Retail commerce has rapidly moved towards a fine blend of both offline and online experiences. Today, customers switch seamlessly between physical and digital stores. Customer journeys are so intricately integrated now, that the idea of e-shopping being a distinct activity when compared to brick-and-mortar shopping is disappearing.
What does it indicate?
Simply put, the future of the e-commerce industry is quite exciting!
In fact, e-retail sales are expected to contribute to 17.5% of total retail sales worldwide. As the e-commerce industry continues to expand, the competition is growing at a fast pace too.
It is very critical for e-commerce marketers, like you, to keep your users engaged, more so, through mobile apps, in order to drive revenues and strengthen your brand image.
Set in this backdrop, push notifications become the most important tool in your mobile marketing machinery.
Here are 5 must-have push notification campaigns guaranteed to help you power higher CTRs, conversions, user engagement, and retention over a period of time:
- Cart Abandonment Campaigns
The average online shopping cart abandonment rate is almost 70%.
A hard pill to swallow, isn’t it?
This alarming number only highlights the importance of retargeting those users that leave their transactions incomplete.
If the user has added an item to the cart, it implies that he/she has solid purchase intent. The reasons to not check out could be many – shipping cost, complicated checkout process, poor return policy, and mandatory account creation being the few major ones.
(Source: baymard.com)
But regardless of the reason, a simple nudge can unlock potential conversions. A cart abandonment push notification does the trick in such cases!
The power of marketing automation allows you to trigger these campaigns after an appropriate period of time (generally 15-30 minutes after an abandoned cart situation). This serves as a timely nudge, encouraging users to complete the purchase of those items added to their carts.
Use the product’s image in the notification to instantly attract the user’s attention. Deep link the notification so that the user lands on the exact page from where he/she can complete the transaction.
You could also entice the user with a price drop offer or highlight a favorable product review to further incentivise and motivate a purchase decision.
Cart abandonment campaigns not only help you drive monetary transactions, but also provide the opportunity to promote your product.
Related post: 8 Tips to Increase User Engagement by Deep Linking Push Notifications
- Wish List Campaigns
A user adds a product to the wish list only if he/she is interested in it. So, a little nudge or reminder might work in making him/her buy it.
Wish list campaigns have almost the same potential to drive conversions as cart abandonment campaigns. Utilise the FOMO factor to drive faster conversions.
For instance, experiment with your push notification content by highlighting that the stock is limited, or the product is available for a lower price for the next 24 hours only. The goal of such campaigns is to entice the user to complete the purchase, or at least add the item to their shopping cart.
- Cross-sell and Upsell Campaigns
Off late, many e-commerce fashion retailers have been offering their users a “buy this look” option. This comprises the entire “look” inclusive of clothes, footwear, eyewear, accessories, handbag, and even watches.
Isn’t this a great idea for cross-selling products?
While they might have intended to buy just a pair of shoes or a t-shirt, they may end up buying much more. These campaigns are driven by the past purchase patterns of the users.
Classic cross-selling push notifications can include recommendations around related products so your user doesn’t need to look for necessary components or accessories. For instance, a memory card for a digital camera and a cover and a screen guard combo for smartphones increase the chances of a higher order value on a one-time purchase.
Up-selling is convincing your users to buy a more expensive or a higher version of the same product. For instance, you might entice them to buy a smartphone with a higher configuration or a pair of polarised sunglasses instead of plain UV-protection shades.
When you suggest and help your customers with meaningful recommendations through cross-selling and upselling push notification campaigns, you not only boost your revenues, but also improve your customer lifetime value (CLTV).
Related Post: 4 Top Tips for Writing Push Notifications that Drive Conversions
- Browsing Behaviour-Driven Campaigns
Users often browse items on your app or website but neither do they buy them nor do they add them to their wish list. While they may not have exhibited any purchase intent, their behaviour is indicative of minor interest, at least. Such in-app or web behaviour, thus, provides you with valuable data-driven insights.
And, these insights can be converted into effective push notification campaigns to drive potential conversions.
Based on their browsing behaviour, you can send highly personalised and contextual messages that entice or remind the users of their interest in those products. Use large images that ring a bell. Deep-link your notifications to redirect users to the exact page of the product they have browsed.
- Product Review Campaigns
91% of 18-34 year old customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
68 % users form an opinion about products and the brand after reading between one and six online reviews.
User reviews matter a lot, especially for e-commerce brands like yours. That is why you need to have a well-planned review-seeking strategy in place. Campaigns that encourage your customers to write reviews are very important because they impact your sales.
But, seeking feedback and asking your users to write reviews has always been challenging. This is where well-crafted push notification campaigns can help you get those precious reviews.
Since you are asking for your users’ time, you must incentivise their effort . You may offer a reward in terms of loyalty points or a discount coupon on their next transaction, for every product review they write!
The timing of such push notification campaigns is also critical. Ensure that these messages reach your users after an appropriate time period, post product purchase and usage.
The last thing you want to do is sound too eager to secure your users’ review and turn them off completely.
Parting thoughts
E-commerce is an ever-expanding industry. The purchasing power of customers is growing continuously, indicating a promising future for the retail industry. Growth-driven marketers like you need to be on their toes to nurture customer relationships. Leverage the power of user behavioural data to drive hyperpersonalised real-time marketing campaigns that perform.
To truly scale your marketing efforts, consider leveraging a robust ecommerce marketing platform.
Get in touch with us to learn more about how the power of Artificial Intelligence Marketing can help you scale your e-commerce app, one intelligent customer conversation at a time!
