6 Tips to Increase Sales in Your German E-Commerce Business
With consumer habits in Germany shifting to online stores since COVID-19, many entrepreneurs have started to build a business in the German market. However, entrepreneurs feel the shortcomings of the marketing sector in Germany seriously.
If you have come this far, it is probably because you have already taken the initiative to sell through your own German online store and you are looking for all the alternatives to make your sales take off. Undoubtedly, increasing sales is the priority of any e-commerce and any business in general.
Richard Cobbie, digital marketing consultant at Intseo Media, talked about strategies that German e-commerce websites can implement to increase their traffic during a workshop for digital marketing enthusiasts in Munich, Germany. There are many advanced strategies to increase e-commerce sales, each one will depend on your German business and your company's goals.
Let's move on to the strategies Richard talked about in his training for digital marketers:
1. Take advantage of Social Networks
Take advantage of social networks to generate traffic, so that all your actions end in a purchase on your website. In Germany, just over 60 million people use social networks, of which 93% use Facebook and 60% use Instagram, according to a study by Deumarkt for 2021.
Considering the great popularity of social networks, it is time to use them to sell more, because if you do not know it yet, both networks have the option of creating a "Store". The Facebook or Instagram store is a space that you can add to your fan page (Facebook for Business) and in which you can show your products, descriptions, prices, and collections and the most important thing is that you can direct visitors to complete the purchase within your online store.
The challenge will be to transform potential customers into real customers, improving the journey from the moment a person sees a product until he/she decides to buy it. That is why it is so important to capture the attention of your followers in different platforms to finally invite them to make a purchase in your e-commerce.
2. Offer as many payment options as possible
Currently, Germans prefer digital payment methods and have many alternatives in the market and, faced with so many options, they are accustomed to using the ones that suit them best.
Facilitating a potential customer to be attracted by a product in your e-commerce and providing the payment method of their choice is important to encourage them to finalize the purchase, if you do not have the payment method they are looking for, be certain that they will probably go with the competition.
Credit cards, debit cards, bank transfers, QR codes, and cash payments are the most used in the German market.
Implementing several payment methods in your online store is an excellent way to increase your profits since you won't stop a sale because you don't have the ideal payment method for a buyer.
3. Create a sense of urgency
Many consumers respond positively to different promotions that create a sense of urgency: limited-time discounts, limited editions, seasonal offers or countdown, are some of the most effective methods to encourage purchase in a short period of time.
Remember to give veracity to the promotions, so define how long they will be available and withdraw the offer when that date ends, otherwise, your brand will lose seriousness and people will lose confidence in your next promotions.
4. SEO Optimization
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the optimization in search engines, that is, it is a set of techniques and tools to position your website, in simpler terms, is to make your website or landing page appear first in Google when people search about what you sell or related products.
SEO can generate up to 30% of traffic to an online store, which is why it is so important to work on it and dedicate time to it.
There are rules that you should consider to improve your ranking in internet searches. For example, Google and Facebook prioritize video content over text and images. Therefore, having more video content in your online stores, such as product tutorials and other engaging videos, can generate a higher impact on your website.
Likewise, Google also values long-form content over short or non-descriptive information. Diverse content about your products can help you rank better online. This content can include product titles, item descriptions, reviews, value content, etc.
If you do not have experience in SEO, hiring a reliable and expert German SEO Agency will be one of the best investments you can make for your business.
5. Show customer testimonials
Customer reviews are really important, a testimonial from a real and satisfied customer with your product or service is a very valuable weapon to build trust.
Testimonials from satisfied customers are considered as an influential factor to encourage undecided people to buy. So keep two main objectives in mind: The first is to invite people to comment on their experience with your brand and the second is to showcase the most effusive testimonials and outstanding reviews.
Including these trust signals can be an excellent way to increase sales in your online store, also publish them within your website, whether they are on the home page, pricing page or product page, this creates a positive perception of your brand in the consumer's mind.
6. Larger and better quality images
Large, high-quality images can increase sales by up to 9%, according to research by Visual Website Optimizer. A person who intends to buy through the Internet, and specifically through an online store, go through a completely different experience than someone who visits your store, the main barrier of e-commerce is that the potential customer can not touch or try the product.
High-quality images, well illuminated, shown from several angles, and where the details can be appreciated, will provide a more accurate idea of what the physical product looks like.
Given the importance of appearance in relation to how we perceive things, it stands to reason that investing in quality product photography will have a positive effect on sales.