How To Increase Online Sales – 3 Top Tips

Any site that can understand its customer base and increase online sales will likely succeed in achieving their goals.

That said, growing revenue and increasing sales can take a significant amount of time and energy – you need to have a comprehensive understanding of your customers to target them appropriately and convince them to part with their hard-earned money.

So without further ado, here are our 3 top tips to help you increase your store’s online sales.

Tip 1 – Customer Profiling

Understanding who you are trying to reach and sell your products to is absolutely crucial in improving online sales.

To create a fanbase that is loyal and will return to your store for repeat purchases, you really need to create a buyer persona – this is a profile of what you think your customers like, do and want from your store. Doing this ensures you’ll always be focused on the right people and can build a loyal customer base that resonates with your store and its products.

Perhaps start by jotting down a few ideas of who you think your customers are – their age, interests, hobbies etc. Then take a look at your Google Analytics data firstly to confirm your own thoughts were on the right lines and also to add in any points you may have missed, such as gender or location for example.

Build your profile until you are happy with it and use it to guide all of your marketing efforts – would your ‘ideal customer’ like what you are about to share?

Tip 2 – Store Personalisation

Shopping online nowadays is almost as personal as heading down to your local high street, and customers expect similar levels of treatment wherever they shop. Personalising the experience for each individual is now a huge game changer in boosting online sales.

We believe all eCommerce stores should have at least some level of personalisation, whether that be welcoming returning customers by name or prioritising site content based on the customer’s preferences and previous shopping experiences.

Does ‘Laura’ from Swindon come to your store to browse and buy a hoodie? Then make sure your hoodies category and new arrivals pages are front and centre when she enters your online store! Little things like this can make a big difference to the individual doing the shopping.

You can also use information gained over time about individual customers to recommend additional products or services to them in a subtle, less intrusive way. If ‘John’ from Newquay has bought 3 pairs of running shoes from you in the last year, he may be interested in other running apparel like shirts, shorts or accessories.

Knowing your customer and allowing your online store to adapt fluidly to each individual gives the user that feeling of belonging, just like the feeling they would get if they walked into a physical store knowing where everything is – it’s a comfort thing. Don’t forget that we also know for a fact that loyal repeat customers spend significantly more than first time customers across almost every industry.

Tip 3 – Market To The Individual

The modern shopper doesn’t want to feel like they are being treated as a number – they want to feel like they are part of a community that loves and supports your brand. That’s why you need to market your products in a way that is personalised and unique to each individual.

Also bear in mind that increasing online sales (in most cases) comes about by marketing to the same customers over time, growing their loyalty and marketing to them in a suitable way. Your customers shouldn’t just be visiting your online store once and moving on; they should want to visit it regularly.

One of the best features to market to your customer base is email marketing. This method gives you all the tools you need to reach existing customers and market your latest products or offer a brand new service. Creating a simple email campaign is nice and straightforward too, meaning you can potentially earn more sales purely from one well-timed email.

Encourage customers to join your mailing list by offering a small one-time discount, or access to VIP products that aren’t available to the general public. Your email list should be one of your top priorities as it gives you direct access to your customers whenever you want – just remember to make your emails interesting, attractive and most importantly personal.

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So there you have it, 3 simple ways you can increase your online sales and grow your customer base over time. If you’d like to find out how we can help you with any of the above, please do get in touch and our team will be happy to help!