Boost sales without offering discounts

There are lots of ways to boost sales online. Discounts or special offers have always been a great way to attract more custom, especially in the short-term. But what if you simply can’t afford to mark down your products? What happens when the offer ends and your sales return to normal?

Why you shouldn’t opt for discounts

There’s a real danger that regularly discounting your products could leave your customers with the idea that your products are not worth the original retail price. If your ecommerce customers are regularly being bombarded with emails about your next big sale, they could eventually become reluctant to pay full price for products, knowing there could be huge markdowns just around the corner. Customers could also come to expect discounts from you more regularly – and when they don’t get them, they might head off to a rival to see if they can snag a better deal. This could leave you in an even bigger hole than you started out with, and you may find yourself in a situation where you’re actually trying to convince customers that your products are worth the retail price.

There are numerous ways to boost your ecommerce sales without going down the bargain basement route. Here are just a few of them:

Look at the obstacles preventing customers from purchasing

In order to address the problem of poor sales, you need to identify what’s standing in the way of customers making a purchase. Why are your site visitors falling off the purchase path? They might be unprepared to pay your shipping costs, or they might not have enough information about the product in question. They may be concerned about your site’s security, or they might be lured away by a competitor’s products.

Once you’ve identified the problem, you can act on it. If your postage and packing costs are too high, look at alternative options you can offer. If customers are falling off the purchase path, set up an email process which can draw them back in. Ensure that you have prominently displayed accreditation logos to allay fears about data security.

Reward loyalty and boost sales

Coming up with ways to attract new customers is vital to any business, but coming up with ways to make existing customers feel appreciated is just as important. Try implementing some form of loyalty program to keep your customers coming back for more – especially if you’re selling products that need to be replenished or bought on a regular basis. Research has found that customers on loyalty programs spend around 13% more than the average customer, so focusing on your long-term customers rather than desperately seeking new ones is a strong strategy for boosting sales.

Boost sales with social currency

Social currency is important in this digitally connected world. Focus on building positive reviews on all platforms, and make sure you promote your business thoroughly across all social networks. Many platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, for example) offer simply buttons that make it easy for users to browse and shop from the network, which can help reduce the barriers to buying.