How to boost your ecommerce sales

If you find your sales are starting to slow down or your website isn’t bringing in as much business as you’d like, it’s time to try some new and creative ways to make more sales online. Here are some methods to try when figuring out how to boost your ecommerce sales:

• Optimise for conversion
• Promote offers
• Use paid channels
• Create urgency
• Try email marketing

Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) is a method of adapting elements such as text, imagery or design on your website to maximise sales (often referred to as conversions on your site). This can be achieved by using a variety of methods, such as:

AB Testing is where you use your website hosting platform (such as WordPress or Squarespace) to show two versions of a page that slightly differ. Using two versions will show you which gets better results, and therefore which should be the permanent version that is optimised for sales. 

For example, on a product page you might test two different images for an item and see which leads to more sales. Or you might test two different colours for a ‘Buy Now’ button, to see which stands out more and gets more clicks. Your website platform will provide results and you can then pick the one that’s more optimised for sales as your final version of the page.

If your website has a ‘https://’ format, you should see a ‘secure’ lock symbol at the start of your web address. This symbol is crucial, as if your website  is flagged as ‘unsecure’, this can affect sales and customers won’t trust the site.

Also, if your website uses a secure payment system, such as Paypal, Worldpay, or Shopify, then feature their badge. Customers associate these badges with a safe and reliable website and will be more likely to give you their card details.

More than half of all internet shopping traffic is via a mobile device, so make sure that your website is functional and fast when used on mobile as well as on the computer. A slow or dysfunctional website on mobile will drive 40% of users to a competitor’s website instead, so make it easy for customers to shop this way to improve your mobile conversions.

Creating a sense of urgency on your site will give the user a sense of FOMO — fear of missing out. They will be more likely to make a purchase if they feel they might miss their chance on a deal. 

For example, you could add a countdown timer signalling that they’ll miss out on free or faster shipping if they don’t act quickly. Or use a ‘Limited stock left’ or ‘Only three remaining!’ badge on certain products (even if stocks aren’t running low, the user won’t know). 

A way to boost sales is to offer discounts or deals that will encourage customers to make a purchase. A slightly lower price may even convince  customers to buy the product, even if they weren’t sure initially. A ‘20% off site-wide’ banner or email may nudge the customers to make a purchase while the sale lasts. 

Don’t forget to make the most of seasonal offers too, as customers will be looking to make purchases around established sale times, like summer or bank holiday sales, Black Friday or Christmas. 

You can also boost sales by using a ‘pay for traffic’ method such as social media ads or search engine advertising (pay per click/PPC).

Both of these methods require a testing mindset, as you will rarely get impressive results on your first try. So, start testing on your preferred social media platforms with small amounts (£10 or £20 here and there) to promote certain products, and see how many people are taken to your website (Google Analytics calls this a referral) and complete a sale (a conversion). 

You need to identify what works, such as the images and emojis that yield results, the best caption length, and your target audience.  You can adjust all of these with each test you do and find the most impactful way of reaching new and existing customers on social media and search engines. Read our more in-depth guides on both social media ads and PPC to get you started, as they are both important methods to research.

If you have an email list, use it more effectively by sending your customers newsletters or updates on products they may not have seen before. This allows you to land right in the inbox of customers who already know your company. 

Send ‘new product’ launch emails or a ‘seasonal roundup’ of products that may be useful to your customers. With any email activity, make it relevant and valuable to your users to get the best results.

Creating regular content via email for your audience is important in building brand awareness and establishing trust, leading to more sales with your existing customers.

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