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These simple tips will improve your online selling strategy

Improving your online selling strategy will open your business up to millions of new customers around the globe.

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The tips below will bring customers to your website and your Amazon sellers page, increase conversion rates, and improve your customer satisfaction.

Selling products online is a must for any 21st-century business. There is no doubt, however, that online selling strategies can be challenging to get right. First, one must understand the basics of online selling, the importance of it, and how to stay modern in their approach. Once that base level of understanding is attained, read on for simple tips on improving your strategy with easy actions that you can take to make more sales through websites such as Amazon. 

What is online selling?

A possibly unsuspecting customer, purchasing a Sting CD, became the first person to make an online retail transaction in 1994 – or, at least, the first to do so using readily available software. This groundbreaking date, as per the New York Times, was the beginning of online buying and selling as we know it today. 

From that one audio disc spiraled a market that, in 2019, consumers spent $601.75 billion on with US merchants alone. The statistics make plain and obvious reading: getting your online selling strategy right will open you up to an almost limitless market, improving your profits and reputation. 

Don’t get left behind

It is for that very reason that you must not get left behind. Whatever industry you are in, it is with an overwhelming probability that your rivals are already using online sales to a high level of success. Your product may be better than theirs, but if your strategy is wrong, consumers could still be putting their money in the wrong place. 

Amazon offers free videos on selling over its platform, meaning there is no excuse for not getting to grips with the most significant online retailer on the planet. Embracing this technology and throwing your company headfirst into learning how to harness its potential is the first step to take.

Tips for improving your strategy

If you are already operating online but are experiencing lackluster results, it could well be that you need to improve your strategy. The tips below will bring customers to your website and your Amazon sellers page, increase conversion rates, and improve your customer satisfaction. 

Online marketing

Digital marketing may be set to replace traditional methods, but even before it does, it is a tool that must be embraced when selling online. The leading digital marketing tools are social media (both paid and unpaid), email marketing, pay per click (PPC), and search engine optimization (SEO). Getting these strategies right will boost your brand’s reputation and, in turn, improve sales.

If your company does not have a specific digital marketing team, but you have the resources to build one, you should consult your existing team to find out how best you could implement it and integrate it with the rest of your business. Running digital marketing campaigns is a time-consuming job and should not be palmed off onto staff members who already have enough on their plates. Hiring specialists in improving SEO and running PPC campaigns should pay dividends soon enough.

Customer service

Providing excellent customer service is relatively straight forward when you are selling from a high street store. Friendly smiles, offering help, pointing out deals, and a warm “thank you” go a long way in person, but it is not quite so obvious how to provide this online. 

That said, you must work out a method to do so. Supporting customers by answering their questions and helping them through their online shopping journey will encourage them to return, improving the rate of repeat purchases (more information below). There are multiple ways you can do this, with perhaps the two most apparent being online chat functions and responding to reviews.

An online chat service means customers get their questions answered quickly and turns your business into a true 24/7, around the clock operation. Customers are satisfied when they are replied to quickly and, with the ability to give them additional information on your products, will be better informed of their purchases. Once their purchase has been made, encourage them to leave online reviews. This is especially relevant to Amazon, where many use online reviews to decide which of several products they invest in. 

Try your best to respond to customer reviews on Amazon, and do not get too downhearted with occasional negative reviews. So long as your overall rating remains high, having a high volume of responses and odd poor ones will make your product reviews look far more authentic. If you do receive criticism, respond in a timely, calm, and friendly manner.

Encourage repeat purchases

With shopping online – especially with Amazon – so easy, it would be foolish not to encourage repeat purchases. You could do this through a points system or referral programs. Loyal customers could be offered discounts or exclusive items. At the same time, targeted emails (to those you have permission to send to) will continue reminding former customers of the excellent service you provided them. 

Focusing on Amazon

As alluded to throughout these top tips, Amazon is the online seller that you should be focusing on. Getting tips on selling through Amazon from experts such as Nuanced Media will help improve conversion rates and grow your customer base. 

To take one industry as an example, in 2018, Amazon held an 80% share of the books, music, and video market. If you are selling these items online and are not focusing your efforts on Amazon, you are focusing your selling powers on areas of the market which lie in shadow, where consumers may not even be trying to reach due to the dominance and convenience of the market leader. 

In conclusion

To summarize, improving your online selling strategy will open your business up to millions of new customers around the globe. As well as focusing efforts on pushing sales, you should also be paying attention to customer satisfaction and the ways you can encourage loyalty within the industry. Finally, if you want to reach the most significant number of potential customers, narrow in on what it takes to succeed at selling on Amazon. The results could be life-changing. 

Ryan Flannagan

Editor’s Note: Ryan Flannagan is the Founder & CEO of Nuanced Media, an international eCommerce marketing agency specializing in Amazon. Nuanced has sold $100s of Millions online and Ryan has built a client base representing a total revenue of over 1.5 billion dollars. Ryan is a published author and has been quoted by a number of media sources such as BuzzFeed and Modern Retail. To connect with Ryan, check out @Ryanflannagan on Twitter or via Linkedin

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