[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”THE BUSINESS TO CONSUMER CHALLENGE (B2C)” font_container=”tag:h1|text_align:center”][vc_column_text]”The biggest challenge for business to consumer marketers is reaching and engaging their customers in the digital age. Consumers are looking for content, entertainment, and connections. We are not looking for ads and interruptions.

B2C marketers are struggling to breakthrough all that noise. ”

Michael Brenner | CEO, Marketing Insider Group[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Your online ecommerce journey will succeed or fail through its business to consumer (B2C) marketing.
Where B2B marketing focuses mainly on logical process-driven purchasing decisions, B2C marketing focuses on emotion-driven purchasing decisions.
Consumers generally seek out goods and services based on an immediate need, and make purchases more quickly, with less research and due diligence than a business would conduct. This grants B2C marketers a much smaller window of opportunity to influence consumer behaviour.
For these reasons, successful B2C campaigns typically trigger emotional reactions or responses, while B2B campaigns focus on offering immediate value. Understanding these differences and making the appropriate changes to your marketing strategy will improve your outcomes.
The goal of B2C marketing is to push consumers to products on your client’s or your company’s website and drive sales. To do this, the customer needs to have a near-perfect customer experience with your[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”1. THE MESSAGE” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center”][vc_column_text]There must be a clear message theme which is shared across all platforms.
Branding is essential in marketing because it allows the marketer to precisely deliver a message, create loyalty with the customer, confirm credibility, emotionally connect with the customer, and motivate the buyer to buy.
It also is the number one priority of B2C marketing.
Why? The relationship between the customer and company are minimally interactive so you must create a lasting memory and quality experience for the customer to ensure they will come running back[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”5729″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space][vc_empty_space height=”68px”][vc_single_image image=”5728″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=”2. SOCIAL MEDIA” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center”][vc_column_text]The launch you online shop would need to be supported by a strong social media presence.
This will be the primary driver of growth of the use of the service, combined with word of mouth.
There are some interesting trends in the South African social media landscape. Facebook has regained market share, with all the other platforms either losing market share or remaining static

Although its popularity is waning, Pinterest will be a valuable social media tool for your shop due to its visual nature. Snapchat is also a visual medium.
Another important platform would be TikTok.

SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING

There will not be sufficient organic growth. Advertising on social media channels is a powerful way to connect with lots of potential customers in creative, fun ways. Social media advertising can be anything from a simple Facebook feed post to a taco-shaped lens on Snapchat.
Use tools, like Google Analytics, to track which channels your target customers are using most, and focus your marketing efforts on these platforms. If you get confused by the relatively new terrain of social media, check out these guides to Facebook advertising, Instagram advertising, and Snapchat advertising to get started.
• Social media marketing allows for a lot of creativity, so try to implement the personality of your key buyers into your ads
• Use social media analytics to track the success of your ads and form strategies on how you can improve future promotions[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”3. SEO-DRIVEN BLOG” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center”][vc_column_text]Blogs about fashion will be needed to generate store traffic. Posts that contain SEO keywords and contain useful information for consumers are likely to rank high in search engine results.
A blog is also a medium to connect with audiences on a deep level. Seeing how customers respond to the content that you produce can inform your strategies for meeting buyers’ needs and wants. Blog posts build buyer trust when they provide some sort of value to the reader, like offering advice on fashion.
• Use SEO tools to measure the monthly search volume and keyword difficulty of terms. Terms with high monthly search volumes and high difficulty ratings are going to be more challenging to rank for.
• Use Google Analytics to track the page views of your blog posts. Consider past posts that received high numbers of views when planning future content.

AMBASSADORS
Fashion-conscious people follow fashion icons. Both the you as the owners and StoresSA will need to encourage happy shoppers to become ambassadors for African fashion, the mall, and its stallholders.

INFLUENCERS
Influencer marketing is leveraging the reach of an existing influencer who has built a large following and strong brand reputation in a particular niche to support your brand, endorse your product, or co-create content, with the intent to increase brand awareness and drive sales[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”5737″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space height=”90px”][vc_single_image image=”5734″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=”4. BUILD YOUR OUTREACH LIST” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center”][vc_column_text]Growing your business involves more than your customers — you also have to reach out to individuals in your industry that can help you reach more buyers within your target audience. Networking with the right groups allows merchants to generate product buzz and extend their reach to connect with as many customers as possible. You should consider reaching out to:
• Traditional reporters — writers at publications who specialize in your industry and can create content about African design
• Industry bloggers — writers who create content on blogs that focus on African design and showcase stallholder designs
• Social media influencers — people who comment about African design on social media and have a large number of followers[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”5. ENCOURAGE SOCIAL SHARING” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center”][vc_column_text]Organic word-of-mouth marketing on social media is needed to drive your ecommerce business growth.
Public discussions of the brands and products in the mall on social media channels serve as social proof — the psychological phenomenon of people assuming others’ behaviour reflects correct behaviour.
Online buyers can’t see your products in-person, so they consider what other customers have to say about the designs and quality on Facebook to determine whether they should make a purchase.
Encourage social media buzz around StoresSA by starting a campaign that encourages sharing. Collectively we’ll have a huge market share through this social sharing.
For example, you may offer discounts or personal styling through a contest which rewards shoppers for commenting on a social media post or tag a friend. Merchants should also encourage social sharing by making their social media channels easily accessible on their site.
• Don’t limit social sharing to buyers! Reach out to other brands you’ve partnered with, and encourage them to share information about your business or tag your brand in their social media content.
• Don’t break the chain of sharing. If someone mentions your brand on social media, try to continue engaging with tactics like re-tweeting or commenting underneath the post[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”5733″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space height=”68px”][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=”5727″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=”6. EMAIL MARKETING” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center”][vc_column_text]Statistics show that around 2% of web traffic will result in a sale on the first visit, so capturing email addresses through a customer relationship management tool (CRM) is crucial.
Email marketing is an easy way for you to build relationships with your online shop visitors. Using the mailers store holders can send out targeted messages to targeted potential customers.
To get started, you’ll need to collect the emails of buyers and make sure that they want to receive messages from you. There are plenty of opportunities to ask buyers whether they want to receive email notifications, such as at the checkout process or even in a pop-up window while they’re browsing.

We have successfully setup a newsletter form to allow customers to subscribe to all StoresSA shops.

ABANDONED TROLLY EMAILS
There are few things that are more frustrating for an online merchant than a web visitor reaching the precipice of a purchase…and then vanishing without a trace.
All is not lost once someone abandons a shopping cart, though. In fact, almost 30% of abandoned carts are recovered, thanks to abandonment emails.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_custom_heading text=”7.. INCENTIVES.” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:center”][vc_column_text]Online store owners don’t have to worry about marketplace rules that limit what they can include on product pages or in communication to buyers.
Merchants with stores should take advantage of this control by offering incentives to buyers. Whether it’s a pop-up discount at your store’s homepage or a promotional email about an ongoing sale, sellers should actively reach out to buyers with different types of incentives to make purchases.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”5739″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][vc_single_image image=”5735″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_custom_heading text=”8. PHYSICAL MARKETING”][vc_column_text]Physical marketing opportunities include:
• Attending retail Expos
• Fashion shows (virtual and physical)
• Networking sessions
• Launches of new collections[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]