Let’s be honest – the ecommerce market has been killing it lately with traffic and sales. The world staying indoors, and stores being closed, naturally drove everyone to the online shopping universe. Of course, success often hinges on your ability to optimize your platform and user experience. Unfortunately, not a lot of retailers and businesses have made the transition to an online sales model smoothly, and it has cost them customers, money, and in some unfortunate cases the closure of their business indefinitely. Shopping is forever changed, and if you aren’t online you should be. So here are five ways to optimize the ecommerce experience for those looking to enter the game or just improve:
1.   Dynamic Retargeting
We are starting off with this because not only is it one of the largest sources of revenue for most ecommerce brands, it’s always great for the consumer. Personalization is key when it comes to digital targeting in order to connect with your audience members and make them feel valued. Show consumers that you know who they are and what they care about by serving ads that interest them, such as for products, or pick up right where they left off on your site. What’s even better is that dynamic retargeting ad units have greatly evolved over the years. You no longer have to rely on the spam-looking ad units that look completely robotic and cold. Advertisers now have the option to create dynamic video experiences for consumers based on their specific audience segment and/or site behavior. If you’re already doing this, you know how rewarding the results are. And if you’re not, then trust us — this is step one to building a great ecommerce brand.
2.   The Power of Motion
When it comes to selling your products online, you need to stand out. Video gives you the platform to do just that, and there are new and emerging formats being offered just about every week. Digital advertising giants such as Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube all offer unique video formats that are made for their platforms. These units are optimized specifically to work well as consumers scroll through content, they are naturally less intrusive and “annoying” to the user. This experience allows consumers to understand your product/offering without asking them to do any work as the ad auto-plays and feels authentic. Animated units/GIFs are also a great way to engage consumers through motion without the hefty creative budgets that are sometimes required for video.
3.   A Strong CRM
Three words: customer, relationship, management. Having a strong, secure and useful CRM database will be invaluable to your business. It allows you to speak directly to your consumers, serving them content that matters to them and captures their attention. The days are long gone in which you could mass email your entire database and expect positive results. Consumers know you can do better now, and they expect that.
4.   Full Funnel Strategies
It is so common for brands to get stuck on last-click digital metrics when evaluating the effectiveness of advertising efforts, and in doing so, they lose sight of what is really impacting consumers’ decision to purchase. It wasn’t the last and only ad that they saw that made them pull the trigger. They also did not go straight to Google, type in your branded name, and realize your product was the right fit for them – but, oh, would that make our job easier. Does that happen on occasion? Of course. But more likely it was the combination of top funnel media vehicles, a strong educational content stream, a bold re-engagement platform as well as a strong ecommerce experience that influenced their purchase. Advertisers sometimes overlook the significance and impact that branding can have. Not only does it fill your retargeting pool (which is essential), but it educates consumers on who you are, what you stand for, and why they should give their buying power to you. This will become even more important as the younger generations start to take over.
5.   Analytics and Attribution
We know it’s hard to break down the attribution of your ads, especially when you have full funnel media in market. However, it is essential to understand the necessary media mix to drive growth for your business. So, don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Using our proprietary analytics and predictive modeling platform, MarketsmithIQ, we analyze exactly what drove performance at any given time. Media Mix Modeling and Predictive analytics can truly be invaluable to your business by shedding light on what channels have a positive and/or negative impact.
As you can see, the best thing you can do to step up your ecommerce game is having a strong foundation. Know your numbers and know where you stand when it comes to branding and the customer experience. It can be challenging, but the more preparation and understanding you have of your company and your audience, the stronger your online presence will inevitably be. We want to help you get there.
