Setting up an e-commerce store is relatively straightforward. But growing one into a viable business isn’t. The competition is fierce, and it’s not always clear to even the best entrepreneurs what they should do next.
So, what sets those smaller stores apart that are highly successful? Here’s a rundown.
Successful Small Ecommerce Stores Use Targeted Marketing
One of the things that sets a lot of these stores apart is their targeted marketing. They understand their customers in detail and know the type of person who wants to buy from them.
For example, they might know that their audience is under 25 and interested in beauty products. As such, they do most of their marketing on TikTok, taking advantage of the young, highly engaged demographics.
Targeted marketing is okay when you try to do it in-house. But you will usually have more success if you go to professionals.
They Focus On Exceptional Customer Service
Another thing you often see in a lot of these small ecommerce stores is a relentless focus on customer service. These firms are very often those that offer the best customer service. This means quick response times, rapid problem-solving, and flexibility with regards to returns or exchanges.
Personal touches in customer service can be a great way to build strong relationships with customers: sending handwritten notes in packages, or responding to social media messages in a very human and friendly manner. These businesses know that happy customers are more likely to return, leave positive reviews, and share their experiences with others, creating organic growth.
Many of these companies also invest in 3PL services to help them along the way. These can increase the speed of fulfillment and deal with returns more rapidly by offering integrated supply chain services (not just discrete options).
They Don’t Neglect The Power Of Social Proof
Another thing you find is that the best small ecommerce stores always take advantage of social proof. They know that if they get their customers to promote their products for them, that’s more than half of their work done for them.
Social proof is powerful because it isn’t the brand itself doing it. Instead, it is prospects’ peers talking about how much they like a specific service and would love to use it again if they could.
Most social proof comes in the form of video reviews. However, you can also hire brand ambassadors to go deeper than that.
Successful Small Ecommerce Stores Have A Strong Brand Identity
You also see many successful unique small online stores building a strong brand identity. These images help them identify with their customers and attract the people who want to shop with them.
One method for doing this is through consistent messaging. A lot of these brands understand the power of adopting a specific theme and then repeating it across channels and through time.
Another way to create identity is to build a story around the brand. This narrative could focus on something customers really care about, like the environment or low prices. Whatever it is should chime with their principal mission.
Collaborator