Month: March 2022

  • Key Pointers to Stay Competitive for a sustained growth for your D2C

    Key Pointers to Stay Competitive for a sustained growth for your D2C

    Many brands are also developing direct-to-consumer and branded e-commerce strategies in addition to Amazon, Flipkart, and Nykaa. Ecommerce sites like Amazon, Flip cart, and Nykaa invest huge sums in attracting, converting, and retaining their online shoppers, making it possible to shop online around the world.

    Online shoppers in India are increasing day by day, study shows that Online shoppers are expected to reach 220 million by 2022.

    • It was reported that Flipkart had revenue of approximately 433 billion Indian Rupee in 2021 and Nykaa expects to reach 23 billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2022.
    • The study also shows that Amazon is the biggest eCommerce company globally, accounting for 38% of US online sales alone.

    Having an e-commerce store that can stay competitive against these statistics isn’t easy.

    It is estimated that India will have 900 million internet users by 2025, To be successful, you don’t have to beat Amazon or Flipkart, or Nykaa. To succeed, it needs to find its own segment of the market and master it.

    Here are the best strategies to help you compete with other e-commerce giants.

    • PERSONALISED EXPERIENCE –

    It is possible for your store to succeed or fail based on your ability to provide exceptional customer service. ‘Standardized’ is one word that describes Amazon’s shopping experience.

    First and foremost, your website visitors form their first impression of you based on the layout of your website and the way the information is presented. Your Site layouts should be designed to maximize conversion rates because improving the user experience begins with web design. Your site gets better when you add a variety of content such as videos, animated images, and games. In addition, you can create distinct landing pages with clear navigation, use color and contrast, and utilize responsive design with breadcrumbs and compress images. Don’t forget to double-check your work and check your results.

    Customers who are happy with the service they receive will recommend the business to others, and their loyalty is also a major advantage for the business. Your website has a good chance of being visited by the people the customer shares their experience with.

    • BRANDING MAKES YOU PERFECT –

    By establishing a distinction between your online store and the eCommerce giants’, you can compete against them.   We all know this! Even you constantly get bombarded with advertisements from eCommerce sites, as such your potential consumers also. The result is that if you appear the same as others, you find it difficult to breakthrough. In order to build visibility of your products, whether your eCommerce site is just started or you are trying to increase sales, you should think about branding. Let them know who you are and how can you assist them. Creating useful content for potential customers or engaging in social media campaigns can help you achieve this goal. Search engine optimization is needed to bring organic traffic to websites. Keep an eye on SEO best practices to avoid disappointing search engine results. Making product discovery easier, more pleasant, and faster on your website enables customers to have a smoother customer journey.

    Offer comprehensive product descriptions, together with this building your social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram through regular posts about your products, customers, and brand, along with Google Pay-Per-Click advertising and social media marketing.

    64-85% of site visitors are likely to buy a product after viewing your video, according to research.

    Make your customers aware of any extra shipping or handling charges and avoid any hidden charges and disclose your charges straightaway.

    • INCENTIVES, DEALS AND OFFERS –

    Customers’ behavior can be influenced and shaped through incentive programs. When you offer them a positive reward for their loyalty, they feel appreciated. This is another way to compete with eCommerce giants.

    Google Trends is an excellent tool for tracking market activity.

    Keep an eye on what incentives your competitors offer to their customers. You can take advantage of being more desirable in your own right if your online store offers exclusive deals. It can be a discount, a rebate, a points-based discount, a points-based prize, etc. We can help you here.

    In addition, subscriptions are a popular business strategy at big-box stores. You can create consistent, recurring income by offering subscriptions as a business strategy. Consider Amazon Prime, which is immensely popular. People will be less likely to compare prices before making a purchase if your incredible deals constantly encourage them to buy from you. That is the reason, instead of continuously lowering your quality so you can compete with other online stores, it is more effective to compete head-to-head. Subscriptions for discounts, freebies, and exclusive deals can also be offered. Make people feel like they can return to your business by offering loyalty programs, customer communities, or a discount on another purchase.

     

    • Email Marketing Strategy –

    Research reported that people making purchases on mobile are doing so quicker than ever before, with 56% deciding right away or within an hour after researching.

    IN 2022 global email users are expected to reach 4.3 billion users according to Statista 2021 report. And it is also expected to reach 4.6 Billion users by 2025.

    This statistic confirms that brands shouldn’t miss out on email marketing. Communication has changed significantly over the years. Yet, email marketing continues to grow despite this. The benefits of a great email marketing campaign can’t be ignored when considering this email marketing statistic.

    It is estimated that email marketing ROI is 4200% ($42 on every $1 spent). It should come as no surprise that email marketing has such a high return on investment due to its widespread popularity and proven benefits.

    You can generate revenue with an effective email marketing strategy. Despite all the attention being paid to social media, likes, shares, and tweets, email marketing isn’t going away. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 87 percent of marketers distribute their content via email marketing. Compared with organic search, paid search, and social media, the results of this study show email marketing leads the pack when it comes to customer acquisition and retention.

    It is not necessary to send only text emails. Adding visual elements to your campaign makes it more engaging. In fact, 45% of recipients say that they like brands that are fun, so don’t be afraid to step outside the box. Use emojis, videos, and photos in your next email marketing campaign.

    Final thoughts- With the knowledge, you have gained thus far, you should be able to determine where your eCommerce store is lacking and what steps you need to take to get ahead of your competitors. A well-built website, fast fulfillment, and personalized messages all contribute to a memorable and enjoyable experience.

    Let’s see How Blaash to can help you create a Sustained growth strategy to create differentiation to beat the competition, increase Customer Loyalty.

    Talk to Us

    Stay competitive despite your size!

     

  • Are You Seeking Bullseye In D2C Ecommerce? Add Social Stories to your Store?

    Are You Seeking Bullseye In D2C Ecommerce? Add Social Stories to your Store?

    Influencers Marketing doesn’t need an introduction, as with the word we automatically visualize some of the biggest influencers in the business today who have large followings on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and more. Modern consumers readily use the internet and social media to communicate with brands in a personal, relatable way, which D2C brands utilize wisely.

    As a result of the elimination of middlemen, it doesn’t matter what you search for, D2C companies have created products serving to any and every niche. D2C brands have become more self-reliant and are selling directly to their consumers.

    Among the most effective marketing techniques available for generating online traffic, influencer marketing is considered to be the most effective. Influencer marketing produces yearly growth potential that organic search and email can’t match. However, we will see how influencers are becoming a key part of D2C eCommerce and how D2C brands are leveraging them effectively.

    FYI, the survey indicates that influencer marketing will reach $16.4 billion by 2022. 75% of brands are planning to devote a separate budget solely for influencer marketing.

    Image Source – Google Trends

     

    “Every contact we have with a customer influence whether or not they’ll come back”- Kevin Stirz

    Since the Millennial generation and Genz X are the leading consumer groups, influencers’ opinions are highly influential on any decision they make regarding products and services. The advent of influencer marketing has reshaped word-of-mouth marketing to such an extent that brands of all sizes are collaborating with influencers to promote their products and services. As a result, approximately 54% of firms that work with influencers operate eCommerce sites. Connect to us to understand more about influencer strategy for your business

    Influencers are people they can relate to on different levels. Using bloggers for SEO or YouTube influencers to create promotional videos can help you reach more people. As a result, marketing campaigns can be made more effective by these social media influencers.

    Influencers can be differentiated by their types and each type has its own circle of engaging with consumers.

    Therefore, you need to be wise when choosing the right kind of influencer to represent your brand from the following types of influencers: (we can help you here to select)

    • Mega-influencers with more than a million followers (These can be celebrities)
    • Macro-influencers with 500K to 1 million followers
    • Mid-tier influencers with 50K to 500K followers
    • Micro-influencers with 10K to 50K followers
    • Nano-influencers with 1K to 10K followers

    Any many more like Gaming Influencers, Bloggers, Vloggers, Live-Streamers, Photographers, and some of them are specifically as per the different niche like Sports stars, Beauty Influencers, Activists, etc.

    To make the customer’s entire shopping experience seamless, brands use the method of social commerce. By its very nature, influencer marketing differs substantially from traditional marketing, in that consumers don’t feel pressured. Social media users willingly follow influencers and rely on their posts. Influencer marketing campaigns are highly dependent on the influencers you select. If you choose the right influencers, you will reap great rewards.

    As the study shows that the biggest group of loyal consumers for D2C brands are those who are connected to companies through social media. By leveraging brands’ relationships with influential customers, D2C influencer strategies can be developed that are both effective and efficient.

    “Study shows 86% of women use social media for purchasing advice”.

    “Enterprise marketers are more likely than ever to want to work with micro-influencers, up from 80% in 2020.”

    Influencer marketing begins with setting up your goals and objectives before you approach any influencers. The number of social media influencers is enormous, but not all of them will be right for your brand, you should know which social media platform will work best for you, which is largely dependent on what you are selling. As a result, it is crucial to find the perfect match, and this should be based on your goals and expectations.

    The quality of your business is being praised by influencers. The influencers already have their audience’s trust, so they make you appear trustworthy for their audience. Consumers will view you as an authentic business because an influencer recommends you. Influencer campaigns reduce marketing commissions and reduce intermediary costs, using top-tier influencers will still cost less than traditional marketing channels, even if you charge a premium for their services.

    Your business will benefit greatly from influencer marketing. Study shows, your business can generate $6.50 in return for every $1 invested in influencer marketing. That means you could generate a return of 650% or higher. This is a worthwhile investment.

    “65% of respondents say measuring ROI remains a major barrier in influencer marketing”

    Like a person has good and bad habits together, influencer marketing also has its pros and cons.

    In a survey, 61% of marketers struggle to identify the right influencers. It is difficult to gauge if an influencer has authentic followers.  A few social media accounts have soared to influencer status by buying fake followers, rather than accumulating real followers. As a result, if you partner with one of these accounts unknowingly, you won’t see any results. Influencer marketing is a strategy with no manual, so brands usually learn from their successes and mistakes. Identifying and launching the right influencers took a lot of your time and effort. Yet without tracking and monitoring your campaigns, your efforts can be ruined.

    You may need to pay thousands of dollars monthly for an influencer marketing agency.  Depending on the agency, they will typically charge for developing an influencer marketing campaign and strategy, researching, and hiring influencers, developing creative concepts, tracking the campaign, etc.

    The question is how will you utilize the influencer strategy for your brand marketing?

    Hire an influencer marketing agency if you’re launching a new brand and have the budget to do so. There is no one-size-fits-all answer because it depends on how involved you want to be, your budget, and your overall campaign goals. Market your brand authentically in 2022 by using influencers, and it is worth your time and money to explore your options.

    We are here to help you with this, let’s talk to explore how Blaash’s Social Entrainment Module can help your customers to get an immersive experience, add shoppable videos, Web Stories to make Shopping more exciting and enriching.

  • Smashing The Glass Of Myth About B2B ECommerce

    Smashing The Glass Of Myth About B2B ECommerce

    Digital Platform has proven its worth in the past two years. People knew that soon everything would be digital. However, for the past few years, digitalization has taken on the speed of a burning train that is almost impossible to stop. Commerce has evolved into eCommerce now.

    Thus, eCommerce gives existing businesses great opportunities for growth and welcomes new businesses in both the B2C and B2B e-Commerce spaces. As shown by the Google Trends below, there has been a tremendous interest in these around the world.

    If we see specifically for B2B eCommerce, it has been the fastest growth in B2B eCommerce and survey by Forrester shows that $1.8 trillion all over the world. Also, the growth rate of B2B eCommerce has expected to increase by 18.7% till 2028. The summary of these data is that eCommerce is thriving in its place.

    The topic of our discussion today is the myths that surround B2B eCommerce growth. Despite the hype around eCommerce, many manufacturers and wholesalers are still hesitant to begin their journey because the following myths are still circling in the market.      

    We’ll look at how these myths are sabotaging the growth of B2B companies and existing companies that aren’t ready to move online.

    • TO START WITH, IT IS EXPENSIVE- 

    Every business has its own investment needs, depending on its size and service. This includes starting an eCommerce business from scratch or expanding an existing business. Surely, it’s not the same as buying a big building for business. In theory, it isn’t as costly as you think. A business website can be created today at an affordable price. Online store creation is incredibly easy and affordable with several eCommerce platforms. 

    Platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, Oracle SuiteCommerce, WooCommerceB2B, Pepperi, GoDaddy and many more. This platform provides a wide range of features that address a wide variety of B2B needs, they also provide a powerful set of features for a solid business model for e-commerce. To ensure that your B2B store is prepared as you need, you should create a plan and budget as per the needs of your business. FYI, Shopify is most popular with small businesses. It has free support, and it also provides 24/7 customer service.

    Considering all these factors, it becomes clear that setting up an eCommerce store is not as prohibitively expensive as you might think.

    • Our product is not suited for an Online Platform. It won’t sell. 

    Let’s smash this myth with statistics, 

    As per the Harvard business review, Millennials (age 25-39) make up 73% of those involved in B2B research and decision making, and over 33% of those are sole decision-makers.

    When it comes to purchasing, millennial buyers are extremely independent, conducting in-depth research before making a purchase decision. When shopping for products, the majority of Millennials take advantage of online reviews, user recommendations, and experts instead of interacting directly with salespeople.

    An internet presence is not the only requirement for starting a business, as we know Often, B2B products have quite a few features, options, and customizations.

    A high degree of personalization is possible with B2B eCommerce thanks to tools like product configurators and quote software. These tools allow buyers to customize products and visualize them in an interactive way.

    Additionally, you can offer service channels so that your B2B buyers can contact you in real-time if they have any questions. That increases trust and customer experience. Or another thing you can do is, you can implement forms that enable buyers to fill out unique configuration options, reducing the need to consult with sales and streamlining the process.

    NO NEED FOR FANCY DESIGN AND SOCIAL PROOF –

    No matter your niche – B2B or B2C – or who you sell to, keep up with web design trends. Web design matters a lot both for B2B companies and the users, but the most wrong perception people have is that a functional website will be enough for B2B business, and no attention will be paid to the design, feel, or user experience of the page.

    In addition to research, reading reviews, and comparing features and prices, B2B customers buy products directly from their smartphones, more than ever before. You can choose from design options such as responsive design or mobile websites because having a mobile-friendly website is essential. Business-to-business companies can offer a highly personalized customer experience with in-house structures that can assist users every step of the way.

    In the market, there is another silly myth that B2B doesn’t need social media presence or social proof.

    Some B2B companies do not believe social media is significant. The myth is that reviews, testimonials, and success stories are only relevant for B2C e-commerce and not for B2B. Social media selling is not just a feature for B2C businesses; it can also benefit B2B businesses. As a tool for connecting with customers and prospects, social media can be extremely valuable. 

    Consumers want to check out reviews, testimonials, and pictures of other happy customers!

    That’s the reason you should focus on your online presence right from the beginning on establishing a social hub for your brand. Likewise, business and professional customers wish to be sure they are investing in an item or service that is popular; one that has been endorsed by others.

    Businesses can use social media to discover relevant information about their target market and increase sales by learning about their audience.

    •  NO NEED FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE OR SALES REPRESENTATIVE –

    This myth is so not right, It’s very common to need any eCommerce or brick-Mortar store. B2B or B2C consumers both expect quality customer service. Customers now have access to many tools to help them with their customer service needs, including live chat, chatbots, email, SMS, social media, and self-service support. 

    It is possible for businesses to provide Fast, easy, and convenient customer service to buyers by integrating all the tools in one database.

    A major change has been brought about to the industry by e-commerce, particularly as it pertains to sales representatives. The majority of buyers now prefer to self-serve and search through all resources online. 

    Representatives can promote your online store with the things they do every day. As they go about their daily work, sales representatives can promote your online store. With small business video conference solutions, you can train your team online to keep them informed.  

    In essence, sales representatives’ roles shouldn’t be diminished. Your online store can benefit greatly from its marketing efforts. Essentially, they act as your brand ambassadors, which makes them a valuable promotional opportunity for B2B eCommerce.

     

    B2B e-commerce is fraught with myths aimed at distorting facts and figures, but smashing these myths becomes clearer when you are informed. Your business will modernize and remain customer-friendly if you follow the guidelines above. Making some substantial changes to your business doesn’t mean losing sight of what sets it apart. Don’t lose touch with who you are just because you’re selling online. Simply expand on it.