2016 New Year’s Resolutions for your eCommerce Store
Thursday, November 26, 2015Kelly Nelson
It’s that time of year again! People are making their lists and checking them twice. We’re not just talking about our friend Santa Claus either!
That’s right, it’s time for the New Year’s Resolutions List. For eCommerce merchants, this can sometimes be a challenge depending on budget, manpower, and other potential obstacles that could stop you from working through some of the resolutions.
Below are a few that you can work through that won’t cost you much and are easy to begin implementing now.
Refresh your photos
Your photos should be refreshed on a regular basis, and yearly is achievable for most busy retailers. You want to think about everything that goes into taking a quality photo. Think about the size (the bigger, the better), your background, lighting, setting etc. These all play crucial roles in a quality photo. For more tips on how to take quality product photography check out our blog post.
New customer appreciation programs
Take a serious look at your customers, especially the ones that have been around for a long time. If you have customers who have made repeat purchase after repeat purchase, you may want to think of a better way to reward them. If the budget allows it, you may want to consider a new loyalty program. If your strapped a little tight with finds, think about sending them a personalized letter; thanking them for their loyalty can go a long way. For the new year, add initiatives like this into your marketing calendar so you never miss a beat!
Set goals
OBVIOUSLY! We know, this seems silly for most because who isn’t setting objectives these days?! Having said that, why not set some more difficult objectives to meet this year. Give yourself some motivation to be better than last year. Some examples could be:
- Increased sales goals
- Increase your website traffic
- Improvements to your email or advertising CTRs
- Throw in a customer service survey quarterly to get a better idea of customer service levels – then make them better!
Make a change to your marketing
Adwords got you down? Facebook losing its value? Try something new this year. Divide your budget a bit and invest in some advertising and marketing that you normally wouldn’t. Give remarketing a shot, or perhaps another social network, like Twitter cards. It’s important to keep in mind that when you change something like this, you should always do your research and make sure it is worth the investment and maybe even a risk.
Clean up your emails
Every busy owner knows how easy it is to let your emails lists slide, and let your template go stale. With so many other things to worry about as an online merchant, this sometimes can fall to the back burner and become a bit neglected. Make it a resolution this year, to clean up and segment your lists. In addition, work to give your template a good refresh. This will not only do wonders for your image, but it will make your emails a lot more effective and efficient when targeting the right segment.
Revamp your value proposition
We saved this one for last because it really is the most important. Having said that, you should really look at this step above and before the others. Your value proposition is the key to all your marketing, advertising, product merchandising, and overall business. It tells your customers and users who you are without having to say it. All business efforts need to revolve around this. Take some time this year to clean it up. Ask yourself a few questions to start;
- Did you learn anything about your brand this year?
- Did you receive any pertinent feedback from customers that you can use?
- Who are you?
You need to know your product, your history, what value you offer and your whole business model to find your competitive edge. Think about what you can offer your customers that others can’t. In this situation it is crucial to think both short term and long term.
Hopefully these have helped you think about the new year a bit more. 2015 has flown by and so will 2016. What will you do to make your year even better?