Have you been running an e-commerce site for a while, but are unimpressed with your sales numbers? Are you wondering how you can implement methods that will drive traffic to your e-commerce site?
If you answered yes to either or both of these questions, you are not alone. Many e-commerce businesses struggle with these challenges day in and day out. Luckily, there are some easy and effective ways to increase sales and attract more customers to your site.
In this article, we will review some methods brands can rely on to gain more customers, increase site traffic, and improve sales.
1. Improve Your SEO
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO is vitally important for e-commerce businesses. When someone searches for your product, or something resembling your product, you want your name to come up at the top of the search results. After all, most customers will click on the first company that comes up once they start their search and they will continue to work with them throughout the duration of the process.
By learning and practicing good SEO strategies, you can increase the likelihood that your company will be the dominant player in your space, no matter what service or product you’re selling.
2. Entertain Using Video
Cisco’s Global 2021 Forecast reported that video will be responsible for 80% of internet traffic. With our senses being drawn to movements and sensitive to sound, video is able to effectively catch and retain our attention.
The success of video as a medium has also been proven in other studies. For instance, it was found that viewers are about 27 times more likely to click on a video than a picture. Additionally, compared to text and still image marketing altogether, videos yield 1,200% more shares. Videos are an expressive and potent form of marketing that can effectively convey both emotional and educational information that shapes consumer decisions.
A prime example of this is shoppable videos which help increase e-commerce conversion rates as users receive more relevant, precise, and diverse product information to help them make decisions.
Overall, videos serve to enhance traffic to your website by attracting more new users compared to other mediums and lengthening the time readers and viewers spend there. From there, Google deduces that your website has excellent content when visitors spend more time there. It raises your website’s search engine ranking, therefore driving even more organic traffic to your e-commerce site.
3. Connect with Live Streaming
Live stream shopping has revolutionized the e-commerce industry, marrying the convenience of online shopping with the interactivity and authenticity of brick-and-mortar stores.
The usage of live streaming technology has yielded remarkable results for e-commerce powerhouses such as Shopee and Lazada. Shopee LIVE has experienced an increase in viewership and vendor engagement since its debut in 2019. During the 11.11 Big Sale campaign in 2021 alone, 300,000 hours of live broadcasts were observed, resulting in a 2.5-fold increase in viewers.
The potential of live streaming did not go unnoticed with Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok adopting the technology. Facebook Shops and Instagram Shops added a new call-to-action option for live stream viewers to learn more and purchase products within the apps. Last year, US mobile marketplace NTWRK hosted four shopping festivals that garnered over 10 million views and converted more than 250,000 viewers into active buyers.
Besides social media platforms, live commerce SaaS solutions allow retailers to integrate the live streaming technology directly into their website, increasing traffic and viewers’ session time (hello improved SEO!). One proven solution for live commerce SaaS is BeLive Technology’s LORA — its live shopping features are built with retail giants, and now packaged at a fraction of the cost.
With LORA, you can easily run live product demonstrations, promote flash deals, increase your customer engagement right on your website, and capture important data for retargeting purposes. In doing so, you’ll no doubt drive more customers to your site, which in turn, can lead to a better user experience for your fans and improved sales numbers.
4. Customer Outreach Through Multiple Channels
Whatever you do, you need to be sure that you are reaching your target audience in some way. Whether you choose to use social media, live streaming services, in-person gatherings, or video conferences depends on your customers’ preferences in communication channels and content formats. That being said, you should strongly consider performing as much outreach as possible so that customers are constantly reminded of your brand, actively visit your site and send their friends and family your way as well.
The importance of reaching your potential customers through different methods cannot be overstated.
5. Create Consistent Content
Again, there are many methods of customer outreach that can all be equally effective in generating traffic and increasing your site’s reach. Regardless of your strategy, consistency is key.
If you hold a great live stream session one week, then go months without communicating with your customers, you’ll lose most, if not all, of the traction you would have gained. You need to create a regular posting schedule for your content so that customers know when and where to tune in. This way, you’re better able to build a sense of community with your fans and increase brand loyalty in the long term.
In Summary
The e-commerce business is notoriously unforgiving. However, with an understanding of what content works for your audience and what your team does best, you can then strategize your next steps to do more with less and rise to the top of this competitive market.
Live streaming is one such way to maximize the resources you have on hand, helping you reach more customers, and get actionable data insights with low effort. Keen to get started on your live streaming journey? Book a live demo with our live stream specialists today!
