eCommerce is a potentially high-earning way to conduct business. It is also the best way to reach as many customers at a global level. However, eCommerce sales promotion ideas may differ from your traditional business promotion strategies.
Here are ten eCommerce sales promotion ideas you can try to attract more customers, encourage more sales, and boost your online business.
Free Shipping
When shopping online, one of the first things a customer looks for is free shipping. Sometimes, the cost of shipping makes the products more expensive than they should be. Offering to take that load off your customer’s shoulders will make them feel more encouraged to purchase, knowing that they don’t have to incur additional costs apart from the item itself.
Since you will shoulder shipping costs, you may have to adjust your base price accordingly, even if it means adding an amount that is equivalent to a full shipping price. After all, it’s proven that customers are more likely to buy a $250 item with free shipping than a $200 item that needs an extra $50 shipping fee.
Discounts
Signs that say “20% Off” are very attractive to browsing buyers. Most of the time, the rest of the details and even comparison to other similar products do not matter. The discount itself instantly makes people feel that they are saving something when they choose to buy from you.
People naturally feel drawn to prices that are “slashed” or “marked down.” Usually, the original retail price is there beside the sale price to emphasize the discount. There are already a lot of these on eCommerce sites, but it still works. Experiment with different formats on your website and see what works best for you.
BOGO
Have you ever walked into a shoe store expecting to buy one pair of shoes but ended up getting two instead because there was a buy-one-get-one-free deal? Or even better, have you ever walked into a store to buy a pair of pants and ended up getting a pair of pants and two pairs of shoes because there was a buy-one-get-one-free deal in the shoe department? Well, those enticing BOGOs can sometimes lead to unexpected but delightful shopping adventures.
Many times, a chance to get something free is totally irresistible. That is, even if it means you first have to buy something you don’t really need in the first place. This tactic works so well that, according to Shopify, BOGOs are their top-performing features.
Reward Points
If you want to create brand loyalty and increase your number of repeat customers, reward systems are a great idea. There is a reason why “Frequent Flyer Miles” is so popular among airlines. It keeps customers coming back to fly with them.
You can experiment with points or dollar-equivalents to see which works for your business. However, the latter is usually more favorable since it is easier for people to interpret.
Contests and Giveaways
Many people are naturally competitive and love a good challenge. Putting up contests and offering giveaways to lucky winners does not only attract more customers. It also puts the word out about your business and your products since these things are fun and exciting.
You can also employ contests and giveaways as a social media strategy for your eCommerce business. You can do this to strengthen your social media presence, increase brand awareness, and propagate your customer base through social media marketing.
Flash Sales
Flash sales are time-limited offers that usually have deadlines of no more than twenty-four hours. Usually, flash sales are also limited in terms of quantity. They could be in the form of flash discounts or bundles that have not been regularly offered on your website.
The “get-it-now-while-it-lasts” feel behind this tactic appeals very well to people’s FOMO or fear of missing out. Its sense of urgency encourages buyers to make the purchase immediately instead of thinking about it for a long time, in which they may end up convincing themselves that they don’t need it after all.
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Free Samples
Everybody likes free stuff. Giving your customers free samples along with their purchase makes them feel that you value them. It is also a great way to introduce them to the rest of your products.
Another way to go about this is to offer products with very low pricing where you don’t make a margin or a product for the price of shipping. Just make sure that the free product you offer encourages them to buy more of it or of other of your products that go along well with it.
Quantity Deals
Ten plus one may seem like a deal for B2B transactions, but if a product is perishable or needs frequent replacement, it might just work for retail. The idea behind this is to still make people feel that they get something for free. The key to making such an offer is that the products already have good profit margins to continue earning despite your free offer.
Coupons
There is a sad feeling whenever a coupon expires, and you’re not able to use it. It feels like it was potential money gone to waste. Very few people would want to pass up a chance to make use of a coupon, especially if it’s expiring soon!
Just like flash deals, expiring coupons give customers a sense of urgency. It’s like an offer that goes away soon, so they need to take the opportunity to buy something, even though they never even intended initially to shop.
Customized Recommendations
If you look hard enough, you’ll notice that most of the things you see on your social media news feed are things that you’d most likely want to see. They are things that connect to the things you’ve previously read, seen, bought online, or clicked on. In essence, they are the things that you’ll most likely click on too.
The same principle applies to eCommerce. Personalizing your buyers’ recommendations is like offering up a roster of things that have a better chance of catching their eye. Smart merchandising also greatly improves product visibility. As the store owner, you can optimize conversion rate through specific conditions that trigger automatically. The great news about this tactic is that you can apply it to other marketing strategies such as email, ads, and onsite.
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