growthCompeting in a saturated eCommerce market has never been more challenging. Brands can go viral overnight; even new products can penetrate existing industries, with consumers shifting loyalty from one brand to another.
As an eCommerce owner, it's worth asking, “How can you build and establish an eCommerce brand that stands out?” This endeavor relies on creating an effective brand strategy.
Branding is crucial to how your eCommerce business communicates its messaging, visuals, and what it can do for your customers. These different brand elements work together to leave an impression on buyers, encouraging them to return.
Read the infographic below to learn everything you need about eCommerce branding and what’s necessary to build a strong brand.
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eCommerce Branding Basics
Before building your brand, it's helpful to know what eCommerce is in the first place.
Also referred to as electronic commerce, eCommerce is the process of transacting through an electronic medium, commonly the internet. It involves buying goods, paying for services, and transferring money or data.
Online businesses work in a similar way to retail stores. The main difference is that when a customer purchases a product, their order is first processed through a business' online database and then shipped for delivery after a certain period.
What is Branding in eCommerce?
It's common for people to mistake eCommerce branding and brand identity for being just a logo or your website. It's much more than that.
In reality, a brand is more about how people see your eCommerce brand. Marketing expert, Seth Godin, defines a brand as "a set of expectations" a consumer has about your brand that contributes to their decision to choose you over your competitors.
eCommerce branding is about influencing these perceptions through online efforts to achieve your business's goals, such as increasing sales. It allows your eCommerce to stand out from its competitors and build a meaningful relationship with its customers, among many other benefits.
Why Does eCommerce Branding Matter? 5 Benefits
Your eCommerce branding can often be considered your most valuable currency. It enables people to choose your brand over competitors when the prices and products are already highly similar.
- Gives a competitive advantage
Competitive advantages don’t always have to be about having the best prices or products made with a special material. A competitive advantage you could have is that your eCommerce business is more trustworthy than the others.
Your eCommerce branding efforts allow you to gradually earn your customers' valuable trust. It’s similar to how you might rather keep visiting the store you’ve been buying from for years rather than gamble on a newly launched brand. - Establishes perception and strong emotional connection
Your online brand identity is what determines whether someone will be loyal to your eCommerce or not. When customers come to know your brand as being reliable and providing high-quality products and services, it helps establish a strong emotional connection between the both of you. - Helps create sales and extra revenue
When a customer relates to your brand's purpose or story, they're more likely to make a purchase from you than your competitors. Likewise, when past customers perceive your eCommerce as a reputable brand, they're more likely to make more purchases. - Provides customers with an experience
People are often looking for something more than a simple product. They're looking for experiences. The experience of buying from you entices them to keep coming back for more. A satisfying customer experience can start a relationship between you and them. - Develops recognition and loyalty
Your brand identity separates you from the typical, everyday eCommerce store. If done correctly, eCommerce branding generates brand awareness, powerful recall, and customer loyalty.
A strong brand identity is more than a catchy name and striking visuals. To create brand advocates that provide a steady revenue stream, you must understand how to develop your eCommerce brand identity.
How to Build an eCommerce Brand Identity
The internet has allowed more excited entrepreneurs to open an eCommerce store. However, that doesn't mean you no longer need to know the principles of a good online brand identity.
Follow the few steps below to guide you in creating a brand identity that stands out.
- Establish a clear vision and your values
Your vision and values are critical to your eCommerce's success.
What was the impetus for starting your eCommerce beyond simply earning money? What impact do you want your eCommerce to have?
Understanding and embodying the answers to these questions will guide your messaging and attract loyal customers. - Study your buyer persona
A business is nothing without its customers. But, not all customers are fit for your business. Your eCommerce needs to have the right customers. If no one finds value in your high-quality products, the fate of your eCommerce is jeopardized.
Who is your ideal customer? What is their job? What are their pain points? When you delve into the demographics and psychographics of your target customers, you can learn how to construct a much more compelling brand identity they can resonate with.
- Determine a unique value proposition
What do you offer your customers that they can't get anywhere else? The answer to this is your unique value proposition (UVP). Also known as unique selling proposition (USP), a UVP is a clearly defined statement that conveys the specific benefits of your products or services. It aims to encourage target customers to choose your product over competitors.
Study what your competitors provide to help you find ways to differentiate your offerings and your brand. It could be the products or services, the speed of your delivery and customer service, your seasonal promos, or something else.
- Establish your brand persona and voice
Brands are often like people. They have their specific style and manner of speaking. Your brand's personality is your brand persona, and how you communicate with your customers is your voice.
Establishing these is necessary to develop a strong and consistent eCommerce brand. It also makes it easier for your customers to believe what you’re selling.
For example, suppose an eCommerce brand sells elegant, expensive wines; their ideal customers are C-level executives. If the brand's persona and messaging are rugged and playful, it may not effectively appeal to its target customers. - Create your brand name and visuals
This step involves what most of your customers will see; it's the look and face of your business. Hence, it's necessary that you choose your brand name and visuals carefully.
Choose a brand name and a visual language—logo design, colors, and typefaces—that connect with your brand's vision and values. This allows you to create consistency and increase the recognizability of your eCommerce. - Create content
Once you've established your brand's vision, personality, look, and ideal customer, it's time to create content.
eCommerce thrives on content. According to Demand Metric, up to nine in ten (90%) organizations use content in their marketing—for a good reason. Creating content is a great way to market your eCommerce services, answer your customers’ questions, build relationships with them, and generate leads. - Focus on your customers
Since your business is nothing without sales, and your eCommerce branding depends on your audience’s perception of you, it's vital that you keep a trained eye on your customers.
Focusing on strengthening the customer experience improves their impression of your brand and how much customers enjoy doing business with you.
eCommerce branding doesn't end after you've launched your website or finished your promotional materials. After establishing your brand, you'll need to work on maintaining that image for your customers.
Sell and Strengthen Your Brand Identity: 5 Key Strategies
eCommerce branding is an ongoing process. You need to develop your brand identity as your eCommerce grows continuously. Below are a few strategies to help you strengthen your online brand identity.
- Offer great customer service
According to Zendesk, four out of five customers (81%) say that a positive customer service experience increases the likelihood of buying from the brand again.
Additionally, according to the latest eCommerce trends, more customers expect a personalized experience. So, find ways to tailor your services to them. Some methods of improving your customer service include the following:
- Engage with and talk to your customers on social media
- Train your staff to handle customer concerns well
- Seek customer feedback continuously - Share your brand story
Stories are powerful. Since more customers are looking for authenticity, sharing your story can help you form an emotional bond between you and your audience.
So, share your eCommerce origins and how you decided on your business name. You can do this by refining your About Us page on your eCommerce store.
- Create a content strategy
With numerous online resources available, you can create a wide array of content, such as blog articles, infographics, videos, podcasts, and more. There are also countless online channels where you can promote your brand.
A content strategy helps you decide which content should be published on which channel to maximize your efforts in reaching your ideal customers.
For example, if you run an online food business, you could use Instagram to flex your brand's food photography skills and entice hungry customers to visit your store. Your marketing efforts may not work well if you, for example, launch a podcast since it's an audio-only medium.
- Keep improving the customer experience
It's much easier for customers to become loyal to brands they can rely on than to those that are inconsistent in keeping up with consumer expectations. Beyond the quality of your product being top tier, you also need to ensure that the user experience of your eCommerce store is just as enticing.
If your store is slow to load and designed poorly, it can affect how people see and think of your business. Regardless of which eCommerce platform you use, it's essential to learn how you can continuously optimize the customer experience.
- Engage in your community
According to a Porter Novelli study, more than seven in ten (73%) consumers say that for companies to win their support, businesses need to show consumers that they support the environment and their communities.
So, don't be afraid to let your customers know what causes your brand supports and what you do to impact the world around you. It makes your brand feel more authentic, making it much easier for customers to relate to you.
Build a Strong eCommerce Brand with Rush
The eCommerce industry is highly saturated and competitive. Beyond offering better prices or products, your branding can help your eCommerce stand out.
Brand identity is more than a simple logo and a catchy tagline. It’s about influencing the way consumers view your eCommerce. Your branding can turn website visitors into buyers and buyers into brand advocates.
If you're looking to scale your brand online, consider using Rush's eStore platform. It's an all-in-one eCommerce solution that offers countless avenues for you to grow your eCommerce and be with your customers throughout their journey: from brand discovery, purchase decision, and order delivery.
First, Rush's eStore allows you to easily create your website or join a marketplace where customers can discover you. Then, the intuitive platform makes it easy for them to decide on purchasing from you. Finally, the eStore has features that help you with your shipping and delivery logistics.
Rush is committed to bringing you closer to your customers by providing you with the right tools at every stage of their journey. Book a demo today to learn how Rush can improve your eCommerce.
