Shopify is currently one of the world’s leading eCommerce platforms, serving entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes to build, manage and scale successful online stores with ease. Why is it so popular, you may wonder? It’s all thanks to its user-friendly interface, robust features, excellent support ecosystem for a variety of businesses and a global reach of more than 175 countries. What’s not to like? It’s the place to succeed as an online store in the digital age.
But how do you make it on Shopify? In this guide, powered by insights from a Shopify agency in London, we’ll explore the key tactics to help you build your traffic, increase conversions and simply build a store that truly thrives online.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? Let’s dive in, then.
The Pillars of Shopify’s Success
Believe it or not, Shopify started as a small online snowboard store. Today, it’s a leading eCommerce platform supporting over 1.7 million successful businesses. How did that happen?
- Easy Setup: A tale as old as time: everyone loves an easy setup. And Shopify knows it. With a simple drag-and-drop interface and customisable templates, creating a slick store is a breeze.
- Scalability: Whether you’re running a side hustle or managing thousands of orders, Shopify scales with you and helps you handle everything from basic setups to complex, high-volume operations.
- Integrations & Customisations: The platform has an extensive App Store that you can easily integrate with third-party and email marketing tools, inventory management, and, really, anything else you need.
- Global Market Reach: One of its biggest perks is that it offers you the opportunity to expand internationally with multilingual and multi-currency support. The world is your marketplace.
Versatile. Powerful. Easy to use. Shopify is the place to be as an emerging business, and it has proven why. But it’s time we get into the nitty gritty: how do you win on Shopify?
Step 1: Optimise Your Store for Conversions
First impressions matter. To turn browsing visitors into loyal customers, you first need to focus on a clean, professional design. This is what will capture your visitors’ attention. Make sure your navigation is straightforward, with clearly defined and fine product categories and a nicely organised menu. Speed matters, too, so optimise images and use a reliable hosting solution to improve it. And always use short, prominent, and easy-to-understand CTAs to seal the deal.
Moreover, remember that mobile optimisation comes before desktop optimisation in your list of priorities. Most people shop on their phones, so making sure that they enjoy responsive design and an easy checkout process is non-negotiable.
Finally, don’t just list your products and hope for the best. Use high-quality images that show your products from multiple angles, write engaging and informative descriptions, and always include user reviews and testimonials. Trust builds, and trust sells.
Step 2: Driving that Traffic to Your Store
There are three ways you can get people through the digital door. And it’s best if you do them all simultaneously.
- Work on SEO
Optimising your store for search engines is like placing road signs that lead to your marketplace. Start with thorough keyword research to identify relevant keywords and incorporate them naturally into product titles, descriptions and meta tags. You can further enhance this by adding alt text to images and creating SEO-friendly URLs. - Paid Advertising
Need a fast way to attract visitors? Leverage Google Ads, especially Search and Shopping Ads, to target those actively searching for products like the ones you offer. Additionally, you can use social media to target specific audience demographics, interests and behaviours. And don’t forget the scroll-stopping visuals. You need something that will catch your visitor’s attention in all the noise in the digital landscape.
- Content Marketing
Create blog posts full of valuable insights that answer your audience’s questions about your products and industry. If you can, include videos like product demos, tutorials, and behind-the-scenes footage. These are very useful in building brand trust through transparency. Lastly, stay engaged with your visitors through online posts, stories, and influencer collaborations.
Step 3: Use Shopify’s Tools
Shopify has a powerful analytics dashboard. Use it. Simply track key metrics like sales data, traffic sources, and customer behaviour, and you will be able to identify areas for improvement and constantly fine-tune your marketing strategies.
We also recommend that you focus on understanding your audience’s behaviour and why they act and engage with your store the way they do. Aim to personalise your products and store based on these insights, and you will undoubtedly turn them into loyal followers.
Step 4: Building a Top-Notch Customer Experience
Happy customers mean a thriving business. To make that happen, you need to provide your visitors with a smooth experience. And Shopify is there to help you with tools like live chat and chatbots that can resolve most of your visitors’ questions quickly. Satisfaction will improve, and loyalty will skyrocket.
Consider also implementing loyalty programs to reward your customers and thank them for their purchases, reviews, referrals, or simply for being part of your family. It’s about creating a strong incentive for them to return to you. A well-timed thank-you can turn a one-time buyer into a long-term fan.
Step 5: Remember to Scale Your Shopify Store
Undoubtedly, your online store will grow, and as it does, it’s important that you effectively meet demand and expand your reach.
For example, expanding a product line is a natural next step, and Shopify supports this seamlessly as it allows you to introduce new products and services without ever disrupting your existing operations.
Another step you can take is to opt for international expansion. (Wow, look how you’ve grown!) Shopify also has your back here, with tools that help you manage multi-currency payments and international shipping.
However, you won’t get far without some advanced marketing strategies to match your business growth. Keep scaling marketing campaigns, optimising your SEO efforts, and expanding your paid ads so you can always maximise conversion.
Optimise, Strategise, Succeed!
