Nines prices, counter-clockwise stores, discount sales, gifts to buy, big family packs, tile game, big bags of fruits and vegetables… all these and more are used by brick-and-mortar stores to maximize their sales. As customers, we have seen through some practices, yet we are often tempted to buy something we don’t even need. In the role of a customer, we look at these practices with disdain or with great surprise at how detailed the marketing teams have studied us and how perfectly they respond to human behavior. Are we mad at them? Perhaps. However, if we stand on the other side, then we understand. Staying ahead of today’s competition requires constant updating and discovering new marketing strategies.
It’s not just about stone
The advantage of brick-and-mortar stores is their very essence: they are tangible. Yes, this is a space into which the customer physically enters, which still works despite the advanced online environment. Physical presence is a really powerful weapon of a retailer with a brick-and-mortar store, for a simple reason: it can influence a much larger range of feelings and perceptions of a potential client. Imagine your favorite grocery store. The door opens, you hear pleasant music, you carry your shopping basket, you select real goods by sight, you examine the products by touch, you perceive a specific smell and a certain type of assortment… and finally you align your carefully selected, touched, smelled contents on the conveyor belt. Just wave your credit card and… Idyllic, right?
The assortment around us can greatly influence us. For example, such a characteristic smell – it even reminds us of the purchase of something that we didn’t actually come for, but that we thought about in the past. In the end, we leave with the shovel. Well, aren’t we chests? No no, just commercial sheep.
But how to defend yourself if you are the owner of an online store? Is it possible to survive in such competition? How do you make people feel that they need something when you have limited means of making them feel certain things?
Emotions, emotions, emotions… or Joy please!
Don’t worry, online sales also have a number of specifics and advantages, just like brick-and-mortar. First of all, it never closes. So the customer can enjoy himself even at 3 in the morning. More than non-stop availability, however, we would use the word « joy ». This is much more important. If we decide to spend the money we earn, we don’t want to suffer, regret, or bleed internally. In the most ideal case, the shopping frenzy must be connected with pleasant inner feelings. Yes, it must arouse the necessary positive emotions , thanks to which we feel our own satisfaction from shopping. This satisfaction can take many forms, possibly parts and phases. Joy manifests itself in someone at the very discovery of the object, which he then buys. Others feel pleasure only at the moment of payment. Someone needs peace and time to think when shopping, while another customer, on the other hand, likes to buy at the last minute – his satisfaction from the purchase reaches its peak during the adrenaline rush for the last piece of the product. And what should an online seller take away from this? Above all, the awareness that it is not enough to stay with the mere offer of goods, but on the contrary to go with the times and try to respect the increasing pressure for individuality and uniqueness: to use proven (but still not overcooked) marketing tricks to improve one’s own services and to satisfy customers. In short, to realize that only the product is not enough, and that it is necessary to work with a number of other business and psychological elements.
Marketing tricks without which…
you might get by for a while, but you’ll never get the same results as your competition. Come and study some advice from the field of successful management of online marketing projects that we have prepared for you. We have good experience with them, just like our e-shop partners. So how to maximize the number of purchases? How to achieve better turnover? How to motivate your customers to buy? And how to make a simple « put in the basket » a long-term experience, a pleasant pleasure and an experience that invites you to repeat it soon?
Adrenaline in the veins!
What will reliably make them buy? The feeling that the product is disappearing into a black hole. Blowing away your featured player? Cell phone? Laptop? No way! Awaken the hunting instincts in your customer – don’t forget to add phrases like « Last 5 pieces left » or simply « Last piece » to the offered products. The limited number of products arouses the desire to proceed to an immediate purchase and at the same time increases the credibility of the given goods – after all, it is already almost sold out, so it is in demand for its positives.
Tip: Reveal to customers who bought goods before them – show specific first names, time of purchase and perhaps the location according to zip code, where the customer came from or simply publish the number of purchases over a certain period of time.
Tip 2: Work with the given moment, encourage the interested person to buy through the innocent sentence « Two other people are currently viewing this product ». The competition does not leave him cold, moreover, it shows that there is a great interest in the goods in question among other people as well. And people are very fond of buying a proven thing. Being first is a risk.
Games with a pricing policy
Keep the product at the same price? We probably don’t need to tell you how important a role discounts play in sales. The crossed-out and high original price trick is a classic, as are sales at certain times – for example, after Christmas. However, motivating customers to buy during the year is no less important. Follow not only the price policy of the competition, but also the news in the company and discount those products that are currently in demand . Seasons, celebrations, holidays and important days have a big influence. You can make a discount week yourself based on your own campaign, regardless of what is going on around you. Try selling goods at a discount for just one single day, sell with a 10% discount every tenth day of the month, declare a red weekend and offer all the red products in the range at a bargain price – there are no limits to your imagination! If you also adopt the strategy of regular and frequent discount events, you will be able to create a circle of loyal customers in a short time , who will be actively interested in your « event calendar ».
Tip: Promote the planned event in advance. Don’t be afraid to include Facebook pages and use the accumulated e-mail addresses of your existing clients to send out a newsletter. Do not resist a more original concept of the event, remember – originality attracts attention.
Oh, I forgot!
What, you’re not using retention emails yet? A big, big mistake that you need to fix. Retention emails work on the principle of subtle reminders. You certainly have many customers who leave your store before they even complete the order itself. All they will be left with is a full basket and, most likely, an unfinished purchase. There are many reasons why people do not push the selected goods to the checkout – from finding a more attractive product at a competitor to the current lack of money in the account. Or they simply ran away and forgot, a common phenomenon among busy people. How to react? Notify about an unfinished order through the retention e-mail. You can remind yourself after a week, but the ideal time is 24 hours. A potential customer can still remember his painstaking shopping cart and return to the e-shop pages. The retention e-mail should contain short information about why the customer actually wandered into the e-mail box and also the products themselves that the person left in the cart. With just one click, the user gets directly to their unfinished order.
Tip: Win again with graphics and text. The customer is a person just like you, and what would catch your attention – a dry statement on a white background, or a tearful shopping cart that was so looking forward to the checkout?
Tip 2: Do you have a large e-shop or often unfinished orders? Automate! Retention emails will be sent by themselves after the set time. So you won’t forget either!
Tip 3: Your customer has a name and you know it. Take advantage of this and use your first name in your retention email. It is nice and the customer feels that you are genuinely interested in them.
Tip 4: Remind customers who have completed their purchase as well. Send them a complementary product to the one they have already purchased over time.
Tip 5: Aim again for product authenticity. Write a formula in the e-mail where you subtly indicate interest in the product, for example: 9 out of 10 customers choose this type of mixer », you can also add why – « its performance/price/quality is more dazzling than a supernova in the sky! »
Tip 6: Let the customer choose! People don’t like to be pushed into something. Offer alternatives to the product. « Dear Eva, this red bowl would stand out on the dining table, what do you say? But we also have sky blue, with lace decor or sprinkled with poppies… »
Tip 7: Don’t forget about cross-linking, for manual search the customer…
And I forgot the second time!
Does your customer spend a long time in the e-shop? Maybe he just left it open on his Internet browser tab or simply started to engage in other activities and ran away from the computer. Remind him through the pop up window. You can use the chat box at the bottom of the page to ask the customer if they need help with something. Pop-ups with the motif of a basket are also clever, reminding in a nice way that it is still empty.
Tip: If you connect a sound to the pop-up window, for example a characteristic jingle, you can attract attention much more easily. And even attract a customer from the kitchen, where he has meanwhile jumped to get something for dinner.
Tip 2: « Don’t leave us! We’ll give you a discount on your first purchase…” Entice the customer with a pleasant offer that they simply cannot resist.
Load them with something extra
Is the offer of exclusive goods your weapon, or do you prefer to bet on cheapness? Maybe neither, which is why you stand in the middle current of certainty, which, however, does not leave room for more significant business progress. You will have to attract customers a little differently. How? Simply make your goods more attractive. Offer free shipping and limit it to a number of days to intensify buyer response. The countdown to the end of the event, which the customer will have in front of their eyes, can also significantly contribute to their decision to purchase and deepen the emotional experience. Interest in your goods will also increase when you offer a gift with it. Can the customer himself choose which gift he will receive? Great! Create a list of products from which everyone can choose according to their preferences. You can also bet on the well-known 1+1 for free, a proven trick that works.
Tip: Loyalty program? An excellent idea! Score purchases with you and offer customers bonuses when they reach a set point threshold. If you set enforceable rules and achievable rewards, then your loyalty program will motivate customers to repeat their purchase more often. In addition, you get to know your customers in more detail, the loyalty program also requires a greater degree of communication with clients.
Don’t you have money? Does not matter!
Many potential customers are motivated to buy by purchasing goods in installments or by providing a short-term loan. That you don’t really want to go into installment sales? It doesn’t matter, we didn’t even want to talk about this. A far more interesting and nowadays increasingly used marketing trick is the possibility of postponing payment until a few days later. Does your customer currently have insufficient funds, but at the same time needs the product you offer? Simply offer him that he can pay for the goods in up to 14 days. Of course, don’t forget the proper treatment in the contract and in the terms and conditions. In addition, you can only offer the service to verified customers who buy from you regularly.
Tip: Go for it again with a joke – how about a subtle reminder that the paycheck will come in a week? The money in the account will be useful for now, so paying for the purchase with a delayed date will come in handy and the customer will keep his loyalty to you.
A palette of colors, a range of shapes, a flood of images
The meaning of colors is often overestimated , but discussed with pleasure. Of course, there are colors that automatically turn on the imaginary STOP in us, soothing colors, reviving colors… But in this direction, only one recommendation applies: Test. It works differently for every project and every person. There are colors that are not recommended to be used, for example, on the « Buy » button – see red, brick, orange. It discourages many buyers. There are also colors that are considered ugly (brown), luxurious (golden), neutral (grey)… But what is much more important are the shades, which correspond to the character of the offered goods and the philosophy of the store. What do you think, does green or gold belong more to exclusive goods? In general, stick to simplicity and clarity. Work on your website with graphics, use links and buttons to direct the customer to where you want and to what you want to offer as a priority.
Tip 1: The font can also influence the customer’s feelings. Again, focus on the product being offered. Is it a physical beauty thing? Choose a slim and elegant font. Do you pay attention to functionality? Choose a dynamic font without unnecessary frills.
Tip 2: Photos do a lot. Present the products in high-quality photos that can be zoomed in. The customer cannot touch the goods in the online store, so the accompanying image is very important. The possibility to get to know the goods in detail before the purchase significantly increases the chance that the interested party will decide to buy.
Tip 3: Pay attention to the shape of the functional elements of the e-shop. Round lines create a friendlier impression, while sharp features evoke a sense of directness and technical perfection. What do you feel?
Weigh your words!
Namely: Choose the words! Texts are your main means of communication and can significantly influence the saleability of goods. The overall text form and concept should match your store’s communication plan. If you haven’t already created one, get down to it and clarify your tone of business language . However, do not base yourself on what you like, rely on what customers might like. Tykat, or rather vykat? It doesn’t matter, ticking allows for more personal and intimate communication. Yes, you can afford more and be a little cheeky. The excrement, in turn, evokes the impression of solidity, reverence and luxury. What do you think your target group of customers will appreciate « Thumb up! » or « Have a nice rest of the day. »?
Don’t forget about powerful verbal motivation either. Write not only spelling and stylistically perfect texts, but also try to work with catchy slogans and memorable slogans and claims. Smartly incorporate words into the texts that motivate the customer to buy from a psychological point of view. However, do not praise blindly and excessively. It’s… awkward to say the least.
Update! And add information about the product. Bet on legible labels that will enable the customer to get along with the product. Evoke memories of family, childhood, holidays. Describe how the product will look on the dining room table. Explain how to use the product skillfully. Imagine how the product was created… Just play with the labels! You can do magic with them!
Tip1: Small “v” or big “V” for the words you, your, your? We lean towards the small, there is no need to express constant reverence in the e-shop. After all, crowds of customers are flocking to you! Talk to them in general. If you choose small or large, be consistent: it must appear everywhere.
Tip 2: Motivational words? There are lists of them, star constants include, for example: amazing, perfect, interesting, fascinating, ideal, original, surprising, unique, luxurious. Attention is again drawn to words and numbers such as: free, you, you, 100%, more, today, anyone, never, want/want, poz… But BEWARE of overuse! Because « Uniquely perfect product with original print and fascinating details with free luxury equipment that you 100% want. » arouses slight distrust.
Exhaustive article? But also beneficial – for you! We strongly believe that you will use the advice to improve your internet online project and we remind you once again: don’t do it just for the money. People, your customers, will sense it. Do it primarily for them. Try to help them, improve your services, provide better service, sell goods with a bonus. Sure, the primary goal of business is profit, but much better is a profit linked to a number of satisfied clients who love to come back to you. The customer is not a cash cow, the customer is your friend. And a friendly relationship must be properly cared for.
