december 08, 2020
We are at a turning point where companies must adapt to the needs of consumers and how they purchase products and services in order to grow or even survive.
Digital marketing along with e-commerce has become staples of competition to connect with consumers and drive sales. And while the evolution of online consumption has varied by industry, in general, companies still do not solve how to meet the challenges involved in selling in the digital world.
The digital world permeates every step of a purchase, and those who build a great experience in each of these steps, they will be the market leaders.
Introduction
Adapting to the digital world represents an opportunity for growth, or even in the most digitally developed markets, a struggle to survive. The U.S. market is one of the most advanced and a good indicator of trading trends.
Physical store closures have become an indicator of the most affected categories. These closures usually occur for two reasons: The company files for bankruptcy because they have not adapted, or they find that they cannot efficiently manage the physical presence because of the growth of the online channel.
This does not mean that all industries tend to make the online channel their only or main sales channel, but it is a priority to adapt and prioritise the user experience when purchasing products or services as it is consumers who dictate the balance between sales at physical and digital points.
Digital marketing and e-commerce have added greater complexity to increase a company's sales along with traditional marketing and the traditional sales process. This reality is transforming the way companies operate and the strategic vision.
So, how to sell in the digital world?
Understanding Your Buyer in the Digital World
The first step is to gain learning and a greater understanding of your buyer in the digital world. The most important trends to consider in the near future are as follows:
- E-commerce is convenient
- Experiences are key
- The cost of the change is minimal
- B2B e-commerce is greater than B2C e-commerce
Strategically Develop the Product Portfolio
Once you understand who our buyer is, you must strategically develop the portfolio of products/services you want to sell online or boost to increase sales.
To do this, decision-making and digital purchasing must be considered differently. That is why in the digital world we must sell intelligently, differently and innovatively.
Selection of Sales Channels
The third step is to select the sales channels. These are very diverse today and range from traditionally selling to selling online with your own e-commerce, or through eRetailers (companies with sales off/on products), or Pure Players (100% digital companies that offer our products), and can even be interested as buying online and picking up at point of sale.
Optimising Sales Channels
The fourth step is the optimisation of digital sales channels, this includes improving assets, digital presence, conversion to sales, logistics and delivery times, among other variables depending on the sales channel.
Accelerate Buyer Adoption
After choosing and optimising your sales channels, you must accelerate the adoption of the buyer with the correct communication. This is where marketing campaigns that will support increasing different sales objectives such as increasing registrations, average ticket, buyer loyalty, etc. become vital.
ROI Optimization
Finally, all efforts must be aligned towards ROI optimization. The digital world offers unprecedented opportunities to measure sales and marketing results. Impressions, views, actions, comments, and conversions are a critical part of the sale, which involves a number of points of contact before a customer purchases.
Conclusion
It is crucial to give strategic priority to digital marketing and e-commerce in order to connect with consumers and increase sales in different channels.
To delve into this topic, be inspired by good practices, metrics, data and tips to drive sales of your e-commerce option, a new whitepaper with much more information will soon be available.