Ecommerce Website Selling and Promotion Ideas
No matter how successful your eCommerce website is, you should always be looking for ways to improve it. Developing innovative ecommerce promotion ideas can be difficult, but it will ultimately pay off when implemented correctly in your ecommerce store. Offering promotions and special offers to your potential eCommerce customers is an effective method of driving additional traffic to your site, acquiring new customers, and increasing revenue. Best of all, these promotions can also be used to encourage new visitors to become loyal repeat customers. Many shopping cart platforms offer these eCommerce features, so take advantage of them!
Why are ecommerce promotions and special offers important?
The fact is that today’s online consumers are smarter than ever. Combine that with the fact that there are more online shopping options than ever before, and it’s no wonder it often takes more persuasion to get your visitors to click the checkout button. In that context, consider your eCommerce promotions one of the most valuable persuasion tools available to you.
Boost ecommerce sales with ecommerce promotions and special offers
Now that we understand the role special offers and promotions play on an eCommerce website, we’d like to share some powerfully simple promotions that we’ve seen work wonders for our customers. Of course, no two sites are identical, and what works in one industry may not work in another. Before you implement any of these ideas, make sure you’re prepared to collect the data you need to determine their effectiveness. That way, you’ll have tangible evidence behind your decisions and can make permanent changes to your eCommerce store with confidence.
#1 – Free Shipping
It’s no secret that everyone loves free shipping. Additional shipping charges during checkout contribute to cart abandonment, also known as the Achilles heel of the eCommerce website. In addition to eliminating an expense that many of your visitors can expect, free shipping can simplify the entire selling process.
Whether you offer free shipping site-wide or limit your promotion to specific categories and products, your customers can browse with confidence knowing that the prices listed are what they’ll actually pay (plus a little for Uncle Sam, where applicable). Plus, they won’t be surprised with extra charges when they’re ready to pay. From a psychological perspective, you will have an advantage if your visitors trust that the price they see is an accurate representation of your final cost.
One thing worth mentioning is that your company doesn’t necessarily have to bear the shipping costs, you can simply “hide” your shipping charges by embedding them directly in the price of the product.
#2 – Percentage Based Discounts
If physical stores have taught us anything, it’s that everyone loves to buy things that are “on sale,” and formatting your product pages to have a “sale price” can definitely increase conversions. Consider showing two prices for any given product, the “retail” price and your “sale price.” Experiment with different terminologies, like “suggested retail” or “MSRP,” to see what works best for your store or niche.
Although percentage-based discounts have become increasingly ubiquitous on eCommerce websites, they are still quite effective. Somehow, the human brain is even more tempted to buy a product if the original artificially inflated price has been “cut” to a lower amount. Experiment with different percentages based on your profit margins to find the percentage that is most effective for you. Any reputable eCommerce shopping cart should be able to make these adjustments dynamically, either site-wide or specifically for a certain category or product. Remember to keep your profit margins in mind when creating these discounts, as revenue increases are most valuable when you make substantial profits on each sale.
#3 – Buy something, get something else free
Again, everyone loves free stuff. You can set up free product giveaways if a certain product is purchased or sales of a specific product are declining.
If you want to increase your average order value, try adding a free product if you spend a certain amount of dollars. It will give your client the impression that they are receiving better value, while psychologically preparing them to have a positive outlook on your company after the transaction. At the same time, it will create an incentive for them to spend more money each time they visit your site.
#4 – Quantity discounts
Another great way to improve sales and average order value is to offer discounts based on the quantity purchased of a specific product. These discounts can be structured in a number of ways, including a flat fee, a fixed percentage, or a sliding scale.
This can be especially advantageous for eCommerce websites looking to sell to both the average consumer and distributors and merchants who need to buy in bulk. You can set up your quantity discount structure so those looking to buy in bulk don’t have to contact you directly to negotiate a price. The more automation your website has in this regard, the more man hours your company can dedicate to innovation and growth.
#5 – Offering Reward Points
Offering your customers reward points for every dollar spent is a great way to encourage visitors to become loyal and repeat customers. These reward points can be expressed in “points” or “dollar value”, depending on what you think makes the most sense for your target market. Many believe that website visitors are more tempted to spend “50 Example.com dollars” than “50 Example.com reward points,” so keep that psychology in mind when determining what to name your point system.
Getting creative with the name of your reward points system also presents an opportunity to strengthen your brand. For example, “Airline Ticket Reward Point System” doesn’t have the same sound as “Frequent Flyer Miles.”
When to use special offers:
While most ecommerce websites pretty much always run some sort of special offer, there are certain times when special offers should be especially considered.
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Weekly / Monthly / Quarterly
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Pre-launch (of a website, a new product, or any other applicable)
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Holiday/Seasonal Promotions (Black Friday and Christmas are obvious, but also any holiday or season that aligns with your brand…for example, if you sell weight loss products, create a promotion focused on New Year’s resolutions.
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Abandoned Cart: Email abandoned carts with special offers to seal the deal.
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Email/Newsletter Signup Offers – Include special offers and exclusive promotions for those on your email list. Advertise this on the site to encourage subscription to newsletters and email lists!
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Social Media Engagement Incentive (eg Facebook Like for 10% Coupon)
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First Time Visitors – Create special offers for first time visitors to your site.
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Customer Loyalty – Reward repeat customers with special offers
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When it appears that a user is intent on leaving the page, you can create a special pop-up offer to entice them to stay on your site and make a purchase.
We recommend working directly with your ecommerce SEO company to help implement these strategies on your ecommerce website. Combining SEO expertise with a deep understanding of your business is the best way to fill in the gaps from the above ideas. Also, your ecommerce SEO agency will be able to align your SEO efforts with your ecommerce promotions so that your strategies can work together in harmony.
