Table of contents:

What is ecommerce merchandising?

Why is ecommerce merchandising important?

Ecommerce merchandising tips to grow your business

Elements of ecommerce merchandising

Differences between traditional merchandising and ecommerce merchandising:

How to start with ecommerce merchandising?

Conclusion

What is ecommerce merchandising?

Ecommerce merchandising is the process where shoppers and products are joined together. Ecommerce merchandising aims to connect shoppers with the suitable products that they are looking for and guide them through their customer journey. It is the way through which the seller sells products to buyers.

Ecommerce merchandising includes product placement, the way of displaying products, branding and engaging images and everything that might persuade the customer to make a purchase.

Why is ecommerce merchandising important?

Ecommerce merchandising has become very important. It helps the company to give customers very unique user experiences and to create a permanent brand image that will keep them coming back to shop regularly.

Ecommerce merchandising also helps businesses to reach their strategic goals and boost sales. As an e-merchant, you can directly implement your marketing campaigns into your website through banners, ads and targeted content.

Ecommerce merchandising tips to grow your business:

• Ensure your website is mobile-friendly:

You should make sure that your website is well optimized for mobile users, because half of purchases are today made from a mobile device.

• Provide detailed product descriptions:

Ensure you have included all features of the product you propose: Colors, materials, measurements, benefits, and all other necessary information.

• User generated content:

Online shoppers usually gather information about the product before buying it. For this, always ask satisfied users to add reviews and give a you five stars rating. You can also share pictures of customers’ comments with your target audience.

• Add different images and videos of the product:

Use videos and images in different angles and for each color and dimensions (if your product is available in different colors and dimensions) along with giving the possibility to customers to have a clear view of the product by zooming on images.

• Optimize your website for SEO:

A large portion of customers start their online shopping journey by searching on Google. Start by having relevant and high-quality content on your website to increase your ranking and generate  more traffic.

• Add “Customers also purchased” or “You may also like” section:

When the customers add a product to cart, use upselling and cross-selling  merchandising strategies by adding other products that complement the items that the customer buys, or even similar products that provide more value.

• Use filters and facets:

Filters allow users to narrow their search by categories and facets help to search by dimensions.

• Add textual and visual suggestions in search:

Customers would highly consider an offer with images and most probably click on it.

Elements of ecommerce merchandising:

Elements of ecommerce merchandising are the elements to attract the customer’s attention and convince him to make an online purchase.

• Homepage merchandising:

The homepage merchandising is the entry point. It aims to guide the visitor of your website to the section that enables him to discover and buy your products. An ecommerce website homepage should be very easy to navigate and it should include:

• A summary about your activity and the products you sell
• Images of your best or top-rated products
• A link the “About us” section
• A sign up button
• Promotional offers (If you have)
• Call To Actions (CTAs) to persuade visitors into customers

• Detailed information about the product:

• Images of the product (different angles)
• Detailed product description
• Demos and videos
• CTA (Add to cart)
• Cross selling strategy
• Upselling strategy …

Differences between traditional merchandising and ecommerce merchandising:

The objective of ecommerce merchandising is to ensure that the most relevant products are displayed in the best order and presented in the most captivating way.

• On a website, colors and fonts are fundamental, as they are the only way e-retailers can show their brand and attract the targeted audience, while brick-and-mortar stores have more ways to attract customers such as; lighting, music and paint colors.
• For ecommerce stores, you can use links to attach separate product pages together. In a physical store, you have the opportunity to put similar products together add signs that explain details of the product and guide the customer into his buying journey
• In traditional commerce, store layout is a matter of great importance. The store owners have to find the best places to position their products. For e-commerce websites, you make products easy to find by positioning them within the pages and navigation.
• Having a website lets you use past customer data such as previously viewed products and add-to-carts.

How to start with ecommerce merchandising?

• Understand your customer :

Firstly, you should start by understanding the customer’s purpose behind visiting your website. This will help you form an idea about their expectations and products they are looking for. Furthermore, you can occasionally conduct interviews with previous and new customers to discover their expectations and the problems they’re facing to fix them.

• Website functionality:

You must ensure your website is fast and working well without any issues on any device. The user experience should be easy, smooth and agreeable.

• Quality:

The images and videos on your website should be up-to-date and of high quality.

• Benefits:

Always highlight the benefits you are offering to your customer such as: Free shipping and free returns.

• Customer support:

Ensure you have high-quality customer support to avoid losing customers.

• Know where the customer is in his buying journey:

A new visitor should be treated differently from an old customer. You need to facilitate the process for the new user and guide him through the website to find the product he’s looking for. However, for a returning visitor, you need to use what you know from their past actions to suggest relevant products to him.

Conclusion

Ecommerce merchandising is progressing and growing rapidly. Today, with the emergence of new techniques and strategies, e-merchants have huge opportunities to attract more customers and motivate them to spend their money.

When it comes to ecommerce merchandising, the visual becomes a matter of great importance. Your website and your mobile application should both have the same brand imagery and appear the same on any device.

After understanding the importance of ecommerce merchandising for online businesses, you can go forward and implement new features to grow your online business and attract more customers.