Placing omnichannel as a fundamental pillar of your e-commerce strategy is not a new idea. You have probably heard of this marketing concept many times. The Internet goes hand in hand with the idea of omnichannel, offering a world of possibilities to reach new customers. However, the options are so vast that it can be difficult to know what is best for your own business.
It just doesn’t make sense to just sell your products on your online store. Indeed, even if it is essential not to neglect your e-commerce site, there are also many marketing channels to improve your turnover. An omnichannel strategy involves SEO, SEA, but also the dissemination of your product ads on marketing channels such as marketplaces or mobile comparison sites. The goal of all these activities is to improve the visibility of your brand and your products, to reach a greater number of potential customers and to improve your branding.
There are so many options that it can be difficult to make a choice. You obviously have to take the industry into account, as some marketing or sales channels are specialized for a particular type of product for compare prices. In addition, the options are not only limited to France, but you can also choose other sales platforms at European level. It is important to carefully analyze each possibility to see which one best fits your e-commerce strategy.
Do marketplaces deserve their fame?
Marketplaces are one of the most popular levers in France in e-commerce. This trend is obviously linked to the success of online sales giants like the American Amazon.
These “digital supermarkets” are one of the types of platforms most visited by those who want to make an online purchase. Thanks to their good reputation and globally known brand, marketplaces bring such confidence to users that 65% of consumers would be willing to buy an unknown brand on a marketplace.
What is a marketplace?
The marketplace is defined as a website on which independent sellers, professionals or individuals, have the opportunity to sell their products or services online for a commission on sales charged by the marketplace. Transactions are therefore processed by the marketplace and not by the sellers. Buyers therefore make the purchase on the marketplace, thereby ensuring that the purchase takes place under the best possible conditions.
What are the advantages of a marketplace?
Marketplaces offer you powerful marketing leverage to get started in a business. They are so well known to Internet users that one in five online product searches start with the word marketplace. For many people, marketplaces are synonymous with shopping online, which shows that they have gained the trust of consumers.
Marketplaces facilitate the internationalization of your e-commerce. Most of the marketplaces present in France also exist for other markets. So it will be easy to use this method to reach international customers.
Marketplaces benefit from a good positioning on search engines. Many of these marketplaces appear in the top search results of Google. No need to explain why this increases your chances of making sales even more.
Thanks to the technique of selling related products on marketplaces, you can increase your click-through rates. Indeed, your brand may be completely unknown to the customer, however the chances that they will see products similar to their initial research are very high.
However, you have to keep in mind that the competition on these platforms is huge and that you will need to differentiate yourself by adding value to your products, such as lower prices or excellent delivery service. You will have to be more and more competitive if you want to stand out in these types of channels.
What place should be reserved for price comparators in an e-commerce strategy?
Comparators should not be excluded from your strategy either. Why? Because 80% of consumers compare prices before finalizing an online purchase! This figure certainly encourages you to consider them as a more than valid option for positioning your products.
What is a price comparison?
A comparison site is a platform where users can compare prices for a specific product. These sites will link consumers to your e-commerce site because, unlike a marketplace, the purchase is made directly on the seller’s site.
What are the advantages of price comparators?
First of all, comparison sites are more economical. Comparators generally do not have fixed or subscription costs unlike marketplaces. Rather, their funding is based on the cost per click or CPC method: you only pay for the clicks you receive.
Benefit from a good positioning. As in marketplaces, they are well positioned in search engines.
Improve your brand awareness. As the transaction is done directly in your online store, it will be easier to retain your customers; if the purchase experience and the product appeal to them, there is a good chance that they will come back to your site without going through the comparator.
Improve the traffic of your e-commerce site. Many consumers will come to your site through the price comparison. The icing on the cake is that this traffic is of high quality. Why ? Because these are Internet users who have a real interest in the type of products you are selling and this interest will probably materialize in purchase.
