The Top 3 Must Have Strategies For eCommerce in 2021

Whilst 2020 was a record year for eCommerce, that doesn’t mean that as an eCommerce business owner you can afford to get complacent when it comes to your business.

Whilst 2021 has continued where 2020 left off, that doesn’t mean that it will continue to be the case. Because of this, here are 4 of the top must have eCommerce strategies for your business to implement in 2021.

1. Get Social With Your Audience

Social media is one of those topics which divides eCommerce business owners. Some fully embrace it and have all of their social media channels active and engaging with their potential or existing customers. Then there are others who actively resist social media under the belief that nobody goes to social media in order to buy products.

If you find yourself in that secondary category however it might be time to change your strategy. According to the RWRC eCommerce 2021 report over than 35% of UK consumers have purchased an item after seeing it on social media and almost a quarter purchased an item online in the last year because of an influencer’s review or testimonial.

The crucial step is firstly knowing your target audience and where they are most likely to be spending time on social media. Whilst YouTube and Instagram are more popular than ever, if your audience is more of the Gen Z crowd, then you would be foolish to overlook TikTok and the opportunities that lie there.

Whether it be posting your own branded unique content or working with selected influencers in the space, social media could be a game changer for your business in 2021.

2. Make The Most Out Of The Marketplaces

Hopefully with this one it is preaching to the converted, but 2020 was a huge year for eCommerce marketplaces, and if you are not maximising your exposure on them, you could be missing out on thousands of potential customers.

According to a recent report 9 out of the top 10 most visited retail sites are all marketplaces. If you have products that don’t have compatibility issues with other countries then exploring the Amazon and eBay sites in both the UK and Germany is a good start for many.

Alternatively you can look into some of the smaller and more niche marketplaces which often have very loyal customers, and once again can not only bring your product to a wider audience but also from a business point of view, helps you diversify your risk by not just relying on one or two sales channels.

3. Is Your Website UX Up To Scratch?

Whilst marketplaces are great and give you access to a huge amount of eyeballs on your products, we all know the holy grail of eCommerce is having a large amount of website customers. The main reasons for this are simple; 1. No marketplace fees, and 2. you own the customer relationship.

The problem however lies in how good is your website when it comes to usability or user experience (UX). Without looking right now, do you know without checking your website analytics how much of your traffic is on a mobile device? If not then the answer will most likely surprise you, and yet most eCommerce business owners massively overlook their websites mobile optimisation.

It can also be difficult to be objective with your own website as you most likely had a say in the design or use it and navigate it daily. Instead get a relative stranger to your site and either watch how they navigate the site or set them a task of purchasing something and get them to make notes of anything which felt awkward or would put them off from completing the check out.

Also make sure that your site design is up to date and that any items that are out of stock are not displayed, nothing can turn a potential customer off a site for good than a negative first experience.

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