3 Key Digital Marketing Strategies That Will Drive Ecommerce Brands Forward
As economists warn of a looming recession, retailers are searching for tried-and-true digital marketing tactics that will drive sales despite financial uncertainty. Marketers are having to rethink their current strategies, often asked to do more with scaled-back budgets and limited resources. This new economic reality is forcing ecommerce brands to focus on digital marketing tactics that deliver the biggest rewards.
Because of shifting consumer behaviors, it’s often difficult to predict which digital marketing strategies will have the biggest impact – but not impossible. After analyzing consumer engagement trends for thousands of global ecommerce brands, the following three digital marketing strategies are most likely to drive ecommerce success in 2023.
#1: Social tactics are imperative to your omni-channel strategy to drive growth: Today’s consumers are actively engaging on multiple apps. They find a product on TikTok, check out the brand’s user generated content (UGC) on Instagram, research purchasing options on the brand’s website, and then visit the brick and mortar retail location to see the product in person. In the world of retail, there is no such thing as a linear customer journey.
Taking an omni-channel approach to your digital marketing efforts allows you to interact with consumers on their preferred channels, keeping your brand top of mind as customers switch from one app to another app to a physical location. Whether it’s providing the ability to buy directly within Instagram or offering fast, efficient customer support via Twitter, brands that invest in social tactics for their omni-channel strategies, will be the ones that keep customers happy while acquiring new audiences.
The Top 3 Digital Marketing Strategies for Retailers in 2023
As online retailers face economic uncertainties in the coming year, marketers will need to get out of their comfort zone and embrace new tactics that deliver measurable engagement
It’s all about the customer experience
#2: UGC will enable ecommerce brands to deliver content at scale: People crave authenticity from brands. In fact, 90% of consumers report their purchasing decisions are more influenced by UGC than other types of promotional content. UGC allows brands to leverage their best customers to build social proof and supplement content programs. It is a cost-effective way to take advantage of your biggest brand advocates.
To build trust with audiences, retailers need to implement solutions that help them amplify and maximize the impact of their UGC campaigns – using it to promote exclusive offers, branded hashtags, and contests. With the right technology, retailers can even feature UGC on their website and product pages.
#3: Live video platforms are the future of customer support: Live video gives brands the ability to deliver a personal touch within virtual experiences. It is the perfect platform for delivering one-to-one customer support and advice, and makes possible one-to-many selling opportunities. It is engaging and easy to use with minimal costs, giving in-store experts the ability to build long lasting customer relationships.
A retailer’s ultimate goal is to provide the best possible experience at every touchpoint along the customer journey. Regardless of our economic future, online retailers need to connect with consumers on their terms – exceeding customer expectations and delivering exceptional customer care. By combining omni-channel efforts with UGC and live video tactics, ecommerce brands will be able to provide foundational customer experiences that drive measurable outcomes in even the most trying economic climates.
THE STATE OF ECOMMERCE 2023
JAN 2023
Mark Zablan is CEO at Emplifi, the leading unified customer experience (CX) platform. He brings more than 25 years of experience in executive roles with high-growth SaaS cloud companies in the areas of digital marketing, content management, customer experience (CX), and data platforms. Mark has a proven track record of delivering breakout performance at various B2B technology market leaders due to his particular expertise in strategy development, operational excellence and Go-to-Market transformation. Before his current role, Mark served as Chief Revenue Officer at Sitecore, President of EMEA at Adobe and Group President of Digital Marketing Services at Experian where he always believed the key to success is directly tied to customer success.