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As we all know, the drinks industry has seen a complete turnaround in the last 10 years. Generic black coffee has been replaced with a non-dairy, almond milk vanilla lattes with extra foam, and a simple OJ has transformed into a cold-pressed beet and kale juice with ginger and ginseng extract. And emerging markets like China have opened up a whole new range of money-saving and business-boosting opportunities.

Now every drink has its own unique niche market, and that’s why ecommerce is so useful for drink entrepreneurs, as it allows you to reach your target audience and serve your customers exactly what they need.

But are you taking full advantage of everything the world of ecommerce has to offer, and what do customers really want when making their online purchases? Here are 11 brilliant ecommerce shortcuts you need to be taking advantage of right now:

1. Improve your SEO visibility

It goes without saying that in 2018 every brand needs an online presence if it is to be noticed and taken seriously by customers. But there’s more to it than simply having a webpage – it needs to be performing as well as it possibly can – because by ranking well on all the major search engines you can attract new interest and grow as a business too. Take time to update your original content and focus on your SEO and you’ll find those new customers come pouring in.  Updating old content

2. Find shipping that works for you

If your business relies on sending physical products to customers (as it usually does with drinkpreneurs) your profit is, of course, linked to shipping costs. Companies like Amazon have raised customers expectations when it comes to tracking and delivery costs, so every ecommerce business needs to up their game, and offer better deals to customers.

Think about the best approach for you. Maybe you want to offer free delivery, but with exceptions (i.e. on international orders) or perhaps offering a flat-rate delivery charge to encourage customers to buy more (as they’ll be paying the same no matter the size of their delivery) would work best for you. Tweaking and changing these processes can make a big difference to profit margins, and allow you to offer the best possible solution for your customers.

3. Partnerships, co-marketing and sponsors

In the world of ecommerce, customers rely on word-of-mouth and recommendations to ensure they have made the correct purchasing decision, so hunting out an influencer to partner with and promote your brand can do wonders for your business.

In fact, a Bloglovin’ survey revealed that, 54% of female consumers purchased a product after seeing it being recommended by an influencer – proof that these partnerships can be a great way to get stuff moving fast and increase your visibility by reaching out to new customers through sponsors.

4. Smart tools and automation

Above all else, ecommerce businesses really need to take advantage of the many useful online business tools that will help your business to run more smoothly. Here are some key things you need to be aware of:

• Build an integrated inventory so you can keep track of your product and build up more knowledge about how to improve your business.
• Make your point of sale as easy to use as possible (customers hate having to jump through lots of hoops and will quickly be put off if they do). If possible make it a one-click shopping experience.
• Make the most of your marketing tools. Send trigger emails based on user behavior, encourage customer reviews and serve personalized content based on visitor behavior.
• Having trouble with web development or building your store? Did you know that you can actually buy readymade stores and cut down on some of the initial set up time? There are plenty of relevant ones for sale, so it’s worth checking out.

5. Get analyzing

Online businesses offer so much more than just a platform to sell your products. They offer amazing insight into what’s selling, what’s not, when customers are dropping out of purchases, most searched for items and when customers are buying. Regularly check-in with your data to see if there are tweaks or improvements you can make to the way your run things and tailor your marketing strategy around your findings.

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6. Dynamic pricing

A more specific area of analytics is dynamic pricing. With the growth of online price comparison websites, Black Friday deals and seasonal sales, customers are comfortable with the idea that online prices fluctuate – something that may be worth $100 one day, may well be $75 the next. Make the most of seasonal commerce online by adjusting your pricing accordingly – not only do customers expect it, but they relish the chance to grab a bargain too!

7. Happy customers help you sell

Customer reviews are shown to given customers confidence in their purchase and help narrow down their search, in fact 90% of customers say their buying decisions are directly influenced by reviews. Implement reviews and testimonials on your site and use them to to attract new customers and assure their buying decision.

8. Show off your bestsellers

In the world of ecommerce, customers are looking for honesty and products they can trust above anything else. Make your bestsellers a prominent point on your website and you’ll find more and more users flock to these tried and tested products.

9. Pay attention to social

Looking for content ideas for your drinkpreneur site, or ways to improve your customer service? Check out your social channels to find out what your customers really care about – and ask them what they want more of. Use this information to create the best content on the market for less.

10. Ditch email for chatbots

One of the main things your customers are looking for is an easy shopping experience and chatbots could be the answer. If a customer has queries a chatbot can answer questions live and assist their purchase. In a survey by Hubspot, 48% of customers said they would rather use live chat than any other means of contact.

Chatbots are also able to store information about your customers and can follower up purchases with personalised recommended buys increase sales for you and are actually useful for your customer too  – what’s not to love?!

11. Be ready when your customers are

Convenience and ease is one of the main reasons we shop online and it is imperative that you are available when your customers. Find out when your site is at its most busy and drive your marketing messages and other customer communications then.

The world of ecommerce offers so much more than just another platform to sell your products. By taking advantage of the various tools and shortcuts the online world has to offer you can improve profit margins, optimise your business processes, increase your reach and visibility and greatly improve your customer experience. Just a few tiny tweaks is all take takes to optimise your beverage business and increase sales instantly – so what are you waiting for?

Every business starts with market research

The online beverage sales industry is expected to continue growing in the coming years, thanks to the increase in households with internet connections and the proliferation of online shopping. Time-poor consumers want the convenience that ordering their caffeine, alcohol, or soft drink fix online will bring them. But even with an online business, you can’t afford to skip market research. The odds may be in your favour, but nonetheless an awareness of the supply and demand situation in your particular area is crucial.

Your business stands the highest chance of success if you can manage to find a gap in the market that’s not being adequately filled. So where to start? Here are some time-tested market research strategies that could help you find the answers:

• Customer surveys – ideal for reaching out to a large audience sample
• Focus groups – good for finding out how customers feel about your product
• Individual interviews – perfect for deeper insights and collecting qualitative data

You could also consider handing out free samples of your product to gauge the reaction – if you’re developing a new product yourself, then the taste-test step is very important.

Meanwhile, you can also do your research online using keyword research tools to find out what online shoppers are looking for. This keyword tool gives you 750+ free keyword suggestions that could help to inform both your business and content marketing strategy.

Creating an online store is easier than you think

I promise! Fresh-faced entrepreneurs have so many options when it comes to ecommerce solutions. The first thing to consider when making your decision is whether you want to go hosted or self-hosted. A hosted ecommerce solution runs on a third party server and includes full-package options like Shopify and BigCommerce. A self-hosted solution, on the other hand, uses software that you run on your own machine, for example WooCommerce or Magento.

For first-time entrepreneurs, the advantage of using a hosted ecommerce solution is that they’re very easy to use, and you never need to worry about installing updates or anything like that. With Shopify you can open an online store  in a matter of minutes and choose from hundreds of professional design templates that will show off your products in the best possible light. There are certainly some benefits to having a reliable ecommerce system with unlimited bandwidth and on-tap support, particularly if you’ve never set up a website before.

If you’re a more experienced digital entrepreneur who prefers to code and customise, then a self-hosted solution would work equally well for you.

Managing order fulfilment

One of the easiest ways to start selling online is with drop shipping. Some shy away from the idea of setting up their own store because they imagine the initial investment in stock and storage to be huge. But the beauty of drop shipping is that you don’t stock any products at all – instead you partner with a wholesale supplier who manages the inventory for you. All you have to do is ping across your order and shipping details as they come in.

Of course, this option may be less viable if you’re selling a homemade product that you’ve formulated yourself. But if you’re planning on buying wholesale anyway, then it’s certainly worth considering. Drop shipping is an efficient and trusted model – and the key thing is it doesn’t require a large down payment.

Be sure to search extensively, as there are lots of specialist food and drink drop shippers out there. You will also need to ensure that you comply with all legal regulations regarding the shipping of consumable goods. Check out Wholesale Deals  and eSources to get an idea of what’s out there.

The crowdfunding route

If you hadn’t considered it already, crowdfunding can provide a great alternative route to funding a new business venture that doesn’t involve accumulating lots of debt. Crowdfunding platforms use rewards-based incentives to give entrepreneurs the opportunity to raise money from multiple sources, in exchange for products, gifts and other exclusive prizes. It’s a legitimate way to raise business finance, if you do it right. Take a look at how milkshake company Canny did it.

Crowdfunding through a platform like Crowdcube usually takes around 3-4 weeks from application to going live. The pitch creation stage is particularly important, as this is how you will convince investors to get involved. Crowdcube has some great advice on preparing your pitch.

Once live, your campaign will accumulate investments for 45 days until you reach (or don’t reach) your target, after which it will close. Investors then have one week to review everything before the funds are transferred. If you’re feeling inspired, you can start your pitch here .

Marketing musts

Launching an online store is very exciting. But then comes the real, ongoing work: marketing. Here are the digital marketing techniques you can’t afford to ignore:

• Content marketing – this is the process of producing articles, photos, videos, infographics, and other content that will attract visitors to your website. Having a strategy is essential – set aside time to work on it each week (or hire a freelance writer)
• Social media – done right, social media can have a big impact on your sales. You want your customers to become your brand advocates. Visual networks like Instagram and Pinterest work well for online shops, as do Twitter and Facebook. You posts should tie in closely to your content marketing strategy
• Mailing list – Email marketing can be highly effective – without it you will likely miss out on sales. If a visitor doesn’t buy from you, the next best thing is to get them on your mailing list. Like social, this will act as another extension of your content strategy
• PPC advertising – Paid advertising is not always feasible, as it requires some budget. If you have the budget, it can be a great way to generate sales when you’re first starting out. Pay-per-click adverts give you visibility in search listings and on social media.
• PR – Successful PR is all about storytelling. Blogs and magazines are always seeking new ideas, so make a list of relevant publications and figure out your angle

Do you feel ready to start your online beverage business? How will you stand out from the crowd? We’d love to hear from you – please share your thoughts and experiences below.

To get more information regarding eCommerce visit VictoriaeCommerce website.