Attention all online sellers – here’s how you’ll cash in big! Black Friday & Cyber Monday here we come!

By John

The coming weeks are expected to see a huge spike in online shopping. Black Friday takes place on Friday 27 November, followed by a weekend of bargain buying, before another jump in sales on Cyber Monday three days later.

This year is set to experience record spending levels, as more and more customers shop online from home and avoid any crowds because of Covid-19. According to a UK survey, almost 90% of Black Friday shopping will be done online. In Malta, that figure could be even higher. That’s great for many struggling firms after a whirlwind year but is your business ready to handle the biggest online shopping weekend of 2020?

Selling online involves more than just listing your products or offers on your website. Let’s get to it and delve into Keen’s top 10 eCommerce tips:

1. Know your strategy

To sell online successfully, you need to have a strategy. Selling via your website is fine but shouldn’t you also be selling via Instagram? More than one billion people use Instagram every month and it’s easy to switch to an Instagram business profile. How-to tutorials are the most popular form of Instagram video content. Rather than hard selling, think about fun, quick, easy-to-make content related to your business that you could turn into a short Instagram video.

2. Think ‘cross-device’, not just ‘mobile’

Your customers don’t think of browsing the internet on their mobile as being any different to using their tablet, desktop or laptop. You shouldn’t either. Make sure you’re providing the right customer experience across every platform to fuel trust and conversion.

3. Make your website easy to use

Responsive design is so important. These days in Malta, mobile accounts for over 80% of website visits and our design and development process at Keen takes this into consideration. No matter what size of screen you are viewing from, your website has to look amazing and work flawless.

4. Choose the right ecommerce software

There are so many different ecommerce options you can choose from – it’s important to pick the right one for your business. Make sure you know how you will accept payments online, through a third party payment gateway such as Paypal, just like Fireplace Malta, who we recently worked with to develop a great new ecommerce website.

5. Take pride in customer service and delivery

It’s all about putting the needs of the customer first in everything your business does – from the products, to the website, to the delivery. Your delivery strategy covers everything from the price you charge and the services you offer, through to how the packaging looks. Keep in mind that delivering consistently on your brand promise is one of the most important elements for your brand perception – there is no room for error if you aim to fuel loyalty and advocacy for your brand. 

6. Encourage repeat business

To be successful, you need to take people from not knowing anything about your business to finding your website on Google, visiting your ecommerce platform, browsing, ordering for the first time and then buying again and again. It may seem simple, but the easiest way to drive a repeat purchase is with a discount. For example, you could instantly offer 15% off the customer’s next order if they buy something from you on Black Friday. 

7. Build a trusted Maltese brand

Today’s online shoppers in Malta are smart. Just as you wouldn’t buy food out of a run-down, dirty van, an online shopper won’t buy from a website they don’t trust. You need to work hard to build the trust of your customers – it’s hard to gain, but easy to lose. Think about the impression you want to give your customers and how you can deliver that. For example, if young people are your target audience and you want to be known for being cool and creative, make sure everything from the way you dress to the language of your marketing materials shows that. Think about big brands like Apple, Marks & Spencer and Burberry. They’ve all successfully identified their target audience and tailored their marketing to suit them, creating a clear identity. There’s nothing stopping you from doing the same. 

8. Be Social

Social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook provide great ways to generate social signals, an important Google algorithmic factor. Both allow potential customers to share your products with their friends. However, many eCommerce businesses don’t use this.

9. Search Engine Optimisation

Building an ecommerce business takes more than choosing a brand name, writing product listings, and starting to sell products online. Even the best business ideas can flop if you aren’t driving enough traffic to your site. Think about your page titles, headers and tags carefully as these will appear in the URL. Include keywords in these to improve your SEO ranking. ​Use a web design agency whose own website is highly ranked by Google. This will show whether or not they understand SEO.

10. Content 

Content marketing is like a first date. If all you do is talk about yourself, there won’t be a second date. Your website should inspire and excite potential buyers, not to tell them how long that oak table is, or the wattage of a lampshade. Don’t be boring. Inspire, touch their pain points, offer solutions, rather than push a hard sale. 

At Keen, we help brands develop innovative strategies, choose the most suitable technology and solutions, and integrate systems to save time which can be used to focus on your sales and customer service efforts.

In the buzzing digital age, right before the big November sales and Christmas shopping period, gearing up to cash in, is crucial. Don’t miss out! Collaborate, learn and get inspired to success with digital marketing.

If you feel you need a helping hand, we are happy to lend one. Contact us for a FREE consultation today.