8 Important Marketing Trends Ecommerce Sites Need to Understand in 2023

Long gone are the days when you could rely on outdated tactics and expect your ecommerce site to thrive. We’re now living in an era when online shopping is constantly evolving. And if you want to remain relevant, you’ve got to keep an eye on the latest marketing trends.

Now, you need to adapt to the shifting landscape to be able to deliver the best user experience for your customers. With that in mind, we’ll dive into eight important marketing trends that you absolutely can’t afford to ignore in 2023.

Sure, some of these ideas are nothing new. They’ve been around for a while, but their importance has only recently reached the spotlight. We’re going to look at how these trends have evolved, why you need to embrace them, and how ignoring them could leave your ecommerce site trailing in the dust.

Before we start digging deeper, we’d like to point out a hitch where most businesses usually trip and fall. To get ahead of their competition, they try to reinvent the wheel and offer something out of the ordinary. The answer, though, lies in fine-tuning proven strategies and adapting to what works in today’s dynamic marketplace.

Product Category Pages Need Social Proof

Category pages play a crucial role in the customer journey, serving as the gateway to your product pages where the magic of conversion happens. That’s why it’d be much better to view these pages as more than just a means to an end. They’re an opportunity to showcase your brand’s credibility and the value of your products.

Integrating social proof on your category pages can make a world of difference. Highlighting customer reviews, ratings, and testimonials, can not only provide valuable information to potential buyers but also showcase the trust and satisfaction your brand has already earned from existing customers.

In the past, category pages might have been seen as a simple listing of products with minimal focus on generating credibility. However, in today’s highly competitive ecommerce environment, leveraging social proof on these pages has become a non-negotiable. Doing so builds confidence in your brand and encourages visitors to explore your product pages further, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates.

To make the most of this trend, consider incorporating elements such as user-generated content, influencer endorsements, or even real-time purchase notifications to demonstrate the popularity and desirability of your products.

As an example, check out the pitching machines category page from Anytime Baseball Supply. This brand selling baseball products ensures each product featured on this page has a star rating visible along with the number of reviews.

Additionally, the page also has a general detailed review area at the bottom (See What Our Customers Say About Us!), where all the products’ reviews are displayed alongside trust badges signaling secure payments and price guarantees.

Integrate UGC into Product Reviews

Star ratings and short descriptions are a good start, but they simply don’t provide the same level of authenticity and engagement as UGC (user-generated content). So, why not level up your product reviews by allowing customers to upload photos and videos showcasing their unboxing and product installation experiences?

By incorporating UGC into your product review section, you’re enriching the customer experience and showcasing the real-world usage and benefits of your products. This helps to create a sense of community around your brand and provides valuable social proof that resonates with potential buyers.  You can look at Provengo to see a great example of how reviews and UGC can be integrated into product pages.

You can utilize this trend by encouraging customers to share their experiences with your products through photos, videos, and even written testimonials. By placing emphasis on UGC, you’ll foster a deeper connection with your customers, generate trust, and ultimately drive more conversions.

A great example of an ecommerce site that has successfully integrated UGC into its product reviews is the popular camera brand GoPro. They encourage their customers to share photos of themselves using the purchased items while posting their reviews. These images are open for everyone to see, providing a more realistic and relatable representation of the products and inspiring other shoppers to make a purchase.

Be Extremely Clear About What You Sell

Ecommerce brands have to be remarkably upfront and transparent about what their site offers. Add a value proposition that’s clear, concise, and focused on the tangible products or services you provide. Don’t just rely on abstract brand values or clever but ambiguous marketing messages.

With countless competitors vying for your customers’ attention, being clear about what people can buy on your site is more important than ever.

Your website header plays a vital role in communicating your value proposition. It’s the first thing visitors see when they land on your site, so make sure it explicitly conveys what you sell. While creativity and abstract messaging can be employed in other areas of your site, the header is where clarity is paramount.

To reap all of the benefits of this trend, review your website header and ensure it clearly communicates your products or services. Don’t be afraid to showcase what makes your brand unique, but always prioritize clarity to help potential customers quickly understand what they can expect from your site.

A prime example of a brand that strikes the perfect balance between clarity and creativity is Vivion. This ingredients supplier’s header features a series of messages that are not only straightforward and easy to understand but also incorporate descriptive words that highlight their unique selling points, such as “safe” and “ethically sourced.” This approach ensures visitors immediately grasp what Vivion offers while also emphasizing what sets the brand apart from its competitors.

Enable Social Shopping

Combining the power of social media with the convenience of online shopping gave rise to social shopping – a key component of the ecommerce experience. Brands utilize social shopping features on their sites to create more engaging, personalized, and seamless experiences for their customers.

You can do the same by testing the following best social shopping practices:

Shoppable Posts

Leverage platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest by creating shoppable posts that allow users to directly purchase products featured in your social media content. This streamlines the buying process and makes it easier for customers to buy your products from the platforms they already love.

Influencer Collaborations

Partner with influencers in your niche to reach new audiences and generate buzz around your products. Influencers are great for crafting engaging content that features your products, persuading their followers to be interested in making a purchase.

Social Media Integration

Add social sharing buttons to your product pages. Make it easy for your customers to share their purchases or favorite items with their followers. This is great for increasing your brand’s visibility and drawing in new prospects.

Social Media Storefronts

Many social media platforms now offer on-site storefronts – dedicated ecommerce spots that enable businesses to create a seamless shopping experience for their customers. Having a social media storefront is perfect for showcasing your products directly on platforms like Instagram or Facebook. This way, your customers can discover new products, learn about your brand, and make purchases without ever leaving their social feed.

King Ice is a popular streetwear jewelry brand that features a well-crafted ecommerce shop on Instagram. Facilitating the ease of making a purchase while stumbling upon a product featured on their Instagram page is unmatched compared to visiting their website, identifying the product that you saw on their Instagram, and making the purchase there.

Publish Conversion-Focused Long-Form Content

Your blog can be a powerful sales tool if utilized effectively. Publishing high-quality, long-form content that addresses specific niche pain points can help establish your brand as an industry expert and build trust with your audience.

To maximize the potential of your content, focus on providing valuable, unbiased information while also incorporating product-page links and calls-to-action (CTAs) to drive conversions.

Employ Experts

Collaborate with experts in your industry and craft well-researched and authoritative content. This will boost your brand’s credibility and increase the likelihood of your content being shared and referenced by others in your niche.

Address Pain Points

Identify the challenges and concerns your target audience faces and create content that addresses these issues head-on. Provide actionable solutions and demonstrate how your products or services can help alleviate these pain points.

Be Informative and Unbiased

Ensure that your content is objective and informative, avoiding overt sales pitches. This approach will build trust with your audience, making them more receptive to your product recommendations and CTAs.

Utilize Strategic Linking

Integrate relevant product-page links and CTAs within your content, but do so in a way that feels natural and unobtrusive. This can be achieved by highlighting the benefits of your products in the context of the topic being discussed, making the transition from content to product pages feel seamless.

Optimize for Search Engines

Enhance the visibility of your content and drive more organic traffic to your site by optimizing it for search engines. Use relevant keywords, enticing headlines, and proper formatting.

Transparent Labs has a great post on the “Best Pre-Workout Supplements” that is the perfect example of the above practice. This natural sports supplements brand lists all of the article author’s credentials below the headline to ensure readers understand they’re receiving reliable, expert advice from a knowledgeable source.

Additionally, they take great care in optimizing the article for SEO and strategically placing relevant product-page links within its content. That way, a spike in conversions is inevitable.

Offer a Consistent Social Media Experience

Rather than spreading yourself too thin across various types of content, identify what resonates most with your audience and concentrate your efforts on delivering that specific content. That way, you’re creating a focused and cohesive social media experience that keeps your followers engaged and loyal to your brand.

• Identify your target audience and their preferences.
  Figure out what your followers care about and cater to their interests.

• Create a focused content strategy.
  Develop a logical and consistent content plan that aligns with your brand identity.

• Stick to your strategy.
  Resist the temptation to deviate from your chosen content type, as doing so could dilute your message and confuse or alienate your followers.

• Monitor and adapt.
  Regularly assess the performance of your content and make necessary adjustments to ensure you continue meeting the needs and expectations of your audience.

Mannequin Mall serves as an excellent example of a brand that has successfully honed its social media strategy. Both their Pinterest and Instagram accounts are laser-focused on providing inspiration for window display enthusiasts, who make up a significant portion of their customer base.

This fashion mannequin retailer’s unwavering commitment to sharing captivating window display ideas ensures they don’t risk alienating their followers with unrelated posts. They understand the importance of staying true to their niche and doubling down on their social media content strategy.

Offer Real-Time Support

Customers expect immediate assistance and want to reach customer service through the channel of their choice. In fact, over half of shoppers say it’s important to connect easily with customer service via their preferred method. To meet these expectations, businesses should consider adopting various real-time support tools and strategies:

• Chatbots
  Implement AI-powered chatbots on your website to provide instant, automated support to customers. Chatbots can answer common questions, guide users through the purchasing process, and even help with returns or refunds, all without human intervention.
• Live chat
  Offer live chat support to assist customers in real time with their inquiries. Trained customer service representatives can handle more complex issues and provide personalized support that chatbots may not be capable of.
• Phone support
  Maintain a dedicated phone line for customers who prefer to speak with a representative directly. This can help build trust and rapport with your audience while addressing their concerns efficiently.
• Social media DMs
  Monitor direct messages on your social media platforms and ensure prompt responses to customer inquiries. This enables customers to engage with your brand through their preferred channel and receive real-time support.
• In-app messaging
  If your business has a mobile app, ensure to provide instant support to app users and address their questions and concerns directly within the app interface.

Zappos is a well-known online shoe retailer that excels in offering real-time support. They provide 24/7 live chat, phone, text, and social media customer service, ensuring that customers can reach them through the channel they’re most comfortable with.

Embrace Explainer Videos

Product explainer videos have been wildly popular in the SaaS space, and it’s high time e-commerce businesses jumped on board, especially those selling unique products or targeting audiences that may not be tech-savvy. With the help of an online video creator, e-commerce businesses can easily create captivating visuals.

Explainer videos are an efficient medium to communicate the features, benefits, and functionality of your products in a concise and engaging manner.

Here’s how to leverage explainer videos for your ecommerce business:

• Keep it simple.
  Aim to create short, engaging videos that get to the point quickly. Focus on the key features and benefits of your product without overwhelming the viewer with too much information.
• Tell a story.
  Use storytelling techniques to create an emotional connection with your visitors. Show how your product solves a problem or enhances the user’s life in a relatable way.
• Use clear visuals.
  Opt for high-quality visuals and animations that accurately represent your product and brand, so your viewers can easily understand your product’s functionality and its benefits.
• Focus on your target audience.
  Tailor your video’s tone, language, and visuals to resonate with your specific audience.

GetSafe, a medical alert systems company, shows how explainer videos can not only showcase the functionality of a product but also create relatability and evoke the right emotions. The video featured on their website header effectively demonstrates how their medical alert device works and how it can benefit the user.

Final Thoughts

Staying ahead in the ecommerce game requires adapting to emerging trends and always tweaking your marketing strategies. By incorporating these eight essential trends into your approach, you’ll enhance your customers’ experience, build trust, and boost conversions.

Stay agile, embrace innovation, and watch your ecommerce business flourish!