What is eCommerce Marketing? The Ultimate Guide

eCommerce marketing refers to the strategies and tactics used to promote products sold online. This includes driving traffic to an ecommerce store, increasing brand awareness, and boosting sales through various digital marketing channels.

With the rise of ecommerce, having an effective ecommerce marketing strategy is crucial for the success of any online business.

This guide will provide an in-depth look at what ecommerce marketing is, why it’s important, and the most effective ecommerce marketing strategies you should be using.

What is eCommerce?

Before diving into ecommerce marketing, let’s first define what ecommerce is.

Ecommerce, short for “electronic commerce”, simply refers to the buying and selling of goods and services online. An ecommerce business is one that sells products directly to customers using a website or other digital channels, from small online stores to large marketplaces like Amazon and eBay.

There are different types of ecommerce models:

• B2C (business-to-consumer): Selling products directly to individual customers or consumers. For example, clothing, accessories, home goods sold via the company’s website or marketplace storefronts.
• B2B (business-to-business): Selling products and services to other businesses. For example, office supplies and IT services for other companies.
• C2C (consumer-to-consumer): Consumers selling their products to other individual consumers. Examples include personal retail sites like eBay and Etsy.
• Pure Digital Goods: Intangible goods like software, digital products, and subscription services.

In this guide, we’ll focus specifically on B2C ecommerce marketing – strategies for driving traffic to online stores and increasing sales directly to individual customers.

Why is eCommerce Marketing Important?

With more retail sales occurring online each year, having an ecommerce presence is essential for any consumer brand looking to stay competitive and continue growing.

However, simply having an ecommerce website or online storefront isn’t enough. You need effective marketing strategies to attract potential customers to your site and convince them to make a purchase.

Here are some of the key reasons ecommerce marketing is so critical:

Drive Website Traffic

Without traffic to your online store, there are no potential customers to market to. Ecommerce marketing helps drive qualified visitors to your site through various digital channels like search, social media, and paid ads.

More traffic = more potential customers.

Increase Brand Awareness

Many shoppers still aren’t aware of smaller online brands. Ecommerce marketing raises awareness of your business so more potential buyers understand what you sell when they’re ready to make a purchase.

Boost Sales

Ultimately, the goal of marketing is sales. Ecommerce marketing targets high-intent shoppers and persuades them to add items to their cart and complete purchases. The more effective your marketing, the higher your online revenue.

Enhance Customer Experience

Ecommerce marketing doesn’t stop after the initial sale. Effective strategies nurture customer relationships and provide experiences that earn repeat purchases and loyalty.

Key eCommerce Marketing Strategies

Now that you understand the importance of ecommerce marketing, let’s explore some of the most effective strategies and tactics you should be leveraging.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps improve rankings in search engines like Google so your online store and products appear higher in results for relevant keyword searches.

Higher search rankings lead to increased organic traffic to your site. And because people searching with buying intent are more likely to click on organic results, this traffic converts to sales at a much higher rate than other sources.

Examples of ecommerce products ranking in Google search results.

For an ecommerce site, focus your SEO efforts on:

• Keyword research – Identify high commercial intent keywords potential customers are using related to your products. Target these in your content to drive relevant organic traffic.
• Site architecture – Structure your site effectively with simple navigation helping search engines crawl and index all your important pages.
• Page speed optimization – Fast page load times improve search rankings and the user experience.
• Quality content – Create product guides, comparisons, and shopping tips centered around your target keywords. Update blogs and product pages regularly.
• Technical SEO – Have a solid technical foundation following best practices for ecommerce SEO.

Learn More: Complete Guide to eCommerce SEO

2. Paid Search & Display Advertising

Paid search and display advertising complements your organic marketing efforts by putting your brand and products in front of motivated shoppers as they browse online and search for products on platforms like Google and Facebook.

Example of ecommerce paid ads on Google.

Some of the most effective paid ad formats for ecommerce include:

• Shopping Ads – Showcase your products at the top of Google Shopping results.
• Search Ads – Target non-brand commercial keywords where you don’t rank organically.
• Remarketing Ads – Re-engage visitors who previously browsed your website or products. Very effective for ecommerce.
• Social Media Ads – Highly targeted ads on Facebook and Instagram feeds.
• Product Listing Ads – Display your products to shoppers browsing competitor sites and marketplaces.

Properly optimizing paid ad campaigns involves thorough keyword research, extensive A/B testing of ad elements like imagery and copy, monitoring performance metrics, and ensuring positive return on ad spend (ROAS).

3. Email Marketing

Email is one of the highest converting digital marketing channels because subscribers opt-in to receive messages from brands they trust. Leverage email to re-engage customers and prospects with targeted offers.

Some of the most effective email campaigns for ecommerce include:

• Welcome Series – Build rapport with subscribers right after they signup. Educate them on your brand, products, and other offerings.
• Cart Abandonment – Bring shoppers back to complete purchases after leaving items sitting in their online carts. Timely and relevant.
• Browse Abandonment – Remarket shoppers who previously browsed specific product categories or items but haven’t purchased yet.
• Customer Re-engagement – Recommend products to existing customers and subscribers who haven’t purchased in a while.
• Back In Stock – Notify subscribers when out-of-stock items they previously viewed become available again.

Beyond campaigns, optimizing deliverability, list segmentation, timing, subject lines, and design are all key for email success.

4. Content Marketing

Content marketing refers to creating blog posts, guides, videos, and other media formats that attract and engage your target ecommerce audience.

Besides building brand awareness and affinity, content serves as “bait” increasing organic traffic from search engines as you target strategic keywords in your posts. Give visitors value and educate them on products they wish to learn about.

Some effective types of content for ecommerce sites include:

• Product Category Pages – Optimized category and sub-category pages with buying guides, comparisons between models, and tips for getting the most value from different product types.
• Product Reviews / Comparisons – In-depth reviews and head-to-head comparisons of products informing purchase decisions.
• Expert Interviews – Interviews with product designers, company founders, or industry experts related to your niche.
• Behind-the-Scenes Content – Tell the story behind your brand with videos showcasing product development, sourcing, and manufacturing processes. Provide value beyond just selling products.
• Tutorials / How-Tos – Help customers understand how to use your products properly with step-by-step instructions and tips.

No matter the format, ensure content targets relevant search queries so it has the best chance of ranking in SERPs and driving organic traffic. Promote your best-performing content across social channels as well.

5. Social Media Marketing

Promoting your ecommerce brand and products across social platforms helps increase awareness and drive sales through channels your audience is already highly active on.

Example of social media marketing on Instagram.

Some best practices for ecommerce social media marketing include:

• Showcase New Products – Give followers sneak peeks of upcoming product launches and releases to generate buzz.
• Leverage Influencers – Partner with relevant influencers to promote products and influence followers.
• Run Contests / Giveaways – Encourage UGC (user-generated content) and engagement with exciting prizes for winners.
• Advertise via Paid Ads – Amplify organic posts

Let me know if you need any part of this section revised or extended further!

6. Referral / Loyalty Programs

Referral programs encourage existing customers to recommend your brand to friends and family in return for rewards. This could be through invite codes, shareable links, or other referral triggers.

Loyalty programs also increase engagement and repeat purchases by providing exclusive perks and discounts to repeat shoppers who earn points with every purchase. Common programs include:

• Points-based rewards redeemable for discounts or free products
• Tiered programs with additional benefits for your highest-value customers
• Free shipping rewards when shoppers meet minimum order value thresholds
• BOGO (buy one get one free) coupons or personalized discounts for being a loyal customer

7. Retargeting Ads

Retargeting (sometimes called remarketing) refers to showing targeted ads to people who have previously interacted with your ecommerce business in some way. For example:

• Visitors who searched products but didn’t add to cart
• Shoppers who added items to their cart but didn’t finish checkout
• Previous customers from your purchase database

Displaying relevant ads across sites these users browse helps keep your brand top of mind. Dynamic ads can even showcase the exact products they previously viewed, enticing them to come back and complete the purchase.

8. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based tactic where other sites and influencers promote your products to their audiences in exchange for a commission on each resulting sale.

As an ecommerce brand, running an affiliate program lets you tap into existing influencer and blogger audiences without paying anything upfront or giving away equity. Affiliates only earn commissions when they refer real sales, making it very low-risk.

Offer generous commission rates up to 20%+ to incentivize your highest-performing affiliates and partners. Provide creatives such as banner ads and product imagery they can use to help convert their audiences more effectively.

9. Events / Pop-up Shops

Don’t limit your ecommerce marketing to purely digital channels. Bridge the offline world by participating in relevant industry events, tradeshows, and pop-up shops your target customers attend.

Set up product demos, offer limited-time discounts, collect emails for future marketing, and most importantly – make genuine connections to turn prospects into loyal brand advocates.

10. Analytics & Testing

The foundation of successful ecommerce marketing is data. Analyze key metrics like traffic volume, bounce rates, conversion rates, average order value, and ROAS (return on ad spend) to determine what’s working and what needs improvement.

Continually test variations of copy, offers, imagery, and more using A/B and multivariate testing to further optimize performance. The little details make a big difference.

Key Takeaways and Next Steps

Effective ecommerce marketing is essential for driving traffic, boosting brand awareness, and increasing sales for online businesses. Key takeaways include:

• Implement core strategies like search engine optimization, paid advertising, email marketing, and content creation to reach buyers throughout their journey.
• Promote products heavily on social channels where your audience is highly active. Encourage engagement and user-generated content.
• Bring back visitors who previously interacted with your brand using retargeting ads and email remarketing campaigns.
• Leverage affiliate marketing and influencer partnerships to tap into existing audiences.
• Analyze important ecommerce metrics regularly using analytics and testing tools. Continually refine and improve marketing performance.

As the global shift to ecommerce and digital continues, taking the time now to develop integrated marketing strategies that work cohesively will set your brand up for sustainable growth into the future.

I hope you found this guide helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions!