e-commerce

With platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce, making it easy for new and established businesses to start and run their own e-commerce business, you might have thought about starting your online store soon.

But just like establishing a physical store, creating an online store isn’t as easy it may sound. So if your online business goes through plateaus and declines initially, don’t get discouraged.

If you’re having trouble coming up with new ways to get more sales and conversions in 2020, you’ve come to the right place. 

In this post, we’re going to have a quick look at 8 clever ways you can use to generate more sales for your e-commerce store in 2020. 

Top E-Commerce Platforms 2020

Some of the best e-commerce platforms for 2020 include: 

Shopify

When it comes to e-commerce stores, Shopify is second to none. 

It is even better than BigCommerce in terms of post-purchase 1-click upsells. Free themes for Shopify are an added perk that makes it easier for Shopify store owners to create a feature-rich, buyer-friendly e-commerce store. 

Just ensure you choose the highest converting Shopify theme, and you’re good to go. 

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is another prominent e-commerce platform that is ideal for large retail online stores. If you have a brick-and-mortar store and you want to create an online presence, you can consider investing in this platform. 

Magento

Magento is available in both free and paid versions. This platform supports one-click selling and strong SEO. However, you need to have ample space and memory with this platform to get the best results.

Wix

Wix has come a long way in recent years. This platform has tons of amazing themes. It is simple to use and also includes a marketing automation feature. 

But as you grow, you might need to switch to some other platform as Wix has poor SEO performance. Also, this platform’s upselling capabilities are weaker than other available options, such as Shopify and BigCommerce. 

Weebly

With more than 40-million customers, Weebly is another user-friendly e-commerce platform that comes with a built-in marketing automation feature. 

There are excellent templates and powerful email tools. The only disadvantages are weak SEO and no Amazon integration.

Whether you choose the highest converting Shopify theme to increase your e-commerce conversions or go with BigCommerce to increase sales, there are certain things you should keep in mind to get the most out of your e-commerce platform. 

8 Clever Ways to Double Your E-Commerce Conversions in 2020

  1. Target Your Current Customers

The biggest mistake businesses make today is they immediately blame their customer acquisition process if they’re not getting their desired returns. 

But did you know businesses do not fail just because they fail to attract new customers but also because they don’t know how to retain their existing clients? 

Also, customer acquisition is an expensive strategy. It’s obviously more cost-effective to follow up with your existing customers

Why?

Because your existing customers are already familiar with your brand, and there’s no learning curve. 

Try to come up with value-driven customer loyalty programs that help your existing buyers earn a reward point whenever they spend money on your products. 

  1. Paid Traffic

Paid traffic is one of the most effective ways to generate sales for your online business. Although paid traffic is believed to be an expensive approach, it can really take your business to the next level if done correctly. 

Make sure you test the waters with a limited amount first. 

For instance, you can start small by limiting your spending range to $50. Why it’s important to start small is you never know that your campaigns are going to work out and fetch in the desired results. 

Once you have initiated a few ad campaigns, make sure you keep your eye on them to assess metrics. Also, find out ways to drive traffic to each of your campaigns. 

Here, it is also crucial to leverage the best targeting practices. Remember, all of your efforts will go down the drain if your ads are shown to the wrong audience. 

  1. Boost Trust Within Your Funnel

Another way you can use to boost conversions for your e-commerce store is to increase trust within your funnel. 

Okay, we know that might sound a little technical, but it positively impacts your sales when you successfully build trust within your funnel. 

There are a couple of things you can do to build trust within your funnel. For example, you can add client testimonials to the product pages to provide social proof that other people are using and admiring your products. 

Also, you can integrate a live chat option on your website to allow your website visitors to get instant answers to their questions. 

Trust badges are another useful way to build trust within your funnel (we’re going to talk about them in the subsequent section). 

  1. Display Security Badges Your Website is Using to Build Trust

As discussed in the previous section, you can increase trust within your sales funnel using security badges. 

While you can place it wherever you want, it might be a better idea to show them on the page where your customers select payment options and complete a check out process

According to research, more than 17% of online buyers abandon their carts because they feel insecure about the payment process. 

That green ‘Secure’ sign next to your URL  is another crucial factor that most of the buyers notice before they enter their confidential info on your website.

The most important thing that you must ensure is you’re not misleading your website visitors. Don’t make these badges part of your website unless you actually have an affiliation with these companies. 

Failing to do so may also result in legal penalties for your online business. 

  1. Make Your Checkout Process Simple

Needless to say, customers prefer buying from online stores that do not have a complicated checkout process. 

Instead of asking your customers to create an account from scratch, you can ask them to make a purchase with a guest account. 

Also, reduce the number of forms that potential buyers have to fill in. 

According to Joanna Wiebe, Copy Hackers & Artistry, Think of every field in your checkout as a hurdle your prospect has to leap over. Then ask yourself if it’s worth the possibility of losing a sale—or thousands of sales—because you want to fill a database.

After the Great Field Culling Exercise, as it will come to be known in your office, you’ll want to make sure the forms that remain are so frictionless, users will barely notice they’re doing actual data entry.” (via Copyblogger)

  1. Use Images/Videos

Customers love images and videos. In other words, anything that offers additional value to your customers will attract them and encourage them to make a purchase. 

Studies suggest that websites that have videos can get the user to spend roughly 88% more time on their site. 

You can make videos containing product demonstrations. For instance, if your online business deals with electronic appliances or smartphones, you can create short informative videos about their use, care, etc.

Similarly, if you own clothing or a footwear brand, you can create videos about size charts. 

Also, insert high-quality images on your product pages. Showcase a 360-degree view of your products so that customers can have an idea about how your products look, even without having a tactical experience. 

  1. Use Email Marketing

Research suggests that email marketing has an ROI of up to 4300%. So you must not skip it. 

If you already have an email subscriber’s list handy, you can start without any delay. But if you don’t have one, you may want to create a list first. 

  1. Implement Upsells

To improve average order value, you can also take help from upsells. 

You implement upsells when you encourage your existing buyers to invest in upgraded or personalized versions of the products. 

For instance, if you deal with computer systems, you can persuade your buyers to purchase an upgraded processor. 

Bonus Tips

Offer Discounts: Everyone loves a good deal. So offer as many discounts and site-wide deals as possible.

Showcase Customer Testimonials: Clearly showcase customer reviews on the homepage of your website. People admire social proofs and feel comfortable buying from websites that already have great testimonials. 

Create a Sense of Urgency: Create a sense of urgency by offering ‘2-days Left’,  or ‘2 pieces left at this price’ kind of stuff.  The idea is to create a fear that if they do not buy now, they’ll have to spend more on the same item later. 

Mobile Responsiveness is the Key: Many customers prefer to buy stuff from their mobiles instead of laptops. So you’re going to miss out on a huge chunk of potential buyers if your website isn’t mobile-friendly.

Conclusion

If you already have an online store or plan to create one in the coming days, just ensure you keep this post as a checklist to see what steps you can follow to increase conversions for your e-commerce store.

Ricky Hayes is the Cofounder and Head of Marketing at Debutify – free Shopify theme, helping dropshippers build high-converting stores in minutes. He is a passionate entrepreneur running multiple businesses, marketing agencies and mentoring programs.

E-commerce conversion stock photo by Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock