So, you’ve done all your homework. You did all your market research, you figured out a unique value proposition for your product, you read up about all the shopping cart solutions (hosted and non-hosted) and you figured out the best possible configuration for your online store. You proudly launch your store, and… there’s a small trickle of customers. How do you get more? Here are 10 tactics that you may find helpful.

1. PRESENTS
T O Y O U R O N L I N E S T O R E
MORE CUSTOMERSMORE CUSTOMERS
ATTRACT
MORE CUSTOMERS
10 TACTICSTO

2. HOLD A SALE1 SALE
$9.90U.P.: $19.90
TACTIC
THIBAULT VILLET
People like the concept of flash sales that start everyday at 9am.
They also like the fact that it’s a bit of a race and competitive
because some products are limited.
CEO & PARTNER, GLAMOUR SALES CHINA
• Good for getting attention and
winning over new customers
• Consider introducing limits
to suggest exclusivity
http://technode.com/2013/12/02/interview-with-luxury-flash-sale-site-glamour-sales-ceo-thibault-villet/

3. RUN A COMPETITION2
TACTIC
1st pri
z
With this strategy, you are targeting the First Time Visitors who will
want to join in on the social conversations and ultimately get them
excited to explore your brand to make a purchase.
TIM SAE KOO
CEO, TINT
• Run a competition that is purposeful and
relevant to your brand & market
• Consider using a voting mechanism -
participants win by getting their friends to vote
http://www.tintup.com/blog/social-ecommerce/

4. RUN A COMPETITION2
TACTIC
1st pri
z
http://www.tintup.com/blog/social-ecommerce/
Birchbox France’s hashtag contest
#contresoireefoot asked First Time Visitors
who were ambivalent to the World Cup
craze, “What are you doing instead of
watching soccer?” Thousands
responded by sharing the hashtag
with non-world cup activities in order
to win a €200 shopping spree.
#contresoireefoot

5. GIVE FREE SAMPLES3
TACTIC
FREE SAMPLES!
MARK HAYES
You can gain hundreds, even thousands of email subscribers by hosting a
product giveaway before or after your online store opens. Ask visitors to
register to enter the contest and give bonus entries for sharing the contest
on social media networks or forwarding it to friends. Once the site launches,
or when the contest ends, send a promotional email offering a discount.
HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, SHOPIFY
• If limited by cost, give free samples to a random
subset of lucky subscribers
• Consider reaching out to influential bloggers
to review your free samples
http://www.shopify.com.sg/blog/5893075-17-ways-to-make-your-first-ecommerce-sale

6. PARTNER UP4
TACTIC CHECK OUT HIS
HANDBAGS!
LOOK AT HIS
BEAUTIFUL
SHOES!
ARTHUR KLEBANOFF
If the three best principles of successful real estate investing are
location, location and location, the three most important elements of
growing an ecommerce company are partner, partner and partner.
CEO, ROSETTABOOKS
• Earn your customers’ loyalty by
introducing them to other quality
brands they might like
• Get more exposure by being
visible and active among other
players in your niche
http://www.inc.com/arthur-klebanoff/partners-how-to-grow-your-e-commerce-business.html

7. PARTNER UP4
TACTIC CHECK OUT HIS
HANDBAGS!
LOOK AT HIS
BEAUTIFUL
SHOES!
https://blackmilkclothing.com/pages/faqs
Did you know?
Black Milk Clothing uses
shoes supplied by
their partner, Solestruck.

8. WRITE TARGETED
BLOG CONTENT5
TACTIC
BOOK
BOOK
TA R G E T S LO C K E D
CONTENT
• Blogging improves your SEO, bringing in
more customers through organic search
• Gives your existing visitors the opportunity
to share and promote your content
DAN WANG
Blogging is a great way to build your audience and generate more
traffic and sales for your business. You shouldn’t treat it as an
unnecessary luxury. Even infrequent posts can help your business.
CONTENT SPECIALIST, SHOPIFY
http://www.shopify.com.sg/blog/13329281-why-every-ecommerce-business-needs-a-blog-and-9-ideas-to-get
-you-started

9. WRITE TARGETED
BLOG CONTENT5
TACTIC
BOOK
BOOK
TA R G E T S LO C K E D
CONTENT
http://www.contentplus.co.uk/marketing-resources/infographics/anatomy
-of-content-marketing
60%of consumers feel
more positive
about a company after
reading custom content
on its site.

10. OFFER A NEW
PRODUCT/SERVICE6
TACTICTACTIC
NEW LOOK!
SAME GREAT TASTE!NEW LOOK!
SAME GREAT TASTE!
PAUL PANZA
(On repackaging their Dole Frozen Fruit Bags into Single-Serve Cups
to a fresher crowd) Although the texture was important,
it's only half the solution. We learned that see-through cups were
key because it signals to consumers the fruit is natural.
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, DOLE PACKAGED FOODS
• Novelty is a surefire way of earning attention
• Could simply be a repositioning, repackaging
or even repricing of an existing product
http://www.fastcompany.com/3007825/how-three-companies-are-repackaging-their-food-fresher-crowd

11. OFFER A NEW
PRODUCT/SERVICE6
TACTICTACTIC
NEW LOOK!
SAME GREAT TASTE!NEW LOOK!
SAME GREAT TASTE!
http://newsroom.mwv.com/press-release/corporate/mwv-packaging-matters-res
earch-reveals-global-differences-role-packaging
64%of consumers tried something new
because the packaging
caught their eye
on the retail shelf.

12. ADVERTISE7
TACTIC
MARC POIRIER
They’re so convenient to implement and the results are usually quite good –
users are highly likely to click Google Product Listing Ads, which takes away
from the regular search results and the standard AdWords text ads. In a
nutshell, good volume, good ROI, and little effort is required to manage them.
FOUNDER AND EVP, ACQUISIO SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING EXPERT
• Experiment with different keywords in
Google ads to refine your targeting
• Use unique, relevant landing pages
that include the keywords
http://www.cpcstrategy.com/blog/2014/06/why-retailers-win-with-google-shopping-as-told-by-13-ecommerce-experts/

13. ADVERTISE7
TACTIC
http://www.cpcstrategy.com/blog/2014/06/why-retailers-win-with-google-shopping-as-told-by-13-ecommerce-experts/
269%.
$
$
269%
revenue
During the 2013 peak end-of-the-year
shopping season, Kenshoo global retailers
spent nearly 138% more year-over-year (YoY)
on Product Listing Ads and saw a
YoY revenue increase of

14. PARTICIPATE
IN SOCIAL MEDIA8
TACTIC
CARMELLA LANNI
Get to know your shoppers through data, social listening and engagement
via real conversations. The data will let you know how well types of content
are performing. Social listening will give you an idea of what your customers
are looking to see from you. Engagement opens dialog and actually
empowers consumers to feel they are a part of your business.
BLOGGER, THE VEGAN E-COMMERCE GIRL
• Go to where your target audience is
• Listen, contribute and be useful
• Create stories worth sharing with others
http://ogcontent.com/ecommerce-content-marketing/

15. PARTICIPATE
IN SOCIAL MEDIA8
TACTIC
“#Socialnomics 2014 by Erik Qualman” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxpa4dNVd3c
93%of shoppers’ buying decisions are
influenced by social media.

16. INCENTIVIZE
FIRST PURCHASE9
TACTIC
BETH MORGAN
(On “Free Gift With Purchase”) You might not be able to offer something in advance,
but you can definitely offer something alongside. Even if you don’t advertise the gift
in advance, slipping samples of other products into your shipped product can create
the feeling of having received a gift that might earn you a second purchase.
MARKETING CONSULTANT AND EARLY-STAGE STARTUP ADVISOR, MARKETINGNERDISTRY.COM
• Consider offering a small discount
for first time purchases
• Make it tangible and obvious what the
customer will get if they purchase right now
http://www.shopify.com/blog/8920983-6-psychological-triggers-that-win-sales-and-influence-customers

17. INCENTIVIZE
FIRST PURCHASE9
TACTIC
http://business.time.com/2012/12/18/why-free-shipping-is-almost-universal-and-why-you-should-be-wary-of-it/
Surveys suggest that
free shipping puts shoppers in a better
mood, which may lead them to spend more.
Where free shipping was offered last week,
customers spent an average of $137 per order,
according to the National Retail Federation.
Without free shipping, the tab fell to $91.
$137
$91
Without
free shipping
customerspending
With free
shipping

18. INCENTIVIZE
CUSTOMER
REFERRALS
10
TACTIC
JEFF BEZOS
If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other
about that. Word-of-mouth is very powerful.
CEO, AMAZON.COM
• Use a dual-sided incentive system
to reward both referrer and referees
• Write succinct referral emails
with clear call-to-action
http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2004-08-01/online-extra-jeff-bezos-on-word-of-mouth-power

19. INCENTIVIZE
CUSTOMER
REFERRALS
10
TACTIC
http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2013/under-the-influence-consumer-trust-in-a
dvertising.html
84%of surveyed shoppers said that
word-of-mouth recommendations
from friends and family were the
most trustworthy.

20. The fastest way to a customer's heart is
through the referral of a trusted friend.
Visit ReferralCandy.com to learn how
to acquire new high-quality customers!

21. CRafTED BY