9 Effective Ways To Increase Your Online Sales

In order to sell effectively online, you don’t need to invest in top tools or run expensive campaigns. Of course, if you can afford it, make the most of them, but before you start spending loads of money, start with improving what you can at a low cost. 

In this article, we suggest nine simple ways to increase sales in your online store. Happy reading! 

1. Open up to contact with the customer. 

At the beginning of their operation, online stores usually lack the funds for doing proper marketing. So, create excellent customer service instead – this will be your marketing for the early stages.  

First of all: simplify the way your customers reach your customer service. Stop using complicated contact forms, don’t put any obstacles between customers and your eStore. Instead, provide a chat feature or at least a dedicated email address that is constantly monitored by your employees. 

Second, hire people who like to help customers and will be ready to solve the stupidest problem or answer the most ridiculous question. Customers will not only come back to you for more, but they will also recommend your online store to their friends! 

2. Track customer behavior in your store and stay one step ahead of them. 

Collect and monitor information about people visiting your online store and use this data to simplify customer journey. Do not wait passively for them to indicate that something is not working as it should. Regularly use analytical data and heatmaps to optimize those elements of the purchasing process that are difficult for your customers. 

3. Initiate interaction with customers in your online store. 

Go a step further and initiate contact with your customers through the aforementioned chat and email reminders, e.g. about an abandoned cart or an abandoned contact page. Your clients will not get annoyed – on the contrary, most of them will appreciate the effort. 

However, make sure you do not automate this interaction too much – if the client responds to a message from your chatbot or an email trigger, ensure that further communication is carried out by a living person. 

4. Connect with customers also outside of the channels you control. 

Don’t limit your customer service to your own communication channels. Join discussions outside of what you control – there are interesting conversations about your brand going on e.g. on your customers’ social media profiles. This will inspire trust in your brand as one that does more than just the minimum necessary to satisfy the customer. 

Also, join industry-related discussions on the web. This is a great opportunity for you to build your authority as an expert on a given topic and increase your brand awareness. 

5. Rely on social proof. 

Strengthen the positive message about your product, assortment or brand using social proof. Put simply: praise your business using your customers’ lips. Make sure you’re present in marketplaces where customers and users share their reviews of your products and services. Include your ratings from external sources – i.e. testimonials, reviews or mentions from your customers’ social media – on your website. After all, there is a real person behind each of them, which will further strengthen your message. 

Also, bear in mind that people are drawn to people and want to feel part of a community, so emphasize the size of your customer base in your communication (Choose a solution that has already been trusted by over 100,000 customers!). 

6. Show the human face of your business. 

People want to buy from people, not from organizations, so show them that there are real human beings behind your eStore, product or service. Display information about your team on your website, make your employees a constant element of your social media communication. And don’t be afraid to have fun – remember that expressive brands evoke positive emotions! 

Avoid signing your messages with e.g. Customer Service Team at all costs. 

7. Go for brevity in communication. 

Whatever the message you send to the client, don’t beat about the bush. Avoid telling long stories about your company, its history and mission – nobody wants to read it. People take only a few seconds to read your message – don’t waste their attention and get straight to the point. 

Filter what you have to say, keep as much content as possible in the minimum number of words, and always be clear about how you can solve customers’ problems or make their life easier or more enjoyable. 

8. Ask questions and listen to the answers. 

To respond to clients’ needs, you need to know what these are and for that you need to be able to listen. And have the ability to ask the right questions. 

Clients want to be heard and understood – so don’t bombard them with statements. Ask questions that will encourage in-depth interactions. How did they like their first purchase? Have they already used a given feature of your online store? Do they know that they can do this or that on your platform? 

9. Remember that the grass is greener somewhere else. 

Sure, use proven solutions and be inspired by your industry best practices, but always follow your own path. Be skeptical of what your competition is doing – especially in the US – and don’t let it influence your decisions too much. Their ways aren’t always better and don’t have to prove successful in your business. 

Also, remember that every country has its eCommerce gurus. So, don’t be afraid to use local patterns, choose local tools and solutions. And don’t compare yourself with the successful business people because you never have the full picture or know the cost of their success. 

Good luck! 

This article was written in cooperation with Michał Sadowski, Founder & CEO of Brand24.