How To Scale Ecommerce Business: 5 Strategies That Work

The digital age has transformed the way we live. One of the most significant shifts we’ve seen in the modern era is how we shop. Gone are the days of flipping through catalogs or wandering through store aisles. Today, the world of commerce is at our fingertips in the form of ecommerce. As it continues to grow, store owners have the opportunity to take full advantage by learning how to scale ecommerce business.

Data reveals that retail ecommerce sales in 2022 peaked at approximately 5.7 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide. This number is on an upward trajectory, with growth projections for sales expected to reach about 8.1 trillion dollars by 2026.

It goes without saying that the future looks bright in the ecommerce industry. But how can you take advantage of this booming market to build a successful ecommerce business yourself? The answer lies in scaling effectively. So, let’s dive right in and discuss some of the proven strategies you can leverage to boost your ecommerce revenue.

Key highlights

• A well-structured business plan with clear objectives, revenue targets, audience research, market analysis and competitor insights is crucial for effective scaling.
• To grow your ecommerce business, focus on SEO, PPC ads, email marketing, social media and blogging to reach and engage your target audience effectively.

5 strategies to explore if you want to learn how to scale ecommerce business

Here are five effective strategies you can employ to grow your ecommerce store. 

Strategy #1: Create a business plan for your online store

A well-defined business plan is more than just a document. It lays the foundation for building a successful ecommerce venture. Your business plan can provide direction from where you are to where you want to be. It can also help anticipate challenges that might arise on your path to growth, allowing you to prepare contingency plans and pivot when necessary. 

To create an effective business plan, here are key aspects to consider. 

1. Define your business objectives

Start by defining your short-term and long-term goals using these questions:

• What milestones do I aim to achieve in 12 months? 
• What milestones do I aim to achieve in five years? 
• Do I want to launch a new product line?
• Do I want to expand the reach to new markets? 

Be as specific as you can. Having concrete objectives will provide direction and help you measure your progress effectively.

2. Set revenue targets & growth expectations

Sound money planning is crucial for driving revenue growth and ensuring business sustainability. Be familiar with your financial trajectory by calculating your profit margins and setting clear revenue growth targets. 

Of course, as your business grows, make sure to strike a balance between optimism and realism so you don’t set unrealistic expectations that could lead to disappointment. By maintaining a pragmatic outlook, you can create a financial roadmap that guides your actions and helps optimize resources effectively. 

3. Research your audience 

To truly connect with your customer, you need to know who they are. Conduct thorough research to understand your ideal buyers. Know their preferences, pain points, and buying behaviors. This knowledge can help you launch effective digital marketing campaigns and create better product offerings.

4. Perform market research

Demand is the driving factor for business growth. An effective business plan should include an analysis of market dynamics in your chosen niche or industry. Here are a few questions to answer before you move on to the next steps. 

• Is there a demand for your product or products? 
• Where are your ideal buyers located? 
• Will you be operating in a single geographical location or multiple ones? 

A thorough understanding of your business landscape can help you identify potential challenges and opportunities you can utilize to your advantage. 

5. Spy on your competitors

Your competitors hold valuable insights. Identify your closest competitors and analyze what they are doing right and where they fall short. Take note of what strategies are working for other websites in your niche and identify gaps in your competitor’s operations that you can use to differentiate your brand. 

6. Craft a sales funnel

A sales funnel is a conceptual framework that maps out your customer’s journey from their first interaction with your brand to the final purchase. From the moment a visitor lands on your site to the point of conversion, you need to draft out strategic stages designed to guide them seamlessly through the decision-making process. 

Strategy #2: Build a solid marketing strategy

To scale your ecommerce business, you need to be able to reach your target audience and convert visitors into customers. However, it’s not just about promoting products. Establishing a solid brand presence and developing strong customer relationships is also crucial. Achieving this requires a robust ecommerce marketing strategy. 

Consider the following techniques as you build your marketing strategy. 

1. Search engine optimization (SEO)

Being discoverable on search engines is the cornerstone of online visibility. In April 2023 alone, Google recorded about 83.9 billion visits. Needless to say, by implementing SEO techniques, you can lay a solid foundation for attracting organic traffic to your store and boosting your ecommerce sales. 

Start with keyword research to uncover terms your potential customers are using to discover businesses like yours. Then, strategically use these keywords throughout your site on product pages, titles and meta tags to help Google index your site and rank it in relevant search results. Besides on-site SEO, also do not forget to take advantage of off-site SEO.

2. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising

Pay-per-click advertising is an advertising model where you pay a fee when someone clicks on your ad. Unlike inbound marketing techniques like SEO, where you optimize your website for organic search traffic and patiently wait for results to build over time, paid marketing, like PPC ads, can deliver faster results. One way to launch PPC campaigns is through the Google Ads platform.  

3. Email marketing

Email marketing remains one of the most effective online marketing channels to grow and nurture a loyal customer base. By implementing subscription forms on your store, you can capture the email addresses of web visitors and launch promotional email campaigns that convert them into paying customers. 

4. Social media

In 2023, about 4.8 billion people use social media. This is around 60% of the world’s population. In other words, setting up business profiles on social channels can boost your reach online. 

An effective social media strategy involves publishing relevant, engaging content that resonates with the audience.  

5. Blog

A blog presents an opportunity to showcase your expertise and build trust with the audience. By creating valuable and relevant content, you can position your brand as an authority and attract organic traffic from search engines.  

Strategy #3: Focus on customer retention

As much as acquiring new customers is essential, the real work involves transforming one-time shoppers into loyal brand advocates. Customer retention offers a way to generate more revenue with existing resources because selling to people who’ve bought from you is more cost-effective than spending money to acquire new customers. Some strategies you can employ to encourage repeat purchases include the following. 

1. Enhance user journey

A seamless user journey lays the foundation for repeat purchases. From the moment a customer lands on your website to the final checkout process, every step should be intuitive, convenient and enjoyable. Your store design also affects the customer experience, so ensure you opt for quality web design services. Make sure to simplify the checkout process and use intuitive navigation elements that improve your website’s usability, too. 

2. Encourage customer account registrations

One way to drive repeat purchases is to encourage site users to create customer accounts. Customers with accounts can view tailored product recommendations and an overview of their purchase history, making reordering and tracking deliveries easier. By creating accounts, customers can feel more connected to your brand and enjoy a sense of belonging as they become part of your community. 

3. Set up a loyalty program

Rewarding your loyal customers makes them feel valued, which encourages repeat purchases. One way to encourage customers to make repeat purchases is to implement a points-based system where they earn points for every purchase, which they can later redeem. You can also introduce tiered rewards, where the more they shop, the better the rewards.  

Strategy #4: Automate your operations

As your business grows, utilizing automation services becomes essential to scale your ecommerce business efficiently. By integrating smart technologies with their ecommerce platforms, business owners can avoid mundane activities and free up valuable time to focus on critical tasks that drive growth. 

Here are aspects of your business operations that can benefit from automation. 

1. Feedback collection

Gathering feedback from customers can help you refine your store experience for greater customer satisfaction. However, it doesn’t have to be manual. You can gather insights promptly by automating feedback collection through post-purchase surveys or follow-up emails using tools like Trustpilot on your store website. 

2. Customer support

Excellent customer service is a hallmark of a successful online store. If you cannot hire someone to address queries 24/7, you could leave room for poor customer service and, in turn, negative reviews that prospective customers read.

Integrating chatbot software like Intercom or Tidio with your ecommerce platform lets you handle basic queries around the clock and ensure quick response times. While automation plays a role, the focus should always be on maintaining a high quality of service to ensure customer satisfaction. 

3. Invoice generation

Invoicing can be time-consuming, but it’s a critical part of your ecommerce business operations. You can make the process painless by using tools like QuickBooks to automatically generate invoices post-purchase, send them to customers and even handle follow-ups regarding payment processing. 

Strategy #5: Upgrade your online business website

An outdated site can lead to slow loading times, poor user experiences and security vulnerabilities, which could lead to losing potential customers to competitors with more modern and user-friendly sites. However, upgrading your business website can improve conversion rates while ensuring your online presence remains competitive.

You can enhance your website in the following ways. 

1. Good quality photos

Investing in high-quality photography can make your products more appealing and drive better conversions. By capturing your product offerings in the best light, customers can see the details of what they’re buying. Consider using creative angles and even 360-degree views.

If budget constraints exist, you can use tools like Canva to enhance and edit photos to help your product pages look more professional.

2. Clear product descriptions

Craft product descriptions that are not only informative but also persuasive. Clearly communicate the benefits, features and unique selling points of your products. Also, create FAQs to answer potential questions and knock off objections in advance to guide customers toward confident purchasing decisions.

3. Mobile-responsive and accessible design

Implement a responsive design to ensure your website is usable on mobile devices. Additionally, prioritize accessibility to acquire more customers by making your website usable for everyone, including individuals with disabilities.

4. Transparent brand vision/mission

Most customers are drawn to brands that resonate with their beliefs, so having a transparent and authentic brand story can foster a deeper connection. Dedicate a section of your website to share your brand’s story, vision and mission. 

5. Website testing

A successful website is a work in progress. Perform regular tests and gather user feedback to identify pain points and areas for improvement. User experience is a journey, and by continuously refining your website based on data and insights, you’re ensuring that your customers’ needs are met.

If your website is still not delivering the desired results despite these upgrades, consider a more comprehensive solution – a website redesign. A fresh, modern design can reinvigorate your brand and set the stage for the next phase of your ecommerce journey. 

Grow your ecommerce business with WAcademy 

At WAcademy, we believe that every small business deserves a remarkable online presence with the help of a strong website. We design mobile-responsive and functional ecommerce websites that are not only visually appealing but also capable of driving real results. 

In a world where your online presence can make or break your success, we’re here to make sure it’s a resounding success. We understand many small businesses face budget constraints related to web design. That’s why we offer free website design services to ensure you have access to the same level of quality and professionalism that larger enterprises enjoy.

How do we make this possible? It’s all thanks to our unique virtual internship program. We’re passionate about guiding the next generation of web designers, and we’re nurturing an arrangement that benefits both small business owners and budding web designers. Through our program, aspiring designers gain practical experience and build a professional portfolio while working on your ecommerce website. And businesses spend nothing on web design.

And the best part? We can deliver websites in just 20-30 business days, ensuring you don’t have to wait endlessly to take your business online. We have over 30,000 websites under our belt, and so we have the experience to ensure results. 

Ready to launch a new business or upgrade an existing online shopping venture? If you’re interested in getting a quality web design that can transform your ecommerce endeavor, click the link below and reserve your spot.