For years now, the purchasing landscape has drifted further and further online. With sky-high rent prices and dwindling footfall, a physical store for many equals a tumultuous turnover. If you’re looking to sell gifts and giftware, you probably know by now that selling online is likely to be safer and more profitable for you.
With ecommerce comes great opportunity for increased brand expression, a larger range of products and the ability to reach audiences you never thought possible.
Read on for five tips on how to have a successful ecommerce business in 2023.
Ecommerce trends for 2023
By now, you’ve likely seen countless web articles dedicated to trends for 2023. Many of these articles contain the same sentiments, which you can likely assume to be more accurate as discussion of the trend is already piquing the necessary interest to cause an uplift. Take some time to review business trends for 2023 and pick out your favourite elements, considering how well these could work for you. Remember, you don’t have to lose your identity in the name of following trends.
We’re going to pinpoint what is, in our opinion, the most valuable trend for 2023. Social selling. We all know that our social media presence is important for our brand. For years we’ve been making posts, taking posed photos, and more recently creating video content for our businesses. The value in this has since increased. With apps such as Instagram allowing for in-app purchases through third party sites, each post you upload is a portal to a potential sale.
Keep your content engaging, educational or entertaining, and always relevant to your brand. As consumers shift more in favour of ‘real’ content, peeks behind the scenes and user generated content (customer photos and videos), it is easier now to release a large sum of content than before. If you don’t have a social media guru, set some time aside every couple of weeks to photograph and film some of your favourite pieces for sale, packing of orders and funny events from your day in ecommerce. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine and to jump in front of the camera – there should be no better brand representative than yourself.
Make use of possibilities native to the platform by tagging featured products, allowing viewers to get to a purchasing product page through one simple tap of the finger. Work with your social media platforms to create the shortest buyer journey possible, to make sales more likely in this increasingly fast-paced realm. The last thing you want is for somebody to save your post with the intention of returning later, only to find them unwilling to tackle a prolonged buyer journey. Forgotten save = no sale.
Which niche is best for ecommerce?
Of course, this is an incredibly broad question. The gift market allows for a myriad of niches, including homeware and pet related gifts. When you think about it, any item can be considered a gift!
Take something you are personally interested in, and deep dive into this a little further to see how you can set yourself apart from others who are offering to the same market. A key way to set yourself apart from competition is to offer photo personalisation for gifts. Baubles to commemorate baby’s first Christmas, a mug printed with an image of mum’s favourite furry friend for Mother’s Day and a luxurious photobook all make fantastic gifts. Puzzles and jigsaws can even be personalised using an image of choice; with Taopix, gift retailers are expanding their product lines through minimal effort – the customer creates their own product, the store prints. It couldn’t be easier to tap into a valuable niche than with personalisation.
Positioning your ecommerce business
You may be wondering; how do I position my ecommerce business in 2023? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. In an ever-evolving digital landscape, it is important to consistently review how you position yourself as a business. Refer to your buyer persona or draw one up if you don’t already have one established. All positioning decisions should be determined by this persona. Use information such as their location, age, income, and interests to establish where you should be focussing your efforts. Not just for product, but also your social media output, where you advertise your business, and even the language that you use when writing for your business. Blog posts, website copy, social media captions and emails should all fit within your brand identity, which exists to serve your buyer persona.
Naturally, businesses evolve and progress. Perhaps you have been running for a few years and have in time drifted away from your original ideal buyer. Not to worry, this happens – sometimes intentionally. Remember when Marks & Spencer repositioned themselves to appeal to a younger audience?
If you feel that there’s some misalignment between your buyer persona and your brand, it’s time to review your positioning. Perhaps you’ve accidentally drifted from your original intentions and need a little pull back on track. Maybe you like where your business is headed and feel as though you have outgrown your original buyer – this is okay too! Take time to review your goals for ecommerce in 2023, and really pay attention to how this relates to your desired audience.
Positioning your business requires a little trial and error and should develop as your business grows. You can stay true to your intended audience, or slowly move to a model which better fits your idea for your business. Whatever you prefer, just take some time to review and plan effectively.
Investing in your business
Investment can often be disregarded as an expense – that’s something you need to rephrase for yourself if you want your ecommerce business to go far. Consider any expenses as investments if they’re designed to bring a return to your business down the line, no matter the size. Investments aren’t always financial, either. Time is arguably more of a valuable resource than money when it comes to your own business, and you’ll never find somebody who cares as much about your business than yourself. So long as you keep investing in your business through a continuation of care, education, and evolution then you’re building on steady ground.
Other investments, which do cost real money, should be carefully considered on how they will impact your revenue. Investing in marketing, for example, is a necessary expense. How will people buy from your ecommerce store if they don’t know about you? How are you inciting return custom? We have some marketing tips available for you to browse, but sometimes it is necessary to outsource to the experts. If you can’t justify an internal position for marketing, it may be time for you to get in touch with a freelancer or agency to help.
Some investments are for your everyday wellbeing within the business, and others are to widen your scope of potential customers – and to increase the value of your products. Our customers consider Taopix a worthwhile investment which enables them to expand their product range without the need to increase physical inventory. As personalised items have increased sentimental value, their sale value increases too – making for healthier revenue.
How to stay dynamic in ecommerce
Everything moves quickly now, with fads and phases overtaking long-lasting trends in design and gifting. This also extends to how customers expect businesses to function. Mobile shopping has snowballed beyond a nicety and is now an outright requirement.
72.9% of ecommerce purchases are now being placed on mobile devices. The great news is that end users can create, purchase and 3D preview their personalised gifts when using Taopix online software, just as easily as on desktop. Multi-device functionality is vital for staying dynamic in such a fast-paced consumer landscape.
Take stock of products which are selling well for you, and those which aren’t moving as quick as you expected. This is a great way to assess what your audience comes to you for. Spotting how buyer demands shift over time is a great way to tweak your offering and remain dynamic in your sales. You don’t need to go outside your business brief to match these buying habit shifts, either. Acquiring new products which fall within your remit (and have a nod towards newer trends) will buy you some extra time for how long you can expect that product to be selling. Remember, trends do burn bright, but they also burn quickly. Don’t lose sight of your business’ own style for the sake of fast-moving fashion.
If you’re hoping to get ahead of the crowd in 2023, consider adding personalised photo products to your ecommerce store. Our Taopix representatives want your business to thrive and will happily discuss your personalisation landscape with you – with no obligation to purchase.
Get in touch today to see how photo personalisation can boost your business in 2023.