The one industry in eCommerce that is probably seeing the highest influx of traffic and sales right now is online essentials. This includes general necessities like groceries, medical and health products, and more. So we decided to dig into the strategies that these stores are using actively to ensure that they’re turning as many visitors into successful sales and repeat customers!PS. If you don’t have an online store yet for your general necessities business, read this guide by Shopify.
How to convert visitors into customers
1. Use social media ads for prospecting and retargeting
The very first thing you need to do if your store is taking orders, is delivering them or will be delivering them in the coming days, is to let your customers know. With so many unknowns around them, it’s obvious for them to assume that a lot of stores are not functional and that they can’t make purchases.A good idea here is to run prospecting ads on social media, targeted at a demographic of shoppers you’re taking orders from.Use these ads to let your target customers know about your products, why they should consider buying them, the offers you’re running, and how soon you’ll be able to deliver these orders to them.Here’s are two ads that Yogabars is running to promote their range of muesli and health bars:
To keep your ad spend optimal right now, also have retargeting ads in place. These ads will remind shoppers who visit your store of the products they showed interest in, making them more likely to convert. But at the same time, also reducing your ad spend on acquiring customers or driving more sales.Need help setting up your social media ads? RevTap is offering a FREE ad consult - all you need to do is install the app and then reach out to them on chat.
2. Set up back in stock alerts on hot-selling products
When you start running ads to promote your new offers and that your store is online again, there’s going to be a sudden influx of traffic and sales. While some products of yours will see a lot of traffic and a few sales, there will be others that go out-of-stock within a few hours right now!In that case, you should not be stopping ads promoting those products. Instead, let the visitors subscribe to restock alerts on email, SMS, web push, and Messenger.This way you’re doing two things. First, you’re letting the shopper know that you’re actively restocking your products based on their current needs. Second, you’re ensuring that the shopper comes back to you to make the purchase instead of choosing to buy from a competing store.You can do this by simply installing the Back In Stock app on your store to send restock alerts on web push, SMS, email, and Messenger.The app enables you to add a ‘subscribe to restock notifications’ widget on your product pages that allows the visitors to opt-in using a channel they prefer. It then automatically triggers the restock alert to the shopper as soon as the product they were interested in, is back in your inventory.Setting up back-in-stock alerts for the first time? Here are some resources to guide you:
- How to set up back in stock alerts on SMS
- How to set up back in stock alerts on web push notifications
- How to set up back in stock alerts on Facebook Messenger
- How to set up back in stock alerts on email
3. Offer volume discounts and mention them clearly
Right now is the time when a lot of us are making bulk purchases. We want to avoid having to place orders again and again. We also don’t want to run into stock-outs when we need a certain product the most. But to be able to buy products in bulk also means having to set aside a considerable budget for every item on your list. That’s where a shopper will probably just purchase a few items from your store.To increase your average order value and also make bulk purchases easier on the pocket for your customers right now, offer bulk/ volume discounts. These are discounts that are applicable only when the shopper purchases a specific quantity of a product.You can even choose to offer volume discounts on only a few products on your store based on the current customer purchase behavior and their needs.To set up volume discounts and clearly display them on your product pages, all you need is the Volume Discounts app.
Also read: How To Increase Your Shopify Store Average Order Value With Volume Discounts
4. Create a sense of urgency with a countdown timer
The one consumer psychology that hasn’t changed even now is not making a purchase decision right away. Most of us are still looking for the best deals and discounts on the products we want. So we’re willing to wait on making a purchase and explore what other brands have to offer.This is why your Shopify store should have a countdown timer that reminds the visitor how a product or a deal could be slipping out of their hands. When you create a sense of FOMO around what you’re selling, the shopper is nudged to make an interaction or a purchase decision right away.You can do this by using the Countdown Timer app to add a timer bar to your product pages. So be it a volume discount or a special sale you’re running, your shoppers will feel the need to act now!
5. Set up a rewards program to drive repeat purchases
A lot of businesses are taking their products online. This means that even if a shopper purchased from your store frequently, they now have a considerable number of options to choose from to order the usual.So while you’re going all-out marketing to new customers, make sure you have a way to re-engage your existing ones. That’s where a rewards program comes in - where a shopper gets rewarded for every purchase or interaction they make with your store. For example, getting credits to avail in their next order on every purchase.Implementing a rewards program is like a win-win for everyone. The shopper gets credits/ rewards that they can avail in the next purchase, and you get a confirmed repeat purchase from that shopper!You can set up a comprehensive customer account page to help shoppers keep track of purchases, wishlists, and more, along with a loyalty program that offers store credits, using the Flits app.
6. Make personalized product recommendations
This is also a good time to offer assistance to the shoppers that visit your store. They have so many things in mind that they might be too overwhelmed right now to make an informed purchase.Now unlike at a brick and mortar store, you can’t be assisting shoppers in-person. But what you can do is make recommendations based on their interests, previous purchases, or what other shoppers like them are buying from your store.To set up and display such personalized product recommendations on your store, install the Wiser app.
The app also enables you to send these product recommendations on email to engage your customers on a 1:1 basis. If you’re using content marketing to promote your store’s products, you can also consider adding the product recommendation widgets to your blog.PS. You can also send product recommendations alongwith the restock alerts on email. Read about the Wiser and Back in Stock integration here.
Sailing through COVID-19 together
The market has slowed down. Consumer purchase behavior is continually changing and so are their needs.Remember, that each of the strategies listed above are the must-haves during this period. Sending emails, web push notifications, Messenger messages, or using social media to consistently communicate with your customers, is as important. So make sure that your brand is leveraging those channels on-the-go to stay in touch with customers and update them about the ongoing offers, discounts, or even if there are changes in your delivery process.Also read: 5 Types of Shopify Email Marketing Campaigns To Run During COVID-19 Need any help setting up these strategies on your store? Don't hesitate in reaching out to us.
