E-commerce marketing is a complex system with many interdependent parts. Make one wrong adjustment and the whole thing stops working.
It may sound daunting, but if you have a solid system in place — and multiple marketing channels attracting new customers — you’ll see more traffic, higher conversion rates, and repeat buyers who represent your unofficial sales.
Here, you’ll learn how to build a resilient eCommerce marketing foundation, complete with lead generation and customer conversion strategies and examples.
Contents
What is e-commerce marketing?
Let’s start first E-commercewhich is somewhat of a fancy term for buying and selling items online—whether it’s air balloons on Etsy (let me know if you’re in the market. I have a lot) or a full-fledged Shopify store.
So at its most basic level, E-Commerce Marketing There is a mix of paid and unpaid (aka organic) strategies that attract, convert and retain shoppers to your online store. Let’s unpack:
- Attract: Want to attract you right Buyers demand things like SEO, content, social, influencer, partnerships and advertising.
- changed: You want to change them Effectively. This is where product pages, site speed, special offers, and checkout improvements come in.
- Maintain: You want users to return Profitable. Email, SMS, loyalty programs, subscriptions, and community building can help with this.
And as a bonus, you also…
- Make it better: Use data, testing and tracking to make sure you’re spending your time and money where it works best.
The key here is to recognize that the aforementioned channels do not operate in a vacuum. They create a system where every channel works in concert to create success.
Consider it your very own crash course in e-commerce marketing. Now, let’s continue to unpack each of the above strategies.
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How to Create a Marketing-Based E-Commerce Website
Before doing anything, you need to make sure that your e-commerce website is in order. Consider this your headquarters. You need to start here because the success of all our other endeavors depends on it.
Here’s your quick e-commerce site checklist:
- Website ux: This is your digital storefront, so shopping here needs to be as easy and enjoyable as scrolling on Tektok. Make sure it’s mobile friendly, fast loading, and super easy to navigate.
- Product pages: These are your digital sales pawns, so arm them with the right balance of information and education to close the deal. Use clear images, benefits-based product descriptions, and plenty of social proof. Don’t try to hide return policies. Be transparent!
- Analytics setup: You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Make sure GA4, your AD pixels, and conversion tracking are set up correctly so you know the result of every click. This will help you learn what is working and what could be improved.
- Email/Lead Capture: Not everyone buys on the first visit. Capturing email addresses is very important. Use popups, forms, or offers to grow your list and keep the conversation going. A simple welcome email can turn browsers into buyers (and future repeat customers).
A simple popup Like that Your lead generation efforts will get a big lift with an attractive offer.
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E-Commerce Marketing Strategies (with Examples)
Now that your website is set up, it’s time to start driving traffic to it. E-commerce marketing channels and strategies for it are:
SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is how you make sure shoppers can find your store when they search online for what you have to offer (not just your business name!). To do this, make sure:
Pet Supplies E-Commerce Store Published by Chevy A bunch of what kind of content on his website. So when someone searches for “how to choose the perfect dog crate,” they will be introduced to the Chevy brand.
Chevy There is plenty of guide buying
PPC
Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing allows you to pay to be exposed to people who are actively searching for a product or solution. Done, qualified is a great way to get traffic fast.
There are many types of PPC campaigns. Try these for starters:
- Google Shopping Ads: This is great for high intent buyers. Use our guide to Google Shopping campaigns for tips and best practices.
- Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram): Ideal for visual storytelling and retrieval (which we’ll cover in a bit). Learn more about Facebook eCommerce here.
- Tactic Ads: TechTalk has become an important channel for product discovery. Get in front of that engaged audience with this quick start guide to TechTalk ads.
Marketplace Marketing
Online marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, and Walmart.com let you tap into large audiences that are already in a buying mood.
How does this marketplace marketing fit with your e-commerce? Think of your website as your stand-alone shop. You own it, design it, and decide what’s inside.
Markets, on the other hand, are like renting a booth in a busy mall. You get access to a lot of traffic and visibility. However, you have to play by their rules, and they maintain customer lists, so building brand awareness and loyalty is difficult.
Still, it can be a great option for you if you want to get your product in front of a new audience quickly or are testing what sells before investing in larger campaigns. Here are some common markets to consider:
- Amazon: The world’s largest online marketplace offers great exposure but is highly competitive (and sometimes controversial).
- Etsy: A great Amazon alternative that’s ideal for handmade, creative, or niche products. Browse our Etsy selling guide here.
- Walmart Marketplace: Offers a huge reach and increased online traffic, but like Amazon, you’ll be competing against many other sellers.
- eBay: Still very strong for original collectibles, refurbished goods and niche items.
- Facebook (Meta) Shops: Let you sell directly through your social profiles and ads.
- Techtalk Shop: Social combines discovery with instant shopping and is a rising star for trend-driven products.
My soon-to-be arch-nemesis (if I ever get my Etsy shell shop off the ground).
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing taps into the trust that trusted and trusted individuals have already built with their audience. It’s word of mouth at scale. Here are some best practices for best results:
- Partnering with micro-influencers (they have smaller audiences but higher engagement).
- Give them enough freedom to work on their own. Authentic messaging wins every time.
- Track your influencer marketing results with affiliate links, codes, or UTM parameters.
- Reuse high-performing influencer content in your ads and emails.
Social media marketing
Social media marketing builds awareness and engagement through the platforms and channels your customers already use every day. It’s a great place to showcase your brand personality and gain pre-sale confidence. As with any form of social media marketing for business, focus on:
- Post consistently with content that educates, entertains, or inspires.
- Mixing in behind-the-scenes content, customer stories and user-generated content.
- Engage in comments—social media is a two-way conversation!
- Use analytics to see which content actually drives clicks and conversions.
If you want a little inspiration, scroll through Olepop’s Instagram feed.
Olipop Good at mixing entertainment with education.
How to Boost Your Ecommerce Marketing Conversion Rate
So you’ve built your e-commerce site and it’s got steady traffic coming in… amazing! The work is not done yet. Now you need to make sure the experience is optimized to convert the experience into conversions and repeat business. Let’s dive into what it looks like to increase e-commerce sales online.
- Email Marketing and Automation: Send abandoned cart reminders (this is a big one!), post-purchase thank yous, and product recommendations. A weekly digest with recommendations and trends can work here, but be sure to separate your lists by behavior (for example, new vs. repeat users).
- To retrieve: You may already be using PPC to generate traffic to your site. Retargeting is a type of PPC that uses social or display advertising to get people who have already visited your site to return. Use incentives like discounts and free shipping to encourage action.
- Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): Test different layouts, CTA phrases, button colors, module placement, and checkout flows on your site. Our CTA examples can inspire you with elements like instant and social proof.
- Customer Loyalty: Acquiring new customers is expensive! Focus on retaining existing customers with loyalty programs, personalized recommendations, post-purchase emails, solicit reviews, and excellent customer service. You can find some great tips in this guide to personalize the eCommerce customer journey.
Blend 6 Referrally Uses the classic loyalty strategy of offering a discount after a certain number of visits.
How to Measure E-Commerce Marketing Success
So we have drawn, changed and maintained the piece. Now is the time to improve your results. As I mentioned earlier, it’s all about using a data-driven approach. Here’s a solid base to start measuring e-commerce marketing success:
- Track key metrics: Focus on conversion rate, average order value, customer acquisition cost, and lifetime value. You can track additional KPIs such as cart abandonment rates and branded search impressions.
- Follow the attribution: Tracking attributes tell you where a particular action took place and where a user came from. For example, if someone clicks on your Facebook ad and makes a purchase, you’ll attribute that sale to your Facebook ad. Most of the time, buyers have a zigzag path to purchase, so you’ll want to use a multi-touch attribution model to get a complete picture of their buying journey.
- Set the benchmark: To know how you’re progressing against your ecommerce growth goals, you need to know where you started. Determining a benchmark, such as your current AD click-through rate or website conversion rate, gives you a starting line. You can also benchmark against other businesses in your industry.
Get started with e-commerce marketing
Yes, e-commerce can be a complex web of interconnected strategies. But it is also essential for business growth.
The best advice is to start simple. Choose a couple of marketing channels, test a few, keep the best, and replace the rest with other tactics.
Contact us if you want to quickly scale your eCommerce marketing results. We’ll show you how our marketing solutions can help you run all your channels efficiently and deliver new customers consistently.