Hi,

If you have an e-commerce website and you want more sales? 

There’s also a lot of opportunities, You can do SEO or paid marketing to get traffic to your website first. For the eCommerce manager, UX is always going to be a priority. 

Why is traffic important for an eCommerce website?

The more traffic to your website, the more opportunities you have to generate qualified leads, to nurture and help solve their problem and ultimately sell your product or service, gain a new customer or client, and continue to grow your business. 

To rank good, User Experience is the key to efficient SEO. While optimizing for search engines, do not ruin the experience of your website. Find a middle path. To rank best, and get more sales you need to implement the 16 steps in this checklist.

1. Optimize Your SEO Title - create a unique and interesting
2. Optimize Videos and Images - Users like good video and images
3. Improve Page Load Time - Best load time is around 2-3 seconds
4. Create Valuable Content - Uniqueness is must when it comes to content
5. Use Delivery Management Software - Provides a flexible routing options for companies to help ensure customer choice and delivery satisfaction
6. Keep Site structure Simple - structure provides good user experience
7. Structured Data is Crucial - Necessity for every online business
8. Don’t Forget HTTPs - Encrypts all the data which is transferred between the server and website
9. Make Your Store is Mobile-Friendly - 60% users searching from mobile devices
10. Keep Voice Search and Answer Box in Mind - Voice search allows the users to take advantage of the capabilities of their smartphones
11. Guest Posting is Still Relevant - Creating high-quality backlinks and increasing relevant traffic
12. Add 301 Redirect to Expired Product Pages - A 301 Redirect is a permanent redirect which passes between 90% to 99% of link juice (ranking power) to the redirected page.
13. Optimize Category Pages with Keywords - Category pages will rank for the main keyword
14. Add Canonical Tags to Duplicate Pages
15. Build your brand awareness
16. Meet your customers where they are on social media
17. Provide excellent customer service to improve customer loyalty
18. Run strategic promotions on your eCommerce website

Take the tactics and strategies outlined above from successful entrepreneurs to help you increase your eCommerce sales and keep your business growing so you can succeed.

Deliforce is a highly configurable last mile delivery software which offers automated route optimization & delivery route planning

Just like demographics, firmographics and psychographics, technographic is also a profiling method where you collect detailed information on technology usage for targeted prospecting. It is primarily employed by B2B marketers to understand - the hardware/software used by the target market, do they utilize any marketing automation tools/stack/applications, is there any remarketing software deployed on their website or not?

To accelerate digital product and services adoption, to boost organizational capabilities and to gain an edge over competitors, enterprises spendings on SAAS based software has exponentially increased in the last few years. As of today, there are more than 8000 martech solutions available on the market.

And if you are a company which relies on adequate prospecting data, technographic is an essential element of your business strategy to enhance your marketing. Want it or not, and you must grant yourself every strategic advantage possible if you want to thrive in the marketplace. It's the era of massive data where the true potentials of technology can be realised after decades spent in darkness. And, without an iota of doubt, the influx of information we are experiencing at the moment is unsettling. 

The overall consequences of everything that is unfolding here are completely indecipherable.  However, one direct implication is that the business environment is evolving, and the success of A company would depend on the capacity of capitalizing the data. The biggest challenge most marketers are confronting today is to stand out from a rising number of competitors.

It helps you unlock new levels of personalization by improving sales productivity. One important aspect that many marketing and sales departments are not able to handle is account-based marketing. As the name suggests, this type of marketing involves a marketing department that is solely focused on a particular product or service and its benefits. Hence, the benefits of technographic data are crucial to the success of account-based marketing campaigns. One of the factors that determine the success of such a campaign is the knowledge of the customer.

It helps you identify the new opportunities and boost customer retention efforts - Depending on what is already using technology in your organization, it will be very helpful in designing a strategy. If the firm is already using mobile technologies, then knowing the specific locations of customers in real-time will give you an insight into the behaviour of potential clients.

You can gather technographic information through surveys, website scraping and third party purchasing. With the increasing number of data sets available today, the demand for efficient data collection methods has become crucial. This demand is fulfilled through outsourcing data collection methods. There are a number of providers in the market who offer a variety of such services. Before deciding on the ideal outsourcing vendor, it is important for you to first identify a good data provider.

Outsourcing data mining and firmographic analysis is beneficial especially for small firms that lack the technical expertise and financial capacity to launch up-to-date marketing campaigns. It is cost-effective and saves time. Such a decision will definitely boost up your business growth and help you meet the challenges of the market.

Final thoughts

The future depends on data, entrepreneurs and marketers can expect a lot of AI and ML-based martech in future. Technographic data allows marketing and sales departments to develop strategic plans, targeted marketing campaigns and ads that resolve real-life challenges faced by organisations undergoing digital transformation.   

The shipping and fulfilment has transformed at a faster pace after 1994. When Amazon set a new benchmark in shipping with its 2-day deliveries which in turn took customers expectations higher as well. As per a study, 22% of shoppers prefer one retailer over the other based on its faster delivery options. 

You know you don’t have to think about marketing and advertising much if you have established an efficient order fulfilment system without maximizing your operational costs. The two-day shipment method is the transmission of orders from the shipping company to the recipient within 2 days. With e-commerce, 2-day delivery is a usual approach for vendors to make sure online orders are sent quickly to consumers while maintaining an efficient turnaround.

Shipping is the lifeblood of the e-business, but not everyone seems to understand the significance of a speedy shipping service. It can certainly help you save money by ensuring that your product reaches your customer on time, but also guarantees that your customer gets his/her product in perfect condition. Furthermore, reliable shipping services have the capacity to improve the brand reputation considerably. A customer who receives a defective product is likely to stop patronizing your business.

The shipping expectations of customers have new heights as e-commerce giants are keeping the marketplace very competitive. Now 70% of customers expect free shipping on their orders, if you add the amount of shipping at the time of checkout then no matter how beneficial your product is, they will abandon the cart. Providing free, faster and trackable order is of the essence for sellers.

Sellers need to pay attention to it as more and more buyers are purchasing online. As per a report, e-commerce sales is estimated to rise to $6.5 trillion by 2023. 2-day shipping ensures low rates of cart abandonment, improves customer loyalty and satisfaction and maximizes your impact in the marketplace.

For buyers, it seems easier to just pay for the order and wait for the shipping but sellers need to be on their toes all the time - they have to make sure operational processes are streamlined and fulfilment setup is seamless. 2-day delivery can be done by either ground shipping, air shipping or the combination of both depending on the location of your customer. 

The term two-day shipping and its advantages are commonly associated with air freight. However, there are shipping services that send packages through land transport. These include trucking services, train services or sea freight services. If you are interested in hiring a shipping service, you should first evaluate the charges and the rates of delivery. It would be prudent for you to choose one that offers affordable rates, as well as speedy delivery.

In order to increase your chances of securing a shipment of goods, you should hire shipping services. There are many companies that offer these services, but only a few of them provide them at affordable prices. Moreover, there are certain guidelines that you should follow while hiring shipping services. Following these guidelines will help you avoid paying for unnecessary costs and will ensure that you do not have any problems with your shipment in the future.

Before choosing a shipping service, make sure you are hiring a legitimate one. You should verify the company's registration status and its reliability, since this will determine the safety of your goods. If you have any doubts regarding the credibility of the company, you should consult the Better Business Bureau or the local Chamber of Commerce for information regarding the reliability of the shipping services you intend to hire.

Wrapping up

By selecting the best shipping approach, you not only provide fast delivery; you are offering faster, secure and reasonable  2-day delivery to your customers. 

Logistics is the process involved in the movement of materials and finished goods from one point to another. Generally, there are two types of logistics - centralized and decentralized. 

Decentralized logistics defined as a system where products and services are manufactured and delivered via different distributors and wholesalers who can provide the same product or service through many outlets. In essence, it is the concept of a network, in which companies use diverse distribution centres to increase their revenues. 

Centralized logistics identifies as a system where everything that a seller produces or sells is kept in the very same region. This makes things easier in a myriad of contexts. First of all, everything made or manufactured heads to the same location and ships from there. This optimises the rate of fulfilment and speed estimation. 

However, customers of these businesses often face slow shipping, they fail to serve customers by their inability to adapt and there’s a huge risk associated with keeping all the stocks in one place. A centralized system requires extensive infrastructure, technological know-how, and massive financial resources.

Even e-commerce giants like Amazon banks upon multi-channel fulfilment processes. It provides outstanding accessibility to customers, ensures speedy delivery, fewer risks with inventory management, mitigates management mishappenings and improves customer satisfaction.  

There are many components that form the core of a decentralized model, such as distribution, logistics, and business relationships. The core of the system is the fact that all these components are built on flexible principles, which enables them to grow independently while still responding to the changing market conditions and customer demands.

Distribution centres form the core of this system. These centres can be small or large, depending on the demand for the product or service. The chain includes a number of units, which can include warehouses, depots, manufacturing plants, or trucks that bring products from different locations and deliver them to the customer. Distribution centres are built on flexible principles so that they can adapt to market fluctuations, supply chain changes, and customer demand.

On the other hand, this does not necessarily mean that smaller companies do not have to maintain a distribution network. Distribution involves both the physical movement of products and the redistribution of unsold products. For example, when a product is sold at a discount, its price is marketed to a second-hand market. It could then be distributed to the third-party at a higher rate. This is also known as drop shipping.

There are several factors that affect the cost of distribution. The distance and shape of the distribution network have an impact on the operational costs of the companies. Other factors, such as staffing and labor, have an impact on overhead expenses. A lot of money can be saved if logistics companies use flexible infrastructure that reduces the requirement for additional space. 

With decentralized logistics in e-commerce, companies can reduce the overall costs of production. This is because they do not need to invest in additional building, staff, or labor just to deliver the goods to their customers. It allows companies to compete on price with other online vendors. They no longer need to pay expensive freight fees to transport goods from one place to another. They can also cut their overhead expenses and increase profitability. 

Final words

Decentralized logistics in e-commerce allows e-businesses to gain a stronger foothold on the Internet marketplace.

If you are an owner of an e-commerce business or are planning to start one, knowing how to make warehouse efficient is of paramount importance. The process of storing and handling the physical products until being sold online is termed as e-commerce warehousing. It contains secure and safe product storage, as well as monitoring the location of the goods, when they enter the warehouse and the amount of stock at hand at a specified time.  

E-commerce warehouse management includes; 

• Warehouse personnel recruitment and management.
• Stock, machinery and security management.
• Development of lasting relations with carriers. 
• Keeping products safely and in good shape.
• Predictions on labour requirement and demand forecasting.
• Getting certifications and licences from renowned organisations and administration.  
• Scaling business as the company grows.
• Maintaining adequate safety rules.
• Regular logging of incoming and outgoing shipments.

Optimization of warehousing operations helps in maximizing the revenue and reinforcing the inventory management. It aids you focus on minimizing the labour costs, improving productivity and eliminating shipping errors. 

The mitigation of labour costs mainly refers to the reduction of non-productive time such as waiting time between goods being loaded and delivered. Curtailing the time consumed during the movement of goods from their packing containers to the point of sale will reduce the operational overheads of running the warehouse efficiently.

Keep a close tab on the product velocity. The term refers to the speed at which certain goods sell. If you quantify the data, you will realize some of your products seem to sell more than others, so arranging your warehouse layout appears reasonable to easily access these items. Place your fastest moving goods nearest to the packing plants to avoid needless transportation and to transport the products faster.

Make effective use of the vertical space. You can enhance the warehouse layout by utilising vertical storage space. You would still want to leverage on the floor space for stocks and quickly moving goods, but vertical space will increase security, access and productivity by implementing customised storage solutions.

It is also crucial to implement the proper shelving procedures in your warehouse in order to maximize the performance of the equipment. To increase the warehouse productivity, make sure there is proper and enough ventilation available in the storage spaces. Provide ceiling fans in order to maintain proper temperature inside the storage area. Make sure that the equipment like the conveyor belts have enough space in the middle of them so that employees can easily move around.

Strengthen your product labelling game. All parts of the storage should be correctly marked in order to ascertain what it is, but also to track other information using your labels. Excellent product labelling will streamline the stocking and tracking of your inventory.

It is also vital to maintain the cleanliness of the work and shipping areas. Ensure that there is regular cleaning of the flooring, washrooms and shelves. Regular cleaning of these areas will help eliminate the chances of spreading germs and contagious diseases. Clean and decluttered shelving keeps rodents, termites, lizards and mice away.

You should always make it a point to check on your inventory once in a while. Make sure that you do not have too much of some products than you actually need. This is especially important if you are using drop shippers. A drop shipper is someone who delivers products to your customers without you having to keep an inventory of the items.

In conclusion, 

You should follow the procedure mentioned above in order to maintain an organized and safe environment for your products and warehouse personnel. To reinforce your reputation further, employ warehouse management software and inventory management solutions.

For any online business, having a good sales process and creating a good customer base are critical to the success of your business. However, many people struggle with these concepts and wonder how they can make their sales more effective. 

Below are some tips that will help you create an effective sales plan:

Visualize your customer persona - Visualization is one of the most important steps in the sales process. Your goal should be to identify who your customer is. Do they live in the neighbourhood? Do they go to school/college/office?. Segregate and categorize your customers based on their demographics, personal information and geographic location.

Determine your customers needs - It is always important to identify your customer's needs and wants when creating an e-commerce website. This will ensure that you place their needs first throughout your website design. If you don't have a strong understanding of what your customer expects, they will quickly lose interest and move on to another website. Make sure that your website is easy to navigate, and make it as user-friendly as possible.

Put your customers first - This goes hand-in-hand with the previous tip, which was to identify who your customer is. Customers want to know that the site they are on is being developed by someone who really cares about the product and user experience. 

Don't place unnecessary ads or other distractions on your website. Customers want to know that they are getting value for their money when making purchases on your e-commerce site. Maintain optimum page load speed and responsive design for mobile/tablet users. Create product pages with high-quality images, videos and actionable product descriptions. Optimize your website for voice search and make use of PPC ads on social media.

Follow-through with satisfaction - If you follow through with satisfaction, then your customers will be more likely to stay loyal and stay with your e-commerce business. Make every sale a good one. Offer great customer service, offer fast shipping and offer free shipping on many purchases. If you can offer your customers free returns, this will also help to keep them coming back to your website. Carry out surveys to gather feedback from your customers on products, delivery and the overall on-site experience.

All things considered, 

One of the most powerful elements of e-commerce websites is the sales process. If you simply rush through the sales process without giving your customer time to shop, they are more likely to leave your e-commerce site immediately.

By providing great customer service, outstanding products and regular follow-ups with satisfaction surveys, you will be able to create a winning sales plan for e-commerce websites. Your customers will be happy with your website, and your profits will soar up.

Cross-selling and up-selling methodologies are developed to generate more revenue from existing customers and reduce the customers’ churn rate. As per Hubspot, The cost of acquiring a customer has increased by 50%, so the Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is surging as compared to the retention costs of existing customers. 

Cross-selling promotes the purchase of anything relevant to a primary product. For example - When you purchase a burger, the salespeople ask “if you would like to add coke or fried with the order?” that’s cross-selling.  While Upselling is when the marketer offers an upgraded version of the primary product. This happens a lot on e-commerce, when you choose a phone then you see similar products with a slightly higher price with better quality and features. 

In this highly-competitive online marketplace, a brand needs to put in continuous efforts to retain a repeated customer and leave no stone unturned to keep them loyal to your brand.  You can do that by incorporating an effective CRM solution and by staying current with the latest emerging market trends and shifting customer preferences. 

There are multiple benefits of employing this marketing tool, CRM can aid in boosting your profits as well as your customer satisfaction. Using customer information and creating an online personalised catalogues so that customers can easily locate the products they need and can get additional information regarding any purchase, such as returns, exchange, features, warranties and guarantees.

The sales and customer relationship management capabilities of a CRM solution can streamline your overall sales process, as well as offer the customer more flexibility than ever before. 

cross-sell and upsell with CRM is even easier when your sales team is ready to work with you. Having existing contacts and establishing new relationships with your customers is a great way to maximize your profit margins. Using your CRM solution, your sales representatives can build a database of potential clients, as well as generate leads and follow-up with these potential clients. These leads can be used for follow-up calls or emails, which increases your sales revenue and provides your customers with additional information they seek. 

Generally, the CRM database can contain information about all of your current customers and potential future customers. It can provide sales statistics and other information about who is using the chatbot feature/calling, purchasing behaviour, what they bought, how long they stayed on a product page and more. Utilising this information, your sales team will be able to segment customers into personas and focus on their email-marketing efforts accordingly. 

Further, these CRM systems can be integrated into your e-commerce website and track various metrics on the consumer. For example - If a customer purchases a TV on, then this software will display automated requests and offers like home theatre, TV unit, Set-top box and more in a “frequently purchased together section”. 

A lot many customers are buying products after a deep-research, so you can also use CRM for content creation and post valuable blogs around your products. 

Takeaway

The goal of learning how to cross-sell and upsell with CRM is not to sell more products, it is simply to increase your business’s profits. CRM is an excellent way to help you accomplish great customer service by pinpointing the bottlenecks of the campaign and by following customers at every step of the buyers’ journey.

Before COVID-19, e-commerce companies were already witnessing splendid growth. However, the outbreak has intensified the adoption of online shopping by consumers to unprecedented levels, which were not anticipated for a few more years. People who were reluctant to e-commerce earlier, have now unexpectedly begun to buy in big numbers. And most of these customers are projected to continue shopping online long after the pandemic is over. 

However, these clients won't necessarily drop in your online store. They are going to the competitors' websites if you fail to carry out proper marketing and branding activities. And to separate yourself from the masses and accelerate your progress, you have to push your digital e-commerce efforts and ace the marketing game. While it's true that marketing in the virtual world is different from marketing in the real world, there are some similarities. With the right strategy, you can build your brand and increase your traffic, all while making a bit of extra money. 

Let’s take a look at some of the best marketing strategies for e-commerce that you can put into practice today and earn maximum dividends;

• Elevate your e-commerce SEO strategy - Optimize your site for search engines, minimize the page load time, content, imagery and links. There are a number of different ways to do this, but one of the most important things is that you need to learn how to use keywords correctly. To ensure security, make sure your HTTPS pages are not linked to any HTTP pages. 
• Capitalize on e-commerce content marketing - Publish how-to blogs and FAQs to answer common queries that your audience might have on their minds. It helps you build trust with your customer. Offer them a free stylebook, guides, eBook or another type of digital resources, they'll be more likely to buy from you because of the freebies you're offering. With that, make sure you have top-notch content on the product pages with the targeted keywords.
• Use email-marketing campaigns to retarget, to remarket, to understand exit intent, to gather feedback and to reduce cart abandonment rates. Offer deals for first-time buyers, entry to insider loyalty programs and premium downloadable resources
• Once you have increased your traffic, you want to turn that traffic into leads. To generate leads, you must build lasting relationships and brand loyalists. One of the best strategies for that is to use social media. Through social media platforms, you can connect, engage, interact and spread brand awareness. 
• Invest in pay per click (PPC) advertising on social media platforms and SERPs. SEO optimization gets you desired results i.e. organic traffic but it requires a significant amount of time and continuous efforts to reach there. PPC Ads, on the contrary, start showing you results the next day after launching the campaign. 

Final words

With all the aforementioned strategies, try creating compelling landing pages with actionable CTAs, responsive e-commerce websites, display social-proofs and leverage on Amazon sponsored Ads if your products are listed on the website. If implemented well, all these tips will strengthen your e-commerce sales funnel.