How to Grow Your eCommerce Store Using 6 Effective Strategies

Virginia Miller

September 11, 2024

In this article

In the past few years, the eCommerce sector has seen rapid expansion. In fact, in 2023, the eCommerce industry is set to generate an incredible $6.3 trillion globally. To put that in perspective, if online sales were an actual country, it would have the third highest GDP in the entire world, second only to China and the United States.

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With the rise of eCommerce, you might be thinking that now is the perfect time to launch a new eCommerce business. Or perhaps you already have one set up and wonder what you need to do to take it to new heights of success. Whatever your situation is, there are several things that you can do to make sure your eCommerce store does not disappear in the sea of websites.

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Growing your eCommerce and boosting sales is not as hard as you might think. You don't have to exhaust and lose yourself in the process. More often than not, it is about using a combination of small techniques to help you reach your goals and pull it all together.

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The good news is that with the right strategies and tools, you can launch and grow a successful eCommerce business that will help you improve your position in the market, reach more customers, and increase your profits.

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In the article below, we’ll discuss some of the best actionable strategies you can use to start growing your eCommerce business.

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Identify your Target Audience

To grow, eCommerce businesses must focus on qualified target audiences. Although anyone with internet access could potentially find your products, not everyone is truly your target customer. Your marketing will be more effective if you identify and cater specifically to buyers who need or want your products.

Start by making a list of existing customers and analyzing their common traits and interests. Look at organic search terms people are already using to find products like yours. Use social media demographics to uncover more potential target audiences. Compile all this data into summarized “buyer personas” - archetypes representing the motivations, demographics, and behaviors of your ideal customers. Then tailor your messaging and campaigns to directly address these buyer personas.

Leverage SMS Marketing

SMS marketing delivers exceptional open rates, detailed metrics, and scalability, making it a great way to cost-effectively generate more eCommerce leads. However, truly successful SMS campaigns target specific, relevant subscriber segments rather than taking a scattershot approach. Do your research to understand your target audience’s interests and motivations. Then carefully craft compliant, appealing SMS signup forms and special offers tailored specifically to them.

An urgent, benefit-focused call-to-action (CTA) is also key for driving engagement and conversions from SMS campaigns. Keep your CTA copy tight and crystal clear on the desired next step. Spotlight it prominently in your SMS headlines or offers to motivate immediate action. A creative, customer-centric CTA can really make your texts stand out from competitors’ messages in subscribers’ crowded inboxes.

Prioritize Social Media

In today's digital marketplace, social media allows eCommerce brands to directly interact with customers in real-time, nurture relationships, and build an engaging online experience. Platforms like Instagram can drive website traffic, boost sales, raise awareness, and more. However, simply creating social media accounts is not enough - you need followers to see your content.

Manually attracting followers can be challenging and time-consuming. Instead, consider leveraging professional Instagram growth services. These provide dedicated account managers to follow best practices tailored to your business niche and audience. They can strategically attract highly targeted, genuinely interested followers through optimized hashtags, captions, and user engagement. Many also offer profile call-to-action options to convert followers into high-quality leads.

Additionally, brands that actively monitor comments and DMs to resolve issues and answer questions quickly tend to earn more followers through positive word-of-mouth. So stay on top of notifications to provide the best possible social customer service.

Encourage Repeat Purchases

It costs up to 7 times more to attract a new customer than to retain an existing one. Yet many eCommerce sites focus primarily on the former while neglecting their current customer base. Show existing customers you value them by providing an excellent post-purchase experience including incentives to return.

Avoid the common mistake of only offering the best promos like discounts or free gifts to first-time shoppers. While important for acquisition, this risks devaluing loyalty. Consider giving current customers periodic “thank you” coupons, bonus products with qualifying purchases, or points/rewards programs. Make them feel appreciated.

Deliver Stellar Service

Providing exceptional customer service also plays a major role in driving repurchases. Online, buyers cannot see or test products firsthand, so confidently addressing issues builds trust. Reviews also heavily influence buying decisions - over half of buyers read four or more before purchasing. Thus, preventing and resolving complaints is critical.

Supply helpful, in-depth product information. Make returns/exchanges easy. Monitor reviews and immediately address negative feedback. Deliver caring, individualized support at every touchpoint so customers enjoy purchasing from you again and again.

Implement Content Marketing

Content marketing attracts and engages qualified audiences by offering valuable, relevant information rather than direct sales pitches. This “inbound” approach helps drive organic search traffic to your eCommerce site, allowing new shoppers to discover your brand.

Effective content strategies take time, but provide long-term dividends. Keep these guidelines in mind:

Create informative content solving your audience’s problems
Commit to regularly publishing new content
Strive to outperform competitors by offering more comprehensive, higher-quality content

Final Thoughts

Succeeding at eCommerce requires keeping pace with the latest innovations in a fast-changing industry. While each strategy covered here can individually move the needle, combining multiple approaches creates a powerful, holistic growth marketing plan. Together, these tactics can boost customer loyalty, sales, and market share over time.

FAQs

What are some key strategies for identifying my target eCommerce audience?

Analyze your existing customer base to uncover common traits, interests, and behaviors. Research relevant search terms people are already using to find your products. Use social media demographics to find similar potential buyer groups. Create summarized “buyer personas” to represent your ideal customers.

How can SMS marketing help my eCommerce business?

SMS marketing delivers exceptional open rates, detailed metrics, and scalability at a very affordable CPM. Carefully target relevant subscriber groups, then craft tailored offers and calls-to-action to generate more leads.

Why is social media important for eCommerce brands?

Platforms like Instagram allow eCommerce brands to directly engage customers in real-time, nurture relationships, boost brand awareness, drive site traffic and sales. Professional growth services can strategically attract targeted, interested followers at scale.

How do I encourage existing eCommerce customers to purchase again?

Avoid only offering the best promotions to first-timers. Show existing customers you value them via periodic discounts, bonus products, and rewards programs. Also provide exceptional service and address reviews to build loyalty and trust.

What is content marketing?

Content marketing involves creating valuable, informative content tailored to your audience rather than direct product pitches. This “inbound” strategy attracts organic search traffic to your eCommerce site from new potential customers.

What makes content marketing so effective?

Useful, relevant content helps solve customers’ problems and engages their interests. Committing to regularly publishing new, high-quality content also helps you outperform competitors in search results and builds authority over time.

How can these strategies work together?

While each covered growth tactic has individual merit, combining multiple approaches creates a powerful, holistic plan. Together, they boost loyalty, sales, and market share better than any one strategy alone.