Few industries have as much potential for success as online sales, but successful eCommerce positioning can be challenging when your plans don’t match reality. You know exactly what that means because you’ve seen it already. It’s the LinkedIn ad that has nothing to do with your job or the tech you use. Getting positioning right means it’s easier to understand your market and get those ads and drip campaigns right.  It sets the tone, ensures you’ve got the right audience, and helps execution turn into conversions.

1)Awareness: Your business and the hungry market

The first step in most customer value journeys is building awareness of your products and brand. You’re doing a lot of heavy lifting in the eCommerce space. By not being in traditional retail and competing with brands around the world, you’re the top advocate for your products and the best place for people to learn about you. When facing that, many companies come out with a core plan. The reality is that it’s hard to find a hungry market, and customers may be buying a lot online, but they’re not shopping in many different places. Your best audience is out there, and they are hungry, but you will have to research and find them.

2)Conversion strategy: Leaning on promotional support

After people know about you and can find you, it’s time to start selling. That’s the bulk of an eCommerce business’s operations, and most plan on letting their products speak for themselves. In reality, not so much. ECommerce is crowded, and there’s a lot of differentiation that needs to happen to promote your products to generate leads and sales. This work includes how you show off your products as well as the broader offers your store makes. If your product is better, but a competitor has a more compelling offer, you may still lose out on the sale. You need messaging that resonates with your audience and keeps them engaged.

3)Subscriptions: Not one-size-fits-all

One of the more common plans any eCommerce company hears today is that everyone offers a subscription, and you should too. In reality, it doesn’t make much sense for every business, and customers don’t want it from every business. Sometimes people just want to buy once and get everything they need without signing up for continual charges on their accounts or credit cards. You address the subscription question with detailed research into what people want you to offer and what you can offer.

4) Excitement: Not everyone is the ‘fun’ one

Most people getting into the eCommerce space are very excited about their operations and products. They feel customers are going to be just as excited! The reality is that your business must make a case to customers unfamiliar with the brand who have limited attention spans, even for a product category they enjoy. The emotions you want to elicit must be created and nurtured across multiple instances. And excitement isn’t always how people react. Get to know your company through the eyes of your customers. Start with a hard look at your brand and products.