The e-Commerce businesses have witnessed unprecedented growth since past two years. The market trends have been shifted completely. People are more inclined toward digital rather physical interaction with businesses. That is what results in a quick boost in the e-Commerce industry worldwide. Many new entrepreneurs have dived in and a lot of small and medium sized businesses have started exploring the possibilities of selling through e-Commerce platforms. Here in Dubai and all around the UAE the e-Commerce industry is booming, all kind of small and big businesses are opting for the e-Commerce to get a chance to reach out to a wider audience. Here in UAE alone the e-Commerce hits the record high of $3.9 Billion USD in 2020 and is expected to reach to a whopping $8 Billion USD by 2025. The UAE can be fairly said the most favorable country for e-Commerce with its highly developed infrastructure, modernized logistics and transports, internet penetration (99%), supportive policies by the governments, modernized banking and financial infrastructure with a variety of digital payment platforms, high-income, and much more.
The e-Commerce industry is growing which is also ramping up the competition in the market too. That is why it is important for businesses in e-Commerce to stay ahead of their competition. There are certain market trends and consumer trends that will lead the e-Commerce in 2022. In this blog we will discuss the strategies and trends that can help a business in Dubai or anywhere in UAE to ensure a steady growth in the year 2022.
Email Marketing Strategy for e-Commerce
The Email marketing is one of the oldest form of the digital marketing. It is still very popular and is one of the most efficient strategy. For e-Commerce businesses the email marketing could be a game changer. There are various email marketing services that can be helpful at start but it is very important to build your own email list. Maintain the email database of all of your customers and subscribers. Use simple email newsletter subscription forms, popups and dedicated landing pages to collect email addresses with a clear aim to fully rely on your own email database rather any third party email marketing service. The remarketing and retargeting can be more beneficial for e-Commerce websites. The customers who have already purchased from your e-Commerce website and the one who showed interest by subscribing are the more likely to convert.
Here in Dubai we have witnessed that most e-Commerce businesses made a very obvious mistake, they send weekly newsletter to the entire list, however it is not as that effective. It is critical that the email database you maintain is well-organized and categorized according to their purchase history or search preferences. Then target each category with the relevant products, discount offers and promotional content. This could literally triple your email marketing returns. There are certain analytical tools that can be used to track user’s interests on your page or you can also ask for preferences when someone is attempting to subscribe for your newsletter. The relevant content in the promotional emails and the personalization increase engagements and boost your conversion rate too.
Use Dynamic Content in the Cart and Checkout Process
Whenever a user is purchasing from an e-Commerce website there is a checkout process which usually consists of at least three separate web-pages or steps or even more. These pages are very important and can be used to upsell to your visitors. Statistical data and market studies have shown that the upsell tactics and usage of dynamic content in the cart and in purchase steps can boost the sales from 10% to 80%, depends upon the design, suggestive algorithms and some other factors. For example if I am purchasing a new iPhone from Amazon or Noon, during the checkout it suggests cover and screen protectors, usually most of the time customers also bought those items along. Similarly the e-Commerce businesses can establish multiple strategies to boost their sales.
The main idea behind is to engage the customers and increase the visibility of the products. Most of the time people reach to an e-Commerce for one thing but end up buying another just because they saw it in the suggestions, or at promotion pages or such places. That is one of the most effective strategy to boost sales and to grow.
Use Scarcity Tactics to Boost Sales
That is one of the most effective e-Commerce strategy. Some businesses create entire sections just dedicated to this strategy. It is a human nature that when we are told that there is something limited and finite, we tend to attract towards it more. It somehow ignite our desire to have it. That is why the e-Commerce businesses should consider this human instinct. The e-Commerce businesses can setup different types of promotions, such as limited time offers, limited stocks, revised price, limited discount coupons, limited or occasional sales, etc. The limited time offers are usually on a variety of products some of those are the top rated and mostly the products who are getting slower response should be listed in such promotions. Try to focus the word limited, as studies have showed that this word could have some magical effects on the visitors. Tell them that the discount is for a limited time, or after a certain date the prices will be revised and could be raised for up to X% etc. Such taglines and indicators are very intriguing for the visitors. The point here is to try to convince your visitors to quickly make their decision. That is how the scarcity tactics boost sales for the e-Commerce and could increase revenue by up to 50% in some cases which is huge.
Omni-channel VS Multi-channel Sales
Most of the e-Commerce marketers believe that the Omni-channel selling is the best tactics for the e-Commerce. However, studies have shown that the influence of social media and digital marketing is also huge on ordinary audience. Studies have shown that around 80% of the customer do not make a purchase unless they see an item multiple times and almost 35% to 40% of the customers prefer to look up in the social media for the brand before making a purchase decision. That is why Omni-channel selling strategy is like putting your all eggs in one basket. If you are going for an Omni-channel approach then you must have to be perfect in all aspects. The customer acquisition would not only cost you a lot of efforts but also a lot of revenue. That is why it is always great to establish your presence on local e-Commerce platforms, such as for UAE the Amazon and the Noon are the most popular e-Commerce platform that also support businesses to build their own stores on their website. However, the e-Commerce businesses can offer more discounts or lower prices at their websites comparing to their stores on Amazon or Noon. But it is important to have presence on these platforms.
The social media is very popular in the entire UAE. People tend to spend hours on their social media on daily bases. This means that the e-Commerce businesses can use social media to attract more traffic to their website as well as they can use the social media to acquire leads and some social media also allow to directly sell through them. The social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat, Twitter, LinkedIn and such platforms can be great for paid and organic social media campaigns.
Improve Customer Loyalty
For any businesses whether it is an e-Commerce business model or a traditional brick-and-mortar business model, the customer loyalty is considered to be a key to success. Loyal customers keep revisiting the website, they tend to do repeated business with the e-Commerce and they are also very helpful in promoting the brand. The loyal customers are easy to satisfy, they are more likely to ignore a bad experience once or twice and they are also good brand advocate. They share positive remarks and comments about the brand in online and social media and they tend to recommend the brand to their friends, family and coworkers. The loyal customers are a great asset for an e-Commerce business. That is why it is crucial for an e-Commerce business to lay down plans and setup strategies to improve customer loyalty to ensure a long term growth and success.
Here are some key factors that contributes to the customer loyalty and customer happiness:
- Customer Service: An excellent customer service is a guarantee to customer loyalty and customer happiness. Customers purchasing online usually have too many questions, doubts and concerns, the e-Commerce business should be able to be there when its customer need it.
- Complaint and Dispute Resolution: Obviously it is also a part of the customer service but it is far more crucial for an e-Commerce business than any ordinary business. Just remember, the customer is the king.
- Customer Friendly Policy: Most of the time in case of e-Commerce businesses the customers are always concerned about the return and refund policy, the warrantee and maintenance policies, etc. Make sure you have a flexible and customer friendly policy.
- Chatbots and Pre-Sale Support: The chatbots are a good addition to an e-Commerce business website it enhance customer experience. Along with chatbots make sure you have an adequate pre-sale technical support as well.
- Additional Payment Methods: For any e-Commerce business the online payment or digital payment solution is a key component. Try to add as many payment methods as possible. Customers love to see multiple payment options and flexible payment plans.
- Advance Search Engine and Suggestive Search: For any e-Commerce business the search engine is a very important tool. It has to be simple but very efficient. It can add value to customer experience and customer happiness and also help in improving online sales.
- Social Media Integration: In today’s world the social media has become an integral part of our daily lives. It is important to integrate popular social media platforms and allow your visitors to share your products with their friends and followers.
- Trust Markers: The trust markers or trust indicators is a technical term and it means adding such content, graphics or links that can add value to an e-Commerce business’s credibility. Such as the customer reviews, ratings, partner’s logos, security and safety indicators, etc.
These are some of the key points that not only help building a long lasting relationship with your customers but also encourage your visitors to convert. If an e-Commerce business is providing features and information that can build trust and facilitate its customers to ensure a satisfactory customer journey and customer experience, the customer loyalty is raised automatically. Only happy customers will become loyal customers. Unhappy or unsatisfied customers would most likely to never return or make a purchase again. In fact the unhappy customers are also likely to share their bad experience with others which would harm the reputation of the business.
Improve Mobile Experience
The UAE is at the top of the list for its internet penetration. The e-Commerce business model is entirely based on the internet. Almost 99% of the UAE population owns smartphones or have access to the internet. That is why mobile experience is extremely important for an e-Commerce business. Mostly businesses offer mobile apps for both Android and Apple (iOS) smartphones. However the first comers might not be inclined to download and install the mobile app for their very first purchase. That is why even if you are offering very impressive mobile apps, the mobile experience for the e-Commerce website is still very crucial. Make sure your e-Commerce website is compatible with all modern mobile phones and is responsive. E=Commerce businesses usually only focus on the user interface (UI) and might avoid how the check-out process is on the mobile phones. Which makes it difficult for the mobile users to perform the check-out steps. Similarly for the product pages in mobile there is limited space hence only limited information can be shown, it is important to highlight the important information and also provide users functionality to access to the full details as well. The improvements in the mobile experience alone could double or triple the sales of an e-Commerce business.
Run Digital Marketing Campaigns (Organic and Paid)
These days major e-Commerce businesses rely heavily on the digital marketing campaigns. There are two distinct types of digital marketing, one is called organic and it is absolutely free, the other one is referred to as paid digital marketing campaign which is paid advertisements on various digital platforms. When it comes to e-Commerce setting up targeted audience is very difficult. Some products might be popular among a different set of demographic and regions and vice versa. That is why when laying down plans for the digital marketing campaigns set up multiple targeted groups and execute different campaigns for different audiences. It is also important that the e-Commerce website is well optimized for organic digital marketing and the social media and other platforms are also up-to-date. Collectively all these free platforms comes under organic digital marketing strategy.
For example the SEO or search engine optimization is a great example of organic digital marketing and its conversion rate is far beyond than any other platform or social media. If an e-Commerce website is totally in-line with SEO standards and business is regularly improving it, the SEO alone can generate twice as much traffic than all other sources combined. Similarly the Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and other platforms can be worked to boost website traffic which will definitely increase sales and ensure long term growth. Another very effective digital marketing channel is called influencer marketing. Make sure you are connected with local influencers on social media celebrities and get endorsements from them or ask them for featured videos. This influencer marketing is emerging as a great tool for product based digital marketing strategies.
Conclusion
The e-Commerce businesses are growing rapidly, there is literally no boundary if you are operating on an e-Commerce business model. Many businesses in Dubai and other emirates of UAE have shifted their focus on the e-Commerce. Some are only starting exclusively as an e-Commerce and some are established businesses with brick-and-mortar stores. It doesn’t matter which category you belonged to, if you want to grow in 2022 you must have to focus on certain things. In this blog we have listed some strategies that can help you boost your online sales and will also help you in improving your brand reputation as an e-Commerce business. For a long term success and growth it is crucial to keep your expenses low, maintain maximum level of customer satisfaction, increase customer loyalty and build a strong brand reputation. RSI Concepts is a leading digital marketing and web designing agency in Dubai, UAE. If you want to improve your e-Commerce business or need a help with your digital marketing, feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.
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