Some estimates suggest that there are more than 20 million eCommerce shops worldwide. Amazon reported revenue of $87.4 million in the fourth quarter 2019. You can sell online starting at $9 per m with platforms such as BigCommerce or Shopify.

All the tools necessary to create a successful eCommerce business are at your disposal. There is also more competition than ever. How can you successfully open your eCommerce store ? And how do you acquire new customers each day?

This guide will answer that question. You’ll learn multiple ways eCommerce brands can stand out from the rest and grow regardless of their competition.

Create a visual brand

The aesthetics of your brand are more important than in other areas of eCommerce. People can’t touch, smell, measure or feel your products so they have to believe in you.

Is there a way to instill trust quickly? You can create a consistent experience for people whether they find you on Instagram, Twitter or your website.

Visual branding goes beyond images. It includes:

• Choose the fonts that you like
• The colors
• Your logo
• Aesthetics and design style

It’s not as simple as just going to a color generator and selecting the first combination that you see. This part can take as much time and effort as you want. Spend as much time as you need on this part.

Your voice and tone are the other aspects of your brand.

Develop a unique voice

The voice of a brand is the way it communicates with customers and audiences across all media. This includes your website, email newsletter, social networks, as well as print media.

It also includes the words and phrases you use, as well as how you say them. You can use it to be friendly, funny, serious, kind, or irreverent.

No matter what you choose, your voice should reflect your core values and appeal directly to your primary customer group. It is important not to be a voice that makes people turn away or contradicts your beliefs.

Here are some quick exercises to help you develop your brand voice.

• For your brand voice, add three to four adjectives such as irreverent and quicky.

• Write a brief description of what this means

• The do’s (what you are able to do while still being in line with your brand) should be added.

• Add the don’ts (Things that might fall under that category, but that your brand doesn’t do).

After you have created your visual brand and brand tone, place everything in your brand styling guide. Your guidelines will change as you grow.

Make a unique USP

A USP stands for unique selling points. It is the unique selling point that tells your customers why you are important. It shows them what makes you different from other sellers of shoes, shirts, and bags.

This is an important point in software and marketing. It’s often overlooked by eCommerce companies. If done correctly, people will gravitate to your brand because they know what you are and aren’t.

I have one simple question for your consideration. What makes you different from other eCommerce brands? It doesn’t matter what it is, you can own it.

Make content that is contrary to the grain

Many would believe you should just create long content with keywords to search engines. I disagree. You must optimize for humans to get search traffic.

Many eCommerce companies are rehashing the same content. If a brand takes the time and creates something unique, it is noticed by its customers. ProFlowers compiled a list of 151 common flowers in the US.

This would have been enough to be interesting by itself due to its size, but it added a lot more information. It became a resource which has been linked by almost 300 other websites.

There are many types of content. Your email marketing strategy content can be extraordinary. You may have amazing blog content or focus on video content.

It’s important to create content that is relevant to your ideal customers and useful for them. It’s also important to make content that is related to the products that you sell.

Beardbrand, for example, sells products to groom your beard and also has an article about how to grow your hair. It also recommends some of its products.

You may also take a position that is contrary to the accepted wisdom of your community. These are opinion pieces that can work well if your arguments are presented clearly.

Engage your audience all the time

Engaging with your audience shouldn’t be something you do on your own. It’s a team effort that involves everyone, from the top to the bottom.

Choose a few platforms and make the commitment to being available to your audience. Many brands, especially small ones, make the mistake of trying to be everywhere all at once. If you don’t have enough bandwidth, this is not a good idea.

Your audience will interact with your Instagram account if you are only on Instagram. They will find you if you are only on Facebook. It is important to be as accessible as possible.

If they reach out with a problem, you are there. You can also help them if they are just looking for a way to have a good time. It takes time to create a brand that is exceptional. You can start slowly to see how much demand is there and what you are able to handle. Once you are proficient in one channel, you can move on to the next.

Give generously & be kind 

Many corporations have been criticized by their customers and users. Brands boycotted Facebook. Gillette’s #MeToo ad was a disaster. American Apparel also had a dispute with its customers.

These things could be avoided if brands were more compassionate and humane.

What does it look like to be generous and humane from the point of view of a business? Zappos is an excellent example. It offers a 365-day return policy and holds the record for longest support calls. The product was also sold to Amazon for a quarter of a billion dollars.

It seems that being human makes good business sense. Look at the way your company interacts with customers. Are you dictating everything by one policy? Are you maximizing profits at all costs? Is it possible to say that you aren’t looking out for the best interests of your customers?

You can let doubt creep into the mind of your customers if you have any doubts. You can create a game plan to show customers how you can be more kind and more human if you feel you are lacking.

• Shipping Free
• A simple return policy
• Give your customer service representatives more freedom to please customers

These changes should be made and data collected to see how they impact your bottom line. Are you able to connect with customers and drive repeat sales? If so, keep doing it. Change your mind if you don’t like the results.

For something that matters, stand up

Many #metoo brands are politically right in all situations. While this may not be a problem, it will not help your eCommerce brand stand apart.

It doesn’t need to be controversial. Toms decided to give shoes away to those in less fortunate communities for every pair of shoes purchased. Over the years, this was manifested in Toms’ One for One campaign.

Although the campaign is over, 1/3 of the company’s net profit now goes to charity via its Giving Fund.

It doesn’t mean you have to support a charity cause. It is possible to challenge industry norms such as Everlane. Fashion industry is known for being opaque. They do not share information about suppliers or manufacturers. Everlane is a champion of radical transparency and has built a strong following.

What causes are most important to you? Is it something that could be the focal point of your brand’s efforts? Can you help your customers to cherish these movements?

Host live online or in-person events

Ecommerce shops do not hold many events to educate and connect with their customers. It is mostly transactional. This may be true, but it’s not the best way to stand out from the crowd.

Events can be used in two ways to help grow your brand.

• Virtual events
• Popup shops

Online virtual events allow people all over the globe to participate in them. Many online conferencing/webinar platforms allow you to host thousands at once.

Your approach may be different than that of education or software companies. Instead of lecturing, get people involved in your brand. You can show them the behind-the scenes of your creative process, factory, or office.

This will create a stronger connection between your brand and customers. It will make you look more human to them.

Another powerful way to connect with customers is through popup shops. They can visit the shop, meet the staff, and then buy products. Online shopping is difficult because there is no experiential component. Popup shops bridge this gap.

Kylie Cosmetics collaborated with Topshop to open multiple popup shops. There were also crowds gathered around the street.

Despite not receiving that reception, it is worth the effort for the deeper connections you will make.

Keep in mind that you want to attract both new and existing customers. This can be achieved by selecting a location close to your existing customers.

Conclusion

There are many quality brands. It’s not enough to grab and keep the attention of potential customers. This guide has been tested in multiple ways to make it stand out from the rest. It is not a good idea to try them all at once. Pick the ones that have the greatest impact on your brand. You can continue to add strategies and techniques as you build your brand.