E-commerce Marketing: Strategies & Tips

 

 

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on e-commerce marketing in the DACH region. Due to store closures and restrictions on public life, many people increasingly turned to online shopping. 

 

 

 

This led to a sharp rise in online retail, particularly in sectors such as groceries, household goods, and health products. Are you now looking to enter the e-commerce space and searching for a suitable e-commerce strategy? Then read on here to learn everything you need to know.

 

 

 

The Meaning of eCommerce: What Exactly Does It Mean?

 

 

 

eCommerce, short for “electronic commerce,” refers to the sale of products or services over the internet. This includes both the sale of physical goods through online stores and the sale of digital content and services such as music, videos, or software.

 

 

 

Electronic commerce enables businesses and customers to conduct transactions anytime and from anywhere. E-commerce marketing involves the use of various, constantly evolving advertising methods to promote your e-commerce website or product and attract potential customers. 

 

Interesting fact: The e-commerce market continues to grow annually and has a global turnover of over $3.5 trillion. Lower barriers to entry make it easier for many companies to enter this market.

 

 

 

E-commerce and COVID-19

 

 

 

Some of the impacts of the pandemic on the e-commerce market are and have been:

 

• An increase in online shopping: Many people have started doing their shopping online because they couldn’t or didn’t want to go to stores.
• Changed shopping habits: Some consumers have changed their shopping habits as they spent more time at home and their priorities shifted.
• Delivery issues: Due to supply chain bottlenecks and shipping delays, many companies struggled to deliver their products to customers on time. 
• Changes in logistics: Some companies subsequently adjusted their logistics processes to ensure they could deliver their products safely and on time.
• Increased online communication: Companies have stepped up their online communication to keep customers informed about delivery times, return options, and other important topics. This strengthens the relationship.

 

 

 

Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to e-commerce growing even faster than it already was, while also demonstrating how crucial a well-functioning online business is for a company.

 

 

 

However: It’s important to know that not every visitor to your website automatically becomes a loyal customer. But by combining the right marketing strategies at the right time, you can motivate potential customers to move through your company’s sales funnel.

 

 

 

What makes e-commerce marketing so special?

 

 

 

e-commerce marketing differs from traditional marketing through the use of digital technologies and platforms. This list of the best e-commerce marketing strategies can help you make your advertising campaigns for your e-commerce website or app more effective:

 

1. Online Presence: Businesses must build a strong online presence to drive potential customers to their website.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): An important method for improving a website’s visibility in search engine results like Google or Bing to drive more traffic to the site. 
3. Online Advertising: E-commerce businesses can run targeted ads on various online platforms to reach potential customers.
4. Retargeting: Use retargeting techniques to win back potential customers who have left your website.
5. Social media marketing: Companies use social media to interact with potential and existing customers and promote their products.
6. Email marketing: E-commerce companies use email marketing to communicate directly with customers and share offers and news.
7. Affiliate marketing: Companies collaborate with partners to promote their products and services and generate sales.
8. Personalization and automation: Brands use data and technology to create personalized experiences and offers for customers and to automate processes.
9. Testing: Conduct A/B tests to measure and optimize the effectiveness of your marketing strategies.
10. Keywords: Search for relevant keywords and optimize your product and category pages accordingly.
11. Images & Descriptions: Create appealing product images and descriptions to influence customers’ purchasing decisions.
12. Feedback: Incorporate customer reviews and opinions to boost the credibility of your brand and products.
13. Promotions: Offer special deals and coupons to encourage customers to make a purchase.
14. Responsiveness: Ensure your website is optimized for use on mobile devices, as more and more people are shopping online with their smartphones.

 

 

 

These and other aspects make e-commerce marketing unique and enable companies to target and effectively engage potential customers to increase their sales.

 

 

 

 

Definition: ToFu Funnel

 

 

 

ToFu stands for “Top of the Funnel” and refers to the beginning of the customer journey, where the focus is on the attention and interest phase of potential customers. The goal of ToFu marketing is to build awareness and generate leads by familiarizing potential customers with products or services and communicating their value to them. 

 

 

 

In ToFu, potential customers are looking for relevant information to solve their problem, but are not yet ready to buy. To achieve these goals, marketing in this phase should focus on solution-oriented content that provides information rather than directly selling. This is very important for warming up prospects and not alienating them.

 

 

 

These leads are also in the awareness phase and are looking to learn more about a specific company, product, brand, or service. They then slowly move into the interest phase, where they want to find out how the product can benefit them, before transitioning to the “Middle of the Funnel” (MoFu), where they gradually begin to consider making a purchase.

 

 

 

Definition: MoFu Funnel

 

 

 

The middle of the funnel (MoFu) logically refers to the middle section of a marketing funnel, where potential customers are converted into qualified buyers. In the middle of the funnel, companies can build a relationship with potential buyers using content, email marketing, and social media posts.

 

 

 

This is done by focusing on specific customer segments and identifying what interests them. You should also create “aha” moments. By doing so, you guide customers through their journey down the funnel and build a deeper connection with them.

 

 

 

Definition: BoFu Funnel

 

 

 

BoFu stands for “Bottom of Funnel.” Unlike the ToFu and MoFu funnels, BoFu refers to the final stage of the marketing funnel, where potential customers are finally converted into active buyers. 

 

 

 

This section of the funnel is responsible for converting already warm prospects into customers by getting them to choose a product or service. To achieve a successful conversion rate, you need to develop and implement a solid BoFu strategy with your business. It also makes sense to use discounts, bonuses, or other promotions at this stage to make the purchase more appealing to the customer.

 

 

 

Before you begin: Here are the questions you should ask yourself for your e-commerce marketing

 

 

 

Your e-commerce marketing strategy brings together all your marketing resources and aims to promote your online store, thereby attracting more customers and generating more sales. 

 

 

 

A forecast of how your e-commerce marketing should develop is also created in advance. This forecast is based on your knowledge of the market, current trends, your brand values, and your products. Ask yourself the following questions:

 

1. What are your sales projections?
2. How large is the market for your product?
3. Which target audience do you want to reach?
4. Where are your customers located geographically and on which online platforms?
5. What should your product’s image be?
6. What strategies are your competitors using?

 

 

 

As you can see, careful planning is crucial, which is why you should also create a timeline for implementing your planned actions. This timeline serves as a roadmap to help you achieve your marketing goals. 

 

 

 

Step by step: How to plan your e-commerce marketing

 

 

 

Start with simple steps and select a few marketing methods that align well with your brand and are easy to implement. Here are some examples of marketing initiatives you can take in your first year to build brand awareness, attract customers, and drive repeat sales: 

 

1. Launch a campaign on Facebook to increase brand awareness and drive more traffic to your website.
2. Use retargeting ads on Facebook to increase conversion rates among website visitors.
3. Create lookalike audiences for your ads.
4. Set up lead generation strategies, such as newsletter sign-up forms or website registration.
5. Work with social media influencers to boost your brand’s popularity.
6. Improve your on-site SEO.
7. Prepare for key e-commerce dates when your target audience expects special offers. For example: Black Friday, holidays, Mother’s and Father’s Day, back-to-school season, summer vacation, etc.

 

 

 

12 Tips to Develop Your eCommerce Marketing

 

 

 

e-commerce is a massive market encompassing a wide variety of products, business models, and target audiences. However, what works for one brand or a specific product may not work for another product or brand.

 

 

 

This is because the measures depend on the respective target audience. To help you develop or optimize the right strategy for your e-commerce marketing, we’ve summarized 12 general tips here. Before implementing any of the strategies listed below, consider:

 

• Where you want to place it in the funnel: at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end.
• Whether you have the support to maintain and test the strategy over the long term.
• When you want to implement the strategy.
• How you can measure the strategy’s success.

 

 

 

1. Optimize eCommerce SEO

 

 

 

eCommerce SEO ensures that your website hopefully appears as the first result in search results when users search for relevant terms. Due to the high number of daily search queries and the fact that most users only look at the first results page, it is crucial that your website is highly visible. 

 

 

 

Successful SEO implementation ensures that your website appears high in the results when users search for relevant terms. Since millions of search queries are made every day, it is accordingly important that your website is highly visible and clicked on for relevant search queries. 

 

 

 

This underscores the importance of SEO for e-commerce marketing. Potential SEO techniques for e-commerce marketing in 2022 are summarized here:

 

• Technical optimization of mobile page speed and implementation of accelerated HTML options for mobile pages.
• Keyword research and usage.
• Well-designed technical search engine optimization to ensure that websites are crawled properly.
• Keyword research and usage.
• Optimized content.
• SEO-friendly meta tags.
• Optimizing the website for voice search.
• Link building to establish, maintain, and increase authority.
• Press releases and other forms of media outreach to boost authority.
• Correct schema markup for e-commerce.

 

 

 

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2. Social Media

 

 

 

Social media allows customers to build a personal relationship with a brand and get a behind-the-scenes look. This happens through the way the marketing team and advertising interact with and connect to customers. This connection can be very strong and leads to strong brand loyalty. 

 

 

 

To develop a successful social media e-commerce marketing strategy, make sure your advertising is as personal and interactive as possible. Use social media channels to promote your brand and products, as well as to share exciting updates about your company. It’s okay to get personal here.

 

 

 

3. Email

 

 

 

Email marketing is an effective method for generating both new and existing customers. You can use emails to re-engage customers who have abandoned their shopping carts and to attract potential customers who have just signed up for your newsletter. 

 

 

 

It’s important to tailor the content of each email to your target audience. This can be achieved by using automation tools that allow you to send emails to specific groups of people. AI tools can be helpful here.  

 

 

 

4. Affiliate Marketing

 

 

 

Affiliate marketing is a method of e-commerce marketing in which affiliates (companies or individuals) receive personalized links to sell products for you. In return, they receive a commission. In fact, 81 percent of companies use this strategy to increase sales. 

 

 

 

Depending on your product, you should therefore also consider working with affiliates to improve your e-commerce marketing. This can also be combined with influencer marketing. It is one of the best and most widely used marketing strategies among major brands.

 

 

 

5. Website Speed and Mobile-First Design

 

 

 

People shop online for various reasons. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was mainly speed and convenience. Now, however, the home has become a safe place to shop. This is another important argument for establishing an online store. 

 

 

 

Regardless of why people shop online, a user-friendly online store is absolutely essential. One of the first things users notice is a website’s loading speed. 

 

 

 

If the website takes longer than 3 seconds to load, most users will likely visit another website. That’s why Google considers your website’s loading speed a key factor in its ranking. The faster your website is, the greater your chance of attracting and retaining customers.

 

 

 

6. Mobile Apps

 

 

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has also increased the importance of apps for both online stores and brick-and-mortar businesses. Additionally, more and more people are using their cell phones or tablets to shop—even when they’re at home. But why do you need apps if customers could just visit websites on their phones and other devices?

 

 

 

The reason is that websites don’t always display properly on phones or tablets, making them harder to use. Apps are different. However, older customers in particular are hesitant to download an app and suspect hidden costs. That’s why a delicate touch is especially needed when targeting a more mature audience.

 

 

 

Self-explanatory icons and a detailed description in the app store are essential to encourage potential customers to download the app. Being able to offer an app is one of the best e-commerce marketing strategies for almost any business. In addition to the online store, the app can also be used for other interesting promotions and include features that provide customers with added value and benefits. 

 

 

 

However, the development process is anything but easy and is very time-consuming. You should work with a competent agency or a freelancer to achieve a satisfactory result. Also note that an app can easily cost over 10,000 euros. 

 

 

 

7. Blog posts for your content marketing

 

 

 

The organic search engine ranking of your e-commerce website can be improved by creating blog posts, FAQs, and similar content. Blog content is an effective e-commerce marketing strategy that allows you to target specific keywords or phrases and reach your audience.  

 

 

 

Note: People use search engines to do exactly that. You search using keywords or entire sentences. A blog allows you to optimize your content for additional search queries, answer relevant questions, and guide readers to various products on your website. This is called “nudging.” 

 

 

 

Customers don’t always search for specific product names; they often express their needs in the form of questions. They might search for “How do we build an e-commerce website?” or “What’s the best way to keep our food cool while hiking?” and stumble upon your blog. There, you can subtly offer relevant products.

 

8. Targeted lead generation with a quiz

 

 

 

It can be difficult to obtain personal data from prospects during the sign-up process without negatively impacting conversion rates. To gather more information, marketers must provide a compelling reason to convince prospects to share their personal data. 

 

 

 

One way to achieve this is through lead-generation quizzes. These quizzes can take various forms, ranging from “What drink are you?” to personalized clothing finders, and enable you to collect segmented leads.

 

 

 

9. Turn empty shopping carts into full ones

 

 

 

In an ideal purchasing scenario, potential customers would land on your homepage, navigate through the categories, and eventually reach a product page before completing the purchase. 

 

 

 

However, in reality, the purchasing process isn’t always linear. If a prospect lands on a suboptimal page during the Top-of-Funnel (ToFu) phase—such as a 404 error page or a sold-out product page—this can often mark the end of their journey. 

 

 

 

Many e-commerce brands ignore this. The Vinomofo brand, however, is an exception and incorporates this approach into its strategy. If you navigate to the shopping cart page without adding an item, you’ll see the following: “We assume you haven’t seen our other great offers yet.” 

 

 

 

At the same time, the brand recommends other products that are currently on sale. Vinomofo also

 

 

 

also uses so-called social proof by highlighting the number of its customers and the quantities of products sold. 

 

 

 

With a call-to-action button, customers can return to the homepage if they’re looking for something else. An effective strategy for guiding visitors in the right direction and capturing potential ToFu leads.

 

 

 

10. Multilingual Capabilities of Your Online Marketing Store

 

 

 

With a multilingual online marketing store, you can also reach international customers. Most e-commerce platforms, such as WordPress e-commerce themes and WooCommerce templates, offer free translation settings. This helps integrate people from other countries who don’t speak your language. 

 

 

 

11. Set up a forum for your customers

 

 

 

With message boards, forums, and even chat areas, you can turn your e-commerce store into a discussion platform and use customer interaction to strengthen the connection between you and your customers. 

 

 

 

A clear example is the brand “Fluent Pet,” which sells voice buttons for communicating with pets. The forum helps pet owners exchange ideas, offer support, and answer questions. 

 

 

 

Additionally, such a platform allows you to easily interact with your customers by asking questions and providing answers. A beneficial side effect: at the same time, a trustworthy community is built. It’s important here that the forum is moderated so you can quickly intervene and de-escalate discussions.

 

 

 

12. Public Relations

 

 

 

If you have enough capacity, you can consider doing PR and promoting your products in various magazines and journals. Here, giveaways can be an ideal way to subtly promote your products without being too promotional.

 

 

 

You often have to pay for placement, though there are also magazines that enter into partnerships. Be aware, however, that this strategy primarily creates reach, which isn’t always measurable—especially offline magazines, which can only be gauged by circulation.

 

 

 

In contrast, online magazines are not only accessible at any time but also more easily measurable in terms of clicks. They are therefore in no way inferior to offline media.

 

 

 

Conclusion: eCommerce Marketing Strategy with Waterproof Web Wizard

 

 

 

Now that you know all the key online marketing strategies, perhaps you want to successfully build your online store but don’t know where to start? We’d be happy to support you and assist with the planning as well as other marketing measures: <adata-wpil href="https://waterproof-web-wizard.de/blog/was-ist-google-my-business/" class="lnk">SEO, online marketing, <adata-wpil href="https://waterproof-web-wizard.de/blog/was-ist-google-my-business/" class="lnk">or building your website with <adata-wpil href="https://waterproof-web-wizard.de/blog/typo3-website-erstellen-leitfaden/" class="lnk">TYPO3 or WordPress.</adata-wpil></adata-wpil></adata-wpil>

 

 

 

Our motto: We’re an agency that first listens to what you need before imposing a solution on you. Your goals are our top priority, which is why we discuss all decisions with you and your team first.

 

 

 

This way, we can succeed together. Whether it’s an online store or the needs of offline customers: if there’s no connection between the two, nothing can really work well.

 

 

 

You can reach us by phone at +49 751 95 89 92 17 or contact us via our contact form. Feel free to read our customer reviews to get a better sense of who we are.