I have been utilizing the vacations to plan a 3-level technique for 2017.
- Create higher focused marketing.
- Fine-tune my product vary and pricing for higher profitability.
- Streamline customer support with automated emails the place potential.
This is what I plan to do to spice up my gross sales and income for 2017.
Better focused advertising
Since June 2015, My Wedding Aécor has been listed underneath two classes with the marriage listing Wedding Club (previously The Knot): “Decorations & Effects” and “Bomboniere” (also referred to as “Guest Favors”).
After noticing a poor return on funding on the leads from Bomboniere compared to Decorations & Effects, I have requested Wedding Club change my Bomboniere class to “Party & Furniture Hire,” which higher displays my enterprise areas.
I additionally plan to introduce Google Shopping advertisements, however will do this solely after I have assessed profitability of all merchandise — extra on that later.
Last yr, I put in three apps on my website — Quantity Breaks, Product Options, and, for a short while, Product Upsell — by Shopify app firm Bold Apps.
Quantity Breaks provided clients tiered reductions for buying growing portions of décor gadgets.
The complete worth of purchases (i.e., not gadgets for lease) in June-December 2016 rose 347 % over June-December 2015. However, within the final six months, not one buyer has ordered greater than the minimal set of 10, 20, 50 or one hundred gadgets to entry the 5-, 10-, 15- or 20-% reductions.
With this app costing $sixteen.ninety nine per thirty days (AU$23.fifty eight), it doesn’t justify its inclusion.
Product Options stays important: It permits clients to differ their order by way of colour, measurement, taste, and sort, and to offer such info as customized names and dates to hurry their order alongside the customization course of.
Last yr I examined Product Upsell, which enabled me to create such up-promote presents as LED pillar candles with lanterns and mirror bases with tea mild holders.
The coding of this app coexisted with Product Options. However, all merchandise out there for tiered reductions that utilized each Product Options and Quantity Breaks turned very buggy when Product Upsell was added, as too many variations have been required to make it work correctly.
Now that I have deleted Quantity Breaks, I plan to reintroduce Product Upsell to extend the typical order worth.
I additionally plan to put in the Order Metrics app (starting from free to $ninety nine per 30 days, relying on income), which lets me monitor the stock value and precise delivery expense of every order — together with reductions and promotions — to enhance profitability.
Fine-tune product vary
My enterprise is probably going consistent with others, whereby the highest 20 % of merchandise are bought or rented eighty % of the time, however the backside eighty % of merchandise are bought or rented solely 20 % of the time. This is the eighty/20 rule.
When I assessed the gadgets which were not often or by no means rented or bought, I was stunned to seek out that the majority have been sub-$one hundred merchandise. With these deleted from my product vary, I can be to note the influence (if any) on gross sales.
A tedious however crucial process is to evaluate the altering profitability of every product. Unfortunately there isn’t a “notes” part inside the Shopify administration of my product pages so as to add the provider pricing. So I at present do that by spreadsheet.
Items imported from the D.J. and D.R. want frequent watching because of foreign money trade fluctuations and differing delivery costs.
I will quickly assess which of my hottest merchandise to supply upsells with the assistance of the Order Metrics app.
Streamline customer support
Answering emails takes time. Converting enquiries into strong leads takes talent. Having much less of the previous and never sufficient of the latter, I have just lately added a brand new app referred to as Event Temple, which was designed by a marriage business skilled.
The app permits on-line retailers within the occasion business (like me) to create a collection of 5 automated emails which were examined and confirmed to supply larger than typical response charges — and, even higher, greater conversion charges.
I have now created these automated mails for inquiries on my Contact Us web page and for leads from the Wedding Club listing. I will watch and monitor these with curiosity.
What are you planning on your ecommerce website for 2017?
