to find influencers in the niche you are in and send them free PR kits. These kits can be used by them while doing a haul video or a review video. Even if they don’t necessarily like all your products, you can still get some social media mentions. 

5. Leverage social media marketing

Along with a strong organic strategy that includes creating content for the platform, the right hashtags, posting schedules, and visually striking templates, you may also need to pay attention to paid ads. 

For e-commerce brands with hundreds of products, it can often be quite difficult to target the right audience with the right creativity. Facebook Ads Manager allows you to set up dynamic ads as a workaround to this problem. You can create variations of the ad at scale and leverage the ad network to get it out in front of the right people. 

Other platforms like TikTok and now Instagram also allow you to run ads that appear in between organic content. For instance, Instagram now has Reels ads. You may see an ad pop up in between the usual content. You can also choose this as your objective when you are setting up the ad. Instead of looking at an increase in revenue, look at an increase in impressions and reach. 

6. Invest in content marketing

Any brand that is looking to build brand awareness needs content. While it may seem unorthodox for an e-commerce brand to be putting out content, it is not unusual. A lot of brands have started adjacent pages to increase their brand awareness. For instance, if you sell beauty products, your main page or another page can just talk about makeup and makeup trends and share valuable information with makeup enthusiasts. 

7. Try search engine optimization

Search engine optimization for e-commerce brands is a whole different ball game. There are hundreds of products usually, so that has to be taken into account, while the initial setup of the website has to have good technical search engine optimization. 

All of the product pages should be optimized for the right keywords and ensure all the basic on-page SEO items are ticked off. Since the e-commerce industry is a red ocean, you may also want to invest in off-page SEO, which is getting other publications to notice you and write about you or recommend your product(s) to their readers. 

All in all

Building brand awareness is a slow burn. It takes time, strategy and consistency to pull it off. It is best to have a branding guideline to ensure omnichannel consistency so that everyone on the team is aware of how to position the brand online. Your employees are also your biggest asset. You can create an employee advocacy program and reward them for sharing company updates. 

It is quite difficult to imagine the modern world without e-commerce. Most business owners prefer to use the flexible and multifunctional Magento platform for their online stores. And this is no wonder. After all, Magento has so many advantages. For example, the ability to create several stores in one system, a multilingual, user-friendly interface, a large number of extensions.

But when choosing Magento, it is worth considering all the possible difficulties. Business owners should take care of the website security, its ability to handle high loads, and smooth functioning. Only a perfectly operating site can gain the users’ trust.

Key Magento QA Testing Practises

The e-shop website is the first thing a user sees. It’s the face of the store. Testing your e-commerce website allows you to ensure that your site works properly and make a good impression on your customers. You can perform tests of the site within your company. However, an independent specialist who was not involved in the product creation could be an option too. So, you might engage a professional QA company.

To assess the performance of the website specialists use several basic techniques, which we offer to learn.

 Functional Testing for Magento E-commerce Platform

These tests show how the user will see your store, how easy it is to use the features, how smoothly everything works as it is needed, and what needs to be fixed immediately. For maximum effectiveness, it should be tested after each new feature is added.

Magento Load Testing

Your e-commerce store should be able to withstand heavy loads. It should not crash with a large number of orders at the same time. Performance testing includes checking page load speed, website navigation, how the page is displayed in the browser, etc.

Magento 2 Integration Tests

E-commerce applications inevitably use third-party systems. They are needed to manage orders, customer information, payments, shipping, search, and SEO, etc. The task of integration testing is to check whether all these components interact correctly.

Web API Functional Testing

Web API is an invisible bridge between the website and third-party servers. Magento supports both REST and SOAP protocols. They allow you to automate information management about the product, orders, payment, etc. The initial task of testing Magento Web APIs is to identify and solve all the issues of the system at the early stage.

Magento Unit Testing

This kind of testing is performed by the developers in the process of creating the website. Checking each single code unit and how each change affected the functionality allows you to identify bugs before the website is ready. As a result, you reduce the testing time and cost.

Static Testing

Like the previous one, this testing type is used by developers to control the code quality. They check the compliance of programming languages with Magento coding standards. Besides, more complex scenarios are also used, such as circular dependency or exception hierarchy. When static testing is performed well, code problems will be identified and corrected before the website release.

Bottom Line

Magento offers great opportunities for business growth. Take a serious approach to testing all aspects of the website at all stages of its development and in the future, you will be able to get the most out of a flawlessly working online store.

The retail industry has experienced a tremendous transformation over the past years with the advent of eCommerce. Currently, a business can market its commodities across borders, independent of its physical location. With almost everyone accessing the internet and shopping online, it is appropriate to market your products online. Here are a few tips on how to start and optimize your sales results. 

Online Marketing Places

Selling on social media, where supply can meet demand, is the most efficient way of increasing sales. Though the process may seem to be daunting and competitive, well known and established retail platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy can be of great help to quickly grow your online sales. These platforms offer a range of benefits as follows.

• Positive customer reviews- feedback from the customers can help you build up trust for your products and make customer acquisition more comfortable and straightforward.
• Exposure- you can get access to an extensive and frequently used customer network with less effort. This will increase your chances of making online sales.
• It helps save more time- there is no need to reinvent the wheel.  You use the existing processes and benefit from this social media platforms’ expertise, hence saving time and focusing on developing your core business. 

Have A good Connection 

Customers today look for companies that pay attention to their personal needs. The big data invention enables businesses to make their communication personal and present a personalized offer to their customers. Research shows that consumers are already interested in customizing product features. This trend is beneficial since it builds a feeling of ownership and accomplishment among your buyers. This results in spontaneous brand advocacy and increased repeat purchases. You can successfully create an emotional connection with customers only when you work closely with an ecommerce marketing agency.

Be a Memorable e-retailer

Consumers can now buy your products from a wide range of channels, including social media, or even from a physical store.  A challenge comes in since you are supposed to synchronize all your channels to provide a consistent shopping experience to your customers. The secret behind your success is to concentrate always on building an exclusive customer experience. Moreover, eCommerce trends need that you focus on your visitors’ psychology more than the technology of your website.

Take Customer Reviews Seriously

The current digital revolution has given more power to consumers regarding the information and choice they make. In addition to that, consumers have become more selective and look for independent information to help support their decision-making process of whether to buy or not. Most consumers will first read other consumer’s reviews and other personal recommendations before deciding on purchasing the product.  Because search engines score higher for every unique content updated, reviews of customers will improve your website’s organic search in the search engines. It would help if you continuously improved your processes to ensure the results go higher. If you wish to increase e-sales, then think of an eCommerce marketing agency.

As new ecommerce businesses are started daily and more and more existing companies adopt ecommerce to extend their customer base beyond just the people living close by, the question of which ecommerce platform to select becomes very important. Different platforms have different functionality and integrate with different external services. Some must be self-hosted, while others offer integrated cloud hosting. Some do a better job of scaling to large businesses than others. Choosing the right platform can make a huge difference in the success of any business that sells over the Internet. 

No matter what ecommerce platform a company chooses, they all offer far more customization options and lower costs than selling on a marketplace like Amazon, although businesses with their own ecommerce storefronts must market their websites to attract customers. A variety of suggestions for how to start an ecommerce business are discussed in another one of our guides. 

In this article, you’ll learn about the relative popularity of a number of common ecommerce platforms, in addition to information about advantages and disadvantages between them. The market share figures are calculated from the top one million website domains across the world using data from Datanyze and Alexa.

WooCommerce: 32%

While no ecommerce platform singlehandedly controls the majority of the ecommerce market, WooCommerce captures the largest market share. As a plugin for WordPress, WooCommerce takes advantage of the huge number of WordPress installations around the world. Website owners who already use WordPress can easily add a WooCommerce store to their existing website without revamping their technology stack. Given that WordPress powers over 30% of the web, it’s no surprise that WooCommerce is used by such a high percentage of ecommerce websites. 

The functionality included out of the box in WooCommerce is somewhat limited compared to other ecommerce platforms, although it boasts a large number of third-party extensions, making it competitive with other solutions like Shopify and Magento. In general, WooCommerce is a safe choice for smaller stores and those with relatively limited needs, resulting in its large market share. 

Squarespace Commerce: 17%

Squarespace is a popular way for small businesses to build websites with limited technical resources. Their ecommerce functionality allows site owners with Squarespace-based websites to easily add an online storefront. Due to the sheer number of Squarespace sites used to power small businesses, Squarespace Commerce controls a significant portion of the ecommerce market. Squarespace Commerce plans are also relatively inexpensive compared to some other options, making it accessible to a wide variety of store owners with different budgets. 

For the most part, Squarespace’s ecommerce functionality is targeted at ecommerce businesses with relatively limited needs. For this reason, Squarespace Commerce does not integrate with advanced third-party services or offer extreme customization abilities. Businesses requiring relatively limited ecommerce functionality and do-it-yourself customization would be well-served by Squarespace Commerce. 

Shopify: 15%

Shopify offers cloud-hosted ecommerce services to a huge variety of companies. Shopify oftentimes powers larger companies than either Squarespace or Wix, although it is also popular with small businesses. Like Squarespace, Wix, and most Magento configurations, Shopify stores are not hosted on computer systems operated by the ecommerce business itself. While this means that Shopify requires less maintenance than options like WooCommerce, it can also be a fair bit more expensive and restricted in many cases. 

Shopify is also quite expensive compared to Squarespace and Wix, although it includes a large number of built-in ecommerce features that make it worth the price for a lot of companies. Shopify extensions are also somewhat more limited compared to the functionality available with Magento and WooCommerce plugins, especially with regards to custom integrations. 

Magento: 4%

Magento is popular with medium businesses and enterprises, although it also scales down to small businesses. In terms of architecture, Magento is most similar to WooCommerce. It offers a huge number of themes and custom extensions, can be molded to fit nearly any set of business requirements, and includes a large set of features useful for stores of all kinds. 

Compared to WooCommerce, Magento includes more functionality out of the box, making it more tightly integrated. Additionally, shipping integrations, fulfillment software, accounting systems, and other advanced third-party software can be integrated into digital storefronts using Magento with ease. Magento development services offer advanced automation for complex promotions and all sorts of other use cases that many of the other ecommerce platforms might struggle with. Magento pricing includes three different Magento versions. Depending on your business needs you can choose between the Open Source version, downloading it for free, Magento Commerce with advanced features and high scalability and Magento Commerce Cloud with Cloud hosting and easy customization.

Wix Stores: 4%

Like Squarespace Commerce, Wix Stores is an ecommerce platform connected to an existing do-it-yourself website builder. It specializes in allowing small businesses with existing websites built using Wix to add ecommerce functionality without paying for an additional ecommerce solution. Wix itself offers quite a bit of customization functionality and is occasionally even used by web designers, so it can be a good option for companies looking to achieve websites with unique visual designs without hiring external developers or designers. 

Medium and large companies or businesses with specific requirements would be unlikely to find Wix suitable for their needs, although it is a good option for many small businesses looking to keep technical complexity low. 

Starting Your Ecommerce Business? 

It’s your decision as to which ecommerce platform best suits the needs of your business. Although switching between ecommerce platforms is doable if a company outgrows the capabilities of one service, it can be expensive to make the change without losing some functionality or data from the old platform. Because of this, it’s usually a good idea to select an ecommerce platform with future needs in mind from the start, so that a conversion will be unnecessary later on. 

If you’re thinking about setting up an online business and store, it’s vital that you have the best ecommerce platform behind you. When comparing traditional retail with e-commerce, the latter has no geographic limitations, meaning you can reach more audiences than you ever thought were possible. At Nuanced Media you can find all the information you need to set up your e-commerce store.

If you’re thinking about setting up an online business and store, it’s vital that you have the best e-commerce platform behind you. When comparing traditional retail with e-commerce, the latter has no geographic limitations, meaning you can reach more audiences than you ever thought were possible.

No matter what products or services you offer, finding an e-commerce platform to house your store and expand your customer base is key. So, to make things easier, here are some of the things to look out for before choosing an e-commerce platform.

Easy to Navigate

If you’ve ever visited a website before that you’ve struggled to navigate, it’s likely that you clicked off and went elsewhere. Whether you’re tech-savvy or not, it’s important that you choose an e-commerce platform that is user friendly. To grow your online store and keep users interested in your brand, they need to be able to seek out your products and services with ease, so finding an e-commerce platform that provides a seamless experience is essential. 

Easy Shop Setup

In addition to easy navigation, the e-commerce platform you pick needs to have a straightforward sign up process. Launching your own store will take time and patience, but you don’t want to have to spend endless hours having difficulty getting your store up and running. If you would prefer not to hire outside help, there are plenty of e-commerce platforms that offer user-friendly templates that can give your store a professional look and help you stand out from competitors. Depending on the template you pick, you may need to pay for it.

SEO Friendly

When shoppers are searching for particular products or services, it’s vital that they find your brand within a matter of seconds. With so much choice on the internet to pick from, you need to know how to make your store stand out. No matter what you are selling, your online store should rank highly in search results, especially if you are new to the game. To boost your ranking, make sure to pick an e-commerce platform that is SEO friendly. Platforms that enable you to pick your own domain name, collect customer ratings and reviews, and add your own blog all help in driving shoppers to your online store organically. 

Integrations

While having a plethora of options can be overwhelming at first, when it comes to integration for an e-commerce platform, having various paths to go down can be more beneficial than you may think. When choosing an e-commerce platform, you need to look at the plugins and integrations they have available. Platforms like Shopify have tons of tools and features to run your online store efficiently. To help you make the right decision, you can visit PieSync, where you’ll find a guide on which is the best e-commerce platform. Whether you pick Shopify or WooCommerce, you can use PieSync to sync your customer data with any other apps your company uses.

Mobile Friendly

Most consumers lead busy lives, meaning they don’t have the time to sit at their computer desk and scroll through the internet. Many of us are smartphone owners, so it’s vital that you choose an e-commerce platform that is mobile friendly. With close to 60% of searches being conducted from a mobile device, if your online store isn’t optimized for mobile, consumers are likely to go elsewhere for their custom, so finding a platform that allows users to easily access your store is key.

Tech Support

A key component for the success of any business is excellent customer service. When setting up an online store and picking an e-commerce provider, server downtimes and software outages are inevitable and often out of your control. In these moments, customers won’t be able to access your business, so it’s crucial that you find an e-commerce platform who provides 24/7 tech support. Time is money, so if there are any problems, you can be confident in the knowledge that there is a tech support team who are working round the clock to fix issues. There are several things to look for in their customer service, such as how you can reach them and the modes of contact they offer.

Analytics

Before your online store goes live, it’s understandable that your sole goal will be to make as much money as you can. To achieve your goals, it’s critical that you monitor your online store’s performance. When choosing an e-commerce platform, it’s advised to pick one that lets you keep tabs on all the important aspects of the operation, such as payment methods, number of sales, and order amounts. There is no room for inaccuracy, so to avoid playing the numbers guessing game, finding an e-commerce platform equipped with analytics tools is essential. 

Price

There are some e-commerce platforms that offer standard monthly fees, while others may provide flat rates. Before committing to a platform, you need to do your research and weigh up the advantages and disadvantages first. If you’re a small business owner, you need to create and stick to a budget, so you have room for your online store to grow. 

Customer Payment Options

When customers make a purchase from your online store, the experience needs to be seamless and straightforward. Before looking for an e-commerce platform, you need to decide what kinds of payment you are willing to take first. Whether you choose popular payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, or Square, finding an e-commerce platform that works in sync with these providers is important. 

Vendor Experience

Finally, conducting research into current vendor experiences can help you find the right e-commerce platform for your online store. Ratings and reviews from those who are already signed up will give you a clear indication of which are the best e-commerce platforms on the market.

The e-commerce industry is worth over $3 trillion, and with it predicted to grow even bigger in the coming years, setting up your online store and picking the right platform can be a great way to expand your business and audience. To find the best e-commerce provider, all the points above should help you make an educated decision. 

Would you get on a rocket ship if you knew it hadn’t had a pre-flight check? 

Neither would I. 

Perhaps you wouldn’t get on one either way! The point is if you’re about to launch your new online business, do you know what needs to be functioning correctly for it to soar? Have you gone through your checklist and can you confidently say that you’ve not overlooked anything technical that could cause it to come crashing down to earth?

Prepare or prepare to fail, you may have heard that before, if not, now you’ve no excuse.

For your e-commerce business to be successful, you need a broad skill-set and a slice of luck. I can’t help you with the latter, but where you can help yourself is by being prepared, and ensuring your business has what it needs to succeed.

And that’s what this article is about. We’re going to go through that pre-flight checklist together and get your business air born. 

1. Choose An Ecommerce Platform That Can Support You

If you don’t choose the right e-commerce platform, then everything else you’ve done in getting your business ready might be in vain.

There are a lot of platforms available, BigCommerce, Shopify, and Wix are the big three for e-commerce, and they all provide different functions, and you should choose one that can support your new business now, and in the future. Fortunately, there’s a list of questions you can use to find the right one. 

• Scalability: The Platform has to be one that’s able to accommodate your company’s growth, not hold it back.
• Integrations: These are plugins that you can connect to your websites template that provide technical solutions.
• SEO: Not all platforms are built with e-commerce SEO in mind, ensure yours is.
• IT support: You want a platform that provides multiple channels for support. 
• Payment option: Your website needs multiple payment options, so your customers don’t leave at the checkout.

Now it’s time to choose a theme.

2. Use A Theme That Suits Your Business 

A theme is a template for your website, think of it as the structure of your house and your site as the decorations, for the finished product to look and work, the theme you choose has to support it. 

The first step should be to choose one that suits your e-commerce business, your brand’s personality, and one that will appeal to your target audience. Next, think functionalities, just as with platforms, themes differ in what they can do.

To provide your customers with a hassle-free and enjoyable shopping experience, consider the following:

• Easy navigation: If your website is confusing, your customers will leave frustrated, their journey from landing page to checkout should be seamless.
• Quick loading times: Three seconds is all you have before your customers reach for the back button; speed is everything.
• Responsiveness: Smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops, your audience uses all of them; your site has to be responsive to work where required.

3. Build A Flexible Strategy 

OK, your platform and theme are perfect for your business, but have you considered change?

For your business to have continued success, it has to be adaptable, as nothing is inert when it comes to e-commerce. Changing trends, sales platform popularity, search engine algorithms, and unforeseen offline influences all need consideration when building your business strategy.

As I’m writing, we are in the middle of an unforeseen pandemic, causing monumental problems, both on and offline. Did you think you would have to know how to keep your e-commerce business save during the coronavirus when you first decided to start your business? 

Many online businesses will fail due to lack of stock, shifts in global purchasing preferences, and home delivery demands. So, ensure you’re ready for change by having a flexible strategy in place before you start, and one way of doing this is by having the right tools.

4. Have The Right Tools For The Job

To be prepared for the ever-changing shifts in consumer preferences, external forces, and the success of your business, you need to know about and equip yourself with a range of tools that can help you adapt. 

There are tools for every imaginable need. From shipping solutions, outsourcing design and content needs, customer service and marketing campaigns, and they can help you on every step of your journey. 

Some worth considering are: 

• Packhelp: For personalized shipping solutions.
• UpWork: For hiring part-time contractors.
• Tailor Brands: For branding designs and logos.
• GrooveHQ: For customer service.
• Mail chimp: For email marketing campaigns.

5. Put Yourself On The Right Sales Platforms

Your decision on where to market your e-commerce business is entirely dependent upon your customers, but how do you know where they are?

Customer demographics can help as your audience’s age is often a good indication of which platforms they use, as can the product or service you provide. Go online and search for customers that are interested in your particular niche by finding communities that fit your target audience; this can help you connect market-related communities and discover their shopping trends.

Another invaluable resource for discovering where your audience is, are free online social media marketing courses, such as those provided by Hubspot, they provide all the demographical data you need.

Platform options:

• Your website: Your site is, of course, the home of your brand, and this is where you apply your SEO efforts, but did you know that you can drive traffic to your site from social media?
• Instagram: If you use images and videos then this is where you should be.
• Facebook: An excellent place for joining market-related communities.
• Twitter: Build a following by providing interesting and relevant content, invaluable for getting your brand known. 
• Pinterest: Ideal for sharing your latest product images and a proven way of driving traffic to your site. 

Growth hacking is more than a buzzword. It’s a focused method of gearing all of your business strategies towards driving growth and, ultimately, revenue.

If you’re intrigued, read on. Here are ten ways to growth hack Ecommerce that you can try right now.

1. Endorse your business with social proof and trust

There’s comfort in knowing other customers have made the same decision as you, and there are various ways you can incorporate social proof in your business. These include littering your site with customer reviews, including business ratings and testimonials, at different levels of your marketing and sales funnel e.g., in ads and newsletters.

Another way to incorporate social proof is to demonstrate how other people are shopping. Highlighting live purchasing decisions, for instance, indicate the site is active, successful, and useful.

As trust should never be undervalued, trust badges are one way of establishing it, which is a relatively easy and visual method of eliciting confidence. Logos can be inserted easily within site footers or checkout pages and can show, for instance, that your site is secure and customers’ payment details will be safe.

You can reaffirm that trust by assuring your customer that a human is available to address any concerns. Set up a chat service on your site or through Facebook or other social media channels to do this.

2. Find new customers on similar sites

Increasing sales revolves around getting customers. One method businesses are proactively integrating into their marketing strategies is including a regular blog to their website that gives potential customers value through information or industry knowledge, tips, or life hacks. You don’t have to restrict yourself to only writing on your company blog, however. Guest posts are also a highly effective method of attracting customers.

Find a similar brand, not in direct competition but one that offers a complimentary product or service, and write non-promotional guest blogs with your bio or company information in the byline and a link to your site. Google Analytics can help you track which websites send the most traffic back to you.

3. Encourage customers to share the love

You may well have a database of happy customers already, which makes them the perfect audience to tap to share their satisfaction. You can actively encourage consumers to share their experiences on social media through smart and innovative new ways.

For instance, remind them to tell their followers what they’ve purchased at checkout or promise them a discount on their next purchase if they post and mention the brand. Social mention requests are so common many customers are desensitized to them, but there are ways you can still stand out. Beautiful hand-written cards with deliveries, for instance, could encourage customers to snap the card with their purchase and post it on social media.

Products that are less visually appealing but necessary in the relevant industry, like shipping labels or shipping packing supplies, for instance, are likely to be more incentivized through discounts or promo codes for social mentions.

4. A/B Test Everything

There are hundreds of strategies you could employ to grow your business, but not everything will necessarily work. The key is identifying what works and what doesn’t, and A/B testing is how you determine that.

You can A/B test everything, from the size of your photos to social media text, whether to include images in the posts or which promo codes work. Trust badges, color schemes, or using messages and notification such as limited supply warnings can also be tested.

A/B testing should be done methodically, and you can also use tools to set this up.

5. Target incomplete purchases and return custom

You don’t have to confine growth strategies to find new customers; you can also target the audience you’ve already captured.

You can do this by targeting visitors to your site who viewed items without buying or have incomplete purchases. Exit-intent pop-ups are messages that offer a discount before visitors leave the site and can help push through a sale. Re-targeting ads are another method, which tracks customers to other sites and displays ads highlighting items they’re interested in.

According to Incify (a global marketing agency that studies human behaviors online), Google Shopping ads have a higher CTR than Amazon’s Sponsored Product and Sponsored Brand ads.

Then, getting existing customers to buy again can be even more valuable than new customers, as they have already invested some in your brand and are more likely to return. Pushing this behavior through is a growth strategy that should be at the heart of sales and marketing campaigns, including through email marketing and tiered incentives, such as free shipping, promotional codes, and value-added content or gifts.

And an additional hacking tip for you is to use shipping labels compatible with Zebra, Dymo or Avery (the most common type of label printers), you can find affordable choices from enKo Products, their prices are low and they offer free shipping where many other shipping labels providers charges for the shipping (when you order in bulks, beware of the shipping costs) 

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically reshaped modern society. With many physical businesses forced to close temporarily, e-commerce is more viable than ever. Research published in early March showed many people would avoid physical stores if COVID-19 worsened. Many essential outlets remain open, but customers prefer to shop online if possible.

You can take advantage of this increased demand as an e-commerce provider. Here are 11 options to consider:

1. Provide Contact-Free Deliveries

Since the coronavirus spreads through human closeness, many companies are now offering contactless delivery options. Although most require consumers to specify they want one, some companies make all deliveries contact-free by default.

Consider adding a dedicated section to your e-commerce site explaining what people should do if they want such deliveries. Providing such forward-thinking information shows you want to keep everyone safe and well. 

2. Take a Customer-Centric Approach

One of the difficulties surrounding the COVID-19 crisis is that it throws so much into uncertainty. People love the 24/7 convenience online shopping gives them. Do everything in your power to keep focusing on customer needs during the coronavirus crisis. 

Offering a quick-reorder feature lets buyers stay stocked up on the essentials they often purchase. A “suggested products” site component makes it easier for them to find similar items they might need anyway. 

This is a stressful time for people around the world. Let consumers know you recognize the pressure they’re under and want to make things easier when possible. 

3. Offer an Assortment of Free Content

Many people now find themselves stuck at home with more time on their hands. Some brands are catering to that by giving them free content. Audible is doing this with a library of children’s stories anyone can stream without signing up for an account. Also, GOG.com, which sells access to online games, published a collection of complimentary titles on a specialized landing page. The brand points out how gameplay is a good way to relax while staying at home.

If your business model suits it, give your customers content to help them stay occupied. When they notice the high quality of your frrebies, they may decide to purchase your paid content more often. 

4. Tweak Email Campaigns to Reflect the Current Situation

The coronavirus pandemic is causing unprecedented changes around the world. Your email marketing efforts must reflect that reality. Remember that people are anxious and feeling the effects of this crisis in various ways. Adjust your language to reflect the sensitivity of the situation. Steer clear of off-color humor, but be open to taking a positive, caring tone.

Also, don’t use the coronavirus as a re-engagement opportunity. It could be jarring and frustrating if a person receives a COVID-19 email from a company they placed a single order with over a decade ago and hadn’t heard from since. 

5. Simplify the Site Registration Process

Social distancing guidelines require individuals to abide by unfamiliar processes when shopping in physical stores. Some outlets only allow 50 shoppers inside at a time and have security personnel monitoring the traffic flow. Additionally, many countries are strongly advising or ordering older individuals not to leave home at all, since they are at a heightened risk for COVID-19 complications.  

These things collectively mean that some people who would not ordinarily turn to online shopping are doing so now. Be aware of that change and consider making the process as smooth as possible for those registering at your site. 

Only ask for the information you need, and implement a visual cue — such as a green checkmark — to confirm that someone entered details in the proper format. Also, think about letting people order items as a guest. That option enables efficient purchasing and reduces the likelihood of cart abandonment. 

6. Invest in Custom-Printed Shipping Boxes 

The packaging for a product sold online can be almost as important as the item itself because it shapes the customer experience. Custom-printed boxes create an immediate and personal connection to the customer while fostering brand recognition. You can also add a logo to shipping materials to differentiate your brand from its competitors. 

Custom-printed packaging can also give people a welcome bit of cheer when they see the boxes on their doorsteps. Phrases like, “We appreciate your business! Stay safe!” in a brightly colored font could lift the recipient’s mood in these tough times. 

7. Add a Site Banner to Confirm You’re Open

Many government leaders decided that “essential” businesses can stay open. That vague description left many people wondering if the brands they buy from are operating. Remove doubt by putting a banner at the top of your site informing readers you are still open, and make sure it includes anything else they need to know. 

You might say, “COVID-19 Update: We are operating normally but appreciate your patience regarding possible shipping delays during this time of heightened demand.” If you have both online and physical locations with different operating procedures for each group, consider publishing a page to break down the details. Nespresso did that in their United Kingdom and Ireland markets to reduce confusion. 

8. Remind People How to Get in Touch

Many e-commerce call center employees are working remotely, and customer wait times are longer than usual. Keep customers in the loop by letting them know how to connect with your company. CVS Pharmacy provides several options for individuals to use, including topic-specific contact forms. 

Assure people that support is still available, but it may be different in these challenging times. Consider requesting that they show more forgiveness. A recorded message used by Ally Bank tells callers that all support staff members are working from home and asks for understanding if a person hears a crying child or barking dog in the background.

9. Offer Discounts for Shoppers Who Want Ongoing Shipments

Amazon is one of many e-commerce retailers that lets people save money by signing up for things they buy repeatedly. The COVID-19 pandemic makes it difficult for individuals to get some essentials. You can alleviate that stress by setting aside enough stock to accommodate those who sign up for periodic deliveries.

Whether you sell diapers, prepared dinners or diabetic testing supplies, streamline the process of people receiving the items they can’t or don’t want to do without. Offer the option for them to cancel the subscription or skip a delivery at any time, too. 

10. Edit Your Site Copy to Clarify Specifics and Avoid Incorrect Assumptions

Companies must now be exceptionally careful to avoid making misleading medical claims on their e-commerce sites. Etsy recently began taking more decisive options to remove listings that don’t abide by the site’s policies, for example. 

If you sell any products a person may buy for coronavirus prevention — such as masks — clearly state if the items are or are not medical-grade goods. Doing this builds essential trustworthiness and simplifies the product evaluation process for the consumer. 

11. Boost Your Online Ad Spend

Klaviyo is a customer analytics company collecting insights from e-commerce companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of its findings was that 22% of companies are spending more on ads. The brands most likely to do that are those selling essentials like foods and office supplies or niche non-essential products like religious goods and cannabidiol (CBD) products. 

Evaluate whether increased ad spending could help your e-commerce company meet its goals. Ponder the benefits of making the ad copy reflect perks people want, such as free shipping or loyalty discounts. 

Succeed During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Although COVID-19 brings a lot of uncertainty, you can increase the chances of resiliency for your e-commerce store. Get started with these 11 practical suggestions. 

Lexie is a digital nomad and graphic designer. If she’s not traveling to various parts of the country, you can find her at the local flea markets or hiking with her goldendoodle. Check out her design blog, Design Roast, and connect with her on Twitter @lexieludesigner.

Dropshipping seems to be all the rage lately. And for a reason, dropshipping has very low entry requirements, and you get to be in the resale game without keeping inventory.  

But with all the great things that dropshipping has to offer, it can also be a bit hard to start, as most dropshipping gurus tend to keep their secrets to themselves. So, that’s why we’re here to share our five favorite tricks to run a successful drop shipping operation. 

Ready to go in? Let’s start then.

It’s all about starting small.

The truth is, you don’t need a huge, fancy website to do dropshipping. You can do it through Instagram and Facebook as well. 

Start with a couple of products first (more on that later). This will allow you to test out providers and their quality, as well as to start gradually and not overwhelm yourself with a thousand things. 

Start with five products, find a way to market them and then grow what you offer. It’s also a great way to test the product before you start selling it. 

Focus on delivering faster than anyone.

Maybe the thing that stops most people to venture into dropshipping is the fact that you don’t have control over most of the shipping. 

While that’s true, you can find ways to contact the people you’ll be working with and find a way to arrange who they’ll ship with. And it’s all about finding reliable couriers, which will take up most of your time. 

So, start hunting those phone numbers and find a way to arrange the shipping process. 

Know the products that you sell inside and out.

Yes, that means that you’ll most likely have to purchase some of them and spend some money. But knowing the products you’re selling can help you with writing better copy for the product, thus converting more visitors to clients and, of course, you earning more money.

Not only that but spending some time getting familiar with the products you’ll be dropshipping can help you with providing better customer service if something goes wrong.

And once you start growing…

Invest in a proper website.

Dropshipping can be a legitimate business. Just because most dropshipping places don’t invest in building a reputable brand, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t.

Invest in a well-designed website and in some SEO to start riding the wave of organic traffic and you’ve got yourself an unbeatable recipe for success. 

And lastly, talk to your customers.

Having a back-and-forth conversation with your customers can help you with a better understanding of what types of products they would want to see from you, and if problems arise, you’re more trustworthy as a provider. 

Have active social media channels, answer texts and always make sure to go above and beyond if your clients have some problems related to the product or the shipping. 

And don’t forget to be fearless about the whole thing. The best thing about drop shipping is that you can start small, with a very small investment and grow from there.