I’m always looking for ways to improve marketing and sales. With this constant search, I find many of the ideas that work for me come right to my app inbox. As a work-from-home parent, I do a lot of my shopping online. Amazon, Target.com, eBay and other online retailers get my business on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis. These retailers also teach me marketing tactics on closing the sale in ecommerce.
Target.com
I frequently add items to my online shopping carts and then don’t follow through with a purchase. I might get distracted or decide to hold off. Whatever the reason, the “complete order” button doesn’t get clicked.
Ecommerce giants, like Target.com, try to capture those interested buyers through follow up. Some recent email subject lines that caught my attention were, “something you had your eye on has a new low price” and “the deal in your cart ends tomorrow.” These messages often prompt a buyer to revisit their cart—after all, they did want the item—and consider the purchase again, often resulting in a sale.
Reaching out to the consumer in this way can help secure those in-cart purchases. Whether you’re an online retailer or a brick or mortar establishment or even offer a different array of services, you can apply this marketing tactic.
eBay
eBay also employs email communication to follow up with buyers to secure sales. Recent email subject lines I’ve received have been, “Price reduced by $10.00” and “Item relisted AND cheaper than before!” These communications might catch a reluctant buyer’s attention and make them reconsider.
Different than other online retailers, eBay also relies on sellers listing items. So, encouraging sellers to list items for sale is also a key component of their marketing strategy. Promotional emails with taglines such as “100 more listings with no insertion fees? Yes, please!” and “Your items are waiting in carts. Now make the sale,” have recently landed in my inbox. The first encourages a seller to list more items, keeping eBay alive with product and the second allows the buyer to lower their price slightly in hopes that their potential buyer will follow through.
Amazon.com
Amazon.com doesn’t employ the tactics detailed above, but one of my favorite things about Amazon is their variety of email subscription offerings. They offer over 100 email subscriptions and each subscription tells you how often you’ll receive communication and can easily be turned on or off. This tailored messaging allows the consumer to be in charge.
It also allows Amazon to hone their marketing messaging. Instead of emailing a customer about ALL of their products, they get to send a customer details concerning items they’re interested in. A win-win for company and consumer. So, while Amazon may not send a follow up email if you don’t purchase what’s in your cart, they start off by giving you the information you’re looking for in the first place.
Other retailers also employ this tactic by asking consumers what categories of products they’re interested in. Using that information, retailers can customize email campaigns, and even their customer’s accounts to reflect the buyer’s preferences.
Another Online Retailer
Recently, I added items to my sierratradingpost.com shopping cart and once again didn’t follow through with the purchase. Later that day, I got an email from them with the subject line, “You left something in your cart. Would free shipping help?” That email got my attention, because the $7.95 shipping charge was the reason I didn’t purchase.
Sometimes, a buyer needs just the smallest nudge (or discount) to make the purchase and if a seller or business owner is smart, they can use incentives and discounts to cash in on more sales.
The Takeaway on Closing the Sale
Take a look at your own inbox and purchasing habits. What can you learn from them? What pushes you to click “complete order”? Answers to these questions can help you explore new options and ideas for closing the sale on your products.
