How eCommerce Marketing Can Cope With Delivery Slowdowns
Learn how eCommerce marketing can battle the slowdowns USPS and other delivery companies are facing, which are impacting companies both large and small. For years, the rise in electronic document delivery and digital marketing have reduced the volume of some kinds of mail. Neither people nor businesses send as many letters or ads through the post office as they used to. At the same time, an increase in eCommerce marketing has spurred the growth of package deliveries, so that somewhat offset the decline in USPS first-class mail and postcards. Even so, the COVID-19 pandemic has made delivery times longer and more uncertain. Along with extra hygiene and social delivery measures, the recent removal of sorting machines and reduction in overtime hours may have exacerbated the problem. Meanwhile, some online retailers have struggled to keep customers satisfied. Find out how a product marketing agency might adjust their eCommerce marketing to help maintain customer loyalty and good will. How postal slowdowns have impacted eCommerce marketing According to MarketWatch, even the largest online retailers have struggled with postal problems. Naturally, these problems have also impacted smaller businesses. For a couple of examples: Netflix: Netflix still mails out DVDs to customers who request them. According to a spokesman, they have suffered some shipping, which hurts their reputation for quick ordering, processing, and mailing. Amazon: Amazon delivery times have become unpredictable, even for the same delivery areas. The CEO of Products on the Go, an Amazon seller, said that her business has suffered because customers have canceled orders and filed complaints over packages that did not get delivered on time. Besides slowdowns impacting deliveries to customers, many companies also have to struggle with another issue. CNBC reported that some companies have had sourcing problems, as they also need inventory, supplies, and equipment shipped to them. They said the combination of problems could even threaten to put some online sellers out of business. How direct to consumer advertising can help businesses cope with slowdowns As quoted in the MarketWatch article cited above, the CEO of Products on the Go, Sharon Buchalter, said that they relied upon the Amazon network of delivery vans and postal contracts to ship orders. Because she could not control delivery times, she felt there was nothing she could do to solve the problem. From the perspective of a consumer marketing agency, businesses might not have the power to speed up the mail. On the other hand, good direct to consumer advertising and marketing can help manage expectations and improve the customer experience. Consider taking these two steps to help maintain good will with customers. Increase social media presence Consumers get online to share experiences and contact businesses. Smart eCommerce marketing should include participating and even controlling this conversation. These days, everybody knows the pandemic has caused problems for many companies, so businesses that communicate well can help reassure their customers. Taking a couple of simple steps on social media can help build and maintain good relationships: Promptly and cheerfully respond to social media messages of comments. Monitor social media for brand or business mentions. A couple of popular examples include HootSuite and Sprout Social. As much as possible, inform customers about any unusual disruptions that might impact their experience. Even more, talk about positive steps that the business has taken to protect customers and employees during this time. Make sure to promote the social media page on other internet properties, such as the business website and sales pages on other eCommerce sites. Let individual customers know about delays and try to make up for them Of course, all businesses and customers would prefer to have orders delivered when originally promised. If that can’t always happen, sellers can use their tracking information to anticipate delays before customers raise concerns. These simple suggestions should help: Taking the proactive step of sending an email to let customers know their shipment might not arrive on time should keep reasonable people from getting upset. Some companies might also consider sending along a discount code for the next order as a sign that they appreciate the customer’s patience, even if the seller did not cause and could not control the delay. Of course, prudent businesses might also add a note to their sales pages to let customers know that they might experience some delays because of the coronavirus. Keep anticipating slowdowns and looking for solutions Delivery problems might not impact all online sellers the same. For instance, a Florida advertising agency may not have clients with exactly the same issues as a New York agency. In other cases, the selling platform, the type of product, or even the size or kind of packages may make a difference. That’s part of the reason that companies may find delivery times so unpredictable these days. Also, just as the pandemic hasn’t completely resolved itself, it may take time for the USPS and other delivery companies to return to normal. Businesses may search for alternative shipping, sourcing, and delivery methods to help cope. Mostly, eCommerce marketing needs to prioritize keeping customers in the loop. They may have concerns when a shipment doesn’t arrive on time; however, good customers will typically understand the situation if they feel valued and communicated with.
10 Amazon Algorithm Hacks to Accelerate eCommerce Marketing
Amazon’s algorithm cares about relevance, conversions, and customer experience. Here’s how to boost your eCommerce marketing to get Amazon pages right. Even before the coronavirus outbreak, TechCrunch announced that Amazon had already taken over about half of the entire eCommerce market. During the outbreak, eCommerce spiked. Larger and recognizable online brands gained the lion’s share of that boom, so it’s easy to imagine that Amazon has retained or even increased its position as a market leader. If, like so many others, you’ve decided that joining Amazon is a lot easier than trying to beat them, make sure you employ the best tactics to gain as much visibility and as many sales as possible. Begin by understanding how the algorithm works and the Amazon marketing hacks you can use to benefit from that knowledge. Ten Amazon marketing hacks to help ensure your products gain exposure Actually, Amazon only has three core ranking factors. They based these upon their intimate knowledge of what it takes to sell well on their platform. Improving these will help you gain more visibility and earn higher revenues: Conversion rates: Higher total sales and higher sales per visit can help win favor from the Amazon algorithm. Of course, more sales and profits benefits you as well. Relevancy: Amazon needs to see product pages as relevant to searches and also-bought and also-viewed suggestion boxes. People who want what you’re offering will be able to find you, further increasing your chance of making sales. Retention and customer experience: Having repeat customers, a good number of mostly favorable reviews, and a low defect rate can help you find favor with Amazon’s ranking scheme. They’re signs that you’re satisfying first-time buyers well enough to turn them into loyal customers. Of course, most businesses set eCommerce marketing goals that will help them attract and retain customers. To use Amazon marketing services to meet these goals, consider these ten tested tips: Optimize product listings: Clear images, engaging, informative text, and a completed product page can keep customers on the page longer. They’re more likely to consider you credible enough to buy from. Bounce rate, time spent on page, and of course, sales all factor into the algorithm. Encourage social interactions: Make sure customer questions get answered and try to encourage reviews. You should never pay for reviews, but you’re certainly free to ask for them. Having more social interaction also gives you user generated content that can feed Amazon’s algorithm and even help you rank well in other search engines. Price right: Amazon makes it incredibly easy for shoppers to compare prices. You need to make certain you’re either competing on price or making it clear why some aspect of your product makes it worth more than seemingly similar products that cost less. Craft good titles: Optimize your product title by including search terms and product and brand names. You should strive to maximize both clarity and relevance. Your title needs to encourage buyers to click while also letting the search engine understand the nature of your product. List product features: If you list your product features with bullet points and additional search terms, you’ll make it both user- and search-friendly. A list makes it easier for buyers to quickly figure out if your product meets their needs. Fill in the specification section: Amazon provides this section for such important information as size, weight, and color. Completing it provides customers with information in a fairly standardized form that they’re used to. It also shows Amazon that you’re diligent. Carefully consider categories and subcategories: Some people browse by category and subcategory. By choosing the right ones, you’ll have a better chance to get found both by searchers and browsers. Spend time choosing search terms: You can find some research tools that will help you uncover the types of search terms that shoppers may use to find products like yours. Avoid frivolous or subjective terms while including as many potentially relevant terms as possible. Provide excellent customer service: While Amazon cares about sales and conversions, they also care about returning customers. Your attention to quality, prompt shipping, and other aspects of customer service should help you enjoy better reviews, repeat customers, and a better rank. Become an Amazon Prime seller: Amazon Prime members now outnumber non-Prime shoppers on the site. Naturally, they give more exposure to Prime sellers. You need to apply and in some cases, work your way up to getting accepted into the program as a third-party seller. Why spend time on your Amazon product listings? While Amazon has plenty of shoppers, it also attracts fierce competition. It might seem like you need to spend a lot of time in your product page to get it right. Many sellers invest in an eCommerce marketing agency to help them get started. After all, a well-crafted product page can complement your excellent service and high-quality products to keep producing sales for years in the future. As you work to improve the way that Amazon’s algorithm views your pages, you will also improve your chances to sell more products and grow your business.