Creating a winning ecommerce strategy: a step-by-step guide

Grow your site into a successful ecommerce business

So you’ve spotted a gap in the market, created a website, set up an online shop, and sales are beginning to trickle in. Now is not necessarily the time to sit back and relax, because there’s so much more nurturing needed to help grow your site into a successful ecommerce business.

Creating an ecommerce strategy may seem overwhelming, but this three-step guide will show you the areas to concentrate on first.

1. Getting customers to your site

SEO

First and foremost, your site needs to rise above the competition and be visible in search rankings to attract potential shoppers.

Start by brushing up on your SEO skills and research the keywords that are most relevant to your brand and products, and ensure these are featured across your site.

Next, you should focus on your individual product listing pages. Use simple, informative, keyword-orientated vocabulary to describe your products.

But make sure you don’t copy content provided by the manufacturer or from elsewhere on the web – Google ranks unique content highly and will downgrade websites which duplicate content.

Lastly, consider allowing customers to leave reviews for your products – this is a win-win as it provides more unique keyword-rich content for search engines, builds trust in your business and helps shoppers make informed purchasing decisions.

Retargeting

We realise there’s a lot to think about when it comes to advertising, but a good place to start would be with a retargeting campaign.

The majority of shoppers don’t buy the first time they visit a new website. This is where retargeting becomes an effective tool in converting customers at a later date. Running retargeting adverts on other sites builds brand visibility and reminds customers about the product they previously had their eye on.

You can run these ads using a number of platforms including Google and Facebook, and look into a retargeting email campaign to remind customers if they have an item waiting in their basket.

2. Mastering the digital basics

Now you have more customers finding your site, it’s important to streamline the online buying experience.

When it comes to the basics of ecommerce, businesses need to be thinking about mobile optimisation before they consider any other digital bells and whistles.

Ensuring customers can easily access your website and products on the device they carry everywhere is key to any successful ecommerce strategy – and it also helps with SEO as search engines look favourably on mobile optimised websites.

Next, take a look at how many clicks it takes a customer to get from product to checkout – the fewer pages they have to go through means they are less likely to abandon their purchase. It’s also worth thinking about providing delivery and shipping costs upfront – because no one likes being stung by extra charges as they’re about to click ‘buy’.

As for the checkout itself, ensure everything sits on one page and incorporate mobile wallet functionalities like Apple Pay or Google Pay where possible to make payment quicker and easier for shoppers.

Another tip to save back and forth on email would be to have a detailed FAQ page on your website, so your customers can quickly and easily find the answers they need.

Finally you need to make sure your website is secure. Knowledge is power, so learning about the most common threats puts you in the best footing to keep your customers and business safe.

3. Creating a community of shoppers

Your online shop is nothing without your customers – and you can’t assume they will remain loyal just because they bought something from you one time.

Keeping them engaged with content is key, and here are a few ways to connect with potential and existing shoppers:

Once you’ve decided which social media channels are most visited by your customers, ensure you post regular and relevant content that links back to your ecommerce store.

Experiment with video – Instagram Stories don’t have to be super slick and professional. They’re a great way to dip your toe in the water before investing seriously.

Does your brand have a niche or unique core value? Blog about it on your site, create a newsletter, or set up a podcast to engage like-minded customers.

The key is creating a community of shoppers who have an ongoing relationship with your brand so they keep coming back.

Further down the line, you could even look at setting up physical pop-up shops, workshops or brand partnerships to help your business develop a human touch and really ramp up community engagement.

And remember, engagement doesn’t have to be big or expensive, just thoughtful. Bike enthusiasts at Wiggle love it when their orders arrive with a tiny bag of Haribo sweets – and most importantly, they rave about it to their friends and share their appreciation on social media.

For more support you can also speak to one of our Business Advisers by phone.