The lockdown years of 2020 and 2021 were a masterclass in how to boost online sales, largely thanks to the convenience and safety offered by online shopping – and it is far from slowing down. With e-commerce expected to make up 41% of retail sales worldwide by 2027, there’s never been a better time to invest in your online marketplace.
However, many of us still feel behind the times and intimidated by the slick operations of the online giants. Don’t worry – you don’t need to be an Amazon or an ASOS to know how to increase e-commerce sales. With a few tips and tricks, your online shop can draw in more visitors and turn those curious searchers into healthier sales.
How to improve online sales at a glance
We know managing a small business involves spinning a lot of plates, so you might be strapped for time. Sounds like you? Then, here’s a quick summary of the key takeaways:
- Get your foundations right: Know your audience, product, and USP.
- Increase visibility: Use SEO and PPC to drive targeted traffic to your site and the shopping basket.
- Create content that sells: Use popular formats like blogs, videos, and social posts to build engagement and trust.
- Optimise for conversions: Simplify your website and reduce barriers to purchase.
- Leverage social proof: Customer reviews and trust signals boost confidence and online visibility.
- Sell everywhere: Go multichannel to meet customers where they shop.
- Keep them coming back: Email campaigns, remarketing, and subscriptions improve online sales over time.
- Measure what matters: Use data and attribution to focus your efforts where they’re most effective.
By consistently applying these strategies, even small brands can improve online sales and grow sustainably.
1. Understand your business
As with virtually any business endeavour, you need to deeply understand what it is you’re offering and who you’re offering it to before you’ll be able to effectively sell. That’s even more the case with modern e-commerce businesses, who need to successfully convey their value offering in a digital world saturated by quick-form content and instant gratification.
So, tighten up your USP and identify a well-defined target audience to make sure you’re as efficient and engaging as possible. Additionally, consistency across your messaging is crucial: if you’re not recognisable or relatable, your online audience is less likely to stick around. If you’re looking to scale your business, building lookalike audiences based on your best customers can be a great next step. It’s worth investing the time – after all, less than half of UK businesses survive the first five years. Make sure you’re part of the 50% than does.
2. Create solid foundations with search engine optimisation
Search engine optimisation, or SEO, does exactly what it says on the tin; it optimises your web pages so that they appear higher on search engine result pages. After all, how many people are ever going to venture beyond the first page of Google? (Spoiler alert: less than 8.5%!)
There are hundreds of methods for improving your SEO and appearing in AI results, but in a nutshell, you can optimise your site by:
- Regularly creating new content to keep your pages fresh.
- Answering frequently asked questions with an FAQ page.
- Effectively using keywords to drive your site to the top of search engines.
- Conducting outreach to relevant sites and directories to get your name and content out there and acquire valuable backlinks.
- Ensuring your page loads quickly.
- Formatting your pages with easy-to-read headers & paragraphs.
- Using different types of media, such as images (like infographics), video, or podcasts, to increase engagement.
- Make use of Google Merchant Centre’s free product/local inventory feeds to display your products free to local searchers.
However, it is important not to rush your SEO or jump to conclusions about its success. SEO takes time, research and application. Try to improve your site for users first and foremost and then wait for search engines to index and rank your pages.
3. Pursue pay-per-click advertising
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising – such as Facebook Ads or Google Paid Search – is a great way of getting instant traffic to your website and is essential in a well-rounded digital marketing plan. As the name implies, these adverts are charged on a per-click basis.
Pay-per-click advertising allows you to take control of when and where your ads appear online. You choose how much you are willing to pay for a click to your site and your daily/monthly budget. You can then tailor the amount you are willing to pay depending on who is searching, and when a click is likely to convert into a sale. The cost-per-click (or CPC) varies along with the competitiveness, demand, and relevance of what you are advertising.
An attractive advert is only half the battle. A good, relevant landing page is essential once the user gets to your website. This should direct the user straight to the product in the advert. This will streamline the user journey and guide them to exactly what they want.
4. Explore content marketing
Content marketing is a method used by sellers to boost online sales by offering valuable, engaging content to potential customers. Whilst in traditional ‘push’ marketing, the merits of products are sold directly to customers, content marketing takes a more subtle approach.
Content marketing can take the form of numerous SEO content types: blogs, videos, infographics and other communications. It can be anything that informs the user, addresses their pain points, and answers their questions. Most searchers are asking a question. If you can answer those questions through valuable content, you are more likely to convert prospects into sales.
One of the key ways businesses address these questions is by writing on them. In our copywriting for businesses post, we break down several ways you can write to sell, including what not to do. Here’s a quick rundown of the key tips:
- Write how you talk.
- Use bullet points and lists.
- Use the active voice.
- Infuse some wit.
- Learn from your competitors.
- Include strong calls to action.
- Always speak to your audience.
In essence, effective content – whether it be text, video, image, or something else – shows off the expertise of your organisation. This makes you seem like knowledgeable, trusted partners, and therefore could increase e-commerce sales.
5. Become social media savvy
Social media may feel like a tough nut to crack, but there’s no doubt that it’s vital for a modern business. With 5.24 billion collective users as of January 2025, it opens the door to a huge potential audience, among other benefits. At its most basic, it’s important to remember the ‘social’ in ‘social media’. Through an active engagement with prospects, you can build a quick, productive rapport with potential customers.
There are many ways to build a strong social media presence, many of them costing only your time. The important thing is to find the approach that works for you, whilst feeding into your ultimate goal – working out how to boost online sales.
6. Focus on conversion
You might find that your website receives plenty of traffic, but all that is useless if you don’t know how to increase online sales. Taking a ‘user’ and turning them into a ‘consumer’ is a process known as ‘conversion’.
This process usually starts with good web design. Your website should be strong and simple, with users knowing exactly where to get what they need. According to Justuno, 93% of consumers consider visual appearance to be the key deciding factor in a purchasing decision. So, if your site is confusing, unattractive, or has too much text? They’ll likely ‘convert’ their business somewhere more straightforward.
Beyond seamless design, there are other features that work wonders for conversion rates. For instance, you might invest in a live chat tool which can boost confidence whilst offering real time support. An honest tone and a subtle sense of urgency – such as time-sensitive offers or stock level reporting – can also nudge visitors towards clicking “buy” instead of bouncing elsewhere. Though, of course, be careful not to venture too far the other way, or you risk coming off as pushy or insincere.
7. Decrease friction
Brace yourself – however nice your website is, almost 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned. That’s a huge chunk of potential business left on the table. But how exactly do you get customers over that final hurdle? The best way is to make the process of confirming the sale as smooth and frictionless as possible.
Overcomplicated forms, frustrating timeouts and slow loading times plague online shopping baskets everywhere. What’s more, users have understandable concerns about who is taking their credit card details.
Improving your site to integrate a strong UX design that is responsive across devices is key, along with visible trust signals like secure payment icons and customer reviews. Offer multiple payment options, keep forms short and intuitive, and make returns easy and transparent. The less friction your customer experiences – or even anticipates that they might experience – the more likely they are to follow through, boosting your online sales.
8. Concentrate on customer reviews
Sadly, your users may not actually know your business, and most people don’t want to buy from a random site. Customer reviews are an important step to combat this anxiety.
Most shoppers will read several reviews before buying something online. Only 8% report reading none at all. So, a Google Business Profile, linked to your website, can take users from reading (no doubt glowing!) reviews straight to your page. Other sites like Trustpilot, Reviews.io and Feefo will also help to boost sales by improving audience trust, not to mention impacting your Google Seller Ratings alongside standard Google Reviews. Plus, embedding reviews from any of these avenues in your website also keeps users there for longer, boosting your search engine rankings.
As with social media, the ability to respond to reviews further increases your presence and trustworthiness. Especially when it comes to responding to negative reviews, remaining professional and ensuring that the customer feels heard demonstrates your business’ commitment to excellent customer service, encouraging other potential customers to make a purchase.
9. Move to multichannel
When thinking through how to improve online sales, it’s important to bear in mind that today’s customers expect online flexibility – not just in how they pay, but where they are able to shop. Ensuring that your products are findable not only on your own site, but also on third-party marketplaces, social media stores, comparison sites, or even in-person will enable you to meet consumers where they’re most comfortable (and more likely to make a purchase!)
The numbers back it up too. 87% of retailers agree that multichannel retailing is crucial to their success. It’s easy to see why. With third-party marketplaces such as Amazon or Etsy, you capture those already browsing with purchase intent, whereas social media platforms such as TikTok Shop allow you to be readily available for spontaneous consumption. Comparison sites (think Google Shopping) are another great tool, allowing shoppers to weigh their options based on multiple factors such as price and reputation, whilst simultaneously increasing brand awareness.
10. Invest in return business
It’s one thing when a customer purchases once, but quite another when they come back time and again. Not only is it where the real growth happens, but it is also much more cost and time-effective to convert an existing consumer than acquire a new one. Think about it: previous customers already know your business, what you stand for, and what you have to offer. They just need convincing why they should come back.
There are several ways to keep the connection alive beyond checkout. Return customer digital marketing techniques, such as email campaigns, are powerful tools for this. When done right, they feel less like a desperate sales pitch, and more like a helpful nudge offering relevant updates or even exclusive loyalty offers. The important thing is to make sure you’re adding value to their inbox, not clutter.
Similarly, for those who showed interest previously but didn’t make a purchase, remarketing ads can help to keep your brand at the top of their mind. Being consistently present will make sure that when the need arises, you’re the first they think of. This translates offline too – by networking and keeping in touch with previous and potential customers, you’ll build a valuable rapport, positioning yourself as the go-to for whatever it is you are offering.
11. Make the most of each and every sale
It’s easy to see the checkout as the end of the sales process: after all, in today’s digital world, that’s no small feat! But, what if we said that you’re missing out on one of the simplest ways to increase online sales? Enter upselling and cross-selling.
Upselling encourages customers to opt for a higher-value version than what they’re already buying. Cross-selling, meanwhile, offers similar or complementary items that pair well with their chosen product. For example, if someone is looking to buy a coffee machine, you could upsell a model with a built-in milk frother. At the same time, you could even cross-sell items like a bag of premium beans or an exclusive reusable cup. The great thing is that these suggestions are practical and relevant, and so are highly likely to appeal to the customer without feeling pushy.
Over time, these small touches can make a big impact on the value of each order – both for you and the customer. If you nail the balance between relevance and timing, you’ll uncover a powerful tactic for how to boost online sales without having to attract swathes of new customers.
12. Try new product and pricing formats
Sometimes when it comes to how to increase e-commerce sales, the key isn’t just finding new customers but also switching up what it is you’re offering. Trying new product and pricing formats is a great way to expand your appeal for different preferences, budgets, and needs. For instance, you could offer a bundle deal or a starter kit at a reduced price. Or, if relevant, you could offer an accompanying digital version. Get creative with it!
Another great approach is to introduce a subscription system. With 4 out of 5 UK adults subscribing to at least one, it’s a powerful way to increase customer lifetime value by bringing in recurring revenue and building long-term relationships. To return to our earlier coffee brand example, they might offer a monthly subscription that delivers beans straight to the customer’s door. It’s a win-win – customers appreciate the convenience, and businesses benefit from predictable income.
13. Figure out what is working
Perhaps the most important part of how to boost online sales – pin down what’s working. To put it simply, if you don’t know what’s driving your sales, you won’t know where to focus your energy (and money!) The key method to figure it out is attribution, which simply refers to the process of identifying which channels, touchpoints, or campaigns are responsible for a conversion. Where did the sale come from: Was it that Facebook ad? The email campaign? Your paid Google Search?
Traditionally, this can be tracked through client-side tracking methods, such as third-party cookies. However, increased privacy protections, browser changes, and the rise of ad blockers have all made it harder than ever to get accurate data on user behaviour. Luckily, server-side tracking is on the rise, offering a more reliable and compliant means to understand what’s really working. This may all sound a little techy – but we’ve got a handy blog that unpacks it all in easy-to-understand terms, so check that out once you’re done here if you’re interested.
Concluding Thoughts
So, there you have it – how to boost online sales. The bottom line of any business, sales are what allow us to keep functioning. We can pour as much money as we like into branding and social media presence, but if they don’t increase e-commerce sales, what’s the point?
By working with experts like beefound.agency, you can rest assured that sales won’t get lost in the online fog. With our proven e-commerce marketing strategies, you can ‘bee’ more than just a website!
