Marketing Articles

Search Engine Strategies for Online Retailers

The effects of rising gas prices extend far beyond the oil and travel industries; restaurants, retail stores, and major coffee houses around the nation are experiencing declining sales as consumers are forced to cut spending and reduce driving. While this reality is a detriment for brick-and-mortar retailers, companies with both online and offline sales channels can use the current economic situation as a motivation for expanding and
enhancing their online shopping capabilities.

The key to developing a successful e-commerce strategy is to integrate the goals, processes, and messaging of both online and offline sales channels. That is, a company should speak with one voice and provide the same, consistent message to both their traditional and internet shoppers. This will reduce confusion, improve brand recognition and identification, and aid the consumer in their decision making process. The transmittance of a unified message will also make consumers feel more comfortable providing their personal information in order to make online purchases. In addition, retailers should ultimately communicate to shoppers the convenience of shopping online and the cost reductions they will experience as a result of saving gas money. By including such information along with other key differentiators of a particular brand, website content can generate higher sales and better search engine performance.

Online shopping must provide consumers with convenience in terms of less driving time and easy checkout procedure. Unfortunately, if a retail store’s website has a complicated online purchasing process, consumers would rather shop elsewhere than waste time on a difficult website. Therefore, having a seamless checkout process is essential in generating more traffic and sales online, while also maintaining and supporting those traditional shoppers.

Clearly, not every consumer makes online purchases, and it is for this reason that retailers must keep in mind the need for online strategies to complement those that take place offline. Marketing campaigns, messaging, and branding must be extendable and applicable to both traditional and online shoppers. Therefore, companies that effectively tie their catalogs, television, radio, and direct mail pieces to their website will realize increased online sales and a positive consumer experience. Once consumers arrive at the website, a simple checkout process must be in place to support customer convenience in the decision making and purchase processes.

The current economic crisis and credit crunch does not have to mean significantly lower sales for all retailers—instead, it can serve as an opportunity to engage existing consumers and attract new shoppers through additional channels, such as the internet. By adding differentiating content that speaks to consumer convenience, implementing simple checkout procedures online, and integrating online catalogs with traditional media, retailers can earn significant returns on their online marketing investments in terms of search optimization and website building strategies.