Since the start of the pandemic, there has been notable growth in global e-commerce sales. In fact, statistics suggest that worldwide e-commerce revenues will have approached $5 trillion in 2021 while continuing to grow over the course of the coming years.
More than ever, customers are preferring and prioritizing online shopping over patronizing brick and mortar stores. While initially, the perks of shopping online included the benefits of saving time and perhaps saving money, increasingly customers find they have a better overall shopping experience in the digital environment.
These e-commerce trends are putting pressure on retailers to keep up with the increasing customer expectations for online shopping. Is your business prepared to not only keep up but maximize the potential for online sales growth?
As 2022 get underway, here are 5 tips to help your business grow and scale online:
1. Build your Reputation for Customer Service
There’s a phenomenon in retail known as the service recovery paradox which suggests that a customer will become or stay loyal to a brand in spite of product/service delivery issues as long as the brand fixes the issue to the customer’s satisfaction.
For this reason, in combination with many others, investing in customer service can be a powerful way to ensure your business growth. While many aspects of the online customer journey can be made more efficient through automation, make sure that ultimately there is still the human element to provide empathy and evangelize your brand.
2. Connect with Your Customers on Social Media
Research indicates that customers are spending on average over 2 hours every day on social media apps – and interacting with brands has become a common social activity.
While social media can be an effective tool for increasing brand awareness, it is equally as important to utilize these platforms to engage with your current customers and generate long-term brand loyalty.
Consider partnering with a micro-influencer whose content and reach also targets your ideal audience. Then, don’t forget to respond and communicate with everyone who interacts with your brand on social media.
3. Experiment with Cutting Edge Tech
Creating engaging, memorable experiences has long been one of the most effective brand marketing strategies. Today, the accelerating advances in AR/VR and 360-degree video technology are making it possible to create exciting experiences for online shoppers.
Cutting-edge brands are creating premium experiences by giving customers the option to virtually try-on clothing or even plan an interior design remodel. The metaverse promises even more immersive, activity-based online experiences that can and will include shopping.
4. Leverage an Effective SEO Strategy
SEO will continue to be relevant in 2022. This should come as no surprise, as customers will continue to gravitate to search engines to find solutions for their needs and desires. Thus, you want to make sure your products and services will be easy to see in search results.
Google’s Multitask Unified Model (MUM) initiative means it will be more important than ever to factor intent into your content. As video content becomes more prevalent, you’ll want to make sure to use thumbnails and transcripts to help your SEO. Also, don’t forget to optimize your online listings for both voice and text-based searches.
5. Sell on Multiple Marketplaces
If you’re only selling products online through your website, you’re probably missing out on multiple opportunities (that will become more and more prevalent throughout 2022) to increase your sales by selling on multiple marketplaces.
This is not just about signing up with Amazon’s Brand Services program or utilizing Walmart’s Fulfillment services, though these are platforms you might want to take advantage of if you’re not already. Niche online marketplaces will make it possible for a variety of smaller brands to come together to target focused audiences.
Are you making plans to accelerate your e-commerce business growth in 2022?
If you’d like to explore customized strategies to improve your online marketing, schedule a chat with our team of digital marketing experts here at JXT Group. Just give us a call at 718-690-730 or submit our online form.
