2022 is about to kick in! For eCommerce stores, the coming year is going to be all about communication with consumers.A study of customer preference for communication channels from before and during the pandemic shows that there is no one channel preference. Consumers prefer all channels - email, live chat, SMS, web push, Messenger, etc. (See below graph)And so, for brands, it is important to keep all channels available to customers. However, even if you offer the best deals, you may not be able to convert all consumers to your customers. But, you can establish a channel of communication with them during the holiday season period, so that you can engage them in 2022!

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Get more subscribers for you Shopify store for and in 2022

Add pop-ups on your homepage

Not all visitors to your Shopify site will make a purchase the first time they visit. Infact, studies show that 97% of website visitors do not buy on their first visit.But, just before they veer off your site, there’s one thing you can do to hold them a bit longer - the exit intent pop-up.Pop-ups can help increase sign ups. 4 to 7% of visitors might join your list. So, if you have 1000 visitors in a month, you can have 40 to 70 new sign ups. And that’s a good number. But the success of your pop-ups depends on many factors:

• Don’t restrict to one channel only. Allow visitors to sign up to various channels such as email, web push, SMS, Messenger. That way, you can increase all your lists
• The offer you’re making to the visitor - make sure it’s valuable to the visitors. Discounts are a good thing, but today’s consumers are looking for more - ebooks, newsletters, interesting reads, etc. Pro tip: Make your offer more than what your competitors are offering
• The placement of the pop-up - if it’s cramped in one corner, it might not be visible. Choose a spot based on your website design. Pro tip: optimize your pop-ups for mobile to make sure they fit well in small screens
• The timing when the pop-up appears - use A/B testing to determine the right timing
• Whether your copy is powerful - keep it short, clear and make your offer visible. Have an enticing call-to-action
• Make it easy for visitors to close the pop-up if they do not wish to sign-up. They may want to continue shopping and you shouldn’t disrupt their experience

Let’s look at an example from Shopify store Biko that offers discounts for subscribing to their newsletter and first look at collections through a pop-up.

Allow pre-order subscriptions

When you have yet-to-be-launched products or new collections coming up on your Shopify store, you can enable pre-orders.Allow customers to pre-order and share their contact details. Allow them multiple options - email, SMS, Messenger, etc. But just because you have set up pre-orders, it doesn’t mean shoppers will place orders. Especially new shoppers will find it difficult to buy products on pre-order. You will have to use some marketing tactics.Here are a few hacks to grow your list through pre-order:

• Create FOMO (fear of missing out) by offering discounts, free-shipping, etc incentives
• Make the deals time-sensitive; for example, pre-orders allowed only for a limited period of time
• Allow pre-order subscriptions via the channel that shoppers prefer - email, SMS, Messenger, web push, etc.

You can use the Appikon Pre-oder Today app to help you set your pre-order campaign, so that you can grow your list even when you’re sleeping.

Allow restock alert subscriptions via multiple channels

It’s usual for items to go out of stock on online stores. At such times, you can automate your back in stock subscriptions through which you can grow your Shopify lists.You can allow customers to sign up via the channel of their choice - email, SMS, web push, Messenger, etc. While it’s common knowledge that email is the most preferred, you’d be surprised to see that there are an equal number of customers that prefer other channels such as SMS and Messenger.Have a look at the below illustration:

And now, some tips for your back in stock notification campaigns to grow your Shopify lists.

• Create FOMO (fear of missing out) to encourage shoppers to share their contact details. Did you know 60% of millennials make purchases as a reaction to FOMO?
• Offer time-sensitive deals and discounts to create a sense of urgency to help you increase subscriptions

Run contests and giveaways on different platforms

Another way to grow your Shopify lists is through contests and giveaways. This is an exciting way to engage not just visitors and your current customers. Contests and giveaways can be easily made into shareable events. That way you grow your lists much faster.You can think of creative ways to run contests and giveaways. For example, one way to do it is by collaborating with other eCommerce brands that offer complementing products to your offering. On average, brands can generate 34% of their new customers through contests. And 33% of contestants are open to receiving updates about the brands and partners. You could allow contestant participation sign-ups via email, SMS, Messenger, etc.

Include a sign-up button on social media channels

Most people like to follow their favorite brands on social media. The reason being, they want to stay up to date about the brands, their products, promotions, happenings, etc. As a brand, you can keep your customers updated by asking them to sign up to various marketing channels that you have such as SMS, email, web push, Facebook Messenger, etc. One of the best places to let customers know that they can sign up to receive updates is on your social media accounts. Here’s how you can include sign-up buttons on some of your different social media channels. Facebook: Add a link in the ‘About Us’ section or have a dedicated tab. Here’s how The Good Trade does it.

Instagram: Add multiple links in addition to your website URL. Or, create posts inviting your followers to sign-up through the link in your bio.Twitter: Have a link in your bio or make posts that invite readers to sign up with a link.

Have chatbots on your website

Another way you could grow your subscriber list is through chatbots. When visitors browse your site, you can engage them via chatbots.For example, if a customer is browsing shoes, ask them on chat if you could help them find what they’re looking for. Then, slowly, nudge them to sign up for any or all of your communication channels so that you could share updates with them.Here are some ways in which you could begin chatting with visitors on your site:

• Reach out to visitors via chatbots to help them explore products
• Offer them a discount if they show interest in some products
• Offer to add them to your lists so that you can share updates with them in future

Conduct surveys to grow your lists

It is common for eCommerce stores to conduct surveys or collect feedback using forms. For example, when brands launch new products or when they want to test waters before entering a new business vertical.Your surveys can be run as market research or to gather feedback from your customers and potential customers. The survey forms can provide multiple options for communication preference, for example, email, SMS, Messenger, etc.Alongside, you must let the survey participants know that they will receive updates and promotional communication from your brand.You could run your survey campaigns through your different platforms such as website, social media, newsletter and encourage participants to sign up via multiple channels.Moreover, you can ask participants to share the survey with their friends and family in return for reward points or discount coupons. And think of other creative ways to grow your lists through surveys.

Add a sign-up form in the footer

eCommerce stores often ignore their website footer thinking it’s meant to be for all the boring tabs such as policies, and terms and conditions. But think about it – the footer is the most obvious place that visitors head to, when they look for any information.How about you grab their attention there with a sign-up form? Visitors who have scrolled till the bottom of your page are most likely interested in your brand or products and are high potential subscribers. You can improve the chances of them signing up by offering them an incentive - a discount, an ebook, a newsletter, reward points, etc. in exchange for their email address, phone number, or social media details.

Run online ads targeted at getting subscribers

Another way to grow your Shopify lists is to run online ads. But not just ads that drive traffic to your website or landing page, make sure these ads are targeted at getting subscribers.Now, you can run these online ads on your own platforms or on internet search engines or you could even collaborate with partners. Run ads on their platforms to target a new audience.

Ask customers for referrals to grow your lists

Word of mouth, social proof and referrals are important for online stores. Studies reveal that new customers acquired through referrals spend 200% more than your average, organic customers. That’s because we humans trust our friends and family member’s recommendations. And that’s how your referrals campaign can help you gain more subscribers to your list.Here are a few things you could do:

• Offer an incentive to your customers to share referrals
• Offer incentives to referrals, too, for sharing referrals. That way you can multiply your list faster

Final thoughts - put together strategies to grow your lists faster

While 2021 is about to end, brands are already planning for 2022. And you don’t want to get left behind. Hence, start building your Shopify lists for 2022 already during the holiday season period. This will give you a headstart into the new year.Explore the best Shopify apps to help you get started. Install Appikon Back in Stock and Pre-order Today apps