By Erin Wawok

Sep

13

Because more people across the globe now have access to the internet, eCommerce is thriving like never before. As more and more customers choose eCommerce over brick-and-mortar options, businesses need to prioritize finding efficient digital tools is increasing. Listing Mirror is here to help.

Emergence of ECommerce

At the beginning of its history, eCommerce was primarily a resource for brick-and-mortar businesses to process sales electronically. As the internet gained popularity and more possibilities arose, brick-and-mortar stores began to create opportunities for customers to purchase goods on their websites.

Eventually, though, companies arose without the need for brick-and-mortar stores in the first place. Businesses such as Amazon and eBay now dominate the sales across eCommerce and brick-and-mortar, and eCommerce continues to grow at a rapid rate.

Why ECommerce?

Customers prefer eCommerce to traditional shopping for many reasons. As the expectations for productivity and the need to stay busy continue to dominate cultures all over the world, the ability to purchase goods with the click of a button is invaluable.

Customers pay not only for quality, but for convenience. More and more businesses offer delivery and free shipping, making it easier than ever to do business online rather than in person. Most of the time, product options are much more diverse in ECommerce than Brick-and-Mortar stores, just another reason for customers to choose to do their buying online. For these and many other reasons, ECommerce continues to grow and shows no signs of slowing down.

Meeting Customers Where They Are

Your company has great products that customers love, but there are a lot of competitors for the attention of potential buyers. Customers are loyal to brands and products, but they are also loyal to specific stores or marketplaces. If your product isn’t available at a buyer’s favorite location, they could be missing out!

Using multi-channel eCommerce selling is a way to meet customers where they are and make sure your products are available to a wide range of potential buyers. Channels can include your online store, mobile apps, online marketplaces, brick-and-mortar retail, social media, and plenty of other options. You may choose to include all of these or just a few, but when it comes down to it the more opportunities customers have to buy your product, the better.

Using Multi-Channel Ecommerce Effectively

Once you have products in several different channels, you will have an increased number of potential buyers. This can be a great opportunity for your business, and learning to use multi-channel ECommerce effectively will prove to be a huge asset.

One of the greatest benefits of multi-channel eCommerce is the opportunity to have many different touch points. Touch points are places customers encounter your product, and having more channels gives more opportunities to reach customers with different types of marketing. This can help you analyze trends in different channels, see which strategies are successful, search for ways to stay consistent in your branding, and identify potential for improvement in advertising.

Multi-channel eCommerce comes with difficulties, including maintaining consistency in your branding, making time to manage different channels, and keeping track of sales in each channel. Tracking trends and analytics for buyers in each channel and tailoring your marketing strategy to meet their needs is time-consuming, but in the long run it is deeply effective.

It can also be difficult to manage promotion when using multi-channel marketing. Each channel has a different audience, and your goal is to reach each of them when it comes to promoting your product. You also have a particular audience in mind when it comes to your specific product. Knowing your audience is key, and marketing strategies need to be catered towards your ideal customers. But your audience may look slightly different for each channel, so it is also important to learn about your larger audience for each marketplace, online store, or mobile app.

Making Your Life Easier

Although using multi-channel eCommerce creates opportunities for your business to thrive, managing listings on many channels on your own can be overwhelming. Listing Mirror can make your life easier by posting your products to multiple channels, helping you fulfill your orders, and track inventory and sales. Our goal is to provide the support you need to get your product in the hands of your intended audience, leaving you to focus on branding and creating.

We partner with the biggest eCommerce companies, including Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Shopify, Big Commerce, and Overstock. With plans starting at just $69/month, we can tailor listings to your business’ needs and offer unlimited orders, channels, and users. Not sure if this is the right option for you? Consider requesting a demo, starting a free 14-day trial, or contacting us for more information!

Erin Wawok

Erin is the Co-Founder of Listing Mirror.