E-commerce – Use It To Attract Cost-Conscious Customers In This Recession
It is a known fact that developing an e-commerce business is less expensive than setting up a retail store. In the current economic crisis, e-commerce website designers should focus on making the website more appealing to cost-conscious customers. The volume of such customers is naturally higher than usual in today’s recessionary environment.
E-commerce websites offer easy and quick adaptability, a benefit that can be used to attract customers in changing economic scenarios. Online commerce growth has slowed down this year. Offering cost-effective products and solutions to customers is a good way for online businesses to maintain growth during the recession.
E-commerce marketing should highlight cost saving
E-commerce websites are a cost-effective means of selling products during a recession. But to maximize on this benefit, marketing strategies should also adjust to prevailing market conditions and customer expectations. The recession has made customers cost-conscious, and the business must redefine its offering to customers. Product marketing should not focus on the features of the product, but emphasize on its cost-saving aspects.
A successful business provides customers with what they want. Right now, they want to save money.
Appealing to customers who want to save
Here are some suggestions on how e-commerce businesses can grab the attention of cost-conscious customers:
Providing customer incentives
E-commerce businesses are in a strong position to offer customers incentives even with tight budgets. Unlike brick-and-mortar establishments, e-commerce businesses do not have to pay as much for real estate, utilities and staff. They save on warehousing and transportation of goods also if these services are outsourced. This gives them the margin to offer attractive incentives to customers such as discounts on purchases made on the e-commerce website rather than the at the brick and mortar store. This way customers get to save money, the business retains its customers and also directs them to a more economical way of doing business.
Marketing the e-commerce website as a time and money saver
The e-commerce business should emphasize on the money and time saving aspects of using the website. With e-commerce websites, customers do not have to drive up to a retail store, pay for parking and expensive fuel. E-commerce websites are always open for business, making them accessible to customers, day and night, at their convenience. Customers need to spend money only on buying the product, and not on how they buy it.
Including content that highlights cost saving aspects of products
Websites can include articles, white papers and comparative studies of products in the content. The content should be geared towards highlighting the cost-effectiveness of the business’ products versus the competition, details on what makes the products save costs for the customer, and other similar themes.
Optimizing the e-commerce website to bring it up in searches related to cost savings
E-commerce websites are optimized to come up in searches related to products on the website. The approach can be broadened to capture audiences looking for cost saving products. Customers discover a new product that could suit their needs perfectly. The business makes a new customer and the customer finds a new shopping outlet.
Effective marketing focuses on customer benefits. The changing economic scene also changes the needs and expectations of customers. An astute e-commerce business will focus on the customer’s desire to save costs in the recession, and make profit while serving this need.
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