Together with Shopify Plus we have created this ebook about store optimization. Here you can read an excerpt...

Here you can download the ebook for free.

Does this sound familiar to you? Your e-commerce business has a steady influx of customers and sales are increasing steadily - but then suddenly things come to a standstill.

This so-called growth plateau is a well-known phenomenon among e-commerce brands, regardless of the business segment.

If you are currently in this phase with your company, we can reassure you: With the right approach and store optimization, you can successfully lead your brand out of the plateau.

In cooperation with Shopify Plus, the growth experts from Greenblut show you how to counteract the temporary standstill, optimize your conversion and reach the next growth phase with your business. As a holistic solution for e-commerce companies, Shopify Plus has established itself as the leading store system in online retail. This has given rise to Shopify Marketing - the harmonious interplay between well thought-out marketing strategy and powerful marketing technology. Find out how you can tailor these aspects to your business in three steps.

Find your way out of the growth plateau with Shopify Plus....

• you will be able to develop a plan and implement it with appropriate tools and apps.
• you master the entry into Shopify Plus
• you will learn to use the full potential of Shopify Plus...
• you can take your e-commerce business to the next level of growth.

Whether you're a B2C or B2B business, selling fashion, lifestyle products, or beauty items, our 3-step guide to sustained growth through targeted Shopify marketing can be tailored to your business with minor adjustments.

Shop Optimierung: In drei Schritten das Wachstumsplateau im Onlinehandel überwinden

An inappropriate store system is the most common reason for stagnant growth in e-commerce. Specialized software is indispensable when selling your products over the Internet and is available in numerous versions. However, not all of these systems are scalable, which negatively affects the development of your business.

Here's how to recognize that your e-commerce solution is inhibiting your growth:

• - Is your store running slowly or "not smoothly"?
• - Do you feel that the performance of your store software no longer matches the size of your business?
• The conversion rate of your store decreases despite conversion optimization
• - Does your team feel limited instead of supported by your store's e-commerce solution?
• - Is your store weakening even though market conditions are optimal?

If you answered "yes" to at least one of the above questions, it's time for you and your team to take action. We give you our 3-step guide for reliable growth in e-commerce. For each section, we'll introduce you to the marketing actions you need to take and the tools you'll need to implement them. The strategy is written by us and based on our expertise as a Shopify partner agency. For the technological implementation, we refer to the relevant features of Shopify Plus.

Shopify Plus Marketing Made Easy - Foundation, Conversion, Scale

The good news up front: sustainable growth in e-commerce doesn't have to be time-consuming or costly. At least if you use the right tools for online store optimization. Shopify Plus does not enjoy great popularity in this area for nothing, because since its founding in 2006, the software has developed into an extensive store ecosystem for online commerce. For this reason, Shopify - more precisely Shopify Plus - is an integral part of the growth strategy we have created.

It is important that you go through the following steps in sequence and do not skip any phase. Only when you have a solid foundation and have set the course for attracting visitors to your store and then paying customers (conversion) can your e-commerce business grow (scale).

Foundation

This first step is about the basics as an important factor for online stores. It is important to establish a solid foundation for the positive further development of your brand. Only when this is in place can the growth effect take place. You should proceed accordingly conscientiously in this phase.

The strategic steps

First of all, it is your task to define the entrepreneurial goals of your business and to ensure that they are measurable.

Define the goals of your company

Where should the journey go? You discuss this fundamental question as part of the goal definition. A typical growth target is to increase sales figures. However, increasing the number of subscribers in the social networks or increasing the number of visitors to the online store are also sensible plans. Formulate the target state as precisely as possible to avoid ambiguities when measuring success.

Example: The goal is to increase sales.

Better: Target a 20% increase in sales for product XY within the next three months.Better: Increase the % for repeat customers by 15%.

Your business goals serve as the starting point for your marketing strategy. Stating them precisely helps you stay on course and develop a coherent growth concept.

Determine individual KPIs

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are an important factor for evaluating the success of your strategy. You assign a certain value to your growth targets, which you continuously compare with the status quo. This tells you whether you are on the right track to inspire potential customers or whether there is a need for optimization.

Enable tracking of relevant data

Insight into the behavior of your potential and existing customers is worth its weight in gold for the success of your e-commerce business. You can obtain the relevant data by evaluating the digital traces of your customers - also known as tracking. Which channel did visitors use to land in your online store and how long did they stay there? These are questions that you can answer with tracking.

The data allows you to refine your strategy and tailor it even more precisely to the needs of your target group. They are therefore indispensable for compiling a well-founded, target group-oriented catalog of measures.

Greenblood Tip

In order to enable and understand growth, the right tracking and analysis tools are elementary. Without data, it is difficult to draw conclusions and assess measures. Shopify Plus not only offers extended reports within the backend and extended segmentation functions, but can also be expanded to include external analysis tools. Here it is worthwhile not only to cover the standards such as Google Analytics, but also to get deeper insights into user behavior with tools such as Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity.

The technological requirements

Your goals are set and the KPIs determined - now it is important that you also pay attention to the technical side of your store and optimize it.

Short loading times

When the number of visitors - your store's traffic - increases, it places high demands on the performance of your software. Shopify Plus works with unlimited bandwidth, cloud-based infrastructure, and global servers. This keeps the loading times in your store low, even with heavy frequency. This is a big advantage, because a smoothly running online store increases user-friendliness and enables a smooth shopping experience for your customers.

Extensive reporting

Key figures are the vital signs of your online store and should be checked by you repeatedly. Shopify Plus provides you with all relevant data in reports that are sorted by topic. Whether marketing report, sales report or profit report - the statistics form the basis for calculating key figures and comparing them with your KPIs.

Automatic updates Shopify Plus

As digital systems, all e-commerce solutions require regular updates to ensure functionality and security in the online store. Shopify Plus automatically provides these updates for all store owners, so your software is always up to date.

Conversion

The foundation of your store is in place and the visitors can come. The second step is to convert them into paying customers. To do this, you should optimize the areas of your online store that affect the conversion rate.

The strategic steps

How you address your customers and how they perceive their visit to your store is reflected in the conversion rate - keyword: customer experience.

Ensure segmentation and automation

Blanket advertising and non-specific messages are no longer enough to stand out from the crowd of e-commerce brands. You can only stand out from the competition if you address your customers with personalized content. To do this, it is helpful to segment your target group according to certain criteria.

Automating your marketing efforts is just as important, because growth comes with an increasing workload. By automating repetitive tasks, you can reduce the workload of your marketing, sales and service teams - without negatively impacting the customer experience.

Reibungsloser Check-out in deinem Store erlauben

Kaum ein anderer Punkt der Customer Experience ist so ausschlaggebend für die Conversion wie der Check-out. Löst die Optik oder der Ablauf Zweifel bei deinen Kund:innen aus, ist der Absprung sehr wahrscheinlich. Die Optimierung dieses Bereichs sollte somit ein fester Bestandteil deiner Strategie sein. Ziel ist, den Kaufabschluss in deinem Onlineshop zu einem angenehmen Erlebnis für deine Kund:innen zu machen.

Den Omnichannel-Ansatz meistern

Damit dein Business kontinuierlich wächst, solltest du deine Kund:innen in den von ihnen bevorzugten Kanälen ansprechen. Je nach Geschäftsfeld kann dies mehrere Plattformen umfassen. Neben der Ansprache ist es essenziell, dass eine nahtlose Verbindung zwischen dem jeweiligen Kanal und deinem Shop besteht. Wenn deine Kund:innen mit nur einem Klick in den sozialen Netzwerken direkt auf der Produktseite landen und den angepriesenen Artikel kaufen können, ist dies eine ideale Voraussetzung für eine hohe Konversionsrate.

Ganzheitliches System für hohe Konversion

Für die strategische Ausrichtung deiner Marketingmaßnahmen ist es wichtig, dass all deine Systeme aufeinander abgestimmt sind. Nur wenn deine Kund:innen über unterschiedliche Customer Touchpoints hinweg zum Kaufabschluss geleitet werden, ist eine Umwandlung von interessierter zu zahlender Kundschaft wahrscheinlich.

Greenblood Tip

Shopify Plus zeichnet sich nicht nur durch die integrierten Funktionen aus, sondern vor allem auch durch die Möglichkeit, das bestehende System beliebig zu erweitern. Einige dieser Apps und Erweiterungen sind für uns kaum noch wegzudenken. Klaviyo dient als zentraler Hub für alle Customer Touchpoints und ermöglicht diese Daten zu nutzen, um Kunden besser zu verstehen und die richtigen Nachrichten zum richtigen Zeitpunkt zu verschicken. Mit Gorgias lässt sich Kundenservice at scale mühelos und direkt im Shopify System integriert umsetzen. Tools wie Reviews.io erweitern den Shop um Bewertungs- und UGC-Plattformen, während andere wiederum Möglichkeiten für Loyalty-Programme, Abonnements oder personalisierte Produktempfehlungen im Shop bieten.

Did you like the excerpt? Here you can download the complete ebook for free