The Secret to E-commerce Success (Hint: It’s Not More Traffic)

“We need more views.”

Ever come across that phrase? If you’ve been working in e-commerce for a while, chances you’ve heard (or said) something like it.

When discussing digital marketing goals we often default to thinking about the eyes; about getting lots of “eyeballs” to look at our offerings.

More exposure isn’t a bad goal—everyone likes additional attention—but thinking about e-commerce in terms of views isn’t the most effective way to go about things. Instead, you should be focused on a different body part: the hands.

Why? Because eyeballs are used for looking while fingers are used for clicking. Put another way: eyes browse and hands buy.

That sounds obvious, but it’s frequently forgotten. Too often marketers get wrapped up in boosting traffic (more views) when they should be focused on increasing action (more clicks). Ultimately, it’s buying that boosts revenue, not browsing.

So how do you make sure your efforts are aimed at the hands, not the eyes? The exact tactics vary from business to business, but there are three key overall strategies that apply pretty much across the board:

1. Attract Visitors Who are Likely to Take Action

As the old cliché goes, sometimes less is more. Rather than trying to reach the largest number of consumers—many of whom may just browse and bounce—you should instead concentrate on attracting primarily those visitors who are likely to take action.

The best way to do this is with proper targeting. Thanks to the increased sophistication of digital platforms, it’s now possible to match your messaging to the most receptive audience based on extremely specific demographic traits and behaviors (affinity for particular competitors, etc). These tools give you the power to entice the right visitors to your offerings—make the most of them.

2. Focus Relentlessly on Conversion

Okay, so simply attracting a highly receptive audience to your site doesn’t automatically boost revenue; you still have to get those consumers to click.

To do this, you often need to think small. A relentless focus on the itty-bitty factors that influence conversion—specific offers, calls-to-action, colors, fonts, layouts, etc.—pays off over time. Each tweak may boost effectiveness just a little, but those incremental gains add up.

They key is to know which changes are helping and which are not. For that you need to be using the proper measurement tools—analytics suites, A/B software, etc.—and regularly acting upon the insights.

3. Retarget, Retarget, Retarget

Of course, not every visit is going to convert immediately. Sometimes consumers aren’t prepared at the exact moment of engagement to take action.

If you haven’t attracted the right initial audience, and haven’t focused on conversion, this lost traffic isn’t very useful. However, if you’ve taken the time to properly target and have compelling offerings, these gun-shy visitors are gold.

It’s estimated that retargeted campaigns—those that reach consumers who didn’t take action on an initial visit—are 2x to 3x more effective than non-targeted campaigns. This big boost in performance means that focusing on engaging lost traffic can have a huge reward.

Ultimately by employing tactics aimed at each of these areas—attracting quality visits, boosting conversion, and retargeting valuable leads—you can ensure that your e-commerce focus stays on the most valuable consumers: those who buy, not just browse.

Implement conversion and retargeting strategies to boost your e-commerce revenue. Contact MDG today at 561-338-7797, or visit www.mdgsolutions.com.

MDG, a full-service advertising agency with offices in Boca Raton and New York, NY, is one of Florida’s top branding firms. MDG’s capabilities include print advertising, direct mail marketing, branding, logo design, creative, digital marketing, media buying and planning, radio and TV advertising, Web design and development, online video advertising, infographic development, email marketing, content marketing, lead generation, social media marketing, and SEO. For the latest trends in advertising and branding, contact MDG today at 561-338-7797 or visit www.mdgsolutions.com.