Most of the countries are facing challenges due to increasing COVID-19 cases in 2020. Major economies have slowed down by the COVID-19 pandemic, and businesses are greatly affected. Grocery stores and restaurants are empty like ghost towns. During the coronavirus, eCommerce businesses have gained more adoption. As people are practicing more social distancing, handwashing, wearing masks and prefer to buy things online rather than visiting the shops, it is the biggest opportunity for the brands to unify together. Business owners tend to look for different ways to survive during difficult conditions.

Here are some marketing tips that will help you to stay ahead in the competition: 

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

The eCommerce businesses should use search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to stay ahead of their competitor in search engine ranking. To climb to the top of Google’s search engine, you need to optimize your eCommerce website. The Google ranking of several websites is affected because of the violation of the webmaster guidelines. Several businesses are creating low-quality posts on their websites to generate ad revenues. To avoid ranking issues, you should review the Google Search Quality Guidelines and avoid posting too many ad-centered posts. The high-quality posts and Landing pages with relevant keywords have higher chances of Google ranking and appear on top during relevant searches. You can use tools, such as Google Adwords Keyword Planner, SEO Review tool, Ubersuggest, to find the relevant keywords for your post. SEO can provide high-quality traffic to your eCommerce business. 

Read More: Why Your Business Needs an SEO

Paid Ads can be budget efficient

During the pandemic condition, several businesses are running out of money because of the affected economy. Now, they can not afford paid ads, so they have stopped using it and are finding budgeted ways of marketing their businesses. According to the latest trend, paid ads are becoming cheaper because these big ad networks make money through auction systems. They need more small businesses to increase the cost per click of ads for large companies. So if you do not have enough small businesses as competitors, then your cost per click will be minimal. The paid advertising is helpful for eCommerce businesses because of their higher ROI. 

Connect with the audience through social media

The Coronavirus has impacted the people whether they are positive or not. They are locked in their homes and can not visit friends, families, and other people. As this is a time when people need support, understanding, education, resources. Social media can be a powerful medium in connecting people. The eCommerce businesses can connect with their users. During the pandemic, they can start providing the essential resources to their users. They can show their empathy to others and help out people where they can. During the lockdown, more people are using social media platforms to stay updated and connected with their friends, families. 

Create an email campaign 

Communication is an essential step to retain your loyal customers with your business. In the digital world, emails are the best way to stay connected with your users. According to research, 40 percent of the people purchasing decisions are influenced by the email. It is the most effective method of communication for businesses that provide results in the long run. You can send survey emails to your customer to know more about them. Through the email, you can update your customers with the changes in your business, stocks, and industry. For higher retention of the customers, you can combine loyalty programs with your email marketing campaigns. 

Personalize your website Customer Experience

To boost sales of eCommerce business, you need to optimize your eCommerce website. The user experience is the biggest differentiator between competitors. Your website navigations should be user-friendly so that users don’t get confused. The product on your eCommerce website should be easily visible with different angled views. It makes the users more familiar with the product. You should also make sure the shopping cart is easy to view and access. If users purchase products from your website, then you send them greetings. To engage users with your eCommerce website, you can send them birthday greetings, give exclusive discounts, and promote new items. To update your customer’s, timely update the website FAQ pages with solutions to users’ questions, such as modified business hours, changes in products or services, delivery time, safety measures in delivering orders. 

Conclusion

As online shopper’s penetration increased during COVID-19, many consumers have turned to online shopping for the first time. According to an update by the ROI revolution, there is a 12.2% growth in new online shoppers aged above 65. As the statistics suggest, the Coronavirus pandemic has shifted the world of the e-commerce market in 2020. Businesses who were shying away from e-commerce adoption have also started adoption, which will still last post-pandemic. These trends have expectations to stay even after the pandemic, e-commerce businesses required to follow best practices and above-stated tips to be able to stay ahead of the curve during and post-crisis. 

Author Bio- 

Piyush Jain is the founder and CEO of Simpalm, a web development company in Maryland. Piyush founded Simpalm in 2009 and has grown it to be a leading mobile and web development company in the DMV area. With a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins and a strong background in technology and entrepreneurship, he understands how to solve problems using technology. Under his leadership, Simpalm has delivered 300+ mobile apps and web solutions to clients in startups, enterprises and the federal sector.