Learn how to make your eCommerce apparel brand grow

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The world of e-commerce is constantly changing, and the apparel industry is no exception. With the rise of online shopping, the global e-commerce apparel market is projected to reach $935.6 billion by 2027, according to a report by Grand View Research. As a store owner in this industry, it's essential to stay ahead of the curve and implement strategies that will help increase sales. With so many options available to consumers, standing out and making a lasting impression can be challenging. Nevertheless, it is extremely important to stand out if you want to grow your sales.

In this blog, we will explore 10 ways to increase sales for an eCommerce apparel store.

10 Strategies to grow sales for your eCommerce apparel store:

1. Allow shopping on multiple channels

By allowing customers to shop on various channels such as social media, mobile, and the web, you increase the chances of reaching a wider audience. This also helps build brand loyalty as customers can shop from their preferred platform. You need a mobile-optimized website and a presence on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. According to a report by Business Insider, social media platforms drive 31.24% of all e-commerce traffic. By making it easy for customers to shop from anywhere, you not only make it convenient for the user to engage with and shop from your apparel brand but also increase the chances of them making a purchase. With omnichannel support, you can sell on the channels that your customers interact with while keeping track of all conversations from one single inbox. This will give you better context and perspective on your brand's past interaction with a prospect or customer, allowing you to personalise your conversation and drive the sale 10x times better. 

2. Use advanced lead generation

Setting up a proper lead capture system for your e-commerce store is crucial. Use advanced lead generation techniques such as setting up a chatbot for all your selling channels like your e-store website, Instagram, WhatsApp and more. 

A conversational AI chatbot uses NLP(natural language processing) to properly interact with prospects and get data on them. Since these AI chatbots use a conversational framework, they can seamlessly ask visitors for their details, relevant demographic information and apparel preferences and even suggest recommendations based on the data collected. You can leverage these lead captures to personalise and improve your email marketing and other campaigns and attract your intended target audience to improve the number of conversions.

3. Use out-of-stock sign-ups

Sometimes products get sold out faster than expected and go out of stock. This might seem like a problem, especially if the product is still in demand. It is crucial to take full advantage of the situation at hand. Ask your customers to sign up to get notified when the product is back in stock. This is an excellent source of additional lead generation and can increase both sales and customer retention. 

You can send them notifications via SMS, email, WhatsApp or push notifications.

 It is recommended to give your users the option to choose their preferred channel and form of contact since it is a time-sensitive message, and customers would want to receive it in enough time to not lose out on the product again. Also, remember that urgency sells, always create a sense of urgency when sending restock notifications to ensure sales.

According to a survey by Narvar, 72% of customers would like to receive notifications when a product is back in stock.

4. Automate stocking and restocking 

Make sure to automate your operations as it can help you track the available products, update them on your e-store for customers, and reorder bestselling products from vendors or the warehouse directly.

By automating the stocking and restocking process, you can ensure that your store always has the products that customers want and decrease the chances of stockouts. According to a report by Wired, automation can increase efficiency by up to 85%.

5. Add incentives and free gifts 

You need to treat every customer in a way that would increase their chances of returning. Add a small incentive or gift to your product when you send it to your customers. It genuinely enhances the customer experience and increases the chances of converting them into recurring, loyal customers. Add a voucher for a free accessory with an order of a dress, or add funky add-ons with a pair of shoes. Remember that your extra gift does not need to be expensive at all, it could be something you managed to get for free or something non-monetary altogether.

Offering non-monetary incentives such as promotional discounts and points for loyalty programs can also increase customer satisfaction and drive sales. According to a survey by Invesp, customers are more likely to make a purchase if they receive a loyalty reward.

6. Communicate with customers 

In order to grow your sales and your brand's story and awareness in general, you need to regularly communicate with your customers. And this means being available on every channel they are on. You can build a loyal customer base and increase sales by talking to them through email, social media, and other channels.

But simply communicating to your customers is not enough; you need to interact with and engage your audience to actually grab their attention. Make your interactions interesting and purposeful, with them as the centre of it all. Give them updates on your brand, your purpose and everything around it. Create your customer personas and personalise your content for your target audience. Give them ideas of where they can wear your apparel and why it is the best fit for such events. Talk to them on DMs whenever they reach out to you, and make sure to interact with them no matter what. According to a study by Hubspot, companies that prioritise customer engagement see a 20% increase in sales.

7. Retarget with segmented ads

96% of customers who visit a website for the first time choose not to buy. That is why the principle of repeated visibility for your brand and product to a customer who visited your e-store or website recently is a very common and necessary practice.

By segmenting your audience and retargeting them with personalised ads, you can retarget in a custom, helpful and intelligent way, and increase the chances of conversions. According to a study by Criteo, retargeted ads have a conversion rate 10 times higher than non-retargeted ads. It is also important to use ads to validate your customer's purchases. Let them know that they have taste and smarts and promote reordering and recurring customers.

8. Add to cart cross-sell

Take advantage of every situation at hand, automate your cart and recommend complementary products to your customers as soon as they add something to their cart. By suggesting related products when customers add items to their cart, you can increase the chances of them making additional purchases. According to a study by Baymard Institute, 34% of shoppers are likely to add additional items to their cart if suggested by the site.

9. Stay up to date with trends 

Fashion eCommerce needs to stay up-to-date and new-fashioned with its collection and style. By staying up to date with the latest fashion trends, you can ensure that your store always has the products that the consumers want and boost sales with in-demand products. You can also create and style new, personalised looks and offer more unique products by continuously adopting new fashion trends. According to a report by McKinsey, staying up to date with trends can increase sales by up to 20%.

10. Sell looks, not clothes

Don't just showcase clothing items and other pieces but curate and showcase proper looks and outfits that your customers can wear. Show your customers what products can be combined instead of straining their imagination. Create shoppable videos on Instagram and other social media channels with styled models/influencers and clickable buttons to trigger direct shopping options. 

You can increase sales by showcasing complete outfits and styling options, as customers are more likely to buy an entire look rather than just one piece of clothing. A study by the NPD Group found that when customers are provided with styling options, they are more likely to purchase multiple items and spend more money.

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Finally, with Engati

Remember, customer satisfaction is key and focusing on their needs and preferences can help increase sales and customer retention. Engati can help you achieve your sales goals by providing all of the aforementioned features and more. Explore features like AI-powered, multilingual, conversational chatbots for 24/7 customer support, social media engagement and personalised product recommendations on your website and all your socials, live chat to give your consumers some expert advice, and workflow automation to automate greetings, away messages and operations like stocking, restocking, onboarding new vendors, giving instant promotional discounts and much more. With Engati's help, you can also streamline your customer service and sales processes, keep track of and analyse your process and increase your conversion rates faster than ever.

Register here to partner with us and boost your eCommerce apparel brand right now.