Executive Summary

The internet has greatly changed how people buy and sell goods. eCommerce is transforming customer shopping experiences, and its growth has been remarkable over the years. 

But eCommerce is nothing without technology, right?

Adopting technology helps the eCommerce sector become efficient and effective. Digital marketing solutions are increasing the number of online customers and helping marketers to provide them with much-needed seamless and excellent experiences. 

Brands are, therefore, being forced to change with the times. More businesses, having realized the many opportunities available to them on the digital front, have now mainstreamed technology adoption in their day-to-day operations.

Numerous technological advances are adding enormous value to the world of eCommerce, and helping these companies not only stay on top of trends but maximize on profit-making. These marketing solutions are helping them grow their customer base at a much steady rate.

The trends come and go, but as the customers evolve, eCommerce solutions are evolving alongside them. eCommerce brands that do not keep up are falling behind in terms of the bottom line.  The tech-savvy consumer is having a huge impact on how eCommerce companies run their businesses.

Today’s customers have growing expectations, with 43 percent of them expecting to have much faster delivery times. They also expect professionalism and accuracy of delivery for items ordered. 

eCommerce retailers are struggling to keep up with these demands, but it’s even possible to exceed these expectations. Capturing customer loyalty is easy if you adopt marketing solutions that make it easy to meet customer expectations.

Whether you are new to eCommerce or have been around for some time now, this paper seeks to highlight the major marketing solutions that are impacting the industry. These key eCommerce marketing solutions currently have a huge impact on online shopping and can drive substantial profits for companies in this industry. 

Introduction

The eCommerce market depends on technology to connect sellers to buyers on websites and mobile gadgets. Technology also enables the management of deliveries, orders, payments, and return of goods purchased. It enables the retailer to customize and personalize content for customers. It’s an essential feature for any eCommerce business seeking to succeed in the industry. 

Over time, new trends in tech marketing solutions are rolled out, and it’s important to keep up with other industry players. To remain competitive, eCommerce retailers must push boundaries, test growth initiatives, implement emerging technologies, and in the process, improve shopper experiences.

Technological advancements have changed how consumers interact with brands. Today’s empowered consumers can find the lowest prices and the best deals online. Consumers use the internet to ‘window shop” and ensure they get the best deals.

When they find a good deal, they order from eCommerce websites, get them delivered to their doorsteps, and then rave about them on their social media pages.

eCommerce companies are expected to stay on top of these technological advancements. It’s the only way they can meet their customer demands or needs easily and efficiently. Today’s customers can get anything in the shortest time with the help of the latest technology.

For example, they can find the best deals and track their orders in real-time. The savvy marketer will identify these as an opportunity to grow their business and market their products.

According to Statista , the global retail eCommerce revenue will grow to $4.88 trillion by 2021.

These projections show continued growth and more businesses joining the eCommerce market. Too much competition means those in the industry must remain on their toes if they want to remain competitive.

There is a growing need to know the latest marketing solutions, driven mostly by technological advancements and consumer preference changes, and implement them.

Marketing Solutions that Boost eCommerce Profit 

1. Multi-Channel Selling

Research shows that 87 percent of consumers spend most of their money offline. When questioned about their shopping behaviors before visiting a store, 39 percent of consumers said they visited a website, 36 percent consulted reviews, 33 percent matched the product with others online while 32 percent checked out the product on Amazon. 

To reach these consumers, eCommerce retailers must adopt an omnichannel strategy to remain competitive. Regardless of where the consumer makes their final purchase, the brands must strategize on having an active presence on both physical and digital channels frequented by their consumers. They must also consider how these channels influence the potential customer to buy from them using great and relevant content.

Consumers are shopping on different platforms, and your brand needs to be available on each of them. 

Your brand must, therefore, make every interaction with your potential and current customer count. 

Here’s how to do it:

• Make sure content on the website conveys the value of your products with detailed product descriptions and reviews. 
• Ensure your social media presence is active with compelling content. Make the content relevant and engaging depending on your target market. 
• Ensure your customers can purchase the products from different channels including mobile, desktop, and in the physical store. 
• Write SEO-friendly content that helps rank your brand at the top of search engine results. 
• Make your brand available not only on your website, but also on social media, your brick and mortar store, and other online stores like eBay, Jet, Google Shopping, and Amazon.

All these efforts influence customers to make a purchase. Use each interaction to create brand awareness, and ensure the products are available across all channels as the customer goes

through the purchase journey. The efforts you put ensure that the consumer ultimately buys from you no matter what channel they are on.

Catering to the omnichannel shopper ensures you maximize your profits on all available marketing channels your customer frequents. 

2. eCommerce Integrations

One of the reasons eCommerce sellers are not adopting multichannel marketing is the inability to manage all channels. It becomes harder to create an integrated, personalized, and satisfactory omnichannel experience for your customers as the number of channels increases.

Research by Target Marketing found that a lack of budget is the main challenge. However, marketers are also grappling with the ability to access data across the channels, which ultimately is a lack of the ability to track customers across all the platforms. 

Compare this to the fact that the things that make an omnichannel experience great are consistency in brand experience, channel integration, and the ability to track customers across channels. 

eCommerce integrations help you sync inventory with channels your customer frequents. They help your team process orders from one location. Integrations like NetSuite to Mailchimp, Volusion to Constant Contact and so many others ensure that you can handle your customers on different channels, reach them at their time of need with great content, and offer them satisfactory services across all channels.

For example, the Freshdesk to NetSuite by Cazoomi helps simplify interactions with customers. The integration gives you a 360-degree view of customer insights by helping you combine your back-office operations with customer support. It increases customer retention leading to repeat sales and eventually an increase in revenue.

With the Freshdesk to NetSuite integration:

• You streamline support channels including email, social, chat, phone, and more.
• You get synchronized updated data by the minute.
• You can access customer information, including payment, their browsing history, and order details to help enrich their experiences.
• Your team stays in touch with the customer throughout their buying process. They can solve issues from one place without juggling tools.
• Your customers can easily find answers to frequently asked questions with ease.
• The customer reaches you via various channels.
• Your teams can collaborate to ensure the consumer receives efficient communication with relevant and helpful responses that are contextual.

eCommerce integrations allow you to integrate your web store with your brick and mortar store. You can list your products on different channels leading to increased visibility. The integration also ensures that customers can purchase from different platforms. 

According to research, multichannel marketing leads to increased revenues with each additional channel. 

3. Smarter Payment and Easier Check-Out process

The last part of the customer journey is a payment, and it can very easily break a conversion if not completed. It means that the customer went through all the stages in the purchase process, including awareness, consideration, and the decision stage. They have finally decided to buy, but you lose them at the purchase stage. 

The average rate of cart abandonment is 75.6 percent, which means that ¾ of the shoppers leave without purchasing. It’s an alarming rate!

One of the major reasons for cart abandonment is the checkout procedure.

The research shows that 26 percent of the shoppers abandoned their cart due to a complicated checkout process, 55 percent due to shipping cost, 21 percent due to the inability to calculate total order cost, 17 percent due to trust issues with their credit card information, 6 percent due to lack of enough payment methods, and 4 percent due to card decline. 

Consumers want convenience, and you can combine this with efficient and secure payment options to increase conversions. Payment methods vary across regions, but you should ensure that customers can easily purchase from their location with their local payment modes.

The emergence of contactless payment options like Google Wallet and Apple Pay has increased payment security levels. Customers are now more confident about purchasing, especially those who were afraid of online shopping due to security reasons. 

You can have a great lead generation strategy, great nurturing tactics, but fail at the point of purchase. Your web store needs to adopt a fast and easy checkout marketing solution with:

• Speedy payment solutions including on mobile
• A checkout page that is a single, hassle-free page 
• Different payment options, including local payment options if shipping globally
• Offer to save customer card details and ease future purchases

If you alleviate checkout problems for customers, then your cart abandonment rate will reduce, leading to increased sales and profits. 4. Personalization

It’s no secret that personalization has become a huge deal in today’s marketing. According to research, 85 percent of marketers think their customers expect a personalized experience. 

Considering that 90 percent of consumers find personalization appealing, then these statistics are very true. Personalizing customer experience makes them 10X more likely to become valuable customers.

Today’s consumers are shopping 3x more with companies that personalize their experience. Ninety-one percent of consumers are also likely to shop with brands that remember, recognize, and provide them with relevant recommendations and offers.

The good news is that technological solutions are making it easy for eCommerce companies to personalize customer experiences.

They are helping them build a loyal base by adopting new customer service solutions set by improvements in technology. Ninety-eight percent of marketers believe that personalization advances customer relationships.

Personalization has become a huge, eCommerce technology trend. Today’s consumer wants their shopping experience personalized based on needs and preferences.

Eighty-three percent of them are even willing to share their data to get a personalized experience. Seventy-eight percent of them will also ignore offers if they are not personalized or based on previous engagements.

To personalize customer experiences, you must understand their needs and interests. Technological solutions available allow for this with every action performed by the consumer captured and turned into actionable insights. 

To succeed in today’s market, you must provide personalization across all channels. It will ensure that customers receive relevant experiences no matter the channel they use to interact with your brand. 

5. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

The use of augmented reality and virtual reality by brands is changing the experiences of customers. 

The virtual reality department store by eBay, for example, allows customers to enter the virtual store, find different categories of retail items, select items based on interest, and then the app creates an experience based on their choices. The store algorithm adapts to what you might like, based on the items you select and reject. 

Customers also have the option to test out T-shirt designs interactively, and when happy with the shirt, they can get it on demand.

To help your customers visualize what they are buying, Pictofit offers a virtual fitting room. Shoppers can digitally ‘try on’ outfits before making a purchase. The augmented reality is brought to mobile devices, making online shopping a personalized experience. 

IKEA, the furniture retailer, allows you to see how products look in your home before purchase. Amazon also has an AR View app that allows shoppers to view products in their home before purchasing. 

6. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning 

The use of machine learning, big data, and artificial intelligence is driving customer behavior patterns, affinities, and trends. They help eCommerce marketers interpret data so that customers receive exactly what they want and need through extensive personalization. 

Intelligent algorithms turn into valuable insights that drive customer segmentation and personalization. They help the retailer identify patterns as the customer browses products leading to huge personalization opportunities. Machine learning helps eCommerce industries recommend products and improve search functionalities. 

However, another technological solution that eCommerce companies were quick to adopt is the chatbot — an application able to handle complex tasks like problem resolution and assisted transactions. For example,Facebook provides chatbot tools that make it easier for consumers to transact without leaving the site to process a transaction.

As an eCommerce marketer, you can use chatbots to automate your customer service on social media channels and your website. The chatbots can help you answer most of the frequently asked questions by consumers to your site and social media sites. The chatbots can free up your time to innovate and do other activities that lead to business growth.

AI also presents you with a huge opportunity to make data-driven decisions.

7. Voice Search

Thirty-five percent of consumers now own a voice-controlled digital home assistant, according to research. Twenty percent of consumers plan to get one soon. Those who own the device report to have used it more than three times per day. Forty-two percent of them report having used the device to purchase. 

According to research, users who use voice search are the most loyal customers. Amazon’s Echo and Alexa’s voice technology are some of the voice technologies helping retailers sell more. eCommerce companies have an opportunity to upsell and cross-sell through these devices. 

As an eCommerce marketer, you can increase conversion rates by optimizing your site for voice search. Create informative content for your consumers that provides value. List your products on sites like Amazon and optimize them for search. It will improve your chances of being recommended by Alexa.

8. Mobile Marketing

Mobile has redefined retail. Sixty percent of shoppers begin their search on mobile. The smartphone is their assistant and go-to advisor, according to Think with Google As an eCommerce retailer, this presents a huge opportunity for you to be available for the consumer during their micro-moments.  

People use their smartphones to research, gather ideas, search for local information, and purchase. 

shows that mobile has also changed the way customers behave while in-store. Mobile wallets now account for 30 percent of orders and driving 2x conversion rate growth. Seventy-one percent of shoppers also use their devices while in the store to either purchase, check out other options, or read reviews. 

Retailers who notice this opportunity will thrive by being available for shoppers through their micro-moments. 

The micro-moments start when a shopper desires or needs to purchase an item. This desire or need leads to research and finally, to purchase. The retailer needs to be there for each of these moments by having their store available to the shopper whenever and wherever these moments occur. 

Mobile marketing is an incredible opportunity for eCommerce companies who want to make profits. Statista predicts that by 2021, mobile will generate 53.9 percent of all retail e-commerce sales. 

Customize the clients’ shopping experience by building a mobile responsive website and making it easy for consumers to make contactless payments. 

Other innovations include the ability for customers to buy with a tap of their phone when they walk into a store. Amazon Go is a good example of this kind of convenient purchasing.

Integrate mobile with other technologies, including IoT, machine learning, and beacons to improve shoppers’ experiences.  

9. Super Fast Delivery

Once a customer finishes the payment online, the next course of action is waiting for the delivery. Same-day deliveries have become a trend for eCommerce marketers. And that’s because it skyrockets conversion rates. 

The convenience of free and fast shipping is key to increasing online purchases. When it comes to a better online experience, consumers consider free shipping important at 77 percent and fast shipping at 39 percent. Twenty percent of the shoppers look forward to having two hours or less shipping time.

Consumers are expecting the same convenience they have with shopping during delivery. Eighty-eight percent of online shoppers are willing to pay extra to get same-day deliveries.

These buying behaviors have led to eCommerce giants adopting new delivery technologies, including drones to provide fast delivery.

Conclusion: Using Emerging Tech to Boost eCommerce Profit

Disruptive technological marketing solutions have seen changes in the way the online retail industry handles its marketing. Those who have embraced these technologies are innovating at a fast pace and increasingly becoming competitive.

The customer is king whether you are running an offline or online retail store. Make their shopping experiences easy by meeting their changing expectations and needs. It’s the only way to differentiate yourself from competitors while building customer trust and loyalty.

Ensure the customer has a seamless and consistent experience across all touchpoints. Your brand should also be available throughout their micro-moments, and as they go through their purchase journey. Make it easy to access your brand in-store, online, on the website, on social media, and mobile, with delivery and great customer service. 

Make certain that they can order from any device, any location, and anytime they want. Remember that the customer experience does not stop at the first purchase. By enhancing their relationship with your brand, you can get a loyal customer and a great brand ambassador. Retaining customers is way cheaper than getting a new one. You will spend, on average 25 times more, to get a new customer than when you keep an existing one.

Optimize your content for search, provide valuable and relevant content, personalize experiences, have user-friendly websites, a mobile responsive website, make information about your brand accessible, and make your content appealing. To cater to consumer expectations, modify your operations, use the right tools, collaborate with third-party vendors, and keep up to date with eCommerce trends. 

By making the purchase experience seamless, easy, and satisfactory, you get loyal customers. Loyal customers become repeat customers and brand ambassadors. These increase your conversion rates, profits, and return on investments.

About Cazoomi

Cazoomi allows eCommerce marketers to integrate critical everyday business data through our SyncApps integration platform. Integrate eCommerce, CRM, Marketing Automation, Financials, and Support software to the software you use today. We offer more than 150+ integrations and help you set up, explore your options, and guide you through usage.

SyncApps by Cazoomi enables eCommerce organizations to deploy software as a service for their Financials, handle eCommerce, Support, CRM, and Marketing integration with ease and at a price point built for any organization.

For more information, visit https://www.cazoomi.com/