The past several years have seen well-known retailers like GNC and Pier 1 file for bankruptcy, but local businesses have also been greatly affected by the rapidly-evolving e-commerce landscape. Those who survived and are still in the game are innovative and open to changing with the times. 

 

Think With Google experts explain that retailers must embrace the new reality and use ways to digitally extend their storefronts to join in on the "retail revolution."  

 

Retail Marketing: The Statistics

The overwhelming majority of retail shoppers (81%) do online research before making purchases, whether for bicycles, clothing, home security systems, or just about anything else.

 

Seventy-seven percent use mobile devices for this purpose, and many spend time comparing prices in stores with their phones on competitors' websites. Invoca also shows that consumers who run mobile searches are about 39% more inclined to call businesses.

​

The importance of excellent customer service has not changed, and as much as 80% of consumers claim that it's as essential as the products. Think about this: sixty-five percent of consumers report cutting ties with brands over one bad customer service experience.

 

This separation could result from a low-performing mobile app, inadequate content, frustrating purchasing and delivery processes, or poorly-trained customer service reps.

 

Retailers who provide personalized shopping experiences see how well this affects their bottom lines; 40% of consumers will purchase from retailers that provide this across all channels.

 

Consumers demand to feel known and valued by retailers, and they want seamless buying experiences from start to finish. When it is too time-consuming or difficult to buy something, they quickly look elsewhere.

 

Personalizing Buyer Experiences

There is nothing better than a personalized shopper, and some retail websites offer this feature with chatbots. Others have online chats and click-and-call features.

 

What about potential customers who shy away from these, though? This is where the importance of anticipating and answering consumer questions comes in: you can capture common questions that people ask and add them into your online content.

 

One disadvantage with retail websites is that consumers cannot touch the products in person. The next best thing is providing them with 360-degree views, gestural controls, and interactive videos to bring the products to life.

 

Companies like Warby Parker have virtual try-ons, where potential customers can match up frames against their personal photos. These all allow consumers to interact with products more emotionally, spurring on the desire to buy.

 

Ecommerce Content Writing

Textuar explains that there were approximately 2.14 billion digital buyers in 2021, and the competition to get their attention and business is intense. Quality content and SEO strategies will drive organic traffic to your website or stores.

 

The framework consists of accurate product descriptions with details customers need to establish trust and make buying decisions. Focus on aspects that make your products stand out from the pack; if your lettuce is triple-washed and guaranteed fresh, emphasize that.

 

Catchy headlines and engaging product descriptions are ideal, but as many as 50% of shoppers return items when products do not match the descriptions. They are more likely to purchase from retailers who provide specifications about quantities, estimated delivery times, return policies, and easy-to-locate contact information.

 

They do not want to search back and forth on different pages. If they have to go back and forth too often, it causes frustration and visits to competitor sites.

 

You should also optimize retail content for high rankings on search engines pages using search engine optimization (SEO). WebFX writes that the first five results on the first Google search results page (SERP) get 68% of the overall clicks.

 

Keyword research is the first step of a successful SEO campaign: most retail searches are specific, and your product descriptions should be, too. You should also incorporate relevant keywords into page URLs, photo headlines, and your other searchable content.

 

Making Your Content Sharable

Your social media content should be easy to share, with buttons on all the pages. This sharing is akin to "word of mouth," so keep your content exciting, with interesting comments, photos, and videos. When people share your content across different platforms, it drives more traffic to your site.

 

Your platforms should also be updated frequently, as users constantly seek new information. Interact with customers, too: if someone asks why your company's office chair is out of stock, stay on top of it, or you will lose a sale.

 

Shopify reports that mobile devices have surpassed desktops as the #1 source for Google searches. Mobile searches account for more than 50% of all e-commerce traffic.

 

Consumers now expect all their online experiences to have the design and functionality to make purchases seamlessly. If you haven't done so yet, now is the time to create an app with easy-to-read, large text, clear images and videos, simple layouts, and motivating calls to action.

 

Wordsmyth Creative Content Marketing's talented marketing and writing professionals can create retail industry-specific content and strategies, helping your potential customers find what they're looking for as they're looking for it.