Online sales jumped in 2020, partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with 17% of all retail sales getting conducted online, a 3% jump from 2019. As more and more people discovered they could get everything from groceries to garden supplies online, e-commerce became more solidified in people’s shopping habits. This increase in customers primarily went to large online retailers; however, smaller businesses saw their sales increase as well. With the right strategies, smaller companies can get their piece of the pie as well. Read on to learn how successful e-commerce businesses are capitalizing on the increase in online sales.
More SEO Content
Most people look for what they need through a search engine, and search engines need content to make a website appear on the user’s results page. The main thing e-commerce businesses use to appear on search engine result pages is lots of quality content written with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. SEO simply means keywords or phrases commonly utilized by search engine users to find a specific item (i.e. brown sectional, pink floral shirt). By completing an SEO search, companies can get the right phrasing to appear higher up in search engine results. With lots of optimized content, they’re more likely to make an appearance on the first results page.
Chatbots
One reason people love online shopping? It allows them to shop at any time of the day. However, lack of customer support can be a glaring issue for some. Chatbots provide customers with support, no matter when they shop, as well as freeing up employees to handle more complex cases rather than spending time on basic issues, like navigating a website. Finally, chatbots allow companies to upsell, showing recommended accessories or products based on a customer’s interests. Learn more about our pick for the best chatbot platform.
Pair with Influencers
Influencers are a relatively new concept, but they’ve quickly become household names. However, companies don’t necessarily need to partner with the biggest names in their industry to reach potential clients. Most people are more likely to trust micro-influencers (users with 5,000-20,000 followers) and marketers know this (with 77% saying they want to work with them). This is due to followers being more likely to purchase a recommended product as well as most micro-influencers being willing to provide a review for a small fee or free product.
E-commerce skyrocketed in 2020, and it continued to hold strong throughout 2021. By utilizing more SEO-driven content, adding a chatbot to a website, and pairing with influencers, online retailers can see their brands surge in popularity and benefit from a sharp increase in sales. Look to add these changes to your marketing and customer service plans sooner rather than later and see your sales increase.
