Ecommerce shop owners have a lot on their hands. And by a lot, we mean everything. Toss a global pandemic into the mix and, naturally, that heap of tasks multiplies.
Store owners are left to deal with their business-as-usual priorities while also taking on new tasks, like protecting employees, adapting the supply chain, and communicating with customers every step of the way.
But even before COVID-19, most ecommerce store owners told us they spend their time ineffectively.
Actually, we surveyed 1000+ store owners to see how their time is spent and what they wish they had more time for (you can see the study here). Turns out, 70% of store owners take on two or more roles each day, and 53% take on three or more roles.
And that’s not all. Most shop owners—65%—don’t utilize technology to reduce the time they spend on marketing tasks. But the truth is, marketing technology not only saves you time, but also expands the time you’re already spending—so you can get more out of the work you put in.
When it comes to saving time—and quick and simple marketing solutions—email marketing is a store owner’s best friend. And since 33% of shop owners told us that marketing will be the key to their store’s success in 2020, we think you just might agree, too.
But what store owner wants to invest in marketing technology when that same 33% only spends an average of 7.8 hours on marketing each week?
The answer is simple: Marketing technology actually frees up the time you need to wear multiple hats and balance a variety of tasks. That 7.8 hours of marketing work you put in each week could actually go a lot further with the right solutions on your side.
Marketing technology stands in as your own personal marketing department, freeing up more time for you while simultaneously getting the most out of those 7.8 hours. So let’s see how to make the most of this precious resource.
Increasing sales and saving time: 5 ways to get the most out of your 7.8 marketing hours.
1. Send supercharged receipts that generate even more sales.
For ecommerce store owners, email marketing goes well beyond the traditional newsletter. For example, you can use digital receipts as an opportunity for up-selling and cross-selling to generate additional sales you may have missed out on otherwise.
And with customizable platforms, you can combine with segments to turn every receipt into a strong call to action. All you have to do is set it up—from there, your emails make the sale for you.
Entrepreneur Store uses personalized product recommendations based on previous purchases in the receipt below.
2. Never leave a cart behind.
70% of your customers will abandon their carts. But with abandoned cart emails, you can remind your customers of what they’re missing out on—and perhaps even make it more appealing with a coupon or a positive review.
The best part? These emails are totally automated, freeing up your time while also recovering lost sales in the process. Making money, saving time, and expanding your marketing efforts? Doesn’t sound like too bad of a deal.
Cafe Joe includes product ratings and reviews in abandoned cart emails, giving customers a full overview of the products they missed out on.
3. Use a newsletter to keep the conversation going.
The good news is, once you have your automated emails set up and running, the only thing left for you to do is monitor your progress—and count your sales.
After that, you can allocate a portion of those 7.8 hours to creating beautiful and effective newsletters to help maintain a relationship with your customers and keep your brand top-of-mind.
And as any business owner knows, repeat customers are our favorite—and highest spending—customers, so allocating some time to keeping them around for the long haul can do your store a great service.
The Project Nursery team works hard to deliver engaging and relevant content that subscribers are excited to receive.
4. Use product reviews to give customers the social proof they need.
In today’s connected world, 60% of consumers research and read product reviews before buying. CM Commerce customers use email marketing software to spotlight those reviews directly in your email marketing campaigns.
User-generated content can help elevate a prospect to customer status, and is the perfect way to promote trust and authenticity for your brand.
Spending a little extra time to add these reviews into your campaigns can actually save you time in the long run. Traditional marketing efforts can lead to conversions—eventually. But the process is typically drawn out and requires a lot of work on your end.
Customer reviews do the marketing for you, giving prospects exactly what they’re looking for so you can make a quick sale.
Le Tote uses embedded reviews to help build subscriber confidence and encourage them to make a purchase.
5. Increase repeat revenue with integrated, automated feedback.
We all know that it’s far more expensive to acquire a new customer than to sell to a current one. But did you know that your chances of selling to an existing customer is as high as 60-70%? When you don’t offer an opportunity for existing customers to return, you’re leaving a lot of money on the table.
Segmented follow-up emails are the perfect way to get your customers back to your site and filing their carts. And like everything perfect and wonderful in the marketing world, they’re automated.
So, sit back, relax, and let the follow-ups make the sale for you.
In the example below, the subscriber is offered a coupon in return for their feedback, a great way to encourage customers to share their experience.
Wrap up
Owning an ecommerce shop comes with a lot of responsibility. And with everything you’ve got on your plate, it can be hard to stay focused on one of the most important aspects of business: marketing.
Utilizing marketing technology means adding an entire department of employees to your business—without the scary costs that come with all that extra manpower. Expand the time you spend on marketing without putting in any additional hours, and watch your store grow.
If you want to learn more about how ecommerce store owners are spending their time, you can check out the research here.
This article originally appeared in the LoyaltyLion blog and has been published here with permission.
