This year the Ecommerce Expo returned to Croke Park as an even bigger event than the years previous. With over 25 exhibitors and 10 incredible speakers throughout the day, it’s hard to pick out just one highlight from the event. Attendees had the opportunity to learn exclusive industry tips from the big players like Facebook and Google, as well as receive first hand advice from successful startups. From SEO strategies to sustainable business methods, the Ecommerce Expo covered important need-to-know content for business owners. If you weren’t able to attend the expo, there’s no need to stress about what you missed because we’ve picked out 6 tips from the day with takeaways from some of our amazing speakers to share with you.
1. Leverage Google Machine Learning to Simplify and Grow
The “Age of Assistance” means that customers are getting more curious, demanding, and impatient than ever before. It’s really hard for companies to predict what a user will do, and that’s where machine learning plays a part. Google Ads machine learning will help to automatically optimize your account by predicting user behavior based on browsing history, context, and user data. There are 4 main ways to simplify & grow with Google ads machine learning: targeting, creatives, bidding, and attribution.
2. Remember Sustainable Business Models
As the subject of responsible shopping and its impact on the future of the environment grows in recognition, the more important it is to people to support sustainable forms of business. Next to oil, retail is the second dirtiest industry in the world. Shoppers can change this. 86% of consumers want to support companies who make a stand for social issues. 87% of millennials attributed sustainability as something they would be willing to pay more for. With that in mind, a more sustainable business model can help your brand help your customers to reduce the shopping industry’s carbon footprint.
3. Use AR in your eCommerce Business when Applicable
75% of consumers expect online retailers to have AR. In 2016, return costs for UK retail amounted to £60 billion. In the future, AR will be an indispensable tool for online retailers. The objective of eCommerce is to provide customers with a convenient alternative to shopping in stores. However, the potential of having to go through the hassle of returns will often deter potential customer sales. AR serves as a solution to this problem by further enhancing customer experience and convenience of online shopping. AR allows customers to visualize and test out your products before purchasing, increasing their willingness to purchase and decreasing potential sale losses.
4. Combine SEO & PPC Practices to Increase Profit
Using SEO, you can optimize your brand’s website to increase organic traffic through higher rankings in a search engine. A good SEO strategy is necessary for customers to find you online. PPC practices allow you to rank higher in paid results at the top of the page in a search. This is important because if your brand doesn’t rank highly on the page, then a competitor’s brand will, which will result in lost sales for you. While each strategy is important on its own, combining both will allow you to have a stronger digital strategy, giving you the optimal online presence.
5. Take Facebook Ads to the Next Level
Use ads manager for more advanced advertising. Ads Manager will allow you to see analytics for your campaigns so you can check their progress and make adjustments if necessary. By installing the Facebook pixel on your website, you can track if users take certain actions on your website after clicking on your Facebook campaign. This information can help you to further optimize your campaigns. When making new campaigns, creating custom audiences can serve as advantageous for your business. Not only will creating a custom audience help you to tailor your campaign to the most relevant users, but it will also allow you to retarget visitors who have visited your profile in the past. Additionally, you can use Lookalike audiences to reach new customers and further grow your brand’s reach.
6. Create a World-Class Customer Experience from Day Zero
The rate of change today is rapid, and will continue to increase exponentially in the future. Therefore, it is important to provide your customers with a world-class experience from the beginning. To do this, you must be responsive on all your platforms. If customers cannot reach you, they will not bother doing business with you. Having top quality products with a clear warranty and consistent delivery time helps to create transparency and trust between you and your customer. A distinguished logo, user-friendly website, and localized content helps your brand to appeal to customers from across the world, in turn, broadening your audience reach. Keeping your company up to date and continuing to make bold choices will help to distinguish your business from others. Ultimately, in order for your brand to grow, it’s important to offer a big company type of service even as a startup.
We hope these tips from some of the best experts in the industry will help you and your business to thrive. Make sure to check our updates about the Ecommerce Expo so you don’t miss out on what’s in store for next year!
