Shift4Shop eCommerce Blog | eCommerce Marketing (7)

Since their launch in 2010, Google Shopping Ads have steadily become an important part of successful eCommerce marketing. These ads have consistently proven themselves to be more effective than traditional PPC Google text ads, and businesses of all sizes are taking note. In the first quarter of 2018, 76.4% of retail search ad spending was directed to Google Shopping Ads.

Over the last several years, Google Shopping Ads have evolved into a profitable marketing channel for many businesses.[...]

Google any product these days, and roughly 80% of your mobile screen will feature sponsored results. While text-based ads comprise a lot of this space, it’s Google Shopping ads, with their captivating images and price information, that are drawing the eyes and attention of most search users.

In the most basic and straightforward way to describe it; affiliate marketing is the name given to having your own band of loyal promoters.

What’s the conversion rate of your shop? Around 2%? That’s more than likely, and it’s not a bad result. If you report higher rates, then good for you! However, if you report lower rates, maybe you should look into this issue.

Kickstarter campaigns are becoming the norm for new products sold online. People love contributing to and sharing these campaigns to their friends, family, and social media followers. There is something about helping-the-little-guy that compels people to spread the word; to do their part to gain awareness of a new idea. But, what happens after the Kickstarter has ended and the intrinsic coolness and newness of your product wears off?  You need to be proactive to continue getting your product[...]

Affiliate marketing is a powerful sales channel that when implemented correctly, can drastically boost sales for your eCommerce business. If you’re not familiar with affiliate marketing, it’s a type of performance-based marketing where other websites will advertise your store. In return, you’ll reward affiliates with a percentage of every sale they send your way.

If you’re running an online store, odds are you’ve encountered discussions and articles about the impact great content marketing can have on your business. And as a business owner, it’s your responsibility to use every available resource to boost traffic to your site. But what if you’re not a savvy writer? How do you craft quality, interesting content that visitors will share and link to?

The welcome email, typically triggered upon joining a mailing list, is one of the most important emails a customer will receive during the course of their relationship with a business. As the crown jewel of any retailer’s email marketing effort, the welcome email sets the tone for the type of relationship a business hopes to build with its customers, and can serve to aid or hinder a brand’s image.

Whether a welcome message is presented in a magazine style ad or more of a hero image[...]

SEO (search engine optimization) is the driving force behind a business’s growth and customer acquisition, and as such, is the single most important factor to affect an online store’s long-term success. Businesses that adopt and implement a well-strategized SEO plan consistently benefit from a massive increase in visibility and sales, regardless of previous notoriety.

With the power of the internet, small businesses can spend less on marketing while simultaneously gaining more, using valuable resources to fight larger counterparts head-on with formidable marketing campaigns. It’s important to keep in mind; however, that online marketing comes with its fair share of budget constraints. Nonetheless, compared to the days of yore, the funds required to dish out advertisements on traditional marketing channels is significantly larger than similar internet[...]

Online marking is an essential component of eCommerce that plays a critical role in the success of any business. Consumers use the internet for everything – what to do, where to go, what to buy and more. In fact, studies by marketing research groups such as Garner show that an increasing number of consumers use social media and internet searches to carry out preliminary research on products and prices before ever making a purchase.

Every eCommerce business owner asks the same question:

“How can I drive more traffic and sales to my store?”

We have yet to meet an online retailer who wants to convert LESS.  But if somehow that is you, then you can skip this blog post.

However, if you are looking for tangible ways to boost sales, here are three action items to kickstart your quest for conversions today.

In the world of eCommerce, gaining customer trust is vital. When first coming across your store, customers immediately gauge the trustworthiness of your site & your brand to decide whether they feel comfortable purchasing from you.

The Internet is buzzing with the news of Google’s newest shopping initiative - the buy button. But what actually is the Google buy button & how will it affect your store?

If you are running an ecommerce business and trying to build authority, the best way to design an effective strategy is to take a close look at the competition. What keywords are they targeting? How are they building quality links? And perhaps most importantly: how can you use that information to your advantage?

Creating unique and engaging content is a great first step in building your online authority and driving traffic to your website. While this approach to inbound marketing will help you build a solid foundation that will continue to yield results, an ideal strategy will utilize a variety of other promotional tools so that you are reaching as wide an audience as possible and keeping content fresh. Many companies tend to shy away from running promotions because they typically involve offering a[...]

One of the best internet marketing investments you can make is ensuring that your online store inventory is properly setup, optimized and monitored to be added to the most searched website worldwide, Google Shopping. The challenge is that it is difficult for you to run all of the aspects of your business as well as make sure that your Product Listing Ads on the Google Shopping network are accessible to the consumers searching for them.

We know the time and effort it takes to set-up, optimize[...]