Four strategies you can use to grow online sales

A few moons ago, I was speaking to a local Houston business owner. He said the internet put him out of business. He didn’t believe he needed to be online. He’d been in business 20 years or so. His refusal to go online closed his doors within days of our conversation.

As a Harvard Business Review notes: We’re All E-Commerce Companies Now

Last year, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) online sales in the U.S. totaled $58.6 billion.

Below are four strategies you can use to grow online sales:

1. Omnichannel strategy — Align your messaging, goals, objectives, and design across all devices and platforms.

2. Subscription models — Sell it once and collect recurring revenue by continuing to provide that product or service. Think magazine subscriptions. A good resource is The Automatic Customer by John Warrillow (Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry).

3. Personalization — If you can see the world through John Smith’s eyes you can understand how John Smith buys. Leverage data to understand your customers’ wants and needs. Create a unique digital experience where the customer exclaims, “This is for me!”

4. Branding — Your brand is a promise. The promise is a story your customers will remember when they think about your company. Communicate your brand with a story consumers can latch onto.