6 tactics to increase e-commerce sales [Without Discounting]

I admit, when I opened my store on Etsy last year, I half expected sales to go up naturally. In fact, opening an online store is half the battle – you also need a solid strategy to generate e-commerce sales.

The same goes for e-commerce veterans. If you’ve been in the game for a while, you’ve probably survived periods of falls or plateaus. When this happens, it is essential that you refresh your strategy with more effective sales methods.

Here we will discuss six tactics to raise awareness, attract customers and increase sales.

1. A / B testing

Absolutely every aspect of your site could be tested for improvement – including pictures, titles, product descriptions and even the whole design.

Specifically, pay attention to these two areas:

• Mobile optimization: Sales on mobile devices exceeded 360 billion in 2021 a 15% increase year on year. To attract shoppers on mobile, you need to have a website that responds and loads quickly.
• UX experience: Have you ever visited a site with too many pop-ups? Or with an unregulated check-out process? A great friction-free user experience – one where the user can come to your site, browse the area, and make a purchase with ease.

Even if you think you are already doing well with your current site insurance, there is always room for an A / B test of your content.

Professional advice

Before you start changing everything on your site to see what works, stop and create a battle plan. If you change everything at once, you won’t know what’s effective and what’s not. Plan two weeks for each change so you can gather enough data to make a decision.

Then start with one component at a time. You can test something every two weeks and find room for improvement a few years later.

2. Create an email list

Did you know that email creates $ 42 for every $ 1 spentwhich is a staggering 4200% ROI?

Email can help you achieve many things – drive sales, keep in touch with customers, market your products, and ultimately generate more sales.

Problem? You need people to email.

An email list is a group of users who have given you permission to send them relevant content. To compile this list, you need several ways for people to sign up. For example, you can create a site pop-up window or add a sign-in button at the time of purchase.

Don’t despair if you only have a few people on the list to start with. Construction can take some time.

Professional advice

only 3% marketing emails have an open rate above 50%. While these statistics are disturbing, they also shed light on topics – and how to create compelling, clickable ones.

According to the 2022 HubSpot blog survey, subject lines that arouse readers’ curiosity receive the highest level of openness, followed by promotional emails. If you load your case with a compelling hook – which can only be read by opening or clicking it – your audience is likely to be intrigued and want more.

3. Confidence signals

Since your customers can’t see, touch, or test your product, you need to build trust in another way. A popular – and relatively easy – way to do this is with customer reviews.

Think about it – have you ever bought without first looking at the reviews? Did you hesitate when the product had no ratings?

If you don’t have a lot of ratings yet, you don’t have to worry. When you work on raise those numbersfocus on other ways you can build trust – for example, showing clear images of your products from different angles, providing 3D videos, and even product presentations.

Professional advice

Boost your trust signals with testimonies. Unlike ratings, these usually include broader statements about your brand and not a specific product.

We encourage you to reach out to customers from your email list, as this is where your most loyal customers live. Then display testimonials in multiple places – and multiple pages – on your site to get the most mileage.

4. Thermal mapping

What if you could keep track of parts of your site where customers hung out for a while? Would this help you provide better information the next time they call?

With thermal mapping, you can track the parts of your site that visitors really love. Tools like Hotjar combine scrolling and clicking information on your site to get a complete picture of what your customers want to see and buy.

You can also keep track of where your visitors are coming from and how long they are staying. In other words, if you use your social media for marketing, you can find out how many clicked on your offer and how long they stayed.

Professional advice

The most effective way to take advantage of heat maps is to analyze the pages that have the most impact on your site’s conversion rate: homepage, landing pages, and high-conversion blog posts.

For example, you can view your homepage and see if visitors move the mouse pointer over specific sections or click on any CTA. Use the information to optimize your site.

5. Exit CTA

Leaving shopping carts is a frustrating reality for e-commerce owners. Although not everyone who visits your site is ready to convert, it is important to include them.

Sometimes users only need a little pushing to get back in their cart remarketing or a quick email reminder. Take a look at this kind reminder, for example Vera Bradley.

If customers still don’t withdraw, you can try outbound call-to-action (CTA) to get leads at the last minute. Some sites create a pop-up the moment a customer enters the site. The outgoing CTA instead shows up just before customers bounce and offers something enticing, such as exclusive offers.

Professional advice

Shopping cart abandon software can help you create and track emails. Some offer flexible options, while others are more focused on providing email delivery.

Most offer a price with a sliding scale, so you only pay for what you use. See the full list of software in this useful article.

6. Social media

Do you use social media to the best of your ability? What if we could follow what people are saying about your company and your products on all of their social media? Z HubSpot social draweryou can.

Whenever you are mentioned, you will receive a notification that then gives you the opportunity to follow up, start conversations with followers, and potentially attract them to your site.

Use this feature to provide great customer service when customers have a complaint, or simply answer questions when visitors ask them.

Professional advice

If you really want to have fun, respond to even the funniest mentions with your special brand of humor. Your customers will love you – and maybe they will see your products.

If you’re not sure about your brand’s voice – or want to improve it – check it out that guide.

Back to you

Sales are the lifeblood of any e-commerce business. As you can see, there are many ways to convert potential customers other than discounts. Some of these tactics can bring quick results, while others prepare you for long-term success.