Establishing the Best Ecommerce Branding to Beat the Competition

Good ecommerce branding is about building trust with customers — becoming a household name that is recognizable, reliable, and consistent. This enables ecommerce businesses to stand out from the competition and demonstrate what they offer.

Is the company known for high-quality, custom-made products? Blazing-fast service? Transparent pricing? Through imagery, taglines, and thoughtfully written marketing copy, branding tells customers what to expect from a business so they can make an informed purchase decision.

According to Salsify, 46% of U.S. customers surveyed say they would pay more for brands they trust. In the highly competitive world of ecommerce, branding helps businesses stand out in a crowded marketplace and make a memorable impression on customers. 

Whether they’re selling from an ecommerce website, social media channels, or an online marketplace, branding helps online businesses stand out.

Enterprise companies should leverage their years of experience in the industry and track record to build confidence in their products and services. An ecommerce branding strategy enables businesses to communicate their unique value proposition and build loyalty.

Helps better serve customers.

Well-established brands provide customers with a consistent experience across channels. Whether their first touch is the ecommerce website, social media, or an offline channel, customers know what to expect from the brand.

Good branding makes it easier for customers to identify whether or not a business’s products and services are meant for them. For example, a business catering to college students knows the type of messaging, imagery, and offers needed to reach their audience.

Lowers customer acquisition costs.

A strong brand with a clear message and value proposition attracts potential customers who identify with the brand, reducing the need for costly advertising and ecommerce marketing efforts.

A recognizable brand also encourages customer loyalty and repeat purchases, which is more cost-effective than acquiring new customers. Studies show that customer acquisition can cost five times more than retention.

Customers that have a positive experience with a brand are more likely to make word-of-mouth referrals, bringing your acquisition costs to zero.

Champions change and increase value with customers.

Strong brands build certain expectations with their customers (eg: five-star, white-glove service or fast delivery) and are obligated to meet or exceed those expectations to retain their customer base. 

This forces businesses to engage in continuous process improvement, monitor the competition, and provide new and exciting products and services to increase customer engagement.

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Focus exclusively on top markets.

Businesses that take a targeted approach to branding rather than trying to appeal to everyone will see a higher return on investment. Market research helps businesses gain insights into customer demographics, preferences, behaviors, and purchasing habits.

Ecommerce companies can use this information to develop targeted digital marketing campaigns, create personalized product recommendations and tailor their user experience to better serve their top markets.

Stay consistent.

Consistency is the key to building an identifiable, trusted brand. This entails everything from consistent messaging (developing a brand voice that sounds like your customer) to product quality assurance.

Develop a brand style guide stipulating brand colors, typography, logo usage, and other elements that build a visual identity. Ensure website copy, social media posts, email marketing strategy, and other communications have a consistent voice that aligns with the brand.

Become great storytellers.

Storytelling means creating a narrative that captivates an audience while communicating the brand’s values. It’s essential to establish an emotional connection with customers.

Storytelling in ecommerce branding can take many forms, such as product descriptions, brand messaging, social media posts, and the brand’s founding story.

For example, if the brand stands by all-natural ingredients, explain why in the product description and how it reflects the brand’s commitment to sustainability.

Establish brand guidelines across all channels.

Keep your brand cohesive by providing the same experience across channels, from the homepage to checkout and customer support.

Here are a few steps to take:

• Define brand values: What does the company stand for? What pain point does it solve? What was the founder’s intention? Brand values should reflect the company’s mission, vision, and personality.

• Develop a brand style guide: A brand style guide is a document outlining visual guidelines for the brand including typography, color palettes, imagery, tone of voice, and other brand elements.

• Use technology: Software tools help maintain consistency across channels. For example, email marketing software and social media scheduling tools ensure emails and social media posts are consistent with brand guidelines.

Create eye-catching visuals.

High-quality visuals grab attention and make a brand more recognizable — improving brand recall (the ability for customers to remember the brand when prompted).

Some examples of visuals include:

• Product photos: High-resolution product photos showing the product from different angles. From staged photos showing the product in use to product-only shots against a white background.

• Videos: Videos can demonstrate how to use a product or tell a compelling story that resonates with customers. Examples include product demos, brand stories, and behind-the-scenes footage that conveys a brand’s personality and builds an emotional connection with the customer.

• Social media content: Visually appealing graphics, GIFs and videos shared on social media increase brand visibility and engagement.

Enhance product quality.

Develop a reputation for products of consistent quality to cement your brand image. Ecommerce stores can enhance product quality by conducting thorough quality control checks, including testing for defects, checking that all components work as expected and ensuring the product meets safety standards.

Additionally, brands should source high-quality, durable and long-lasting materials from reliable suppliers.

SEO.

Optimizing an ecommerce website to improve its search engine ranking increases visibility, making it easier for customers to find the brand online and increasing conversion rates. Sites that rank highly in search engine results are perceived as more trustworthy and credible.

SEO also helps retailers attract targeted traffic to their website — i.e. searchers with purchase intent who use relevant keywords to find your products and services.

Content marketing.

Content marketing helps brands establish themselves as authoritative information sources.

For example, a brand selling outdoor gear might publish blog posts and videos about how to prepare for a camping trip or choose the right hiking shoes, thereby establishing themselves as a go-to resource for outdoor enthusiasts.

Brands can build a loyal following by producing high-quality content that informs and educates customers.

Social media.

Ecommerce companies can use social media platforms to create and share engaging content such as images, videos, blog posts and customer reviews.

This content can showcase the company’s products, take customers behind-the-scenes to see how products are made, highlight customer stories, or provide educational/inspirational content.

Social media advertising helps brands target specific customer segments to reach the right audience.

Email marketing.

Email marketing is a prime opportunity to build engagement and turn subscribers into loyal customers. Here are some tips to make the most of it:

• Consistent branding: Visually appealing, on-brand email templates reinforce brand identity.

• Personalization: Tailor messages to different customer segments based on their buyer persona: their preferences, purchase history, and behavior. This strengthens the customer’s emotional connection with the brand.

• Exclusive offers: Offer exclusive deals to subscribers based on their interests.

• Educational content: Emails are a great way to share infographics, blog posts, videos, and other educational content. Ecommerce brands can also feature user-generated content such as product reviews and customer photos to build social proof.

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Ecommerce branding is important for several reasons. A strong brand cultivates customer loyalty and trust, which can boost sales and revenue over time.

In addition, a well-defined brand helps online businesses establish a clear identity and mission statement, making it easier to connect with their target audience and create a consistent customer experience across all touchpoints.

Use branding to showcase the company’s unique selling proposition and create a compelling story that resonates with the target market. Ensure branding is reflected in every touchpoint, from the first interaction with your website to post-purchase follow-up.