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5 Actionable Mobile Marketing Tips That Drive Sales
Driving sales is the most important task for any marketing department, no matter how large or small your business. Here are five ways to leverage mobile marketing to increase sales immediately: Build Websites With Mobile in Mind Traditionally, websites are built to perform well on desktop and laptop computers, and then later they are optimized for mobile. In today’s business environment, however, it should be the other way around. Take a look at these statistics about mobile search traffic: 70% of searches made on smartphones or tablets result in immediate action. 73% of consumers believe mobile websites load too slowly. 68% of traffic is lost if a website isn’t configured well enough for a mobile device. Clearly, mobile searches are valuable, and your competition is losing out on these opportunities. Take the time to capture them, or you’ll lose out on sales, too. Create a Mobile Loyalty Program One of the best uses for a mobile application is to provide a loyalty program for your audience. Here are the benefits you can expect your brand to immediately enjoy: They’re less expensive than most inbound tactics that focus on finding new business rather than improving loyalty. Companies that run loyalty programs usually enjoy more growth than other companies. Your company’s reputation is improved by simply launching a loyalty program. You’ll have access to a larger portion of your customer’s overall spend. Not only that, but your customers benefit too. On average, 90 percent of all users with mobile devices believe that enrolling in a brand’s loyalty program benefits them. It’s a win-win situation. Start Distributing Coupons via Mobile Instead of Print One of the best tools you have in your arsenal to drive sales is coupons. Sending them out gives customers an instant incentive to make a purchase immediately, but if you want your customers to use them, you need to make it convenient for them to do so. That’s why mobile devices are the perfect way to distribute your coupons — convenience. Instead of having to print or clip the coupons and bring them when they shop, they’ll have instant access. This is the biggest reason that mobile coupons have a redemption rate that’s 10 times higher than print or clip coupons. Use Text Messages to Nurture Your Leads Text messages are extremely effective at getting read, with an incredible 98 percent open rate. Compare that to email, which hovers slightly above 20 percent. With that kind of power, not taking advantage of text message marketing is a huge mistake. [gallery size="full" columns="1" link="none" ids="1444"] One of the best ways to use text messages is to nurture existing leads. Text messaging is an extremely personal communication method, so sending out generalized blasts isn’t a good idea; instead, you want to send relevant, timely information to a targeted audience. Because you know that your message is going to be read, delivering the right message at the right time drives incredible results. Make Everything as Easy as Possible Mobile marketing is a great way to reach an enormous, engaged audience, but you need to understand how that audience is interacting with you. Mobile devices are easier to use than ever before, but they still can’t rival the functionality of traditional computers. If you want to drive mobile subscriptions and more business, you need to simplify everything. Don’t require too much information when somebody is creating an account for your mobile app. Let them do it with just a username and password. Once they've created an account, offer incentives, such as coupons or bonus loyalty points, for additional information. Use shortcodes to make text message subscriptions as simple as sending a single word. The fewer barriers to entry mobile users have, the more people you’ll attract and keep. Have you used mobile marketing to drive sales? Share your own tips and tricks below! Read also: 1. App Development Benefits: Here’s why you should go Mobile 2. Role of messaging apps in enhancing a company’s market prospects
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Never Launch An E-commerce Platform Without Testing – Here Is Why
In simple words, without sounding too nerdy, let us try to look at what performance testing is. Performance Testing is the process of rigorously testing all the tech and digital components of an E-commerce business. This includes the desktop version of the platform and mobile app testing. The key is to look at and analyze how the entire tech and digital ecosystem operates. Especially when exposed to real-world use. Imagine hundreds of people using the E-commerce platform app at the same time. The questions that then arise are- Is the server able to handle the heavy load of all the traffic using the mobile app at the same time? Is there a lag or breakdown that any of the users are experiencing or is there a UI and UX compromise under stress? What are some of the benchmarks and standards that one should use to judge speed and whether the platform is exposing some bottlenecks? Performance Testing is more than just looking at loading page speeds. It seeks to test each aspect of the E-commerce platform and suggest the perfect optimization for the same. Important Things To Consider During Performance Testing For E-commerce: In this section, we request experts at QA Madness to help us. Specifically, to list some important things that should be considered during performance testing. 1. Testing Financial Transactions One area where things can go wrong is in financial transactions. With so many people using the same platform at the same time, testing becomes necessary. You need to test to ensure that every transaction is going through. Integrations with Payment Gateways, the ERP, and Inventory Management Software are all areas that should be covered under this software testing services. 2. Checking The Mobile App Exhaustively Mobile app testing perhaps constitutes one of the most important verticals for Performance Testing. How does the app perform? Is it SEO friendly? Is there a compromise in the graphics? These are the common issues that mobile app testing will help resolve. In addition to the app, the mobile version of the E-commerce platform’s website also needs to be tested rigorously. 3. Region-Based Testing For Different Geographies- If you are starting an e-commerce business, you are looking at a truly global audience. This is why you need to make sure that the internet protocols of the different countries are not interfering with how the customers in those countries are engaging with your platform. Changed domain URLs, IP addresses, and other rules and regulations need to be considered. 4. Data Management Testing Any successful E-commerce ecosystem is incomplete without integrated data management. For an E-commerce platform, data is the lifeblood that helps all its verticals- marketing, sales, and CRM. Performance Testing needs to ensure that the data collection, cloud storage solutions, and the final outputs are ready for systematic generation. The Three KPIs Of Performance Testing As Stated By QA Madness- While there can be multiple KPIs that software testing services can help E-commerce brands with, QA Madness states that the following are the three major ones. They refer to the same as the three ‘S’s of their Performance Testing goals. A. Speed When it comes to speed, we are referring to the speed of the website, the mobile version of the web, and the mobile application. It also includes the speed with which users are progressing from one page to another on the app and the website. The higher the speed, the better will be the user experience. This combines to deliver the best sales and revenues for an E-commerce platform. B. Scalability You do not want your website and app infrastructure to be so weak that it crashes only after a hundred visitors. You're E-commerce website and the app must go under a test for scalability to handle massive loads all at the same time. This will help you provide a fluid experience to millions of users and potential customers all at the same time without compromises. C. Stability A lot can go wrong on an E-commerce website when it is put under stress. Graphics can fall out of place and payment gateways can collapse. You never want the users to experience these problems on your platform. An E-commerce platform needs to be stable all the time, with or without load. Performance Testing seeks to build the stability of an E-commerce platform. What Do Experts Have To Say? There is no set rule as to when an E-commerce platform should go for Performance Testing. Some believe that it should be done at the early stages of development. Others believe that it should be done once the development of the platform is complete to identify the loopholes and then plug them in accordingly. No matter when you get them done, Performance Testing is essential for your E-commerce platform. If you want to create a highly optimized and result-oriented business, this is a great investment to make. If you have any other questions on software testing services or mobile app testing, feel free to ask them. Use the comments section to drop your queries. We will once again request or reach out to our friends at QA Madness to help you out. What Happens With A Lack Of Thorough Test? Not performing performance testing for an E-commerce platform can get you in a lot of trouble. Your site is live; suddenly, hundreds or thousands of people have started using it! What could possibly go wrong?- Well, without performance testing, things will go downhill really quickly. So, let’s see what could happen when not to perform performance testing. Crashes And Slowdowns If your E-commerce platform hasn’t been tested for scalability, it could easily crash when too many users try to access it. A slow website or app not only frustrates users but also drives them away. No one likes waiting for pages to load, especially when they’re trying to make a purchase. The result? A major drop in sales and a tarnished reputation. Failed Transactions Think of users wanting to purchase an item and their transactions fail. Users will not be ready to trust your platform anymore. This is why performance testing is important as it ensures that all financial transactions are smooth on your site even when there is heavy traffic. Poor User Experience Have you ever been on an app or website that lags, has images that don’t fit, or feels unresponsive? It’s not fun. The UI/UX of your platform can feel the same way without performance testing. This gives a very unprofessional impression and will make people leave your site out of frustration (high bounce rate). Increased Costs Skipping testing might appear to be a good way to keep some money in your pocket, however it will actually cost you more in the end. If your site crashes during a big sale or promotion, the time and expense of getting those issues fixed after the fact will likely be substantial. Plus, if your site is down for any longer period of time, you’ll be losing out on all that potential income. Safety Not Guaranteed! No matter what app you’re building, you’re likely going to be handling some sort of user data. Whether it’s a login and password or more sensitive financial or health information, users need to know they can trust you with that data. What About The User's Interest Finally, one of the most significant risks is losing users’ trust. If your platform crashes, slows down, or declines a transaction, for instance, and that happens to some users, they will probably never come back. Even if you fix everything afterward! When people’s trust is broken, it’s very hard to be rebuilt! Read also: The Right B2B E-Commerce Platforms to Sell Your Used Machinery Approaches for Increasing E-commerce Sales Through Inventory Reports 5 Reasons to Use Magento for Your Next Ecommerce Website
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Getting Help from an E-Commerce Expert to Boost Your Online Store Sales
Every new online store comes with subpar sales, at least in the beginning. While this may make you want to give up, remember that there's still a chance for you to generate more sales and earn more money. All you need to do is seek the help of an e-commerce expert like Matthew Lepre. With his years of industry experience as seen in tons of Matthew Lepre reviews, he can help you perform the following tips that can help boost your sales: Be Visual A picture paints a thousand words. This is especially true when it comes to online selling. Since the client cannot see or touch the product for himself, he needs to have a good visual reference. You can provide this through captivating photos. While you may not be a photography expert, you can still come up with pro-grade images. First, use a good backdrop – a plain white one would do. Next, mind the lighting when you take a picture. For this, you can use softbox lighting. There are several more things to consider, so make sure to refer to these photography tips for beginners. Enhance Communication E-commerce experts believe in good communication, something you can promote with a live chat feature. This can be a chat screen that automatically pops up on your site. You also have the option for a more subtle clickable button. So, what makes live chat good for the business? For one, it addresses the issue of urgency. Some of your clients may have concerns regarding specific products. With live chat, you can answer them right away, and this swiftness might be the push they need for the purchase. With 77% of customers refusing to buy from a store with no live chat features, it's essential to have this feature installed right away. Ease the Checkout Process Clients go online shopping because of the fuss-free experience. As such, you stand to lose several customers when you complicate the buying process. A lot depends on the UI, UX, and hosting when it comes to easing and accelerating the speed of checking out. Using a Magento Hosting helps in improving the speed of the experience and allows the final payments to be made in a fraction of seconds. This helps in improving the overall user experience. Because of this, e-commerce experts recommend easing the checkout process. This can be done by offering a guest checkout option. That way, eager buyers don't have to fill out several forms to complete their purchase. Simplifying the process should not be limited to guests, though, as you need to deliver the same service to your existing subscribers. One way to hasten the checkout process is to reduce unnecessary form fields. You can do this by having a tick box that allows the program to use the shipping address for the billing address. Adding a progress bar is a worthwhile consideration as well. With this, the clients are informed of all the steps they have to take to finish the purchase. Improve Client Trust Trust is the foundation of relationships – whether personal or business. This is why gaining your clients' trust is vital if you want to continue transacting with them. Fortunately for you, an e-commerce expert can help you promote trust through every part of the funnel. The best way to do so is through social proof, that is, adding customer reviews to your product pages. Apart from the product description, the review is another aspect where clients base their decisions. If the product comes with many rave reviews, the buyer will be more convinced to click the checkout button. It's also important to show your badge of honor for payment security. Remember, identity theft is not an issue to be taken lightly. It affects approximately 14 million individuals or 1 out of 15 people. With the many payment badges available, it's best to use those that generate the most trust. So far, the most popular seals include: PayPal Verisign McAfee Truste Better Business Bureau Apart from showing these badges, putting in client testimonials will help boost sales, too. Like reviews, this can help assure your clients that they're making a safe purchase decision. If many others have bought from you securely, why shouldn't they? Utilize Email Marketing Many people believe that email marketing is dead, but e-commerce experts are quick to point out how mistaken they are. You get to earn as much as $42 in ROI for every $1 you spend on email marketing. You can capitalize on email marketing in several ways. If you don't have a list yet, you need to do a promotional bit to collect email addresses. For example, you can give discounts or a free shipping coupon in exchange for newsletter signup. Now that you have a couple of emails under your belt, you can use them to boost your sales. One technique that e-commerce experts recommend is cross-selling. This is where you promote products that are related to or complementary to the client's purchased items. Another way to boost sales is to send promotional deals during hot dates, like Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Make sure to appeal to the client's fear of missing out by offering limited-time offers such as one-day sales or flash sales. Launch Paid Ads The term 'paid' may make you queasy, mostly if you have already spent a great deal establishing your online store. That said, this should make you consider paid ads even more. Despite its name, paid ads are cost-effective ways of generating sales. And you don't have to necessarily spend a lot to get started. You can test the waters for as low as $50. An e-commerce expert can also help you gain a clear understanding of your target audience. This will help you hone in on the group that's more likely to buy your products. That way, you gain the best value for your money. An e-commerce expert can also help you run multiple campaigns with different ad variations. According to Matthew Lepre reviews, this is important because social media channels help generate the most leads. More importantly, an expert can also help you monitor and interpret the metrics that come with the ads. That way, you get to focus on the campaigns that bring the most revenue. Optimize Your Website To grow your sales, it’s essential to optimize your website’s loading speed and uptime. If your website doesn’t load quickly there’s a high chance that the visitors may bounce away without even checking your products or services. Your expert may recommend using reliable Magento hosting solutions that can help boost the loading speed of your e-commerce website. Additionally, the web hosting provider also determines the uptime of your website. The expert will help you find a host who has minimal downtime to ensure that your website remains online all the time. E-commerce experts can help you boost your sales. With the many benefits they can bring to your business, it's high time that you contacted one today. Read Also: CRM and ERP Combination for Business Solutions 5 affordable e-commerce shopping carts for small business The Right B2B E-Commerce Platforms to Sell Your Used Machinery
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