With e-commerce sales expected to nearly double in the Asia Pacific region by the year 2025, online businesses have an exciting opportunity to tap into a growing number of customers as the industry booms.
After you have designed an amazing website, you would want to market it to as many people as possible. This post will help ensure you drive the most traffic to your online store by following the latest trends and best practices in e-commerce.
Assuming that you are very successful in driving traffic to your online store, you would have made a lot of sales. The next step is to do proper accounting so that you can file income tax and annual return the following year. In addition, it helps you to make better business decisions. Our team will work with you to customize a solution best suited for your company.
Online shopping is changing and growing in South East Asia
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted how people all around the world live, work, and even shop. More brands are shifting to online selling and shaking up e-commerce experiences to serve a growing number of online consumers across the region.
Shopping can happen in more places than ever - whether it’s on your online store or through your social media accounts.
Here are 12 ways to boost traffic to your online store
Creating an attractive and functional online store is only the start of becoming a successful business. Online business owners need to be ready to jump aboard the latest trends and social media platforms where they can connect directly with customers.
1. Embrace social e-commerce trends
Social e-commerce is booming in Asia where consumers purchase goods through online social networks. In fact, shopping via social media surpassed traditional retail methods in 2021, according to Tech Wire Asia.
As shopping on social media becomes more popular, online stores will need to get aquatinted with the various shopping features offered by each social media platform.
Although this is more work for online businesses to manage, it does have some big benefits. Social commerce exposes your products and services to a much wider audience while making it easier for customers to quickly make a purchase.
Experts believe that even as COVID-19 restrictions ease across the region, consumers will still opt for the convenience that e-commerce provides.
2. Develop a strong online presence with diverse, useful content
The products and services you sell are important, but they shouldn’t be the only things you post online.
Develop a strong content marketing plan to create and share interesting content on your website and social media channels to draw people with similar interests to your brand. Consider publishing a blog, videos, and other visuals that educate your audience while sharing information that’s important for your brand.
If want to promote a product or special offer to a wider audience, consider running paid social media ad campaigns in addition to your regular content.
3. Don’t forget to fill out your social media profiles completely
Consumers routinely discover new brands on social media, which means your social media accounts should include all the information they need to know about your business. A study by Global Web Index found that 54% of social media browsers used social media to research products.
Share a short bio about your company, your contact information, links to other social media accounts, and links directly to your online store. This not only makes it easier for customers to get in touch with you, but a complete profile also builds trust so customers feel more comfortable working with you.
4. Funnel social media followers to your online store
Building a strong following on social media takes time, but it can pay off by driving traffic straight to your online store.
Use every opportunity to refer your social media followers to your online store. Plan social media content that includes links to specific products or new blog posts to drive people directly to your site. Announce special deals and sales on social media with a link to a page where they can shop.
5. Make sure web content follows SEO guidelines
Where does your online store appear in internet search results? Sites that appear at the top of search results are the ones succeeding at following SEO guidelines.
To help your online store rank high, make sure you constantly update your online content so there’s always something fresh on your website. Never repeat content on other pages and periodically check your content for errors and inactive pages.
When writing website copy, target specific keywords in headings and page titles so it’s clear what your brand is all about. Write titles and product descriptions that match internet search queries and include long-tail keywords on your site and URLs.
Also, look for opportunities to link to other pages on your website as well as to other trustworthy sites. Search engines favor websites that include reliable links that help users easily browse related content.
6. Host livestreamed shopping sessions
As social e-commerce explodes across Asia, brands are taking the opportunity to host livestreamed events to show off their products and services to their online audiences.
These livestreamed events are similar to TV shopping channels, but they’re more interactive and exclusive.
Brands often partner with influencers who talk about their experience using a product, answer questions in real-time, and demonstrate how products are used. For example, a cosmetics company may partner with a makeup artist to host a live video of them applying the products while explaining different makeup techniques. These livestreamed shopping sessions can be a fun way to engage with consumers while driving traffic to your online store.
7. Prioritize sustainable and environmentally friendly products
Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned with how their spending habits impact the environment and will often favor brands that prioritize sustainability.
Don’t be shy in promoting any environmentally-friendly products and services your brand offers - even eco-friendly packaging. Offer environmentally-friendly shipping options, avoid excessive packaging, and share information about ways you use sustainable business practices on your website and social media accounts.
8. Create a loyalty or subscription program to keep people coming back
E-commerce loyalty and subscription programs help brands retain customers and generate frequent online transactions. So, think of ways to reward your loyal customers with special deals and discounts for their continued business.
Remember to keep loyalty and subscription programs easy to use and understand. Clearly explain the benefits of joining a loyalty program or show how much money a customer could save with a subscription service. Make sure you have a system in place for people to redeem their rewards or automatically get their deliveries so they don’t have to jump through unnecessary hoops to access the service.
9. Offer seasonal products and deals
Holidays are great opportunities to promote special products and services on your online store and social media accounts. Give customers a reason to visit your online store by announcing a holiday sale or launching a special line of seasonal products.
Even as the world continues to combat complications from COVID-19, holiday shopping is expected to grow 7% in 2021 - making it a great time for online businesses to tap into the busy spending period.
10. Make sure the online purchasing process is fast and simple
Online retailers need to provide a seamless digital purchasing experience if they want people to return to their site. A customer who has a positive shopping experience is far more likely to come back to a site than a customer who ran into problems while making a purchase.
This is especially true for the growing number of shoppers using mobile devices to browse and make purchases. A simple, streamlined check-out process prevents customers from abandoning their carts and makes it more likely that they’ll shop with you in the future.
11. Always remember to stay on brand
It may feel like your online business needs to be active everywhere across the internet, but the most important thing to remember is to always present your brand accurately and professionally.
Whether you’re making a social media post announcing a new sale, emailing your loyal customers about a special promotion, or writing a blog post about a trendy new product, make sure the images and content you post follow your brand’s original guidelines. Clear and consistent branding builds trust with consumers and sets your company apart from competitors.
That said, you should align content to your target audience on each platform. Facebook users, for example, are more likely to read longer posts than Instagram users - where visuals are most important.
12. Hold sales and promotions only for a limited time
Promote urgency and scarcity in your products and services by hosting special promotions and sales for short periods of time to boost traffic to your online store.
Announce sales via your social media accounts or to your email marketing contacts, but be sure it’s clear that the sale is only happening for a few days. You can also use this tactic to host contests and giveaways to get people interested in your site.
Conclusion
As more people look for ways to shop online, brands will have new opportunities to reach larger audiences. Leveraging social media to connect directly to consumers while publishing strong online content that’s easily searchable can ensure your online store takes advantage of the latest e-commerce boom.