If you currently own a fully functioning e-commerce site but are finding sales a bit flat there are a number of easy to action methods that can create sales just from the ingenuity.

I’ve sold online for years and promotions (not gimmicks) are effective and natural methods to add some instant pep to your sales. Here are the ones that I find most worthwhile.

Fresh Home Page - For repeat customers and those who have considered purchasing and perhaps left items in their cart, a fresh homepage can do wonders for traffic. It might be as simple as modifying page layout slightly, adjusting navigation buttons or ensuring featured content is changed often. Any method that creates a feeling that your store is a vibrant and dynamic place will help. If your local brick and mortar store didn’t change their windows in six months business would decline, it’s a fact of commerce

Bulk Discounts – If you offer a product where a customer is likely to want quantities in multiples make this an option. Even a moderate savings is enticing. I have to order thermal print address labels for my business, my old supplier offered the same price whether I purchased one roll or twelve. My current supplier offers (slight) discounts for quantity, guess who I am loyal to?

Referral rewards – It’s one of the oldest and best methods to grow sales. It’s also extremely viral which is perfect for e-commerce. The discount benefits can apply to the existing customer, the new one or both. Feature this as part of your confirmation email/shipping process

Free Shipping – The negative feeling toward shipping and handling costs goes back to the K-Tel record commercials from the 1970′s and even advertisements in the comics and magazines of our youth. It’s alive and well today with late night infomercials. No matter how lean your shipping margin is (if you take one) customers still don’t like shipping costs. I’ve run free shipping campaigns either dependent on the value of the order – or for orders placed by a certain date. They are both effective tools, especially if you sell a product that is available elsewhere.

E-commerce is an exciting industry and keeping things fresh will work more than just adding more stock and slashing prices. I hope some of these ideas work for you.

Tim at greenseedwebdesign.com