Every e-merchants nightmare is not getting enough traffic on his or her e-store. Less traffic automatically means fewer conversions and lesser sales. Every online merchant faces this question, sometime or the other during his online business tenure – how to increase traffic and sales to my e-commerce store? What is the mantra that helps others get considerable traffic and footfall into their online stores?
Here are six top practical ways to increase traffic to your online store.
- Use The Influence Of Social Media
There is no refuting the fact that social media is a powerful marketing tool for online merchants. Look at these facts:
- 75% of marketers believe that social media has helped in increasing traffic to their site. At least 90% of marketers feel that social media strategies have helped increase brand awareness about their business.
- The number of users of social media is projected to go beyond 4.41 million by 2025.
- Facebook makes most of its money through advertisements. By the end of Q2 of 2020, the social media channel had more than 9 million active advertisers.
- 90% of US marketers put their faith in Instagram as one of the best influencer marketing platforms.
Shopify, one of the biggest e-commerce marketplace today itself, proposes that its online merchants must use tools like Facebook ads, Instagram ads, Pinterest ads, and Google Ads to drive user engagement and traffic to your store..
- Use A Referral Program To Your Advantage
Mouth-of-word has a big influence on our lives. It is not just about buying a product; even for small little things, we tend to take recommendations from our close ones. So, when an acquaintance suggests an online store, it will surely be heard and researched. As a result, your store is likely to get increased traffic.
81% of buyers would take recommendations from their friends and family while making a purchase. That is why a referral program should be an integral part of your online store. It is also vital to remember that when a customer comes in through a referral, the lifetime value is 25% higher than other customers.
- Tie-up with Influencers
While you need to focus on your social media content, it is also important to associate with leading influencers in your niche. For example, an online store specializing in mom wear or kids wear must tie-up with a mom influencer who has qualitative engagement metrics with her audience. The result – your store will get instant exposure to the mom influencer’s community, and with the help of a powerful strategy, your store can capitalize fast on the added market reach.
- Have a Separate And Dedicated Blog Section on Your Store
The online store should not be just about selling products. You need to add value to your buyers or loyal users. It would help if you showed your buyers that you are an authoritative brand in the market. That is why the focus has to be on relevant content marketing. A blog section on the site can feature educative, informative, or general topics about your industry or domain. It could be an entertaining read or a serious one that fills your traffic with additional information and data. Even if the reader does not immediately engage with the store as a buyer, there is always a possibility that he will want to come back later. Maybe, when he is looking for more information and or needs product being sold at your store!
- Include Some Freebies
An accepted fact of human nature is that we all love free stuff. Giveaways are a good way to attract traffic to your store. But, make sure you do it strategically and smartly so that the freebies compensate well with the growth in traffic to your online store. Have a marketing plan in hand that will work well without cutting too much into your revenues. You may not want to stamp your branding with such promotional freebies because people instantly equate such campaigns with poor or dubious quality. You have to develop smart ideas to sell your products while ensuring that the traffic keeps coming in.
- Upselling
With upselling, your online store can achieve at least 4% higher revenues and sales with the existing customers. The first time Amazon tried it, it was able to increase its sales by almost 35%. Most e-stores try the upselling trick by featuring the frequently bought together items or top-selling categories. You are not forcing your buyers to buy a more expensive item; you are simply recommending them an item based on the buyer’s preference.
- Ensure that your site is SEO-optimized
It may sound too insignificant, but it is an important aspect for your e-store to show up when a prospective buyer uses keyword search associated with your product categories. E-commerce SEO is an indispensable tool and helps garner organic traffic without spending too much money. Take the help of professional SEO reseller experts to execute the strategies well.