E-commerce Business is becoming increasingly important and vital for any business to compete and survive. For an e commerce entrepreneur, it becomes extremely crucial to attract online buyers and enjoy a steady stream of online purchasing activity.As e-commerceslowly emerges as a dominant player over other markets, different strategies and avenues have evolved which effectively work to strengthen the position of your business. Similarly it becomes imperative to continually study consumer behavior and deliver just what the customer wants.
Multichanneling, mobile solutions and social networking are becoming the current trends of digital marketing strategy. The consumer patterns show instances of opting into something different over what has been used or tried out in the past.
The internet market scene has almost been set and most online businesses are being managed by clever SEO campaigns, PPC search marketing and keyword bidding in order to stay well ahead of the competition. In fact most online businesses prefer to opt for search engine campaigns rather then stay connected through emails with their customers.
In the UK, affiliate marketing has been a great accelerator and has helped to boost online sales i.e. almost 12% of the entire retail sales in the UK are online. Similarly shoppers love to access comparison sites which aid them in making a final decision and they are also useful in directing the customer to the main site. Emails work their way in influencing the customer’s decisions too, especially when they are slightly personal and give account details and preferences when being sent across.
Moving on to technological advancements, the latest Web 2.0 technology has gone a long way in popularizing the concept of streaming video ads and promotional films to web users through You Tube and other social networks. With the latest internet savvy phones being available in the market at affordable prices such as the G1 phone, iPhone, Blackberry and decreasing rates of mobile Internet access, people are even accessing the Internet to check out products, prices and reviews while physically present at the store itself. It won’t be long before people find offers depending upon the location where they are present. The mobile service provider companies may also provide customers with double offers and schemes.
Meanwhile, it becomes imperative for online retailers to keep communicating with their customers from time to time. This can be done through various means such as promotional SMS, calls or even use the Internet and chat features. At the same time, they may also send mails regarding promotional offers, new launches and even invite them to review new products. Its pays if all possible efforts are undertaken to highlight how important he or she is for your business and their opinion equally valuable.
Recommendations and experiences expressed and posted on the companies’ website goes a long way in attracting customers too. It is all the more important that customers are treated with care and attention. A negative experience or a feedback is detrimental to business and cannot be afforded at any cost.
Another trend which is emerging and creating a strong presence in the e market zone is the interactive video advertising. This looks set to impress and conquer the hearts of prospective customers. The key lies in sending across the right offer or promotion at the right time enabling the customer to make the purchase decision in your favour and at the same time reinforcing brand loyalty.
Innovative and interactive advertising tools and reaching out to the customer does pay off. It certainly proves fruitful when online retailers consider making the effort to reach out to the emotional side of potential customers.
However, in the initial stages, the internet market is going to perform alongside other markets with its role and importance fluctuating to a certain extent. This will largely depend upon the customers and how their purchasing patterns shape up in the next few years.
When conducting online business, you should always have the capacity to convert a visitor into a potential customer and then a customer. By providing an exceptional service, you can influence him/her to revisit again in the future and thus ensure customer loyalty.
