How to increase sales in an e-commerce webshop?

It is estimated that by 2026, the value of the e-commerce market will exceed $8.1 billion. These statistics show how competitive the broader online sales industry is. This is excellent evidence of the enormous value of the e-commerce sector from a financial point of view – a matter of proper advertising through the right choice of target group and form of online marketing. In today’s article, we will give you tips on how to increase sales in your online shop. We will present the most popular channels for reaching regular and determined customers who are highly likely to buy your products! Enjoy your reading.

Among the most profitable ways to increase sales in an online e-commerce shop, we can highlight the following:

1. Positioning,
2. Google Ads campaigns,
3. Google My Company business card optimisation,
4. Social Ads,
5. Social Marketing,
6. Influencer Marketing,
7. Content Marketing.

Please see below for details.

Positioning – the most profitable way to advertise e-commerce online

Positioning, or SEO (search engine marketing), is a way to increase sales for your online shop in the long term. All it takes is for your website to be correctly optimised for search engines according to the principles of on-site SEO (on-page SEO) and off-site SEO (off-page SEO). In this case, it is all about the organic (free) search results just below the paid results.

SEO in practice

Customers type various keywords into search engines. They condition their choice based on these – the better your online shop is matched to user preferences and search engine guidelines, the greater the chance of recording a conversion.

For example, a user is interested in branded menswear. To do this, he enters any key phrase (e.g. “branded menswear”) into Google (or another search engine such as Bing, Yahoo!, DuckDuckGo or YANDEX). The interested party is then shown the sites that best match the search results. You can be among these sites if you partner with an agency that takes care of every aspect of e-commerce related SEO.

Source: Google.com

The first page of organic search results can be achieved in a relatively short time – about 6-18 months after implementing a proper SEO strategy. However, we recommend “targeting” the TOP 5 results, as they generate more than 68% of clicks on Google.

Google Ads campaigns – an advertising solution for immediate results in the form of additional e-commerce customers

85% of retailers believe that SEO and paid search results are the most effective in gaining new customers. This is a very pertinent observation, as 40% of e-commerce revenue comes from organic results and literally a few percent less from paid search associated with Google Ads campaigns. The rest (around 20%) comprises the other advertising methods i.e. influencer marketing and paid social media advertising.

By investing in Google Ads you can maximise sales within a week of launching your campaign. Why? Because as soon as you optimise and enable AdWords, you will reach the first search engine positions for any keyword (provided you have a high quality score).

Furthermore, with a Google Ads campaign you have the chance to popularise your offer not only through text-based (paid) search results, but also through sponsored Google Shopping results.

Source: Google.com

Google Ads (AdWords) campaigns are labelled as ‘sponsored’. They appear above the free results and also below them – on the first and second page of Google results.

AdWords can be billed on a pay-per-click basis. This means that we only pay when a customer accesses our website.

Optimising your Google My Business card – a good way to diversify your visibility resulting in more sales

Every online shop can have a Google Moja Firma business card. It is an essential element for influencing sales for your business – 28% of local searches result in a purchase.

With the GMF, customers can give feedback on your offer (e.g. products purchased, quality of pre-sales service and much more). In addition, Google My Business allows you to popularise your stationary shop – if you have one. Then a potential buyer, after typing in any phrase related to your industry (e.g. “furniture shop Kraków”), will see your business card in the local 3-pack.

Source: Google.com

The Google My Business card provides a wealth of information about a business, including:

1. Name of the business
2. Address of the business
3. Telephone number
4. Opening hours
5. Email address
6. Website
7. Description of the company’s activities
8. Photos and videos of the company
9. Customer reviews and ratings
10. Information on products and services offered
11. Links to the company’s social media profiles (e.g. Facebook, Twitter)
12. Questions and answers asked by customers and answers from the company

The above data help customers to contact the company in question and to understand its business profile. They also contribute to increasing the visibility and engagement of buyers.

Social Ads – a method to build brand credibility and develop a competitive advantage and maximise conversions

Despite the fact that SEO generates more than 1000% more traffic than social media, it is worthwhile to diversify sales with this form of marketing as well. Among the most popular advertising solutions in this case, we can mention:

• Facebook Ads & Instagram Ads (Meta Ads),
• LinkedIn Ads,
• Twitter Ads,
• TikTok Ads.

The choice of a specific marketing channel depends on your individual preferences related to your target group. The e-commerce sector is primarily associated with TikTok Ads (e.g. high-tech and all entertainment-related products) and Facebook and Instagram Ads (clothing, furniture, e-books). Below is an example of a sponsored Facebook Ads campaign.

Source: Facebook.com

Paid social media ads can also appear in video form. They are created to improve a brand’s online image, sell products or offer specific services. Billing in this case is per view.

How can sales in an e-commerce webshop be increased by means of skilful marketing activities?

Skilful marketing activities (e.g. social marketing, influencer marketing and content marketing) allow you to create an image, build trust with your audience and engage them in the ‘life of the brand’, and consequently develop a competitive advantage.

Social marketing – the solution for creating an online image and acquiring valuable leads

Social marketing includes the most important social media activities, such as

• communication with customers (e.g. in comments under a post);
• creation of engaging events,
• building a community around the brand (e.g. in the form of Facebook groups) by creating valuable content.

These types of activities not only maximise sales, but also any activities involving micro conversions i.e:

• newsletter sign-up,
• entering a product sub-page,
• playing an instructional video,
• filling out a contact form,
• downloading the guide in PDF format.

It could also be writing a message to ask for a discount on a bulk order.

Influencer marketing – more sales by working with well-known personalities

Influencer marketing works well in many e-commerce sectors, namely:

• Fashion and beauty – influencer marketing is particularly popular in the fashion and beauty sector because customers like to take advice and recommendations from influencers. Consumers trust their hints for skincare, make-up, styling and shopping.
• Food and drink – celebrities can help promote new products and healthy lifestyles. Influencers related to diet and healthy eating have many followers who want to know how to eat properly, so investing in advertising to a carefully targeted audience can result in a huge return on investment.
• Electronics and technology – technology and electronics influencers typically have hundreds of thousands of followers who are eager to listen to their advice. Advertising in this area is a very good option in terms of promoting new products and pointing out specific benefits, allowing customers to make a more informed purchase decision.
• Fitness and health – celebrities who specialise in fitness and healthy lifestyles tend to have a large audience who willingly attend their training sessions and take their advice (e.g. on the selection of dietary supplements).
• Travel and tourism – influencers related to travel and tourism can help promote various travel destinations and travel-related amenities.

Content marketing – a method to engage your audience to interact with your brand and get them to take action

Content marketing is a method to engage your audience to interact with your brand and get them to take action. Companies most often use content to promote themselves online such as:

• articles,
• videos
• podcasts,
• infographics,
• rankings,
• reviews,
• tutorials.

In this way, you can attract the attention of potential customers and build a lasting relationship with them.

Content marketing in e-commerce – 3 examples

Examples of content marketing in e-commerce:

Dollar Shave Club

Source: Youtube.com

Dollar Shave Club is a company that sells razors and cosmetics for men. The marketers of this company create entertaining and creative commercials that capture the attention of customers. In them, they talk about the company’s products and show how easy it is to shop on their website.

IKEA

Source: Ikea.com

IKEA creates valuable content such as guides and videos to help customers furnish their home. By doing so, it builds customer engagement and increases its sales.

Sephora

Source: Sephora.co.uk

Sephora offers a lot of valuable content, such as make-up tutorials, product reviews, skincare tips, articles on make-up and beauty trends, as well as video tutorials. Individual content is available on the website, on the blog and on social media channels.

How to increase sales in an e-commerce online shop? – summary

You can increase sales on an e-commerce webshop in a number of ways. However, given current standards, we recommend investing in SEO and possibly combining it with Google Ads campaigns (text or Google Shopping). Paid social media campaigns prove to be a good (but additional) solution.

Content marketing is also an absolute must-have. As an e-commerce owner, you should take care to provide valuable content that is useful to internet users. This does not necessarily have to be blog posts (although we recommend them the most, as they are an excellent support for SEO). You can also produce professional videos (e.g. on YouTube) and podcasts. These are a good option if the use of specific products (e.g. care products or roofing accessories) requires additional subject matter expertise.

FAQ – Frequently asked questions and answers

What are the most common questions and answers about increasing sales in an e-commerce webshop?

1. What is the fastest way to increase sales in an e-commerce webshop?

E-commerce sales can be increased the fastest with Google Ads campaigns (text or Google Shopping). Provided that AdWords is properly optimised, your online shop will become visible for the most valuable words in terms of sales within a maximum of a few. You can also opt for Facebook Ads – this is particularly useful in the cosmetics and clothing industry.

2. What is the most cost-effective way to increase sales on an e-commerce webshop?

The most cost-effective way to increase sales in an e-commerce webshop in the long term is through SEO on Google(Google owns up to 91% of the search engine market). The results of SEO are visible after 2-3 months in the form of additional website hits. Roughly 6-18 months are needed to dramatically increase sales and maximise e-commerce profits. Furthermore, the effects from SEO are visible up to several months after the end of cooperation with the SEO agency. In the case of Google Ads – once the payment is discontinued, the entire visibility of the promoted shop in the search engine disappears.