8 eCommerce Marketing Strategies To Keep an Eye On

eCommerce is by no means an addition to our terminology today.

Ever since its humble beginnings more than four decades ago, this medium of trade has been on a constant rise. Owing to the rapid technological advancements and increasing reliance of the masses on the world wide web, the growth in this sector has seen leaps and bounds over the years. And the pandemic of 2019-2020 gave it a further push.

In fact, according to a study, the projected retail sales through eCommerce for the year 2022 are expected to be as high as $5,424 billion US dollars.

But can technology alone really drive these sales?

We think not.

Efforts put in by each web store owner are equally important in boosting their business with the increased competition in this sector. Choosing from amidst a sea of online sellers is not an easy task and thus, the need to make your business stand out from the crowd increases multifold.

Marketing strategies are an excellent and long-used technique to ensure this boost.

Notable, however, is that in today’s computerized era, the traditional marketing strategies alone are not enough. A healthy dose of digital ideas is also necessary, creating the perfect trail mix for the hike that is eCommerce marketing.

We have curated for you a list of the top trends and strategies you need to keep an eye out for this year. So, why wait?

Let’s take a look.

As we mentioned above, an assortment of some of the best marketing strategies from both the traditional and digital worlds can serve as the perfect combination for your growing eCommerce business. Following is a list of the same to help you stay ahead of the competition in the upcoming year.

1. Pitch with Augmented Reality

Delivering a sales pitch verbally is quickly becoming old-school, especially when it comes to the eCommerce sector. After all, wouldn’t it be better if the customer can have a virtual experience of the product before buying it instead of simply reading the details you decide to share?

That is exactly what Augmented Reality or AR does. It lets your audience get a fair idea of what to expect from the product. Be it a piece of clothing, a pair of spectacles, a new lip color, or even a piece of furniture for their home or office — through AR, they can virtually “try on” the product to get a feel of how well it goes with the entire look. It enables them to understand better whether this item is something they would like to buy, thus reducing the number of returns on such goods significantly.

This technology can be easily used through a mobile phone, tablet, or laptop. IKEA’s application, the IKEA Place, is a good example of the same.

2. Increased Number of Payment Gateways

Another thing that technological advancements have influenced to a great extent is the way we make payments. Be it for a cab ride, dinner at a hotel, or when making a purchase — digital payments are getting all the hype.

When it comes to eCommerce, multiple payment options are available nowadays for the same reason. Cash and cheque are the oldest methods but payment through debit cards and credit cards is also rapidly taking a back seat. Instead, newer modes of payment, like net banking and UPIs are gaining traction due to the ease they afford. Some trading houses have even begun accepting digital currencies like BitCoin in exchange for their products.

As an online retailer, it is therefore important that you extend as many payment gateways as possible. This lets your customers shop freely without having to worry about their payout options.

3. Omnichannel Customer Support Availability

Customer experience is one of the top priorities of marketers today. And no good experience can be complete without a good support team available to help out the buyers at all times.

Said service can be done through several mediums, including website, application, calls, as well as social media channels. This ensures that help is easily received by the consumers as and when they need it. Having multiple channels of communication also supports by reducing the burden on any one of them.

For websites, chatbots are being used extensively today as they are pre-programmed and can solve general customer queries by themselves. Only if a specific query is out of their purview will they escalate the matter to human attendants who can then provide the requested answers to the buyer. Similarly, social media outlets like Facebook allow for automated replies to specific visitor questions.

4. Real-time Analytics to Support Sales

Analysis of data is an art as old as time itself. Ever since the collection of any kind of data began, so began its in-depth investigation. This held true for wars of the past and still holds true for trade today.

Initially, there was a delay necessary for the analytics tools to collect and aggregate data so they may examine it and provide the required answers. But in today’s digital era, no such wait is needed. You can easily gain real-time results from the analysis of a large quantity of data at once. You can also simultaneously receive real-time updates as to how your audience is interacting with the advertisements and marketing campaigns you’re running.

This allows you to identify the gaps and limitations in your strategies and rectify them at the earliest to get optimal results.

5. Optimized Privacy for Consumers

The collection of data for both analysis, as well as the formulation of future strategies, is an activity that is continuously evolving. However, with the ever-increasing list of data leaks happening online, customers have come to be very alert about what they wish to keep private.

Laws are being made and enforced about the kind of data a company can collect and often requires the individual permission of each consumer. Since it is quite easy to cross the thin line dividing these two sections and land on the wrong side of the law, it is necessary to monitor your own activities regularly when handling customer data.

Making sure that your audience and buyers know beforehand what information you will be collecting is a good way to avoid lawsuits while also building a trusting relationship with them.

6. Increased Voice Searches

With the advent of voice searches, the way search engines look for answers to a query has been significantly influenced. This is because not every website is optimized and ready for the same.

Today, searches can be conducted easily through voice commands from your phone, smart speakers, and even smart televisions that each come with a voice assistant. All you have to do is simply ask a question or pose a command. For instance, you can say “find the nearest Walmart” and you will receive a whole list of answers with the addresses of each store and their distance from your current location. The same is also true when a customer wishes to conduct a product search.

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Thus, it is of utmost importance that your website and/ or application are regularly updated and optimized to keep up with the voice searches. Your business’s information like the customer support number and the website should also be readily available through these commands.

7. Drone Deliveries

Since social distancing has become a way of life owing to the coronavirus pandemic, contactless deliveries have been gaining momentum. And deliveries through drones are a fast upcoming alternative for the same.

Although several big industry players have already hopped on the bandwagon to utilize this technology, it is still a way into the future. Scientists have reassured of the viability as well as the feasibility of this technology and the commercial use of drones is highly anticipated and eagerly awaited.

Meanwhile, courier mail service and airmail shipping are still widely used by e-stores to get products delivered both nationally and internationally.

8. Focus on Green Models

With the rapidly evolving world, consumers are now more aware than ever of the effects of climate change and the importance of sustainable energy. And this is directly influencing the way they view their sellers as well.

Buyers today are leaning towards companies that offer and promote green consumerism and work on environment-friendly models. The businesses that are contributing to the betterment of the global environment are also being appreciated and preferred over their competitors.

Going eco-friendly hence might just be the extra push you may need in 2022 to become a customer favorite and drive your sales higher.

Wrapping Up

Regardless of how well you’ve been doing the past years or how much you know about your customers — marketing strategies are always going to be one of the foremost necessities when planning your business’s future plan of action. And seeing as the market is changing every day, it is of utmost importance that you stay on top of the latest trends that are affecting the industry.

We hope this list helps you plan your year optimally to gain your desired outcomes.

So what are you waiting for? Begin today!