The current statistics show,  eCommerce accounts for about 15 percent of all retail sales in the US.  But this number will only grow as people get increasingly accustomed to ordering the products they want and need right from their phone.

This tells us there’s a lot of money to be made out in the world of eCommerce. But, as we know, making money while selling stuff online is a bit easier said than done.

You not only need to offer great products that people want, but you also need to make sure you have a winning SEO strategy, great customer service, and an easy-to-use website.

But there are other things you can do to help boost your sales, which we can uncover by looking at the different ways people use the internet. Here’s a summary of what you can be doing and why it will work.

Videos

One of the best things about the internet is the ease with which we can access videos. Whether its for entertainment or education, we’re never more than a few seconds away from a great video.

However, what’s interesting is that videos are rapidly becoming an integral part of the customer journey; just around 50 percent of consumers watch a video before making a purchase.

But for this to work, you need to make sure you have the right video. Here are a few ideas of things you could do to help boost sales using video:

• How-to videos showcasing how to use the products you’re selling
• Informational videos that demonstrate how your product works
• Reviews and recommendations created by customers that validate your claims (you may need to work with an influencer for this strategy to work).

Using videos isn’t going to automatically boost sales, but with the right approach, they can be a nice complement to your other sales techniques.

Optimize for Mobile

Another thing of critical importance to your success selling online is making sure your website is optimized for mobile browsing.

This is because mobile shopping makes up about 73 percent of all eCommerce sales (Broadband Search). So, if you’re not paying attention to how your site looks on a phone, then you’re probably missing out on some sales.

However, as if this weren’t enough, consider that Google wants your site to be optimized for mobile, and if it’s not, there’s a good chance you will be penalized, which will result in lower rankings and less traffic.

If you are managing your own site, make sure to choose a theme that is mobile-friendly. Most are these days, but spend some time trying a few out to see which one looks the best when browsing from your phone.

Another option is to work with a professional web developer who can make more specific changes so that your site is fully-optimized for mobile browsing.

Be Active on Social Media

You don’t need a marketing degree to know that social media is important to your eCommerce business. However, if it’s not currently a priority, then it’s time to make it one.

This is because social media has overtaken search as the number one source of website traffic. This doesn’t mean SEO is any less important, especially since search traffic still converts at higher rates, but it does mean you need to be paying as much attention to your social strategy.

But beyond driving traffic to your site and converting people into customers, social media is also a great place for you to interact with your customers and to build a brand.

Engaged audiences tend to be more loyal and having a loyal customer base is a surefire way to boost sales and profits. However, to get to this point, you need to communicate to people what it is that makes your eCommerce store special.

Having a unique brand identity and a strong purpose gives people something to latch onto, fostering a connection between brand and customer, and this can have a lasting effect on the health of your business.

Building a Brand

Doing this well takes time and a lot of effort, but when you’re first getting started, focus on the following:

• Determine your vision/mission, as well as your core values.
• Come up with a brand personality, i.e. if your company were a person, what would it be like?
• Identify ways you can serve as a resource to your audience. Offering people information about how to do the things that are important to them is a great way to win over their hearts and forge a connection.
• For example, if you sell outdoors equipment, you could offer content about great places to hike, camp, ski, etc., or if you sell cosmetics, you could provide people with advice about how to take care of their skin.

Social media is a great place for this because it’s interactive, and also because you can use paid advertisements to get your content in front of people and boost exposure and traffic.

Test and Retest

It’s impossible to come up with one strategy you can use to boost sales, but by looking at some of the overall trends in the way people use the internet, it becomes a bit clearer how we should proceed.

However, things will continue to vary. So, the best thing is to try a few things out and track the results. If things don’t improve, try something new, and then continue doing so until you get the results you want.

NOTE: I always welcome input. Feel free to comment or contact me as needed.