Make Your New Shopify Store a Powerhouse
Shopify offers an e-commerce platform that has made it very simple for the average person with an idea to start a company and begin selling online. You can easily manage your products from the initial listing through to shipping the product. Shopify can assist you in creating a website that will leverage its e-commerce platform.
Now that you have formed your store and started in business, what are the first things you can do to increase sales this year if you are just starting out or have an existing Shopify store?
1 — Use the Themes Available to You
Shopify makes it easy for you to build your brand through its tools. Ensure your branding is on point. Shopify has thousands of themes that you can use as a template and you can customize them for your own store.
People will feel more comfortable buying from a company that looks professional and stands out from the competition. A professional theme will work just as well on mobile devices as it does on desktops.
You want to make sure that your name and logo grab the attention of the shopper and entices them to shop your products.
2 — Advertise on Social Media
If you’re just starting with social media marketing, you can use the Shopify tool Kit that is included at no extra charge. This tool will create a targeted social media ad campaign by helping you create an advertisement and post the ad on social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook. This is a very effective way of getting your store and product information out to potential target customers without a large advertising budget.
3 — Use Personalization in Your Shopify Store
One of the most powerful ways to increase sales is to make the store feel like it’s perfect for each and every customer. We can do this using a system like DataCue that monitors and tracks everything each customer does in the store. but it will also, the storefront can look completely different based on what they’ve previously been interested in. This way, every visitor gets a store perfect for them, showing them the products they’re most likely to be interested in.
4 — Use Email Marketing
In addition to social media ads, this tool will also send custom emails to your customers acknowledging their purchases, an important factor in making customers feel that they are special and invested in your brand.
Another way to make sure you are reaching your customers is to build an expansive database of customer emails. Send emails to customers to keep your store at the forefront of their mind or to make the customer aware of any type of special sale or new product that is related to a product they have previously purchased.
5 — Allow Customers to Leave Reviews of Products
Make your customers feel that they are a part of your store by getting them to feel fully invested in your brand. This can be accomplished in several different ways, but the most basic is to encourage customers to send in a review of the product they have purchased from your store.
The most successful online stores extensively use customer reviews and star ratings to drive product sales. Not only will your customers feel empowered by writing these reviews, but it will also make your products appear much more trustworthy and proven.
6 — Build Customer Loyalty with a Customer Reward Program
Another way to make your customers feel that they are invested in your brand is by creating a customer loyalty rewards program. A customer rewards program provides added value to customers using your store. This added value can be in the form of discounts or bonus points that customers can save and build up for future purchases.
Don’t underestimate the value that you can add to the customer shopping experience by using these types of tools; your customers will look to you first to purchase the products you sell if they feel that they get an added bonus by frequenting and returning to your website.
7 — Monitor Social Media for Mentions of your Brand
Another important aspect of customer retention is to monitor social media for comments that customers post about their experience with your store. Be vigilant about making sure to address every post, whether they are positive or negative. Address any negative postings in a professional manner and don’t get defensive when responding.
By promptly and positively addressing any negative posts, you may be able to turn a negative customer feeling into a positive by taking care of the problem.
8 — Perform Competitor Research
Another way to make your business successful is to look at competitor’s websites. Do not be afraid to copy a tool or idea that is working for other businesses.
Look for what’s working on competitor sites, but also look for what they’re missing. Are there things you could be selling that they’re not? What differentiates your business from theirs, and how can you capitalize on these differences?
9 — Monitor Every Aspect of your Business
The value of just plain hard work cannot be emphasized enough in making any business successful. Be vigilant about constantly reviewing all phases of your business. Stay on top of your business by collecting data that shows you how your business is really doing. Statistics can highlight problems before they become critical. Review your product line and stay on top of new or existing products that can be a complementary fit with the product line you are currently selling. This will keep your product line fresh and exciting and will encourage customers to return to your store to see what’s new this week.
10 — Drive Sales through Personalized Notifications
Pop-ups are a tool used to highlight sales and to try to stop people from leaving the store before making a purchase. However, pop-ups are also distracting and annoying to many users. Instead, consider personalized notifications that remain visible but unobtrusive. This tool is also available through DataCue.
These are just a few of the basic ideas which can help to generate more sales this year, and as you gain more experience in your business, you must make sure that you are constantly aware of changing trends in the marketplace, making sure to stay at the forefront of product and marketing trends to make your customers’ experience enjoyable.
Cover photo by Carlos Muza on Unsplash.
