The Ultimate Guide to Creating an Ecommerce Sales Strategy

Learn everything you need to know to improve your company's ecommerce sales strategy with this guide. Discover helpful definitions of business types, understand why your company may not be achieving the expected sales, and learn the necessary ecommerce marketing tactics to turn things around.

What is an Ecommerce Business?

Running an ecommerce business means creating opportunities to sell products or services online and using the internet to connect with potential customers and drive sales.

An ecommerce business may be a purely online retailer or a brick-and-mortar looking to expand into the online space. Whether the ecommerce business is at the start-up level or an established online retailer, a successful ecommerce sales strategy is needed to increase sales and retain loyal customers.

Types of Ecommerce Businesses

There are various types of ecommerce businesses, each with different transaction characteristics. Some common types include B2B (business to business), B2C (business to consumer), DTC (direct to consumer), B2G (business to government), and C2C (consumer to consumer). Let's explore each type of ecommerce business and provide an example for each one.

B2B (business to business): This type of ecommerce business completes all sales and service transactions online between companies. For example, an automaker buys vehicle parts from other businesses.
B2C (business to consumer): B2C refers to commerce between companies and final consumers through retailers, wholesalers, or distributors. Amazon or Walmart are examples of B2C, which sell products directly to consumers through their online platforms and channels.
B2B2C (DTC) (direct to consumer): A brand selling directly to its customers instead of through retailers. Dollar Shave Club, a D2C website, provides razors and grooming products through a convenient subscription service.
B2G (business to government): B2G is the sale of goods and services to federal, state, or local government agencies. IT services, professional training, and services for construction and infrastructure projects are all types of B2G.
C2C (consumer to consumer): An ecommerce business model that allows consumers to sell to other consumers. Etsy is a C2C that lets other artists sell to other artists and consumers.

Why Your Ecommerce Business Isn’t Making Sales

No matter if you are starting your ecommerce business and looking to establish a sales strategy or an established brand that’s experiencing a stagnancy in sales or growth, it may be time to investigate common reasons a brand may not be seeing solid growth online.

Several key factors could contribute to an ecommerce business's need for more sales. These may include subpar website design and performance, which could be linked to the chosen platform. Additionally, poor visibility on search engines, both paid and free, can hinder sales potential. Furthermore, low customer retention rates can significantly impede business growth.

Lastly, the absence of social proof, such as reviews and testimonials, may undermine the brand's reputation and trustworthiness. However, addressing these issues proactively can lead to significant improvements in sales and overall success.

Proven Strategies for Increasing Your Online Sales

To increase online sales, grow brand presence, and achieve overall business growth, it's important to incorporate proven ecommerce business strategies. These strategies include selecting the right platform based on your business's needs. Whether you prefer to be hands-on in every aspect, such as choosing your platform, or you'd rather delegate marketing tasks to professionals, these strategies will help you determine which responsibilities to keep and which to assign to others.

Find the Best Ecommerce Platform for Your Business

Choosing the right ecommerce platform can help businesses overcome the most challenging obstacles for their teams and customers. It can drive business growth and sales, fulfill operational needs, and accommodate design preferences to expand its online store. From essential features to seamless integration and scalable capabilities, finding the right platform that suits a company’s business type and meets its needs will make a significant difference.

ROC Commerce’s ecommerce omnichannel digital storefront platform is the perfect solution for all your business needs – whether you're a manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor. With tailored features, it supports all marketing, sales, and support teams to elevate a standard ecommerce site into a fully integrated digital storefront. It provides seamless connection systems while offering improved, seamless operations. Plus, its features open up exciting avenues for your customers to engage with your brand.

Determine Which Ecommerce Channels are Highest Priority

While a strategy that works to market across all channels is the most effective, it is key to identify the most impactful and prioritize them based on business needs.

Three channels to focus on initially include organic (search engine) marketing, paid ads (search, display, shopping, social), and organic social media. These channels offer opportunities to increase brand visibility, share valuable business insights, and attract potential customers eager to engage with your product or service. By strategically prioritizing these channels, you can maximize your marketing impact and create meaningful connections with your target audience.

Envision the End-to-End Online Customer Journey

Transitioning from the more detailed platforms and considering the overall sales funnel is crucial. From creating awareness to fostering loyalty and everything else in between, establishing a comprehensive online customer journey is essential. Understanding the pivotal moments in your buyers' journey can help you determine the most effective online marketing strategies. So, when looking at your overall customer journey, can you answer the following questions?:

How do they hear about the brand?
How do they find the brand?
How much do they trust the brand?
What is the shopping experience like?
Did they make a purchase?
How can you entice them to continue making purchases?

Hire a Qualified Ecommerce Marketing Agency

Numerous companies rely on key stakeholders to manage their daily operations, but their expertise could be better utilized to drive growth and scalability. Partnering with a specialized ecommerce marketing agency offers invaluable support in building and deploying impactful marketing strategies, setting specific goals, and defining the brand's voice, tone, and positioning. With the right agency, stakeholders gain peace of mind and the freedom to concentrate on other aspects of the business while daily marketing tasks are in other capable hands. This collaboration promises assistance and a pathway to improved business focus and success.

ROC Commerce, created by the innovative website design and development team at Americaneagle.com, stands out as a dynamic force in the digital marketplace. With countless satisfied clients and extensive experience in commerce solutions, ROC Commerce operates on a shared commitment to excellence. This partnership with Americaneagle.com enables the ROC Commerce team to focus on developing and enhancing product features that address merchants' needs while continuing to build award-winning websites.

8 Tactics to Market Your Ecommerce Store Online

Follow this helpful list of eight must-do tactics to promote your ecommerce store online.

1. SEO – Optimize Your Ecommerce Store for Search Engines

Enhance your website by targeting valuable keywords, writing impactful, customer-focused content, and building solid backlinks to key pages.

2. PPC – Pay Per Click to Advertise Your Store

Gain visibility and reach your target audience by investing in advertising space on Google, Bing, and Yahoo! Additionally, retarget users who engage with your brand online.

3. SMM – Make Your Online Brand Noticeable Through Social Media Marketing

Grow brand presence and awareness through paid social media ads and influencer partnerships (affiliate programs).

4. Suggestive Sell Addons or Related Products During Visits

Encourage customers to add more items to their cart with incentives such as, “Spend $XX more to receive free shipping!”

5. Implement Seasonal Sales Opportunities

Take advantage of seasonal sales opportunities, such as Black Friday, Labor Day, and Presidents Day, when customers are more likely to shop and look for deals.

6. Continue Re-Marketing Online to Loyal Ecommerce Customers

Use retargeting marketing tactics to increase loyalty among ecommerce customers with welcome-back gifts, subscribe and save, discount opportunities, and a streamlined check-out process for existing customers.

7. Email Marketing for Non-Purchasers

Use email marketing to engage with potentially interested customers with abandoned cart recovery, sales, promotions, bundles, and automated review gathering.

8. SMS Text Messaging

Short message services (SMS) text messaging effectively announces product launches and invites visitors to join a newsletter list.

Why You Need a Foolproof Ecommerce Marketing Strategy and Tactics

Putting together a well-thought-out strategy for marketing an ecommerce brand has many benefits. Companies should take the time to plan the following four strategies to maximize impact:

Understand Your Target Customer Better

Learn what your customers desire and find valuable. Use data to analyze their preferences and behaviors while visiting your website and other digital channels.

Build Better Brand Awareness and Demand

Use the marketing ecommerce strategy and tactics above to grow brand awareness and demand.

Attract and Retain Loyal Repeat Buyers

Use incentives to engage customers to encourage purchases and to return to your site.

Increase Overall Revenue

Grow sales with ecommerce marketing strategies and the best ecommerce platform like ROC Commerce.

Supercharge Your Ecommerce Store Today

If you're ready to kick your online or brick-and-mortar business sales into gear, reach out to the team at ROC Commerce. We work with all business types to find the unique ecommerce marketing strategy and solutions they need to grow and scale. See what many B2B and B2C ecommerce companies choose ROC Commerce as their go-to platform.