Category: Marketplace

E-commerce Trends of 2022 that can influence the Future of Online Retail

In the last few years, several direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands have succeeded in building a strong presence across unique niches in India. The rising internet population, higher online spending, and the COVID-19 pandemic are some of the top reasons that have made the DTC model popular in the country.

But while the sector has vast potential, it is essential for an e-commerce business to keep up with the latest trends as they often have a significant impact on the future. Three e-commerce trends that DTC brands should watch out for in 2022 are discussed below-

1. Going Hybrid to Boost Reach

According to a report, 86% of Indians adopted online shopping during the pandemic. While the period between 2020-21 proved to be an inflexion point for e-commerce in the country, physical stores are rebounding swiftly now that the lockdowns have eased. The trend suggests that people still like to touch and feel their products before buying, especially in the smaller cities.

As a result, a few DTC brands are adopting a hybrid model- a combination of online and offline retailing. Brands like Nykaa, Pepperfry, and Lenskart have already set up offline stores to boost their physical presence and reach more people. In 2022 and beyond, we can see several other e-commerce companies adopting the hybrid model.

2. The Age of Hyper-Personalization

Personalization has been a routine addition when dtc retail, e commerce business , marketing for e commerce , e business, dtc ecommerce ,business to business e commerce. But due to the rising expectations of modern consumers, we are now entering into the age of hyper-personalization. The concept revolves around creating targeted custom experiences with the help of automation, AI, analytics, and data.

Unlike general personalization, which often leads to irrelevant recommendations and inconsistent messaging, hyper-personalization can enable DTC brands to target customers with tailored experiences, messages, and recommendations. Over time, it can help boost conversions and revenue while also improving customer lifetime value.

3. Subscription Based Purchases

AOV (Average Order Value) optimization is commonly used in the e-commerce industry for encouraging customers to spend more on each of their orders. Upselling, cross-selling, savings on bulk orders, and discounts at an order amount threshold, are some of the common ways brands optimize AOV.

The subscription-based model is a new entrant to this space. It allows the customers to subscribe to the services or products on a recurring basis. The subscription is often teamed with an additional discount. The primary objective of the strategy is to significantly increase the lifetime value of the customers. There are already a few DTC brands that are experimenting with this model.

DTC Retail: 2022 and Beyond

The competition in the DTC space in India is increasing rapidly. To meet the customers’ rising expectations and make the shopping experience as smooth as possible, brands need to keep up with the latest e-commerce trends.

A reputed digital marketing company can play a critical role in helping brands adopt the latest trends and prepare for the future. Experienced marketers have the knowledge and experience to better understand your customers’ demands and build custom strategies to deliver lasting results.

January 25, 2022
Empower Your D2C Business Scaling Strategy with These 3 Tips

The exponential growth of e-commerce in an increasingly digital India has paved the path for the globally popular direct-to-consumer model in the country. The initial success of a few brands encouraged several existing brands and start-ups to experiment with the new business model. However, this has made the D2C space overcrowded and business scaling a gruelling task.

According to a Salesforce report, there are 600+ direct-to-consumer brands in the country. But despite the competition, there’s plenty of opportunity for the deserving brands as the market is expected to touch $100 billion by 2025.

How can D2C brands tackle the business scaling challenge and grow sustainably? Here are 3 tips that can help-

1. Ensure Consistent, High-Quality Products

Nothing stagnates the e-commerce growth like quality issues do. In the digital world, consumers can freely share their opinions. Thus, offering quality products and consistently innovating is key. To scale rapidly, collect data of your suppliers, including consistency across orders and batches, broken or damaged goods frequency, and overall fulfilment rate.

The data should make it easier for you to decide whether you’d like to continue with the current supplier base or look for someone new. If you switch to new suppliers, ensure that all the terms and conditions regarding production capabilities, product specs, service levels, and regulatory requirements are discussed thoroughly beforehand.

2. Delve Deeper Into Sales Data

It is very common for brands to overlook the specifics when they are growing. Why dig into the data when sales are increasing, right? But this mistake can cost D2C businesses their revenue. All the vital metrics, especially the churn rate, retention rate, and CPA, should be religiously monitored at all times, including the high growth periods.

By delving deeper into these data points, e-commerce companies and D2C brands can discover insights that could accelerate their growth further or improve the sales funnel for higher conversions and sales. Most D2C brands trust expert digital marketers to help them make sense of the collected data and get actionable insights.

3. Invest in Customer Retention

Customer acquisition can be an expensive and time-consuming affair in the digital world. Thus, one of the most important functions of e-commerce platforms is retaining customers. Even exponential growth will not be sustainable if the churn rates are high.

As the business scales, pay close attention to the customer journey and analyse each step of the process to find opportunities for improvement. It could be starting a loyalty program, improving website navigation, adding more payment options, offering faster delivery, adding a live chat feature, or collecting more emails for newsletters.

Scaling D2C Business to Achieve Sustainable Growth

The number of businesses wanting to explore the D2C model has increased significantly in the post-COVID era. But for a D2C brand to succeed and achieve sustainable growth, it needs to scale efficiently and consistently.

The assistance of experienced digital marketing experts can help an e-business eliminate the roadblocks stagnating its growth. As professional marketers better understand the dynamics of the digital world and regularly work with brands across industries, their knowledge can be relied upon to scale your business and achieve strong and sustainable growth.

January 20, 2022
3 Strategies to Scale a Marketplace for Accelerated Growth
According to WebRetailer report, Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart are the highest-traffic marketplaces in India. But while the likes of Amazon, Flipkart, and others like 1mg and Yatra have established themselves as marketplace leaders, newer platforms are being launched every day. Several new and different types of marketplaces will succeed and might even disrupt industries.

But establishing a marketplace is only the first step of a long journey. For accelerated growth, it is essential to scale the marketplace in a way that helps improve revenue without any significant increase in resources. 3 strategies aimed at marketplace scaling are discussed below-

1. Match Supply and Demand

Most marketplace owners focus on the number of buyers and sellers on their platform or the number of monthly visitors. As a result, a lot of resources are spent to attract more visitors and sellers. But improvements in these metrics won’t mean anything substantial if the marketplace fails to match the supply and demand.

Only when the supply meets the demand will the buyers and sellers be satisfied with their experience on your marketplace. They might even want to return to buy or sell in the future and also recommend your platform to others.
- Understand the supply and demand in every sub-category and city
- Digital marketing services like using product/service-specific or location-specific keywords can help improve search rankings
- Paid advertisements can also help reach the right audience at the right time
2. Invest in Search Engine Optimization

When scaling a marketplace, it is critical to optimize resource usage so that their expenses do not rise as quickly as revenue increases. Search Engine Optimizationad or SEO is one of the most effective strategies for marketplaces to scale their operations while keeping the expenses or resource consumption lower.

SEO is the process of improving your organic ranking in search engine results. The availability of automation tools and affordable SEO services makes it a highly cost-efficient scaling solution.
- Improves ranking of your marketplace for related keywords
- Higher rank improves your reach and attracts more visitors who are already searching for the products/services you offer
- SEO strategies can deliver long-term results
3. Analyze Your Competitors

Marketplaces always have the option to learn from their competitors. Reputed digital marketing companies offer professional competitor analysis services to help marketplaces better understand the strategies of their competitors. The marketing or growth strategy can be adjusted according to the analysis for a competitive edge.

Whether you’ve recently launched an online marketplace or running one with a stable user base, analyzing the strategies of top competitors can help at every stage of your growth.
- Helps you understand the marketing strategies of top competitors
- Can provide a competitive edge while saving operational costs as only the most effective tactics can be chosen
- For instance, if a competitor is using website advertisement, you can invest in the same to reach more people
The Right Way to Scale a Marketplace

The marketplace scaling strategies can vary based on factors such as end-objective, industry, and target audience. However, the time-proven tactics discussed above can be part of every customized scaling strategy.

Reputable digital marketing companies can offer a personalized business solution to help online marketplaces scale and grow consistently. Their expertise in the domain can keep resource consumption low to help marketplaces truly scale their operations and continue growing.
December 17, 2021
10 Common e-Commerce Challenges for 2022

According to a report on eMarketer, e-commerce sales surged by almost 30% in India in 2020 due to the movement curbs and lockdowns imposed to contain COVID-19. But while the e-commerce sector is having its moment of glory and multiple forecasts for 2022 are highly promising, the industry is ripe with challenges.

Here are 10 of the most common challenges e-commerce platforms should watch out for as we step into the new year-

1. The User Experience Dilemma

For the post-pandemic customers, it is all about the experience. Consumer expectations have skyrocketed, and they now expect every online store to offer an exceptional experience. Utilizing advanced technologies and tools to collect and use customer data can help take user experience to the next level.

2. COD Preference

A lot of people new to online shopping are still not very comfortable with online payments and prefer Cash on Delivery (COD). Collecting cash manually can be expensive, risky, and laborious for online sellers. Encouraging online payments through discounts, cashbacks, and rewards can be an effective solution to limit COD payments.

3. Higher Returns

According to a report by Gati, a leading logistics firm, 1 out of every 4 products purchased online is returned to the seller. Managing returns is again a lengthy process. Offering features like virtual try-on that utilizes VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality) to help customers try a product virtually before buying can help reduce the number of returns.

4. English Specific Platforms

The majority of the online shopping platforms in India are English-specific. If online retailers want to improve their reach into the untapped rural market, adopting a multi-lingual approach focusing on local languages can help. This can assist e-commerce stores in reaching a wider audience and getting a competitive edge.

5. Data Security

Data security concerns are rising in India. A report on The Hindu Business Line suggests that 84% of Indian consumers are willing to pay more to do business with organizations committed to protecting data privacy. Adopting the latest security standards and taking adequate measures to protect user data can help build customer loyalty.

6. Higher Visits, Lower Conversions

Many online stores receive a lot of traffic and clicks, but the conversion rates are not up to the mark. Targeting the right audience, building a seamless online store (web, mobile, app), offering multiple payment options, and personalizing the platform are some of the ways that can help improve conversions.

7. Choice Fatigue

The renowned Jam Study, reviewed by Harvard here, suggests that offering consumers endless options is not always better. In other words, the lower the number of available options, the more likely a customer is to purchase something. Analyzing your competitors and offering unique products relevant to the target audience can help curb choice fatigue.

8. Free Shipping

Free shipping continues to be one of the biggest deciding factors among online shoppers in India. Many customers can abandon their carts if the online platform does not offer free shipping or if the shipping charges are too steep. Reworking your pricing model, choosing the right delivery partner, up-selling, and cross-selling are some ways to eliminate this challenge.

9. Cut-throat Competition

It is no secret that the e-commerce industry in India holds great potential. This also means that the competition in the sector is cut-throat, and it will only become more fierce in the future. Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors and relying on professional digital marketers can help an online store boost its competitiveness.

10. Customer Retention

Customer retention is another severe problem for every e-commerce platform, irrespective of its size. Building customer loyalty can be very challenging when you have hundreds of competitors fighting for attention. Utilizing channels popular among the target customers and regularly engaging with them more personally can help build trust and loyalty.

Growing Your e-Commerce Business in 2022

While the e-commerce sector in India shows great potential, the growth is not up for grabs for any online store with the most extensive inventory or the biggest marketing budget. How an e-commerce platform deals with the common challenges determines its success and ability to keep up with customer expectations.

To continue growing your online store in 2022, businesses can consider the expert assistance of a reputed digital marketing company. Experienced marketers who are well-versed with the industry challenges and trends can help platforms boost their market share, improve their sales, achieve newer heights.

December 9, 2021
The Rapid Rise of Mobile Commerce in India: Why Businesses Should Focus on M-Commerce

As smartphones have become a ubiquitous part of our lives, mobile commerce or m-commerce is expected to drive India’s next leg of the online shopping revolution. According to a report by PayPal, every 7 in 10 consumers in India prefer to purchase using mobile devices.

What are the reasons responsible for the rapid rise of m-commerce in India? Why should businesses focus on mobile commerce? Here are the top 4 reasons-

1. Massive User Base That Will Continue Rising

In January 2021, India had more than 624 million internet users. According to a recent IAMAI-Kantar Cube report, the number will reach 900 million by 2025. Compared to desktop computers and laptops, the majority of the users prefer smartphones for accessing the internet.

Surprisingly, the number of internet users in rural areas could be higher than in urban areas by 2025, according to the report. As internet usage on mobile will rise, so will the number of people using mobile commerce. Building an m-commerce platform now could help a business improve its reach, especially in the untapped rural market.

2. Faster Buying Journey

While building a responsive e-commerce platform on the web is of utmost importance, websites generally do not match the speed offered by mobile applications. Unlike websites that rely on web servers for data retrieval, applications store the data locally on mobile devices to accelerate retrieval.

As a result, customers can browse products and purchase them faster on mobile phones. If the aim is to streamline the buying journey and offer an improved shopping experience, m-commerce is definitely an option worth considering.

3. Targeting Done Right

A vital aspect of any modern digital marketing strategy is to reach the target customers at the right time with the right message. Mobile commerce applications can significantly contribute in this regard. With the help of programmatic advertising and geo-tracking, brands can reach customers at specific times.

For instance, a personalized promotion can be sent to someone using the mobile shopping app during the lunch break. Customized push notifications can also be sent based on user activity and time of the day. By doing this effectively, brands can considerably increase the likelihood of a customer completing the purchase.

4. Improve User Experience and Generate Higher Revenue

For the customers, it is no longer just about great products or services. They now expect brands to provide them with unique and memorable experiences every time they engage. The improved targeting ability, accelerated buying journey, and next-level personalization offered by m-commerce offers a better opportunity to improve user experience.

Improved user experience can help create a more desirable and open platform where customers can interact with the brand. A PwC study also suggests that 42% of the consumers do not mind paying more for a friendly and welcoming experience, making m-commerce an effective way to boost user experience and generate more revenue.

Mobile Commerce: The Way Ahead

The astonishing rise of mobile commerce in the country and its vast growth potential means that no brand serious about their growth can ignore this upgraded version of e-commerce. If you’ve been solely focusing on your e-commerce website, it is time that you also add m-commerce to the mix, as it can unlock several valuable benefits for your business.

Reputed digital marketing agencies can help brands launch their m-commerce platforms to leverage this opportunity and keep up with the demands and expectations of modern consumers in the increasingly mobile world.

December 3, 2021
Future e-Commerce Trends to Watch Out for in India

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the day-to-day operations of businesses across sectors, not just in India but throughout the world. Many of them were forced to temporarily halt their operations, while a few even had to shut permanently.

However, the pandemic proved to be an inflection point for the Indian e-commerce industry.

COVID-19 and Indian e-Commerce Sector

The pandemic and lockdowns disrupted how people shop and how e-commerce is perceived in the country. According to the 2021 Global Payments Report by Worldpay FIS, the e-commerce industry in India is expected to grow 84% to $111 billion by 2024, fuelled by the demand created by the pandemic.

What can online retailers do to benefit from the growing demand? Updating their operations according to future trends can be an effective way to attract more customers and boost sales. While it can be challenging to predict the future, here are 3 trends that will probably play an integral role in shaping the future of e-commerce in India-

1. The Rise of Content-Driven Marketing

Online marketplaces are only expected to become more cluttered and competitive in the future. A powerful content-driven marketing strategy could help brands stand apart from the crowd. In simple words, content-driven marketing is all about creating and publishing relevant, valuable, and consistent content for attracting and retaining the targeted audience.

As the marketing strategy enables businesses to have meaningful interactions with a clearly defined audience, it can help improve demand generation and convert top-funnel leads into brand advocates.

2. Sell on Social Media

Social commerce or social shopping is the process of selling products directly on popular social networking platforms. According to a recent report, social commerce is expected to surpass $16-20 billion in India by 2025. The rising number of social media users in the country is one of the biggest drivers of this trend.

Platforms like Facebook and Instagram have already launched services that allow brands to sell their products and services directly through their platforms, eliminating the need for the customers to visit brand websites to make the purchase.

3. Offer Voice Shopping

Voice ordering or voice shopping is also expected to make a big splash in the Indian e-commerce industry. Apart from being a more convenient alternative to text-based product search and shopping, voice-based technologies enable faster checkout, reduce screen time, and make it easier for the customers to provide feedback to the businesses they deal with.

Walmart-backed Flipkart has already launched a voice assistant for grocery shopping in Hindi and English. Amazon India is also expected to launch voice shopping in Hindi soon to reach a wider audience.

Future of e-Commerce in India

While e-commerce is expected to grow by leaps and bounds in India, the sector is also likely to witness hyper-competition like no other. Adopting the latest trends and implementing cutting-edge technologies is the only way for online retailers and brands to future-proof their operations.

A reputed digital marketing company can help brands discover such disruptive trends that have the potential to significantly alter the e-commerce landscape. The first-mover advantage of adopting the e-commerce trends of the future can help brands attract more customers, fulfil the changing consumer expectations, and generate more revenue.

October 26, 2021
4 Latest Amazon Updates Every Seller Should Know

According to a 2020 Research and Markets report, Amazon is the largest e-commerce company with a global market share of 7.7%. In India, the online retailer has a market share of 31.2%, slightly behind the Walmart-owned Flipkart’s share of 31.9%.

With a more than 100 million user base, Amazon India is the go-to platform for B2C retailers in India. The online store also regularly updates its platform to boost sales and provide an improved shopping experience to the customers. As an Amazon seller, it is essential to stay updated with all the latest changes to take advantage of every new opportunity.

Here is a list of 4 latest Amazon updates every seller should know about-

1. Amazon Posts within Brand Storefronts

In April 2021, Amazon launched the ‘Posts’ feature that brand-registered sellers can use to share product-related content and lifestyle images in the form of a feed, similar to popular social platforms.

While the post updates were only displayed on the product detail pages of the competitors on the Amazon app and mobile web, they can now also be found within the Brand Storefront on desktop. On the storefront, a customer can click on the ‘Posts’ tab to view all the latest posts by the seller. Like social media platforms, sellers can use this new feature of Amazon to boost engagement.

2. Returns Performance Dashboard

Amazon has also recently launched the ‘Returns Performance’ feature on the seller dashboard. This will make it easier for the sellers to track the returns performance while also proactively addressing all the issues related to returns.

The Returns Performance is divided into three metrics- Approved returns requests in less than 24 hours, return-related buyer contact rate, and total declined return requests. Detailed information about these metrics, including the target threshold, metric calculation, current performance, etc., can be found within this tool.

3. Use Diverse Range of Models to Sell More Apparel

Amazon regularly shares suggestions with the sellers to help them sell more. Recently, Amazon suggested that apparel sellers display their products on real models, preferably multiple models of different body shapes and sizes. It helps customers better understand how a particular product will look on them.

Apart from assisting buyers in making more confident buying decisions, using a diverse model range for displaying products can also be helpful to sellers as they can effectively target more people.

4. Dynamic Segments for Sponsored Display Campaigns

Recently, Amazon introduced the ‘Similar to Advertised Products’ targeting option for sponsored display campaigns. The dynamic segment uses machine learning to help sellers reach their target audience browsing similar or complementary products.

As the sponsored ad is displayed on the details page of related products, the chances of buyers clicking on the ad are higher. The segment can be used for reaching the relevant audience and boosting product consideration.

Keeping Up with the Latest Amazon Updates to Boost Sales

Sellers can use all the latest updates, features, and tools released by Amazon in many different ways to generate more sales and boost their revenue. But as sellers, there are already so many things to take care of that it is very easy to end up missing many of the latest updates.

An effective solution is to work with a reputable digital marketing company that specializes in Amazon marketing. Sellers can trust the expertise of experienced marketers to take advantage of all the latest Amazon updates to reach more customers and generate more revenue.

October 21, 2021
SEO and E-Commerce: 10 Tips to Drive Organic Traffic in 2021

Let us assume that you’d like to purchase a new smartwatch online. Like most people, you’ll log on to Google and enter a keyword- something like “latest smartwatch in India”. And Google will present millions of results based on your search query. However, you’ll mostly end up clicking the first few results as they best match your search criteria.

In other words, the majority of the online experiences, including online shopping, begins on search engines. If you are running an online store, but your pages or products don’t rank in SERPs (Search Engine Ranking Pages), you are missing a lot of organic traffic.

So, how do you rank higher on search engines? SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the way to go. Check out 10 e-commerce SEO tips that can help you rank higher and get more organic traffic in 2021-

1. Start with an SEO Audit

Search for “e-commerce SEO strategies” online, and you are sure to find thousands of articles, blogs, videos, and more.

But not every strategy or tip you come across is right for your online store. You should always begin optimization with an SEO audit.

SEO audit will help you understand where your online store stands now and what can be done to boost its rankings.

2. Work on Product Information

To ensure that search engines and even shoppers are able to find what they need, you should ensure that the product information is easy to understand and read.

From measurements, sizes, colours to prices and other details, ensure that the product information is accurate and updated regularly.

3. Rank for the Right Keywords

A keyword like “black t-shirt” can be highly competitive. Rather than focusing on such competitive keywords, work on long-tail keywords that better define your products.

Long-tail keywords are more specific keyword phrases that are commonly used by shoppers. For instance, rather than using “black t-shirt,” consider something like “men black half sleeves t-shirt” as it will not be as competitive and has higher chances of clicks and conversions.

Give priority to result-focussed long-tail keywords over generic short keywords, especially when you are starting.

4. Get Strategic with Anchor Texts

Your online store will have several links pointing to the product pages. An anchor text like “here” is commonly used on websites as it looks more natural.

However, you can also replace the text with keywords you are optimizing for. But ensure that you use different anchor text keywords so that Google does not penalize your website.

5. Write Fresh and Unique Content

A common reason why online stores fail to rank higher on search engines is duplicate content. This is often the case with marketplaces where product descriptions are provided by sellers or stores selling different variants of similar products.

But if you want to rank higher, make sure that each of your product pages has fresh and unique content.

6. Let Buyers Leave Product Reviews

As per a report by Qualtrics, more than 90% of the shoppers read online reviews before making a purchase. Why not make potential customers find reviews of your products on your website?

The reviews don’t only make your brand more legitimate but also boost your rankings as they often include relevant keywords.

7. Optimize Product Images

Product images are critical to the success of your online store. The photos, apart from the shoppers, are also crucial for web crawlers. Your online store can also receive a lot of organic traffic through Google Images.

By SEO optimizing your product images, your products can rank higher when someone is searching for a product you sell on Google Images.

8. Work on Website Design

A user-friendly design with easy navigation is also a must for shoppers and search engines. The navigation path should be easy and super quick. This stands true for your web and mobile website.

Ensure that your homepage is linked to all the product pages and there are landing pages, especially for top-sellers and new releases or launches.

9. Keep the URLs Simple

Search engines also take a lot of information about your web pages from their URLs.

So, rather than using something like “www.myonlinestore.com/product?=29745/main.html,” prefer using “www.mylonlinestore.com/t-shirts/men’s-black-full-sleeves-t-shirt.html.”

This again works better for search engines and potential customers as the URL itself suggests what the webpage is about.

10. Create Product-Specific Content

Apart from product descriptions, you can also publish a variety of content to improve your rankings. For instance, you can create blogs, articles, how-to-posts, listicles, etc., that focus on the products you sell on your online store.

Make sure that the posts are helpful to the readers, and there are relevant keywords and anchor texts throughout the content.

E-Commerce SEO in 2021

SEO continues to be the most effective strategy for online stores to rank higher in SERPs and present themselves in from of more potential customers.

If you want to make the best use of SEO in 2021, these 10 tips definitely deserve your attention. Alternatively, you can also work with a reliable digital marketing company to create a custom SEO strategy that can deliver the expected results.

April 1, 2021
Mobile Commerce Trends: 2021 and Beyond

With India quickly turning into a mobile-first economy, mobile commerce is expected to be the next big frontier in the world of online shopping. According to the recent “mCommerce Report” by Paypal, 88% of Indian consumers prefer shopping and paying through their smartphones.

While e-commerce is probably in its best possible phase in the country, it is mobile commerce or m-commerce that can rule the online shopping landscape in the future. As an online seller, it is high time that you start focusing on mobile commerce to keep up with consumer expectations.

Here are three trends that are expected to make it big in the m-commerce industry in 2021 and beyond-

1. Rise of Social Commerce

By combining social networking and online shopping, social commerce offers the best of both worlds to the consumers. In simple words, social commerce is all about selling your products on popular social platforms like Facebook. It eliminates the need for the consumers to leave the social platform and visit your website for completing the purchase.

According to a recent report by Bain & Co., the GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) of social commerce in India is around $1.5-$2 billion. However, it is expected to surpass $16-$20 billion in a matter of 5 years. If you are looking for ways to reach more consumers, adopting social commerce is a step in the right direction as mobile phones are commonly used by users for accessing these platforms.

2. Use AR for Competitive Edge

One of the biggest pain points in online shopping is that consumers don’t get to see or experience the products before buying. Augmented Reality or AR has eliminated this major obstacle to a great extent. A large number of mobile commerce apps now use AR to let customers virtually try their products.

From beauty products, eyewear, apparel to even furniture, customers can now try many different types of products virtually before purchasing. This not only leads to improved customer satisfaction and more sales but also reduces the number of returns. If you have a mobile shopping app, you can innovate with AR to improve the customers’ shopping experience.

3. Implement Voice Search and Control

As per a report by Google, around 60% of India users now use voice assistants on their mobile phones. As digital interactions will become more voice-based, it is natural for consumers to expect the same functionality from the places they like to shop online.

Adding voice search and control operations on the mobile app is another effective way to make the shopping experience smoother and more convenient for the customers. It can be an added bonus if the voice functionality is compatible with multiple Indian languages as the majority of new internet users in the country prefer consuming online content in local languages.

Riding the Mobile Commerce Wave in India

With mobile commerce all set to surpass web-based shopping or e-commerce, online sellers should work on a mobile-first strategy to ride the m-commerce wave in the country. As more and more consumers now prefer shopping from their smartphones, tablets, and even smart wearables, a strategy built around mobile can deliver exceptional long-term benefits.

Focus on the trends discussed in this post while working on the m-commerce strategy to ensure that your offerings are future-proof and effectively align with consumer expectations.

March 23, 2021
E-Commerce Marketing in 2021: 5 Strategies That Can Help

According to an IBEF report, India’s e-commerce industry can surpass the US and become the second-largest in the world by 2034.

While the e-commerce boom is pretty much evident in India, running an online store successfully amid the ever-growing competition is no easy feat. On the one hand, you have established marketplaces like Amazon that are consistently pouring hundreds of crores to boost its presence in India, and on the other hand, you have a constant stream of new entrants to the industry.

While there are many different ways to boost your e-commerce business, a solid marketing strategy is something that could deliver lasting results. If you are working on your e-commerce marketing strategy, here are five tips that can help you drive more sales in 2021-

1. Get Going with SEO

According to a Wunderman Thompson Commerce report, more than 50% of online shoppers begin their product search on search engines like Google. Even if you have the best of products that you are selling at great prices, people won’t come to your store if they cannot find you in search results.

One of the most effective ways to bring more traffic to your online store is still the good-old SEO or Search Engine Optimization.

You can identify and target keywords/phrases so that when someone enters those keywords/phrases while performing a search, your online store or pages rank higher in the search results.

2. Use PPC for Quick Traffic Boost

SEO is a strategy to improve your organic rankings in search results. While it sure is very effective, the process is time-consuming as you’ll be competing with hundreds of other online stores. A faster alternative is to use PPC (Pay Per Click) ads. For instance, you can use Google Ads to advertise your products above the search results.

While you work your way through establishing your store in SERPs (Search Engine Ranking Pages) through SEO, you can use PPC to get a quick boost in traffic.

This could lead to more awareness and even improved sales.

3. Optimize for Voice Search

In 2021, you can no longer avoid voice search optimization. According to an Oberlo report, around 34% of the mobile users in India now use voice search.

With the rising popularity of voice assistants like Google Assistant, Apple Siri, Microsoft Cortana, and Amazon Alexa, voice search is only expected to become more popular in the country.

You can modify your SEO strategy to ensure that you also optimize your website and product pages for voice search. For instance, you can optimize for long-tail keywords that are generally used in voice searches.

4. Be Active on Social Media

As per a Statista report, there are more than 400 million social media users in India in 2021.

If you are not active on popular social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, you’ll definitely lose a great opportunity to engage with your target consumers.

You can use these platforms to communicate with the customers, launch new products, announce promotions, and even offer customer support.

Moreover, platforms like Facebook now also allow social commerce where you can directly sell your products on Facebook without requiring the customer to visit your website.

5. Start Upselling

In most cases, it makes more financial sense to upsell products to a customer rather than finding new customers.

Upselling is the process of selling a more premium version of the product a customer is interested in purchasing from your online store. The upsell recommendation can be slightly more expensive so that it generates more revenue for you.

But ensure that you do consider the price range of the customer before upselling. For instance, someone who wants to spend Rs. 5,000 on a smartwatch would mostly not be interested in purchasing a smartwatch worth Rs. 20,000.

A recommendation of a better smartwatch in the range of Rs. 5,000-6,000 with better features or quality might encourage them to make the recommended purchase.

E-Commerce Marketing to Boost Your Online Store in 2021

While the e-commerce industry in India sure has great potential, it is very easy for an online store to get lost in the sea of e-commerce platforms that are rising with every passing day. And with marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart infusing more capital, things are only expected to become more competitive.

A solid e-commerce marketing strategy is something that can help you stand apart from the crowd. Use the tips discussed in this post to boost your online presence and grow your sales in 2021. Partnering with a reputed digital marketing company is another great way to get a headstart and achieve your digital goals.

March 18, 2021

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