Are you in the midst of planning your 2019 marketing strategy? We've got some great e-commerce statistics from this year that may help you effectively plan for the year ahead.
Brand Story
It's becoming increasingly important to customers to know the brand story and background on who they're shopping from and there has been a significant rise in customers looking for brands that are environmentally friendly, ethical, sustainable or support charities.
45% of shoppers are more likely to buy if the brand gives a charitable donation with their purchase
Make sure that your brand story is clear, and shout about all the amazing things you do and why you're different from your competitors.
Personalisation
Personalisation is a critical tool in customer happiness and retention, and making sure your customer knows that their order is appreciated will increase the chance of them shopping with you again.
64% of shoppers say retailers don't truly know them
Tips:
Personalised handwritten notes in parcels
Ask your customers on social media for their opinions, what products they'd like to see etc
Use Google analytics to learn more about customer behaviours on your site and keep improving
Consider using AI-driven personalisation
Personalise newsletter campaigns with products that each customer may like. Mailchimp is a great one for easily setting this up.
Customer Service
Self serve options, such as live chat and forums are increasingly preferred by customers but when busy periods approach, shoppers seek direct support. Make sure you have a variety of customer service options available.
Tips:
Use blogs to answer frequently asked questions. Not only will this help your current customers but it will also increase the likelihood of potential customers finding you on Google.
Use Live Chat within your opening hours to make sure customers can get answers straight away
Respond to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram queries as quick as you can and always be the last one to reply (even if it's posting a smiley) this will increase your response stats
Remember some people still prefer the traditional forms of communication so have an email address and phone number where customers can contact you
Multi-channel selling
Consider growing your brand awareness by also selling your products on marketplaces like Not On The High Street or approaching retailer sites that offer a variety of different products such as ASOS to see if they would be interested in stocking your range. This will mean you're more likely to be found by customers who are unaware of your brand and simply searching your brand type.
Between the choice of retailers, brands, and marketplaces like Amazon, consumers said they made 50% of first-time purchases from retailers, followed by marketplaces (31%) and brands themselves (19%).
Repeat custom research on these platforms found that brand websites had the lowest repeat purchase rate out of the three channels.
