The internet has made it easier for entrepreneurs as well as companies to put themselves out there but also making it harder for companies to stand out. Technological development has given rise to a horde of companies, brands, and businesses selling similar products or offering similar services.

So how to harbor loyalty and increase sales and convince the customers to choose your brand over others. Given below are a few ways by following which your business can stand out in a crowded marketplace.

1) Create Something New

The most obvious and relevant way to make your business stand out is to create or innovate something new. Something the marketplace has never seen before. Even if your business is saturated, that doesn’t mean that you cannot come up with something new.

You should go by your own strategies to launch a new product/service, rather than following in the footsteps of other competitors. Go by an alternative route which will make an attempt to popularize you and keep you in discussions among the consumers. One example would be the success of the Dollar Shaving Company, which started delivering free razors on the doorstep of their consider the design of your store.

2) Design Your Online Store

 It is said to be one of the catchy factors that gathers more and more customers to your store. If your design seems clunky, overrated, complicated, or messy, most likely, people will look somewhere else for the design. So your design conveys certain messages about you and your store. People, through your designs, tend to get answers to few questions such as if you and your store are trustworthy, progressive, and affordable enough.

Try adapting yourself and your designs according to the Innovation. For eg. Many people today are adopting a clean, flat, and minimalist design with a mobile responsive layout, so try to adapt your style similarly. Although you want to stand out from the crowd, you don’t want it to be for the wrong reasons.

3) Use Deals and Discount To Attract Your Customers

Another way to attract your customers is by offering deals and discounts. Then be it an old age loyalty scheme or new offer of 25-30% off, there are several deals and discounts you can adapt to attract more new customers and continuing with the old ones. 

You can have a free delivery option if a customer is purchasing three or more products or a total amount of more than Rs. 500. This gesture will impress them and further, they’ll promote your store

4) Variety Of Payment Methods

One of the factors that people look at often while purchasing goods online is the tier convenient payment method. However, more likely, they tend to use credit or debit card payment options but many a time, they choose Google Pay, Paytm, Bhim UPI, etc. To ensure, you’re keeping yourselves up with the times and changes in technology to really make the process easier.

5) Go Mobile

With almost everything, be it any purchasing, product selling, or any payment method, at our fingertips, we potentially get attracted by any store’s website and use our mobile instead of any laptop or desktop. So better keep your mobile site as much as the desktop version.

6) Solving Genuine Customer Problems

One of the ways to make sure that you are still appealing to your customers and potential customers are to create a successful user persona. This can be done by carefully observing the target audience and the characteristics of your ideal customer:

• Age
• Location
• Preferences
• Buying power/ budget
• Customers interested in Cashback offer/points

Investing time in all these factors can help you to figure out what your customers are looking for from your business. In other words, you don’t end up offering the same product sold by many other brands, but instead, curate something new. Something that has been missing in our lives or from the marketplace. Offering cashback/ points can act as a USP and it’ll strengthen your communication channel with your customers by letting them know that you care about them.

7) Build a Powerful Online Presence

Few things are more important to your industry than a convincing web design when it comes to building an unforgettable organization in a crowded niche. The right website gives depth to your brand identity and shows your audience that they can trust your organization.

Think of it this way, if you were looking for a business that could help you to solve your most pressing problems, would you be more likely to trust a company with a fantastic website, or someone who looks like their site was created 10 years ago?

In today’s overburdened industry, having the right picture is critical. Your audience also views you based on how you appear, and your website serves as a digital storefront, persuading visitors that you have the skills to meet their needs. Make sure the website not only looks great but also does well in terms of page loading speed, easy navigation & checkout process, show trusted testimonials, customer support option, easy return/cancellation option, etc.

8) Get Your Branding Right

Many entrepreneurs get confused between having an online presence and an e-commerce brand. The two are very different things. Your brand is far more than the physical appearance of your business. A brand should include it all from your marketing tone of voice to your logo. While many businesses still see branding as just another facet of their marketing campaign, the fact is that it is something more.

Your brand is your online and offline reputation, and it’s how you’ll begin to build relationships with your target audience. A strong brand communicates to consumers that you respect their ideas and are committed to providing exceptional service. Some important things to keep in mind while working on your brand are the following:

• Concentrate on your logo and brand photography.
• Coordinate with your brand colors to give an aesthetic view.
• The tone of voice used in your marketing should be welcoming and not condescending.
• Focus on developing effective viral marketing and content campaigns.

9) Deliver An Unforgettable Customer Service

In today’s marketing landscape, experience is perhaps the most significant differentiating factor. Customers from all walks of life are searching for a brand that will provide them with a better experience, not the lowest costs or the most creative goods. From having the checkout process right to creating a brilliant website, there are many ways to have a better experience in your E-commerce shop.

However, because the site you create has a significant impact on how your consumers see your company, don’t forget the value of developing an effective and devoted customer support staff.

10) Giver Power To Social Proof

If you’re good at providing a great service for your customers, you’ll reap a slew of brand benefits as a result. Excellent consumer encounters result in repeat business, brand ambassadors, and all-important social evidence. Customers leave ratings and testimonials about your business as social evidence to persuade them to buy from you in the future.

Many consumers nowadays consider ratings when determining whether or not to buy from a particular company.

11) Keep Engaging in Experimentation

The trick to standing out in today’s mad marketing world is to keep trying new things. You’ll be able to refine your advertising ideas and thrive as a company as you learn more about your target demographic, your preferred niche, and the world surrounding you.

Examine the most recently digital media trends, try guerrilla advertising, or even collaborate with influencers to boost the brand’s visibility. The more marketing strategies and campaigns you try out, the better you’ll understand what suits your target audience.

12) Promote And Embrace Company Values

To do this, you must show your consumers that their interests and demands are being cared for, they are being heard. You care about the same things that are important to them. 

Customers now tend to purchase from brands in which they can communicate. This means that if the audience is enthusiastic about a single cause or charity, you can be as well. Joining forces with local charities or communities tells your clients that you care for more than just making a buck.

And if your primary aim as a business is to make profits, you must persuade your clients that you have ideals and missions as well. This will be seen as a way of giving back to society by the customers and will help to convince them that they are putting their money in a good place.

Final Words !!

So, here I’ve tried including and explaining all the points which I think could help your e-commerce site to grow. Be authentic and creative with a tincture of moral values and culture and adopt the above-mentioned ideas, you’ll soon see the results.

Author’s Bio:

Hardeep Singh Is The Founder of Skyracle, IIT Kharagpur Speaker, Growth Hacker, Startup, and Digital Marketing Consultant having more than 10 years of experience. He played a key part in developing online marketing strategies for many startups/businesses and increasing their annual revenue by more than fourfold.