As we’ve kicked-off the holiday sales season with back to school and fall décor, many are curious how to weather this turbulent sales season, as inflation has impacted so many.
With the gift-giving season still a few months away, many consumers are already worried about paying for this year’s gifts and 40% say inflation is changing the way they shop. With more than 26 million eCommerce businesses across the world, and many more beginning every day, prioritizing digital channels is key as savvy consumers continue to hunt for the best deals.
In addition to the right digital sales channels, it is important to utilize a few key trends to stay ahead.
Influencers
For years now, brands have utilized social influencers to get their products in front of the masses. An influencer is anyone with an engaged community online, many of which share similar likes and dislikes as the influencer, simplifying the work that brands need to do to find their right niche to sell products.
There is a valuable boost in visibility and sales when utilizing influencers. They have the unique opportunity to highlight how to use the product, why they love the product, all the countless reasons their followers should buy it, and many times even provide an incentive to click through the link and purchase with their discount code.
Understanding the analytics of how many people clicked through the link, purchased the marketed item, purchased additional items, etc. all help to provide insight on which influencers work best for your market and what products show well through social.
Statistics show that 60% of marketers have found that influencer marketing performs better and drives more engagement than in-house branded content and that 40% of respondents made a purchase because they saw an influencer promote an item.
Personalization
Customers have come to expect highly tailored experiences that were once exclusive to boutiques and small mom and pop shops. Today, customers want numerous color and size options, generous return policies, exceptional customer service, dependable two-day shipping, and simple online buying processes.
Prioritizing the customer experience is THE way to build brand loyalty and trust with your customers. The goal of today’s eCommerce experience is to receive the in-store shopping experience online at their convenience and leisure.
Artificial Intelligence
In today’s era of labor shortages and extremely high customer expectations, utilizing automation and AI really is no longer a luxury that small businesses have anymore.
Not only does automation allow a small number of employees to grow and handle the operations of a business, it allows for efficiencies with internal processes as well as partnerships with vendors for shipping to save both time and money to succeed.
Automation is critical as your business grows. It helps streamline how your business interacts with your retailers, customers and employees, as well as your customers. It also helps execute complex functions on both the front and back end of business, such as reducing the time to fulfill orders and reducing errors from manually entered data at every turn in the process. To learn more about why to implement automation and see if your eCommerce business is ready, click here.
According to Inc., the key to creating the virtual reality experience in online retail and eCommerce is in communication and building community. Being connected to the community through influencers, offering a personalized experience, and streamlining operations through automation will help your business succeed in the holiday season ahead.
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As your business looks to improve its processes, click here learn more about how OPAL can streamline your business to efficiently maneuver this season.
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