Creating Customization Through Search, On-Site & Email

Creating Customization Through Search, On-Site & Email

The modern customer is more complex and demands better services from merchants than ever before. This evolution has pushed merchants to continually identify ways of making their products and services resonate with the purchasing behaviors of their modern customers. At the center of this development, customer experience personalization is providing a means of tailoring eCommerce stores to appeal to specific groups of people. One of the ways of achieving this higher level of tailoring your engagement efforts more towards smaller persona sets isby using eCommerce onsite personalization tools to deliver a personalized experience when customers visit your store.

On-Page Customer Personalization

On page customer personalization involves tailoring web pages of your eCommerce store to appeal to specific groups of customers. This could include tailoring content of a landing page to attract a specific audience  or adjusting the checkout page to offer discounts to another group. Onsite features like CMS banners, dynamic content, product recommendations (cross-sells and up-sells), segmentation and custom automation paths keep your customers engaged while at your store.

CMS Banners – These banners allow merchants to display images and blocks of personalized content to specific customer segments. And, they can be scheduled for a particular period, depending on the goals to be achieved.

Dynamic Content Offers – This feature involves using geographic and demographic data to personalize offers for each customer. A merchant can dynamically change an entire content section to make it more relevant and appealing to a group of customers. For example, a sports apparel store would not want football gear content being displayed to female audiences. Similarly, they would want a specific tennis racket displayed only for audiences interested in tennis.

Product Recommendations – The feature allows merchants to include related products, up-sells, and cross-sells for the customer to add them quickly to the cart. They are excellent at encouraging additional purchases and ensure that products get more views.

Shopping Cart Price Rules – This feature allows merchants to offer discounts and promotions to specific customer segments. For instance, new customers may get a one-off discount of 20% off their first purchase while recurring customers get a 15% discount on their cart total.

Customer Personalization on Search Results

Personalization of the Search results page ensures that the search results show products that reflect the filters visitors select or have previously searched for. When customers perform a search on your online store, they expect more than just the product they’re searching for. . Instead, they expect that each click will offer them an experience custom to their taste.

Machine learning allows store users to include targeted and personalized content like buyer’s guides, user-generated content, and blog posts that improve the quality of search results.

Look at the keywords your customers use to Search for products using search ads and other methods to dynamically show site content that matches the search intent of the customers.

Email Customer Personalization

Email personalization is a strategy that uses the subscriber’s personal information to produce more targeted emails by giving individual treatment to each customer. The process involves personalizing the content to appeal to the receiver and appeal to their buying behavior. A personalized email is written in a way that it provides relevant and timely information. It could also include the customer’s name, personalized subject line, content, imagery, and more.

Apart from personalized email, eCommerce merchants can also send personalized text messages to their customers (with customer permission). SMS creates a one-off messaging platform to create a loyal customer base by sending personalized messages like happy birthday wishes and recommendations to new products based on their purchase history.

These messages are effective in engaging customers and showing them that they are valued.

Providers of Onsite Personalization Services

eCommerce merchants typically use a suite of different providers and features to power all of these unique personalizations. This will usually depend on factors like webstore host platform or the kind of personalization features a brand is looking to implement. Some of the popular providers include:

Magento – Magento offers native features like onsite banners and promo codes that personalize experiences for customers. It provides the necessary starter features for small businesses and those starting with eCommerce.

Listrak – Listrak provides personalized email services to boost sales in an eCommerce store. This includes product upsell recommendations based on customer browsing and purchasing behavior on the site.

SLI Systems – SLI personalize the search experience of your online store to include predictive results that appeal to your customers. This helps to convert more customers, sell more products, and engage more shoppers.

Celebros – Celebros is a great provider for personalized search results. They help you improve your search result page and tailor it to the kind of customer visiting your eCommerce store.

Nosto – Nosto is excellent for an onsite personalized related product, upsell, and cross recommendations. It is a great provider for robust enterprises with a vast catalog and large customer base.

Bottom Line

The modern-day customer is attracted more to brands that show they care and offer unique experiences. Onsite personalization tools are designed to bridge the gap between what a customer expects when they visit the site and what they get. This way, customers become more engaged and likely to make a purchase. Given the importance of customer personalization to the success of an ecommerce store, you need to ensure you are doing it the right way. If you would like to discuss improving personalization on your site, fill out the form on our contact page to schedule a conversation with our eCommerce experts..

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Top 3 Online Demographics of Supplement Buyers

Top 3 Online Demographics of Supplement Buyers

Health supplement use has never been more popular than it is today. In fact, since the 1970s, there’s been a 40% increase in supplement use in adults 50 and older, and a 23% increase in adults younger than 50. In 2019, the supplement market was valued at $163 billion — and it’s forecasted to grow exponentially over the next few years.

As a supplement eCommerce retailer, this is great news for you. But who exactly is buying these supplements online? Where can you find them? And how can you get them to your site? Keep reading to learn about why people buy health supplements online, as well as the top three demographics of online supplement buyers.

Why do people buy health supplements online?

No matter who your audience is, the most common reason that people buy supplements online is because they’re experiencing some kind of pain, ache or health problem and they want to feel better. Other popular reasons that people buy/take supplements are to ensure that they get the recommended amount of vitamins, improve their energy levels, boost their immune system, improve any digestive issues and/or to lower their cholesterol.

In addition, a growing number of people are turning to health supplements because they don’t feel that they receive the right nutrients in their food alone. As a result, they try supplements in the forms of vitamins, minerals, botanicals and more. Many choose to buy them online because it’s quick, easy, convenient and doesn’t require a trip to the store.

What are the top three demographics of online health supplements buyers?

There’s a wide variety of people who buy health supplements online. According to our research, here are three of the top demographics:

1. Women 60+ in the United States 

In a nationwide survey, 49% of adults in the US say that they take health supplements. This group is made up of mostly women (54%), although men are beginning to take more supplements as time goes on. In addition, results of the survey also show that supplement use increases with age. In the age group of 20 to 39, 34% of people took supplements. In the age group of 40 to 59, it was 50%. And in the age group of 60+, 67% say they buy/take supplements. 

Where you can find this demographic elsewhere: When looking at where you can find this top demographic (women 60+) online, many are visiting dating sites, retirement living sites, travel sites, AARP’s website and Facebook. Advertising your online supplement store on any of these sites will definitely yield some valuable results.

2. People 60+ with health insurance

Of all Americans without health insurance, 31% say they buy their supplements online. However, of all Americans with health insurance, 53% say they buy their supplements online. That’s largely because more and more people are taking a personal, vested interest in their health and consider themselves to be digitally savvy. As a result, they’re looking for medications and supplements online vs. in a doctor’s office.

Where you can find this demographic elsewhere: For starters, this audience can be found on many different health insurance websites, such as Anthem, United Healthcare, Cigna, Aetna and more. In addition, this audience frequently visits retirement websites and websites about aging. Advertising your eCommerce store in these places is a great idea.

3. People who report high levels of exercise

When people who rarely exercise were surveyed, 43% of them say they buy supplements online. However, when people who report high levels of exercise were surveyed, 56% of this group say they buy supplements online. 

Where you can find this demographic elsewhere: Not surprisingly, this demographic is all over websites featuring topics such as gyms, health, fitness, weight loss and stress management. Getting a catchy banner ad and/or a short blog post about your supplement eCommerce store on any of these types of websites will inevitably increase the traffic to your site — and then increase your sales.

Conclusion

When you’re trying to acquire new customers, finding them where they are online is key. It’s the first step to getting them familiar with your eCommerce store before their interest is piqued and they land on your site’s beloved “Shop” page.

At InteractOne, we work closely with our clients to find these audiences and then increase the high-converting traffic to their own sites. To learn more about how we can help your company, contact us today.

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    Evolving Pharma Trends and What to Expect in 2021

    Evolving Pharma Trends and What to Expect in 2021

    With so many brick and mortar stores closing last year due to the pandemic, online shopping has become even more popular, and basically essential—especially in the pharmaceutical and supplements world. This has meant vast changes in the way pharma eCommerce websites must operate; a lot of nice-to-haves are quickly becoming essential. Pharma retailers are finding they have to either stay up-to-date on the ever-changing world of eCommerce, or fall behind. 

    We’ve been monitoring the market closely and observed some key trends in pharma eCommerce becoming increasingly prominent. Read on for what to expect in the pharma industry in 2021.

    Quick, Inexpensive Order Fulfillment is Key

    A growing number of people are abandoning their cart as they shop online. Two of the main reasons for this are high shipping costs and long shipping times. People don’t want to spend much on shipping, and they want their orders yesterday (thanks Amazon for both of these). If they have their cart full but then the shipping charge comes up as way more than they were anticipating and/or they won’t receive their order for a while, they abandon their cart and move on to the next site that promises products in a quicker, cheaper way.

    To combat this problem, make sure—if you can—that your pharma/supplement company’s shipping costs are low (or free after a certain amount) and that your shipping times are short. It’s usually worth it to make your products a little bit more expensive, by building in some of your shipping costs, if it means keeping the customer’s shipping costs low. In the long run, it’s also usually worth it for your company to take a bit of a hit if it means getting your customers their products more quickly.

    If you have a physical building and an eCommerce website, it may be worth it to tap into the new trend of BOPIS, or Buy Online, Pick up In Store. Customers like this option because even though they still need to go to a brick and mortar store, they don’t need to spend time shopping around, as their order is exactly what they requested and it’s already waiting for them when they arrive. If your company doesn’t have a physical location, consider partnering with companies that do have one and also cater to BOPIS customers, such as Kohls.

    Pop-up Shops Are Popular for a Reason

    With eCommerce on the rise and in-store sales on the decline, in-person pop-up shops may not sound like a great idea. However, over the past few years, eCommerce retailers have learned that pop-up shops do very well. Their unique physical presence helps spread awareness of your company to a new audience.

    When picking a spot for your pharma/supplements pop-up shop, choose wisely. Where does your target audience hang out? Where does your brand fit in? Think about cities, towns and then physical locations. The most common places for pop-up shops are vacant storefronts and kiosks in shopping malls. Setting up shop at a farmer’s market is also a good idea for a pharmaceutical audience. When you catch your customers in the right place, you’ll get their attention—and their business.

    A Shoppable Instagram Is Essential

    One new perk of Instagram for eCommerce retailers is that this platform can now be used to sell products directly. The key here is to have an active Instagram page and then to tag any products you feature. If a post resonates with your customers, they can simply click the photo to see more information and then buy your products in just a few clicks, right from the Instagram app.

    Another good, relevant strategy is to partner with influencers who share your company’s vision and can create and share shoppable content for your pharma brand. At InteractOne, we know the value of a great influencer. Read some of our recent blog posts about the rise and power of nano influencers and social media tactics proven to increase traffic to your webstore.

    Subscription Services Satisfy Everyone

    Year after year, the demand for subscription services only increases, and that’s because they’re a win-win for both customers and merchants.

    For customers, they know exactly what they’re getting and when they’re getting it. Their beloved products are delivered regularly as scheduled and always just as expected. It doesn’t get much more convenient than that!

    For merchants, having customers enrolled in a subscription service allows the companies to better forecast what’s needed and thus have better management of their inventory. Plus, it’s much better for a company to have a lot of dedicated customers that are loyal to the company week after week, month after month, than to have a handful of one-off customers who order once and then forget to return.

    Drone Delivery Is Here to Stay

    In 2020 drone delivery became a mainstream reality, with an estimated three million operational drones in the air. With the ever-present desire for convenience, coupled with extended periods of social distancing, drone deliveries are predicted to become even more popular in 2021.

    The benefit of drone delivery for eCommerce retailers is that most packages can be delivered within 30 minutes. That makes for a lot of happy customers! Plus, drone delivery can save companies millions of dollars in shipping costs.

    The drone industry really took off in 2015, when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) streamlined the registration process for companies. However, there still hasn’t been a pharmaceutical company that has fully integrated drones into their operations. With the need to protect patient safety being so important, most pharma companies are hesitant to take the leap just yet. However, as drone delivery companies continue to learn and grow, it’s just a matter of time before pharma companies jump on the bandwagon.

    Automated Marketing Driven by Artificial Intelligence

    Many businesses are already utilizing Artificial Intelligence in their marketing, and those that continue to do so will keep winning big. That’s because artificial intelligence helps businesses qualify leads faster and more accurately, and helps them show visitors more appropriate content. By delivering a progressive sequence of questions in automated chat conversations, businesses can quickly identify customers’ needs and then sort them into specific personas based on these needs. The AI then shows the customer relevant content that meets those needs. This reduces demand on human customer service, and assists visitors quickly and efficiently. It’s another win-win for businesses and customers, saving everyone time.

    Video Content is Vital

    Much has been said about video and its huge effect across all industries, but its influence is only growing. As more websites incorporate video content, it only proves to be more powerful and popular with consumers. The more compelling your content, the more likely you are to attract and retain customers.

    The possibilities with video are as wide-ranging as your imagination. In the past year we’ve seen everything from short explainers on products and services, to full-blown series of videos like the Mayo Clinic Minutes, which offers general health and wellness tips.

    Businesses that engage in social listening and pay close attention to what their audiences are searching for, and that then cater to those needs with easily digestible video content, will be the winners in 2021 and beyond.

    Conclusion

    These are just seven of the key evolving trends we’re seeing in the pharma/supplements eCommerce space. Want to find out more, and take advantage of these trends? InteractOne can help your pharma or supplement business stay ahead of the curve and increase sales. Contact us today for more.

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    The Beginners Guide to Creating Brand Guidelines

    The Beginners Guide to Creating Brand Guidelines

    How do you truly know who and what your brand is without a brand guideline? A brand guideline explains the importance of your brand, who you are and the design and copy elements – and importantly – the standards of your brand. You will want to have a physical guide on-hand so your and existing and future employees can keep your brand consistent and cohesive. Surprisingly, many companies of all sizes do not have a brand guideline to reference. How are your employees supposed to know who your company is all about if they don’t know for themselves? In this article, we’ll break down the must-haves for any brand guide and how to establish them.

    Brand Story

    Where do you start a brand guide? The best way to start your guide is with your brand’s story. While crafting your company’s story, you should concentrate on answering the following questions: 

    How did you start? 

    Why did you start? 

    What was the progression of the business?  

    Explaining the story behind your webstore will help give your company, future employees and customers a taste of who you are and why you are here. Your brand’s story needs to be informative but also in your company’s voice. This section is the first step in showing off your business’ personality. 

    Nutraceutical has a thorough yet simple way of explaining their brand’s story:

    Brand Values

    Your brand values are where you explain what your company stands for and why you do what you do. This section is a great place to make a list of what you and your brand value. Making a list will help you and your employees visually see what needs to get done and how those activities align with your values. While figuring out your brand’s values, many companies choose a specific social cause to support. A social cause can coincide with your brand story and mission statement. In today’s marketing climate, many social issues that companies follow are sustainability, inclusivity, freedom and safety. Surveys show that 76% of respondents would or have purchased from a company that supports organizations or causes they approve. While 67% of respondents have stopped or will not shop from companies that do not have aligned views on social issues. Therefore, while setting up your brand’s values, try to stay as clear as possible and implement it in the right way like on your about us page or a social media bio or about us section.

    Mission Statement

    Every brand needs a mission statement. A mission statement explains what the business or organization is, why it exists and the reason for its being. Keep your mission statement between one to four sentences long. You want to keep it simple yet concise. It helps your company refocus attention on accomplishing future goals, let’s customers know the company’s purpose and serves as a guide for decision making. Your mission statement may also go on your about us page on your website with your values and brand story, so customers can understand who and what you are a little more.


    Schuler Shoes effectively expresses its values and mission statement on one page:

    Audience and Competitors

    While creating your guide, you will want to describe your target audience. Explain your targeted customers’ location, age, gender, interests and other relevant information. The more information you have about your audience, the easier it will be for you and your team to connect with them, either in-person or via marketing campaigns. Also, include a list of your top competitors and why they are your competition. Identifying your competitors will help you and your employees see what the other brands are doing throughout the year and how to have the same or better standards and marketing efforts.

    Design Elements

    The design of your brand is important when implementing any marketing strategy. This is where your customers visually understand who you are. You will want to explain all your design elements within your brand guideline document, so your brand looks cohesive on every marketing strategy that you implement. Essentially, your brand guidelines will have a style guideline within it. A style guide is a set of standards that defines your company’s branding. Design elements to include in your style guidelines are the font, font size, typography, brand colors, image/video sizes, layouts, logos and any other information about designing. It is best to include examples of incorrect and correct uses of the design. Make sure every graphic designer and copywriter has a copy on-hand of your style guide because it will be vital to their success and the success of your advertising efforts.

    Tone of Voice

    Just like with your visual design elements, your tone of voice or copy standards must be clearly defined. Defining your tone will have an impact on all the written copy you use in everything you implement for your business like your website, social media, text messages, advertisements, customer service, emails and any other marketing effort. You will want to explain the type of voice your company portrays based on your target audience. Explain if your customers are more conservative, youthful, energetic, open-minded, etc. It is also good to include examples of instead of this, we say this and past work. You can also put copy information under your style guidelines.

    These are the basic tips to get your brand guidelines started. You can add more information like your brand identity, questions and answers and any other relevant information. Also, remember to update the guide every time you change or add anything to your brand and style guide. Creating an effective brand guide requires a team of experienced marketing and design professionals. Our team at Interactone has many years of experience creating compelling branding design material for high profile clients. For more information and help with your brand guidelines or any other marketing efforts, contact us today.

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    Best Places to Advertise Your Apparel Webstore

    Best Places to Advertise Your Apparel Webstore

    Apparel webstores do not have the same access to real-life customers nor a physical store location, like brick and mortar retailers. They do not have signs, flyers or physical people or clothing for customers to see. Everything is virtual. With a virtual store, you have to be a little more creative with your advertising. Here are the best places to advertise your apparel webstore.

    Email

    For most merchants this will be the first place you advertise your apparel store. You already have your customer contact info, so you don’t have “media” costs. In an email, you can include your products, promotions, company updates and any other relevant information.

    Padawan Series: Email Marketing Best Practices for Apparel & Accessories

     Recommended Extensions for Your Email Marketing

    Social Media

    Consumers spend about 2 hours and 24 minutes per day on social media with Facebook and Instagram being the top two platforms. Customers like seeing how garments look on people before purchasing. Facebook and Instagram target ads based on location, interests, recent searches and more. So Social Media is an increasingly effective way to reach your target market. You can also have many types of ads on both — display ads, video ads, lead ads, etc. You can also advertise on Pinterest with its new Shoppable pins.

    Social Media Tactics to Increase Traffic to Your Webstore

    Google Shoppable Ads

    Similar to Adwords, but shows more information than just copy. Customers can also see the price and an image of the product. This ad format also allows brands to highlight multiple products on a single ad unit that will appear at the top of Google Images. Perfect for showing a collection or complete outfit.

    Paid Advertising

    Many apparel companies utilize paid advertising like Ad Words and display ads for many websites. For Adwords your company will want to use profitable keywords and create great text ads. Display ads (aka banner ads) that are shown on many different websites and social media are effective for growing brand awareness

    Live/Virtual Events

    Advertising for your apparel webstore doesn’t just end on the internet. You can also advertise at live or virtual events. You can set up an in-person/virtual booth at different events that fall under your niche (beauty, sports, medical, religion, etc.) At your booth, you can have business cards, displays, catalogs, and even merchandise ready to be sold. Great opportunity to have a sheet to collect potential customers information like name, email and phone number.

    Complementary Brands 

    Your apparel webstore can create a partnership with complementary brands like beauty and sports to cross-promote. Find a company with a similar audience and products that pair well with apparel and accessory items.

    Creating effective digital marketing programs requires a team of experienced professionals implementing a data driven strategy.  Once created, digital marketing programs require consistent review and fine tuning in order to provide great results.  Our team has many years of experience creating,maintaining and optimizing digital marketing campaigns that power growth for our clients.  Contact us to learn more and speak with our solution experts.

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    Magento Enhancements, SEO Checklist, Nano Influencers in the September Orange Report

    Magento Enhancements, SEO Checklist, Nano Influencers in the September Orange Report

    September 2020 ORANGE REPORT

    For this month’s Orange Report, we’re sharing a few of our best and most recent blogs that speak on all things Magento, eCommerce, and Digital Marketing. Like always, we encourage everyone using Magento to make the most of its functionalities by incorporating the very best Magento extensions and news.

    SIGN UP FOR THE ORANGE REPORT

    Everything you need to know about eCommerce, digital marketing, and Magento.

    SEO Checklist: What to Fix to Drive Sales

    There are three types of SEO categories companies must focus on: technical, on-page and external. Follow the steps in this checklist to improve these segments and  you’ll be on your way to improved SEO, better search rankings and more traffic to your site.

    NEWS: Announcing New Enhancements from Magento

    Magento has added many new enhancements to their platform. Keep reading to learn all about what’s new, how it can benefit your eCommerce business.

    Padawan Series: Image Search Engine Optimization 101

    The journey to maximizing the visibility of your images across platforms – and using that visibility to boost traffic to your website – begins with some proper SEO and image optimization

    The Rise & Power of Nano Influencers

    Nano Influencers have increased in popularity for brand collaboration because they are affordable and easier to work with. Here’s what to know and how to get started.
    The 8 Types of Emails You Must Be Sending Your Customers

    The 8 Types of Emails You Must Be Sending Your Customers

    As an apparel related eCommerce merchant, one of the main ways you will communicate to customers about sales, discounts, product launches and other relevant information is through email. And, you will want to send specific types of emails to invoke different actions. Here are 8 types of emails your apparel and accessories webstore should send out.

    Welcome Emails

    This should be the very first email a new subscriber gets from your company. It should make them feel welcome, set the right expectations, thank them for subscribing and introduce them to your brand. You can also add a special offer or discount for the first purchase. This can be implemented as a welcome email series if you want to further explain your brand.

    Newsletters

    These are the most popular emails to send out with 83% of businesses sending them out. Newsletters are usually sent out following a schedule and include links to blogs, events, webinars and company news or updates. Content needs to be relevant and valuable to your audience. Newsletters are a great way to build your brand and share your company ethos.

    Schuler Shoes has a simple yet efficient newsletter that talks about any news, discounts or special projects:

    Browse Abandonment Emails

    Abandonment emails do not just end at the cart. Instead, you can also send out browse abandonment emails. Browse abandonment emails are emails that target subscribers who viewed a particular product on your webstore but never added it to their cart or make a purchase. Before sending out these emails, customers need to be logged into their account, so that the system can track their actions or a cookie can drop on their computer while shopping. From there, you or your marketing agency can narrow it down to the subscribers that abandoned their browsing. Just like cart abandonment emails, these browse abandonment emails are a reminder that can spark customers’ interest. A recent study from Klaviyo shows that out of the 1000 browse abandonment emails sent to one million users it had a 52% open rate, 10% click-through rate and $1.35 average revenue per recipient. Email marketing experts suggest sending out two browse abandonment emails — the first one sent two hours after the customer views the product, and the second one sent 24 hours of viewing the product.

    Cart Abandonment Emails

    As an apparel webstore, you may get many customers who leave items in a cart. Remind your customers of their cart by sending a cart abandonment email. It shouldn’t be too long and should showcase at least one of the items in the cart and have a clear call to action. Some companies also include a discount to further entice customers to finish the purchase, but be careful not to “train” customers to expect a discount. For more information on how to utilize cart abandonment emails, check out our recent guide.

    Lead Nurturing Emails

    These are a series of emails sent out over several days to convert leads into customers. They are sent out automatically and have useful or helpful information. These emails provide engagement as well with up to an 8% click-through rate.

    Transactional Emails

    These emails include purchase receipts and order confirmations. Transactional emails have 8 times the open and click-through rate compared to other emails. Use these emails to their maximum potential by personalizing content or adding product recommendations.

    Milestones

    Companies send out milestone emails for special occasions like birthdays, subscriber anniversaries and the webstore’s anniversary. Many customers enjoy these milestone emails. Birthday emails have a 481% higher transaction when compared to promotional emails. Milestone emails usually include unique discounts, dollar-off deals or events to celebrate and to boost your open and click-through rates. Using a customer’s personal milestones as a reason to re-engage with them is a no-brainer.

    Surveys

    These emails allow customers to interact and give their opinions about the brand, the products, customer service, etc. Surveys will help your brand in areas that need improvement. You can send these emails automatically after a customer makes a purchase and can include personalization and discounts for filling it out.

    Upsell & Cross-sell Emails

    Target existing customers to shop other products on your apparel webstore. You can do this by creating emails that tailor item recommendations to customers’ shopping or browsing history, give them a few options to increase your chances of showing them something they want and show items of a similar price range from past purchases. To better understand how to upsell or cross-sell your products, check out this guide

    Seasonal and Promotion

    Seasonal or promotion heavy emails are the norm for many eCommerce businesses. Apparel and accessories webstores usually have emails for holidays or special promotions throughout their monthly campaigns.

    Ready to power up your email game, but need some help pulling the pieces together? We’re here to help – just shoot us a note.

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    How to Save Your Marketing Emails From the Spam Folder

    How to Save Your Marketing Emails From the Spam Folder

    You go to all this effort to create beautiful emails for your customers, with the hope that they will be opened and read, resulting in traffic and sales for your eCommerce website. 

    But the reality is 2% of eCommerce emails experience hard bounce rates, according to the email marketing service Mailchimp. A hard bounce is when an email address fails, which can happen if your email is caught by the spam filter. According to Statista, spam messages accounted for 53.95% of email traffic in March 2020. That’s more than half of all emails! 

    To avoid your emails suffering the fate of the spam folder, you need to be vigilant. Read on for our tips on how to keep your apparel web store emails out of your customers’ spam folders.

    Balance your content and limit use of risky words

    First of all, think about what you’re putting in your emails. Spam filters analyze the content of your emails, so you must do the same when you’re creating them. Overuse of sales words like “free”, “prize”, “bonus”, “buy” and “promo” can be a red flag, so use these words sparingly. The same goes for emojis—think of the actual spam your personal inbox is subject to. Emojis in subject lines can be cute for some brands, if that is consistent with their personality and messaging, but they are best used with caution.

    In the body of your emails, employ a balance of text and images, making sure to not feature too much of one or the other. This will also help keep the size of your emails smaller. And keep links to a minimum. When you do use them, ensure they go to reputable websites.

    Once you’ve fine-tuned your content there’s one more important step: proofreading. This is a good chance to check your punctuation, and yes, that means taking out any extra exclamation marks that may have snuck in when you or your copywriter were feeling extra excited about your new collection. Multiple exclamation marks and all-caps words are hallmarks of spam emails, so save yourself from spam by using proper grammar.

    Ensure your DNS records are correct

    You can write beautiful marketing copy and select great images, but your emails won’t get very far if your DNS records are incorrect. The DNS, or Domain Name System, translates website domain names to IP addresses so that people’s browsers can load your emails properly.

    Two DNS records that you must ensure are correct are SPF, or Sender Policy Framework, and DKIM, or DomainKeys Identified Mail. If you have an incorrect SPF record, you may be triggered for additional email filtering, which means your emails could be sent to spam. You should also have correct Reverse DNS (also known as a PTR record), as without it, many Internet Service Providers will block your emails.

    Use a reliable email marketing service provider

    Email service providers can not only help you manage the laborious task of sending hundreds of emails at a time, but they can also help you to gain credibility with your customers and subscribers’ mailbox providers. Look for one that provides customizable templates, audience segmentation features and analytics, such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact and even CRM systems like Salesforce, so that you can assess what’s working and keep fine-tuning your emails.

    Popular services include Klaviyo, which offers powerful segmentation capabilities; Omnisend, which provides robust automation, and Rare.io, whose predictive software allows for smart email marketing. There are plenty more options out there, and the choices can seem overwhelming. Make sure to do your own internal research to figure out which email service provider is best for you and your audience.

    Ask new subscribers to whitelist your emails

    When you send a confirmation email to a new subscriber, ask them to add your “From” address to their address book, or contacts. This is a great, easy way to guarantee all of your future emails will get through to them, and not get caught in their spam filter. So it doesn’t hurt to ask!

    You can also help your brand gain the all-important trust of your subscribers by using a straightforward name for your email “From” field, and sticking with it. Names like “contact@”, “hi@”, “newsletter@” or “support@” all work well for the purpose of an email marketing list. You could get creative—Glossier uses “gteam@glossier”, and Reformation uses “love@reformation”. But considering big brands like Levi’s use the most simple “Levis@”, you really don’t need to get all conceptual. Less is more! You want to build trust, so be straightforward.

    Honor opt-out requests quickly

    People don’t just consider spam to be those malicious, emoji-filled phishing schemes. Sometimes people flag emails as spam even if they know the sender. It could be that they have already unsubscribed and are continuing to receive emails, or that they felt they were receiving too many emails in too short a time frame, or that they deemed the emails to be irrelevant.

    No one wants to feel harassed by a brand, and you certainly don’t want to create that feeling for your subscribers, so be mindful of best practices, and when you get opt-out requests, honor them as quickly as possible. Federal Trade Commission guidelines state that “You must honor a recipient’s opt-out request within 10 business days.” So if a subscriber opts out of your mailing list, it’s on you to ensure their request is honored as quickly as possible, within that time frame. And, of course, include hyperlinked text at the footer of your emails instructing your recipients how they can opt out in the first place.

    As you can see, when it comes to avoiding having your apparel eCommerce emails marked as spam, there are many things to consider. But most important of all is to respect your customers. Put our advice into action and stay on brand, and you’ll stay out of their spam folders. And if you need more guidance, get in touch with us to devise a smart email marketing plan for your brand. 

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    Padawan Series: Image Search Engine Optimization 101

    Padawan Series: Image Search Engine Optimization 101

    What’s the first thing that online shoppers look for when they find a physical product they’re interested in buying? More pictures, usually. More specifically, pictures featured on platforms like Google Images, Instagram, and Pinterest. 

    There’s no doubting that unique, quality images are integral to your web store. The challenge is getting your images in front of the eyes of potential customers when all of your competitors are trying to do the same thing. The aforementioned image-sharing platforms are often a tense battleground where hundreds of photos duke it out to be above the fold when users search for a product keyword.

    In that regard, the journey to maximizing the visibility of your images across platforms – and using that visibility to boost traffic to your website – begins with some proper SEO and image optimization:

    1. Compress to Conserve Data

    Google doesn’t like it when you waste users’ bandwidth – especially mobile users, who are often restricted by monthly data caps from their ISPs. Taking a large image and simply shrinking it down via HTML tags only changes the appearance of the image. The same unnecessarily large file is still loaded on users’ devices, it’s simply displayed smaller on their screens.

    That creates a couple of problems. For one, Google’s algorithm notices those oversized image files wasting data and dings your site for not being optimized. Secondly, larger files equal longer load times, which Google also penalizes. Having your website populated with unnecessarily large image files can even make it hang up or freeze on some users’ devices, hitting you with the third and final blow of an increased bounce rate.

    2. Create Relevant File Names

    It’s only a small bump in SEO friendliness, but every bump counts. Edit the image file names on your server to something unique and relevant. For example, you might name an image of an aftermarket chrome car wheel something like “20_inch_mag_wheel_chrome.jpg” instead of the random string of characters that it’s named by default.

    Those relevant keywords in the file name give search engines another opportunity to properly categorize and rank your images. Furthermore, it makes them more user-friendly: users who open your images in new browser tabs or download them will be met with a nice, descriptive file name.

    3. Write Unique and Descriptive ALT Tags

    ALT tags give you yet another opportunity to sprinkle your images with some SEO- and user-friendliness. Essentially, the whole purpose of an ALT tag is to describe the content of an image for algorithms as well as visually-impaired users. Make sure all of your images have brief, relevant ALT tags peppered with some of the keywords your page is targeting.

    4. Surround the Images with Relevant Text

    Of course, in the end it all comes down to content. No amount of optimization will propel your site and web images to the top of search results if the written content isn’t unique, relevant, and well-executed.

    When it comes to images, the page text will further help search algorithms categorize and rank you by subject and quality. For example, an image of a chrome wheel could appear on an automotive aftermarket web store, a bicycle shop, a page offering Google Chrome icon packs, etc. It’s the text on the page in the vicinity of the image – most notably the caption – that tells algorithms what they’re looking at.

    Conclusion

    Once you get all of your web images compressed, optimized, and placed correctly for SEO purposes, you’ll have a solid foundation from which to build platform-specific image marketing strategies. Create unique, high-quality images, tag and market them effectively on Google and social media, then you’ll really have a leg up on your competitors’ stores when shoppers go browsing on their favorite image platforms for some shopping inspiration. Reach out to us today and let’s discuss how to make this magic happen on your own eCommerce site.

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    Amplify Your Automotive eCommerce Store With a User-Driven Community

    Amplify Your Automotive eCommerce Store With a User-Driven Community

    Increase Your Sales, Customer Retention, SEO, and Brand Loyalty with On-Site Social Platforming.

    Bringing shoppers through the virtual doors of your automotive web store is one thing; turning your traffic into paying, repeat customers is far more than half the battle.

    Creating an actively engaged community within and around your web store ensures that you have a steady base of users signing on to browse your products month after month. More importantly, an active digital community holistically optimizes your website for eCommerce by improving your brand authority, customer loyalty, SEO, and social networking outreach.

    The Importance of User Engagment 

    In the world of eCommerce, increased user engagement translates to increased sales conversions. Essentially, every second that a user spends browsing your website is another opportunity to convert them into a paying customer.

    Populate your site with unique content to engage with, integrate some social media features so users can socialize while they browse, then sit back and watch your time-on-site stats climb.

    Just as important as the increase in average user on-site time are, the branding benefits you’ll enjoy when you integrate engaging content with social platforming. Quality content makes your site an authority figure on a given automotive niche, while social platforming makes your store the virtual garage in which all your gearhead customers hang out and talk shop.

    Establishing a Dialogue with Your Shoppers

    Content is meant to be commented on, and social platforming was intended to be a two-way street. 

    Take an active role in responding to user comments, questions, and reviews. When users write comments on your blogs and social media posts, jump into the conversation. When they post pictures of their cars and components, comment back and compliment their rides. Doing so personifies your store as an active member of the car enthusiast community, which will do wonders for your branding efforts.

    Most importantly, when users post product questions or unsatisfactory reviews, respond professionally with an informative post that addresses all of their concerns. If one user has a product question or negative experience, chances are that other users are concerned with the same issues.

    Public comments from your store not only address the specific shopper you’re responding to, they address the unwritten concerns of every shopper who lands on that product page.

    How to Build a Community Around Your Automotive Aftermarket Shop

    • Comments and Commentary Everywhere 

    Bring your product pages to life with prominent sections for user comments, product questions, and reviews. You want to separate yourself from the myriad of aftermarket shops that feature generic car parts with only a spec listing and stock photo.

    Your product pages will become authoritative, with written posts addressing the most common product questions and concerns. All of that quality content will be supplemented by an abundance of user-generated content related to the product.

    Google will reward your efforts with improved SEO rankings. Shoppers who land on the page will be more likely to stay on-site and convert into sales.

    • Create a Blog and Integrate It

    A site blog can be the centerpiece of your brand and webstore. It’s a hub where all of the best content you post across the web is aggregated. For your shoppers, it’s the water cooler they gather around whenever they sign on to shop for car parts.

    An effective eCommerce blog will have a mix of content. Tech articles related to the automotive niches you serve are a great way to showcase your products while adding to your on-site SEO. Insider updates about your shop are a great way to establish a more personal connection between your brand and customers.

    Recurring content series such as a shop project car, real-world automotive event coverage, or a product comparison series are all great ways to keep your shoppers tuning back in.

    • Tune Your Shoppers in on YouTube 

    YouTube is an especially useful marketing tool when it comes to automotive aftermarket retailers. Whether you’re selling ceramic wax spray or performance exhaust headers, shoppers want to see (and often hear) their aftermarket accessories in action, ideally showcased on the same make and model of vehicle that they drive.

    Whether you build a full-blown channel to make your automotive shop famous or you simply use YouTube as a glorified hosting platform, it’s an invaluable tool for creating product videos to showcase on your blog and landing pages. After all, 72% of shoppers prefer learning about products through videos as opposed to written content.

    • Use Social Media as a Megaphone 

    Cross-post your content to all of your social media channels. A steady stream of posts will significantly increase your social media outreach over time, and every post is essentially free advertising for your store. Additionally, every social media post is an opportunity to interact with your shoppers in the comment threads. Doing so consistently will further improve your brand awareness and authority.

    • Engage and Interact 

    As mentioned above, meaningful customer engagement and interaction are paramount. From the little questions that shoppers post on low-traffic product pages to the headline content you showcase on your blog and social media pages, be pervasive with your user engagement. Treat every comment or reply that you write like a unique piece of professional content capable of adding to your overall branding and marketing strategy – because it is.

    Conclusion

    Creating a user-driven community around your website won’t happen over night. You have to integrate the framework into your overall content strategy, then grow your on-site community over time alongside your blog and social media channels.

    However, once you do have a vital community integrated around your web store, you’ll have a long-term sustainable platform to amp up your marketing ROI. You’ll also have a reliable customer base clicking through your content (and checkout lanes) every day.

    Of course, if you ever need help turbocharging any stage of the automotive eCommerce process, get in touch with InteractOne and let’s talk shop.

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