8 Best E-Commerce Tips for Businesses - From Startups to Big Brands

Whether you’re a Start-Up or a Large Brand looking to expand for eCommerce tips to help grow their brand online. A great new way to extend your brand and sell more products is through eCommerce. E-Commerce gives you the opportunity to sell your products directly to consumers. 

But it can be challenging if you don’t know where to start. In this blog post, I will explore some best ecommerce tips for businesses of all sizes, whether a smaller brick-and-mortar retailer just starting its online presence or a big brand name looking for faster ways to expand sales outside of their primary retail locations. Here are some vital ecommerce tips from marketing pros that will help to grow your business rapidly.

Choose the Right Platform

You need to select the right ecommerce platform for your business. This is the foundation of your success. 

When exploring various strategies to enhance your eCommerce platform, you should consider integrating applications that can streamline and boost your operations. For businesses using Shopify as their marketplace of choice, adding Shopify subscription apps can significantly impact customer retention and recurring revenue growth. Learning about the best options in subscription management will give you an edge over competitors.

Also, when enhancing your platform, consider technological innovations that can optimize productivity. For instance, many businesses have seen significant growth integrating AI solutions. If you're looking for ways to boost efficiency and drive eCommerce performance on Shopify or beyond, researching the latest in AI applications could provide a competitive advantage. If you need guidance on this front, exploring resources or choosing the right AI consulting firm can strategically shape your digital growth.

The right b2b ecommerce platform is secure, easy to use, and has the features and functionality that you need. Consult widely and check reviews posted online to find one that suits your business model and budget. 

Hire an SEO Expert

Ecommerce is a new retail concept that has gained immense popularity in the past few years. It basically involves buying goods online and receiving them as soon as possible after payment is made.

This makes it easy for customers to buy products from different sellers on different websites. 

Approximately 2.64 billion people worldwide are expected to shop online in 2024. The rise of ecommerce shopping has brought with it various challenges for businesses operating in this space, such as poor search visibility and cluttered store layouts, lack of product reviews, limited payment options, and lack of trust from potential buyers.

While new entrepreneurs think Ecommerce is a “Pay and Play” concept, in reality, it is far from the way. No doubt, advertising plays a significant role in attracting customers, but there are only a few people who buy without seeing the ratings and reputation of the brands. And here is what the SEOs do. SEO works silently to increase brand reputation and rating organically. Ecommerce SEO is a complex and techy process, but if done successfully can give a lot of customers without paying anything.

However, hiring an SEO expert is not easy, and it becomes more difficult when you search in a crowded digital space. Anyway, there are many candidate sourcing software through which you can find the best talent easily. However, if you are a small-scale organization and can’t afford full-time employees, then hiring an SEO Agency would be the best option.

– Justin Herring, Owner at YEAH! Local

Build a great product catalog

No matter how good your product is, if no one uses it, then it’s little more than a glorified jar of peanut butter. That’s why you must build out a robust product catalogue. This will help you grow your customer base and give you a better chance of selling products your customers need. 

Partnering with a professional ecommerce web development company can further optimize your online store, ensuring it's both user-friendly and scalable, which is crucial for maintaining and expanding your customer base.

It’s also a great way to diversify your product line and increase your chances of survival in the long term. To achieve these goals, leveraging professional ecommerce development services can be highly beneficial, ensuring your online store is optimized for both performance and customer experience.

To build out your product catalogue, create a spreadsheet related to your product features. Then, use this as a guide for creating a bespoke product catalogue. This way, you’ll be able to track everything your customers need and want, even if they don’t explicitly say so.

Building a product catalogue for an ecommerce business has many benefits. Firstly, it makes it easier for customers to find the items they need, as they can search the catalogue and filter results to narrow down their choices. Secondly, product catalogues can help market your products, as they enable you to showcase your offerings and explain their features in detail. 

Product catalogues can also help boost your SEO rankings, as they create keyword-rich content that can help your business rank higher in search engine results. Finally, product catalogues make it easier for businesses to track and store product information in one place, which can be invaluable for reporting and analysis.

– James Lee, Founder at Monetized Future

Build an Email List

Growing your email list is the most important thing you can do for your eCommerce business. Email marketing is one of the most powerful and cost-effective tools you have at your disposal to build relationships with your customers and generate sales.

Email marketing allows you to reach a large segment of your target market quickly and easily while also allowing you to track your campaigns and measure their success. It’s also highly cost-effective since it takes little to no money to run email campaigns.

By having an email list, you can reach out to customers and prospects with personalized, targeted messages that speak to their individual needs and wants. This could be in the form of promotional emails, newsletters, or even simply announcements about new products or services being released.

Email marketing also allows you to build relationships with customers and create brand recognition. It’s a great way to keep customers informed about what’s going on with your business and can help to increase customer loyalty and retention.

Finally, having an email list gives you a direct line of communication with your customers, which can help to create trust and encourage repeat purchases. This can also help you better understand your customers’ needs and wants, so you can provide them with the best possible service and products.

– Michael Batalha, Founder and CEO at Emercury

Educate your audience

Educating your audience can have numerous benefits. By providing them with up-to-date information, you can help them stay informed about the most recent trends and technologies in their industry. With this knowledge, they can make more informed decisions and be more productive. 

Furthermore, incorporating a comprehensive business valuation tutorial into your strategic planning can greatly enhance your understanding of your company's worth, empowering you to make informed decisions and pursue growth opportunities more confidently.

For businesses venturing into e-commerce, enhancing logistics and operations is paramount. A well-organized warehouse can streamline order fulfillment and reduce overhead costs, providing a competitive edge in swift product delivery. Understanding the essentials, from storage solutions to shipping technologies, can transform efficiency. Consider integrating a warehouse equipment essentials guide to ensure your infrastructure supports growth sustainably.

Educating your audience helps to build trust and loyalty to your business, as users will know that you care about their needs and that you are invested in their success. This can lead to increased customer retention and a better reputation for your business. 

Finally, educating your audience can also help to attract new customers, as potential buyers will be more likely to make a purchase if they know that they can rely on you to provide them with reliable information and services.

Here are some tips on how to educate your e-commerce audience:

• Get to know your target audience. Understand their needs, interests, and behavior. This will help you create content that resonates with them and drives engagement.

• Develop content that is relevant and valuable to your e-commerce audience. Create content that educates them about their product or service and provides useful tips and tricks to help them make informed decisions.

• Leverage social media. Reach out to your target audience and get them to engage with your content. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are great for building relationships and connecting with your audience.

• Test different types of content. Experiment with different types of content, such as videos, podcasts, and blogs, to see what resonates best with your audience. 
• Reach out to ecommerce customer support. A trustworthy agent will establish secure and positive contact with your clients and help them understand your values and priorities much faster than through written text. Plus, it’s a great tool to test a two-way communication channel with your target audience via different means

• Monitor and evaluate your efforts. Always analyze the data and metrics to see what’s working and what’s not. This will help you optimize your content strategy and get the best results.

 – Ted Parry, Founder at Amore Digital

Make a video tutorial of the products

Creating a video tutorial explaining a product's features and benefits can be an effective way to engage potential customers and boost sales. They provide customers with an engaging way to learn about the product, enabling them to make an informed decision before purchasing. 

Video tutorials can also be used to improve customer support. Customers can watch the tutorial and get the help they need quickly and easily. This reduces the amount of time it takes to solve customer inquiries. 

For creating a successful video tutorial, it's important to plan out the video's content and design, gather the necessary materials, record the footage, and then edit and publish the video. Using a high-quality video editor can enhance the quality and professionalism of the final product, ensuring that it effectively communicates the desired message.

First, you'll need to create an outline of the tutorial that covers the essential points you want to make about the product. Consider what your target audience wants to know about the product, and identify the key points that need to be highlighted.

Next, gather the materials you need for the tutorial. This could include images of the product, screenshots of the user interface, and any other visuals that will help explain the product.

Once you have the materials, you can start recording your video tutorial. Make sure to speak clearly and in a way that is understandable to your viewers. Use pauses and visual aids to help explain the product concisely and understandably.

Once the tutorial is recorded, it's time to edit the video. This will involve trimming the video, adding transitions, inserting images and graphics, adding music, and doing other post-production tasks necessary to make the video look professional.

Finally, you can publish the video on your website, YouTube, or another video-sharing platform. Make the video visible to potential customers, and consider using advertising to reach a wider audience.

– Liam Quirk, Managing Director at Quirky Digital

Be nimble and change your ad strategy

To be successful online, it’s important to keep your eyes and ears open for new avenues of advertising. New business is always nice, but it’s even better when you can find new ways to advertise that aren’t traditional methods. An example of this would be using social media advertising to promote your site. 

Depending on how often people are on social media, you may be able to promote a new product or service through these platforms. As with any type of marketing, there’s a learning curve involved. You need to experiment with different ad strategies, like posting videos on YouTube, and see what works best for your business.

Finally, it's important to keep track of the performance of your ad campaigns and adjust as needed. Monitor click-through rates, conversion rates, cost-per-click, and other metrics to see which ad formats and messaging strategies are working best for you. From there, you can refine your messaging and adjust your creative content to ensure your ads are driving the conversions you need. 

– Mark McShane, Director at Solar Panel Installation

Use Upsell and cross-sell strategies for products

Cross-selling and upselling are two effective methods of increasing revenue and customer satisfaction. Both involve offering additional products or services to current customers, but they do so in different ways.

Cross-selling is when additional products or services are offered to customers that complement what they already have. For example, a customer may purchase a laptop, and the salesperson offers additional accessories such as a laptop bag, mouse, or antivirus software.

Upselling, on the other hand, is when a business offers customers more expensive or higher-value products. It is usually done to make the customer's purchase better, such as upgrading from a basic laptop to a more expensive one with extra features.

To ensure success, it is important to provide customers with products that are relevant to their needs and desired outcomes. Businesses should also focus on creating engaging, personalized offers that will appeal to the customer's interests. Additionally, providing customers with incentives, such as discounts and promotions, can be an effective way to encourage customers to take advantage of upselling and cross-selling opportunities.

– Graham Grieve, SEO Consultant at A1 SEO

Make a user-friendly online platform

Creating a successful ecommerce business requires a user-friendly online platform. At Hartman, our website allows tenants to access detailed information about available commercial properties, including executive office suites, high-resolution photos, key amenities, pricing, floor plans, and the option of taking a virtual tour. This ensures seamless communication between potential tenants and our leasing agents, which in turn, facilitates in-person property tours, which are always a top priority for us.

Here are a few essential elements that you need to consider when setting up your platform:

• Choose the Right Platform: You need to select the right ecommerce platform for your business. This is the foundation of your success. Look for a platform that is secure, easy to use, and has the features and functionality that you need.

• Design an Intuitive User Interface: Creating a user-friendly online platform requires an intuitive user interface. Ensure that your website is easy to navigate and has an attractive design. Use colors, engaging fonts, and images that appeal to the target audience.

• Optimize for Mobile: Mobile optimization is essential for ecommerce businesses. There are a variety of tools and strategies to ensure that your site is optimized for mobile devices. Implementing a responsive design is the best way to ensure your site looks great, regardless of the device or browser used.

– Vidyarthi Ram, SEO Consultant at RankCare