With the sales in eCommerce growing to approximately 4.9 trillion US dollars in 2021 (according to Statista), we can safely assume that eCommerce will continue to grow and expand over the next few years.
That is why creating a new business in this field and trying to launch an eCommerce store successfully is a challenge. Every entrepreneur or established business will need new ideas and strategies to make the launch a win.
We are here to present you with the best ideas and strategies on how to launch a successful eCommerce site.
Today’s market is a thoroughly competitive one and before you launch your website you’ll need to be prepared. It is an amazing time to be present in the online business scene, but also a very hard time because of the competition. More so, brands without a clear marketing strategy will lose before they even get started mostly because of the way consumer changes their behavior.
So, when tasked with coming up with an eCommerce launch strategy we’ll refer to several methods of achieving a victorious launching:
- Internal product strategy
- Marketing strategy
- SEO
- Post-launch conclusions
Let’s take a moment and analyze all those above, then we’ll tell you just what Helix Solutions can do for you.
Internal product strategy
Whenever you want to start selling goods you need to make sure that you have all the right features aligned.
Pick the right products, to begin with, make sure the distribution chain is in order, make sure you will not run out of stock, and so on.
Choosing the right product to sell on your website is almost just as crucial as knowing who you’re selling to. If your audience needs a different type of product, then they will not buy from you. The same goes if you have a good product but you haven’t defined your target. You’ll just invest in ads that will not get through to your people.
Selecting the right product is not an easy task. Before launching you’ll need to do some research, see if the market is ready for whatever you want to sell. Your product will respond to the audience’s needs.
You can look for keywords in the search engines and see what are the most searched ones, or just use statistical methods and organize a focus group or a survey. You need to consider the whole international climate depending on your products. For example, take into account the COVID pandemic, or political relations between countries if you plan to deliver internationally.
Don’t forget to put on the eCommerce launch checklist the necessary stock for your products. Make sure you have enough items, or you can obtain them on short notice if there is a great demand.
Also, prepare the delivery channels. Have the right shipping on your eCommerce website launch checklist.
We know it sounds simple, but when you come across shipping companies that will do a poor job at delivering your packages, the clients will most likely never order from you.
And last, but not least decide to put one product on offer when your eCommerce launch is set. The best one should be put on display and hook the audience, then present them with options, what other products will go best with the one they chose.
Marketing Strategy
Marketing is like a journey, the way customers reach your website, look around, and decide to make a purchase, then come back for more.
So before starting on this journey you need to be aware that marketing is not only about the purchase, but also about the entire experience the customer will have on your website. You need to see how he behaves and determine the upgrades to make to the content of your store so that the user will come back and buy every single time.
So, when preparing a marketing plan for an eCommerce website launch you need to put on the checklist the following:
Social media marketing
This is one of the most powerful outlets for promoting your website and you need to use it well. An online store launch announcement will make it through a social media channel, reach your audience, and if they are interested they’ll enter your website. Depending on what they see there and how well optimized the site is, they will buy or not. At Ecomizite we know that Digital Marketing is important and can make the difference between a good launch and a great one. So, we have a package deal with services such as full-scale analysis, funnel analysis, and much more.
Design and content
For you to have something to display on your channels, you need great design and an even greater message. The way your brand will communicate, what it will present and how will determine a part of your customers’ behavior towards your brand. Whenever an eCommerce store launch presents itself we implement a full-service PPC Management so that you have it all in one place. Creative content and design are important features in creating an amazing launch, that customers will remember.
Paid advertising
Social media and advertising, in general, has changed over the years, so reaching people organically is a pretty unicorn – everyone wants one, but they’re just not real. That is why brands use paid advertising to make sure their message reaches their audience. Not only an eCommerce website launch marketing plan will include messages with viral potential, but it will also combine them with paid ones. Facebook ads, Instagram ads, Google ads, Amazon ads along with PPC audit are in the range of services we offer those who do an online store launch with us.
Defining audience
Establishing who your ideal customer is will make it easier to identify the most effective methods of promoting your products. Let’s say you sell baby clothes, your clients will be parents and on a secondary level, grandparents. Your message needs to be adapted to fit that target and the channels to reach them. Building a buyer persona will help you launch an online store without a hitch.
An eCommerce website launch marketing plan will make sure you have all the objectives and ways to attain them on hand. It will organize your work properly and ensure your website is there for your clients to find.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
On the subject of how to launch an eCommerce website, SEO is one of the most efficient tools to make sure your launching is a success.
Staying on the radar for those who want your products is not an easy task. And reaching them organically is even more difficult. This is where SEO comes in handy. 84% of the people participating in the research responded that they use Google search more than 3 times a day. *(Moz, 2019).
Optimizing your website with keywords and well-crafted phrases will power up your eCommerce site and therefore the amazing launch eCommerce websites need. Titles and descriptions will need to be optimized with keywords so that the finding process will become more efficient and relevant.
For example, a well-written product page will need to have these elements to perform in the search engines:
– Engaging phrases with keywords that don’t repeat themselves
– Image labels and tags
– Title and header tags
– Meta descriptions
– Fitting URL
Not only do those elements need to be present for SEO to work, but also some other factors:
– Make sure all your pages are indexed by Google
– Build a website that is easily navigated
– Make sure the load time is good
– Be careful about matching content on site
When dealing with SEO on an eCommerce website launch, Helix Solutions will take care of the following: on-page optimization, meta titles, meta descriptions, URL optimizations, site performance, let’s not forget mobile optimization, HTTPS responses, and more.
Post-launch conclusions
So, you have identified the niche you’ll activate in. You have your internal strategy good to go: the products are enough, all the steps are implemented so that the buying process is clear, shipping is dealt with and you have chosen the star product to promote. You have identified your target, you know who will buy your goods and how to reach them. You’ve opened accounts on all the big social media and comprised a marketing strategy that will help you deliver the message. Google knows your name and so do the clients if they search for your products. Make a last-minute test before you launch and see if there are things in your site that have problems: description missing, problems at the check-out, elements that are not in order. Fix them and all you have to do now is hit the launch button. You need to put yourself out there and just wait and start gathering data.
After a while, you’ll be able de make reports and see where things work and where they don’t then address them.
If you have any other questions about how to launch an eCommerce website our experts are here to help you. Just contact us by email, chat, or telephone, and let’s walk this journey together.