Have you noticed how physical stores are becoming a thing of the past?
Online stores are taking over the retail market, and it’s no surprise.
More businesses are turning to e-commerce to sell their products. The pressure is on you to stay ahead of the competition.
The market is tough. Not only is it tough, but it’s also profitable.
You can convert many shoppers into your customers with the right business decisions.
This blog has compiled expert ideas to help you stay ahead of your e-commerce competitors.
Let’s begin.
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9 ways to beat your competitors in e-commerce
We reached out to experts to share their tips and tricks for succeeding in e-commerce. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Gift card discounts
Who doesn’t love free things?
Gift card discounts are an excellent way to keep customers with your business. Just ask Sandy Dedeian, founder of Rectified Inc.
Sandy says, “Gift cards are popular because they’re the easiest gift you can buy, but they’re usually not on promotion. For example, offer a $100 gift card for $80”
Offering gift cards can give you an organic customer base and make your business known.
2. Optimise for search
Do you know one sure way to stay ahead of the competition? Try optimising your business website.
JayHustler SEO has helped over 107 businesses and brands grow by using SEO to increase traffic on their websites.
Jay shares some SEO tips and tricks for our e-commerce business:
- Pick the right keywords
- Focus on on-page SEO
- Reduce page load speed
- Don’t sleep on blog articles
- Optimise your product pages
- Take advantage of backlinks.
SEO is an essential aspect of your business. Take time to get your website well-optimised.
3. Discount to cross-sell and upsell
In cross-selling, you encourage your customers to buy related items they have shown interest in. Upselling, on the other hand, involves marketing higher-end products to your customers.
Martina Steen, a strategic marketer, says, “there is an interesting shift in consumer behaviour. We rewarded customers for shopping online in the early days of e-commerce. But today, certain retailers offer discounts only valid in physical stores.”
Martina suggests that you stay ahead of your competition by offering discounts to customers to get them to buy a bigger product, or a related product.
This enables you to get a lot of sales from the same buyer.
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4. Send behaviour-based emails
Melanie Coffman, an email marketing expert, shares some tips for emails that will keep you ahead of your competition. “You don’t need major discounts, fancy graphics, new products, and a massive email list. You need valuable service and a personal connection with your list during the buyer’s journey.”
Melanie is saying:
- Keep your email list small.
- Keep your email designs simple.
- Provide value to your customers.
- Maintain a personal relationship with them.
Don’t send fancy emails to many people. Tailor your email list to an audience interested in your products/services. Understand your customers’ problems and provide solutions to their needs.
5. Create engaging emails
Email marketing is the new digital advertising, right?
If you’re looking for ways to stay ahead of your competition, you should listen up.
Melanie Coffman, again, says you don’t need to keep your emails regular and boring. “Boring emails will turn off your audience. Infotainment done well will improve sales and create brand loyalty.”
Yes, your emails market your product. But does your marketing need to be so obvious? Before you hit send on your next email marketing campaign, consider if the message would excite you as a customer. If you answer no, return to the drawing board and craft a more engaging email.
6. Treat your loyal customers like royalty
What’s that saying about not biting the hand that feeds you?
In the e-commerce sector, you can stay ahead of your competition by giving back to your supportive customers.
Kerri McDonald proposes 10 steps to making your customers feel special.
One of the strategies is simple — give your existing customers early access to new products, promotions, and VIP perks. Make your customers feel like they’re a part of your business.
7. Use SMS to market your business
SMS marketing is the next best thing since sliced bread.
In 2022, businesses reported between 20 and 35% SMS click-through rates.
Oscar G, an SMS marketing specialist, thinks you shouldn’t treat SMS like email marketing.
Oscar says, “Brands that treat SMS like email and use it to get short-term revenue will see its effectiveness dwindle in the future.”
“You must ensure that your SMS is well framed, which goes far beyond copywriting. It entails strategy and a careful analysis of where the person is in the customer journey and when the message is being delivered.”
What does this mean? Know your customers. Know where they are in their buying stage. Use this knowledge to stay ahead of the competition.
SMSCountry offers an active bulk SMS service that’s powerful and easy to use. Send marketing SMSes, skyrocket your sales, conversion and ROI, and stay in touch with your customers.
8. Use user-generated content
If you don’t think user-generated content can massively boost your e-commerce sales, wait to see what the experts say.
Claudia Sieber, strategic account director, Claudia Sieber has a lot to say on this topic.
“Did you know when consumers engage with any user-generated content (UGC), there’s a 144% increase in conversion? If you’re looking for product page inspiration, check out 12 of the best e-commerce product pages that feature #UGC.”
Since UGC comes from users who have experienced your products/services, other customers will trust your products.
User-generated content may come in text, audio, or video format, and you can post them across social media or your business website.
Be innovative. Use your customers to stay ahead of the competition.
9. Create a website with a responsive design
When customers find your business online or through word of mouth, they want more information from your website.
Sven Read, a user experience designer, explains the importance of responsive website design. “Responsive design aims to create the best user experience in a single website.”
For an e-commerce business like yours, how your website looks influences to a great deal whether your customers scroll through your catalog or run away.
Boost your e-commerce business with SMSCountry
We’ve given you a head start on how to stay ahead of the competition. And now, it’s time for you to implement our expert tips. But we’ll do you one last favour, suggesting you use SMSCountry to bolster your business.
SMSCountry is a bulk SMS platform that allows you to provide real-time updates on orders and offers from your e-commerce platform.
Get started with SMSCountry today and enjoy free credits. Or Schedule a free demo to see how SMSCountry can help you win more customers for your online store.
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