Consumers were already beginning to shop online for furniture, but the COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated this trend.
Today, consumers are not afraid to make large purchases online, yet many furniture sellers have failed to adapt to the new reality of how retail consumers are behaving. Your website platform must complement and support your ecommerce marketing strategy to compete effectively.
Consumers today have many options when it comes to shopping online. You must provide an exceptional customer experience at every touchpoint. Here are some of the most important ecommerce marketing strategies to focus on.
Your website’s home page and product pages need to tell your story. While you will want to feature any current promotions or offers, it’s important to let customers know what sets you apart from the competition:
In other words, what is your unique selling proposition (USP)?
Furniture shoppers are trying to envision how any particular piece will look and feel in their home. Part of telling your story should include giving your customers all the information they need about a product including images, dimensions, construction details and more. Additionally, showcasing your products in lifestyle settings enables shoppers to see how products may look in their own home and can provide a more visceral connection.
Furniture shoppers are becoming more comfortable making large purchases online, so you need to bring the same experience to your ecommerce stores and physical locations. Many customers will shop online, then visit stores or look at products in-store and complete purchases online. So, you will want to offer the same products, pricing, and promotions for a seamless experience.
Your ecommerce marketing strategy needs to focus heavily on the mobile shopping experience as well. Today, more internet traffic occurs on mobile devices than on desktops. Mobile ecommerce now makes up nearly 73% of all purchases online even for big-ticket items.
Yet, as many as 90% of shoppers say they aren’t happy with the mobile commerce experience they’re currently getting online. Make sure your site is optimized for mobile, uses responsive design to display properly on user devices, and provides the stellar experience customers want.
Among the different types of ecommerce marketing methods, social media, email marketing, and SMS marketing continue to be among your best tools. Building and maintaining an email marketing list is important, but so is personalization. The more targeted your social media and email messages are, the more effective it will be.
Many furniture sellers have added marketing automation into their tech stack to personalize at scale, including welcome emails, shopping cart abandonment follow-ups, and new products/offers based on past shopper experience.
Geolocation tools let you target potential customers within designated market areas. This allows you to create custom marketing, merchandising, and pricing for different audience segments. When someone searches online for a furniture store near me or (product name) near me, they will see the promotions and products you’re highlighting in their area.
Not all ecommerce platforms are the same. The most efficient marketing strategy for ecommerce will be building your website using a platform that’s designed for the furniture industry. When people come to your site, you have a short period to entice them and engage with them. You need a website that guides them through the buyer’s journey and employs the best practices to encourage them to buy.
A furniture ecommerce platform, like Blueport, will allow you to grow your ecommerce sales with a mobile-optimized and best-in-class website that integrates seamlessly with your tech stack and keeps everything in sync in real-time.
Look for a platform that will:
Blueport offers all of these features and more to create a comprehensive solution to grow your revenue. Over the past two years, Blueport has used its expertise gained from more than 20 years in the online furniture retail space to modernize and build an entirely new platform to capture the way shoppers buy today.
You need the right software solution, ecommerce marketing tools, and ecommerce marketing strategies to compete effectively both online and in your physical stores.
To learn more about how to choose a software that best supports your ecommerce marketing strategy, download our free Furniture Ecommerce Punch List today to see a comprehensive list of the capabilities you need to maximize sales.