Guide: how to attract more customers to your online store

Elin Helgesen • 14 Jan, 2022 • 5 Min. read

Nowadays many prefer online shopping over visiting physical stores due to the convenience it offers. But with the growing number of online stores available, how can you persuade potential customers to choose your business?

While anyone with internet access can potentially visit your online shop, the challenge is to encourage them to actually visit and explore it. So, how can you effectively drive customer traffic to your online store?

1. Be visible

The buyer’s journey starts with identifying a need or desire. Then customers proceed to evaluate solutions and conduct research. It’s crucial for your online store to be visible during this phase of the buyer’s journey, so that the customer can see that you can cater to their needs.

The platforms your customers use will determine exactly where you need to be visible. This may include online research platforms or social media platforms.

Search engines

You must be visible in the search results if your target audience uses search engines like Google and Bing to look up information. You should focus on both search engine optimization (SEO) and advertisements in search engines (SEM).

The search terms you should appear on depend on the products and services you offer, as well as the terms used by your customers. It’s important to align your visibility with the search terms that potential customers are using. For example, if they’re searching for “shovel,” it would be ineffective to appear in search results for the term “digging tools”.

Social Media

It’s also important to be present on social media. Social media is a great platform to market yourself on because we spend a lot of time there. Create an account and post content about your business and products. You should also try social media advertising, to determine whether this type of paid advertising works for you.

Influencer marketing might be a relevant part of your social media marketing. You can get more trustworthy advertising by asking people with sizable social media followings to review and promote your products. Because we relate to influencers, we often trust their advice more than traditional advertising from the brand or store itself.

Email marketing

Email is another channel that can bring more customers into your online store. By sending out newsletters with offers and information about new products and campaigns, you keep customers up to date. You also reach customers who are already interested in your products.

2. Sell products that your customers want

If the goal is to get potential customers into your online store, you need to sell products that they’re looking for. If your customers are looking for a pair of trousers, selling shirts doesn’t help them. Focus on the needs of your target group.

3. Aim for the right target group

Offering the desired products is one thing, but you also need to effectively market and tailor your content and advertisements to the appropriate target audience. If your target group consists of young adults, but the actual purchasers of your products are women in their 60s, you need to make some adjustments. 

Either modify your product range to cater to young adults or shift your target audience to align with the individuals who are actually making purchases. In either case, your marketing strategies should be adapted accordingly.

4. Offer

Customers love discounts and promotions. A good offer can be a deciding factor for a potential customer during the research phase. Welcome offers are also a great way to get potential customers to convert in your online store. By giving a small discount on their first buy, you may gain a new regular customer.

By advertising offers online and on social media, you have the opportunity to draw even more people into your online store.

What happens when the customers finally are in your online store?

Once potential customers have found their way into your store, you need to make sure they stay on the site and complete a purchase.

This can be done by showing the products you offer, as well as having attractive offers, simple, safe, and flexible payment solutions, competitive delivery options, and clear CTAs (call-to-actions). Nothing is more annoying than landing on a website without knowing where to go next. The website must be informative and intuitive, and adapted for both mobile and desktop so that customers can shop from the device that suits them the best.

In short: Make it easy for customers to find and complete a purchase with you.