In this article, we will explore the primary acquisition channels for eCommerce businesses and how they can be effectively utilized.
In previous articles, we discussed the importance of customer loyalty in increasing turnover for an eCommerce business.
Retaining existing customers is significantly more cost-effective than acquiring new ones. However, for sustained horizontal growth, acquiring new customers is essential.
Although customer acquisition costs (CAC) tend to be higher than customer retention costs, they vary depending on the chosen channel. Some channels require direct monetary investment, while others rely on organic reach and engagement.
Additionally, within paid channels, costs can differ based on competition, targeting, and strategy.
Acquisition channels for eCommerce
Below, we discuss the main acquisition channels for eCommerce in 2023.
Remember that customer acquisition must be diversified across different channels and that none of them can represent more than 80% of total acquisition to achieve consistent and sustainable growth over time.
Before choosing the acquisition channels for your business, you must define your target audience, in order to know the most appropriate way to reach them and your business objectives. However, there are some main acquisition channels common to any eCommerce.
1. Social media
In order to use social media as an acquisition channel, it is important to carry out a prior analysis of which social networks are the most used by our target audience, previously defined, to reach our potential customers.
In general terms, we can say that, currently the main social media to acquire customers are Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, since, in addition to being trendy social media, they are focused as a sales channel, allowing direct purchase in the social media or redirection to the eCommerce.
Once you have chosen the social media in which the brand will have a presence, it is important to define the content strategy, to create publications of value and, above all, with a constant frequency.
2. Email
This channel is one of the most used for customer loyalty, but, in addition, email marketing as a customer acquisition channel is one of the most profitable methods, because it allows segmentation and automation of messages, which translates into a high return on investment.
To acquire customers using this method, we must first obtain the contact details of potential customers in order to reach them. To collect contact data, it is important to leave resources on our website for users to access after leaving their email, such as signing up for the newsletter or obtaining a discount coupon.
3. Search engine strategy
Search engine optimization, whether organic or paid, is one of the main ways to acquire customers in an eCommerce.
We must remember not to focus exclusively on Google, as there are other search engines such as Bing or Yahoo! that can also bring great traffic to our website.
If you work on your SEO strategy or create targeted ad campaigns (SEM) and target potential customers, you will increase your reach and therefore, your customer base. Here you can see an article of how to implement an SEM strategy in eCommerce and how to improve SEO on Shopify.
4. Influencers
Working with influencers is a way for your brand to be recognized and have an impact on your potential customers. To do this, we must find influencers who are prescribers of our brand and share content on their social profiles.
When choosing influencers, we must take into account that they will be the image of the brand and therefore, they must share the brand's values and have a community according to our target audience in order to achieve profitability.
The format of the content and the agreement will be different depending on the influencer, it can be paid or in exchange for receiving the brand's products. To find out if the agreement is suitable for your eCommerce, remember to define your objectives beforehand.
In this case, remember that there are microinfluencers with a smaller number of followers but with a greater engagement of the same, so it is usually more profitable to work with them when the budget is reduced.
These are the main customer acquisition channels for eCommerce today, so if you have not yet planned your strategy in any of them, it is time to establish it and increase your sales.