Last Updated on February 26, 2024
Social shopping, this is one of the latest trends in this digitally driven society and has become the hanging out at the mall, of the past. However, it is no longer just the tweens and teens who are taking advantage of the social features that are available. There are customers of all ages that are embracing these new digital offerings, which are giving them more choices than ever before, as well as more opportunities to interact with the brands that they love and are loyal to through barcode scanners, QR contests and innovative outfit builder apps.
The term social shopping is a type of “catch-all” term that refers to anything from sharing an idea about an outfit on Pinterest, or tweeting a number of different coupon codes. With the use of m-commerce, or mobile commerce, steadily increasing, the need to connect with your shoppers through mediums other than web pages is higher than ever before. Taking advantage of the power of digital marketing is important for an eCommerce website owner when trying to get the right results from this venture.
So now the question is posed of how you take advantage of this continually growing trend?
Bridge the Gap
Several recent studies have shown that there are a large number of retail stores that are completely missing the opportunity when it comes to being able to connect with their online shoppers with their offline information. Most stores will display the hours and locations on their website, but completely ignore the need to provide information on their services and products via social media.
The Solution is to bridge the gap. You need to search for methods that will bring your online customers offline by developing a number of ways to merge your social media efforts with local promotions and online shopping. Some ideas to get started are highlighted here:
- Email an exclusive coupon code that will provide a discount when it is used at the bricks and mortar location;
- Leverage your mobile marketing efforts beside the in-store displays that you have to provide limited time discounts or notifications for a flash sale.
Personalization
A general consensus among most shoppers is that receiving a personalized deal on the service or product that you offer is an excellent method to increase sales and enhance loyalty. However, these very same customers are somewhat reluctant to divulge their personal data. Studies have shown that up to 13 percent of consumers are willing to share their social media info, but up to 57 percent of customers are much more likely to make a purchase from a retailer that takes efforts to keep them updated with the latest sales and deals.
So what does this mean? A majority of consumers are also willing to provide their zip code or email address, which means that you have to make efforts to determine what your customers are willing to offer in terms of personal information and let them know what they will receive in exchange.
Some suggestions to help you achieve this include:
- Use laymen’s terms instead of hard to understand legalese in the privacy policy to let customers know exactly how their information is going to be used;
- All the frequency of communications to be altered by your customers.
The Power of Keywords
The next thing that a person will need to do when trying to make their eCommerce site more accessible is to use the power of keywords. If you fill your product descriptions and homepage content with the right keywords, it will allow you to get more traffic. Most people will go online and search for particular terms when they are looking for certain products to buy. Ideally, you will want to make sure that your eCommerce site will have the keywords people will most likely search for.
The best way to get the right keywords used on your eCommerce site is by working with digital marketing professionals. They will be able to figure out what type of keywords your particular industry is ranking for. The money that is paid to a professional for this type of help will be more than worth it considering just how beneficial it can be over time.
Starting a Blog on the Website
Another great way for you to get attention for your eCommerce website is by taking the time to get a blog started. People are always looking for new information and by supplying them information about your products and industry, you will be able to garner much more attention for your website. Most business owners will not have the time or the talent to get this type of blog started. The best way to make sure the quality content needed is produced is by finding a professional content writer to work with. Before hiring a writer for this type of job, a business owner will need to take the time to research their previous work. Getting this type of information will allow a business owner to figure out whether or not a writer is the right fit for the job at hand.
What the Future Has in Store for Social Shopping
Social shopping is still somewhat new, however the future is very bright. There has recently been a release by Micros Systems that provide a new platform that allows retailers to share data via their ecommerce websites, point of sale systems and their mobile apps using APIs. This results in marketers having the ability to leverage their campaigns based on things such as the where and how of customer shopping.
Using the tips here you can ensure that you ecommerce store is ready to emerge into the realm of social shopping and take advantage of the increased sales that you can achieve. The work that is put into your eCommerce site will more than pay off due to the success it will garner. Working with the right professionals is a vital part of getting ahead in the world of ecommerce.