60 ecommerce tactics
The appropriate tactics for your ecommerce strategy will vary based on your business type, the market conditions, your budget, and the products or services you sell.
Here’s a list of popular ecommerce tactics, organised by their primary stage in the digital marketing cycle: Acquisition, Conversion, or Retention. Although many of these tactics apply to several stages, I’ve highlighted the one most relevant.
| Digital tactic | Websites & PWAs | Marketplaces | Apps | Domain | Acquisition | Conversion | Retention | Notes & examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign emails | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Marketing | ✓ | Relevant to multiple channel types, including Apps, Marketing and Websites. | ||
| SEO | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Marketing | ✓ | Keyword strategy, content optimisation, product listing optimisation. | ||
| Paid ads | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Marketing | ✓ | Search engines, Social media, marketplace ads. | ||
| Google Shopping | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Marketing | ✓ | Also Bing Shopping. | ||
| Link referrals | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Marketing | ✓ | Can be formal agreements or from link-building. | ||
| Affiliate marketing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Marketing | ✓ | Via afiliate marketing platforms. Precautions must be taken to not unnecessarily offer discounts. | ||
| Community Building | ✓ | ✓ | Marketing | ✓ | Building a Facebook group, hosting a webinar, or organizing a meetup. Difficult to do inside marketplaces. | |||
| Gift cards | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Both a sales driver and a customer acquisition tool. | |||
| Referrals programmes | ✓ | ✓ | Marketing | ✓ | Refer a friend, easy to share | |||
| Campaign landing pages | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | To support marketing campaigns using tailored website landing pages. | ||
| Service/product ratings | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Marketing | ✓ | A marketing and customer feedback & UGC tactic. | ||
| User-generated content (UGC) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Marketing | ✓ | e.g. social media posts featuring products, customer reviews, testimonials, unboxing videos, blog posts, and more. | ||
| Payments types | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Communicated in the UX. Marketplaces own the checkout process and do not gennerally offer sellers options. | |||
| Share payments | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Allow multiple people to contribute to a single purchase or service. | |||
| Buy now pay later/installments | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Relevant for higher AOVs. | |||
| Simplified checkout | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Simplifying the checkout process is one of the most important steps in conversion optimization. | |||
| Product content optimisation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Improving visual presentation and information. | ||
| Cart abandonment campaigns | ✓ | ✓ | Marketing | ✓ | Marketplaces provide retargetting campaigns. SE's social media, etc. | |||
| Shipping options | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Offer | ✓ | From Free shipping to Next day. | ||
| Checkout type options | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Includes logged in and Guest checkout. Generaly, marketplaces do not offfer a guest checkout option. | |||
| Embed social proof | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Similar to UGC, this tactic often includes celebrity endorsments, to help build trust. | |||
| Navigation optimisation | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | A rational, helpful and optimised user-centric navigation. | |||
| Site-side search | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Searchendising, results filtering, auto-suggest and correct common typos - improve the UX. | |||
| Live chat | ✓ | ✓ | Cust' support | ✓ | Whilst marketplaces offer seller and customer live chat support, this is not controlled by the seller. | |||
| Technical performance | ✓ | ✓ | Technical | ✓ | Both underlying server support & Google search console type conformity | |||
| Mobile responsivness | ✓ | ✓ | Technical | ✓ | Responsive design to suit Desktop, Tablet & mobile device visitors. | |||
| Security Badges | ✓ | ✓ | Technical | ✓ | To reassure visitors that their information is safe. | |||
| Personalisation | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Leads to higher engagement and conversion rates | |||
| Q&A | ✓ | ✓ | Cust' support | ✓ | Can be partically automated with appropriate tech tools | |||
| PLP one-click add to basket | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Enables add to basket from a category/Product landing page. | |||
| W3C Accessibiliy | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | A, AA or AAA | |||
| Wishlists | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Also a retention tactic, and able to drive acquisition if enabled for sharing. Wedding lists are a good example. | |||
| Product comparison | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Particularly relevant for technical products. | |||
| Exit Intent popups | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Detect when visitors are about to leave and encourage/incentivise conversion. | |||
| Testimonials | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Marketing | ✓ | From influential and trusted people. | ||
| Form optimisation | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | A part of broader UX/Customer journey optimisation | |||
| CTA's | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | A part of broader UX/Customer journey optimisation. Also an acquisition tactic. | ||
| Free samples | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Reduces customer uncertainty, prior to purchase. | |||
| Product bundles | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Incentive higher AOV's by offering conditional basket discounts. | |||
| Discounting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Seasonal sales, short-term flash sales and more. | ||
| Infographics | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Strong explanitory value for deeper product insight. | ||
| Gamification | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Use points, badges, or other gamified elements to make the loyalty program more engaging. | |||
| Returns options | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Free returns, free local rate international returns, drop off at store. | |||
| Customer surveys | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Relevant across the customer lifecycle. Of particular use in post-sales. Also shows you are listening. | |||
| Aftersales support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | This is a part of the product or service the customer is buying into, and will determine if a customer buys again. | ||
| Loyalty rewards | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Points-based reward system. | |||
| Tiered rewards | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Customers earn points or benefits based on their spending and activity. | |||
| Repurchase incentivisation | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Discounts, rewards, and exclusive perks for repeat customers. | |||
| Tailored recommendations | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Personalised product or service offerings | |||
| Personalised communication | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Drives higher engagement than generic comms. | |||
| Saved customer preferences | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Enabled via account login or session cookie | |||
| Refer a friend | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Reward customers who refer a friend. | |||
| Early offer access | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Offer early access for opted-in existing customrs. | |||
| Exclusive deals | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Exclusive deals for existyong customers | |||
| Aftersales support | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Exemlary aftersales product & service support | |||
| Events & contests | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Drive a sense of community | |||
| Delivery status updates | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | SMS, email | |||
| Members-only pricing | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Accessible via an account log-in | |||
| Returns & exchange information | ✓ | ✓ | UX | ✓ | Transparent, clear, accessible and comprehensive. | |||
| Push notifications | ✓ | ✓ | Marketing | ✓ | Order info updates, offers, etc. |