In today’s digital world, many businesses are moving towards online marketing and sales as a way to reach more people and gain greater market share. One company that decided to adopt this method of marketing and selling their beer, spirits, and wine, is Brewster, a brand that specializes in tasty microbrews and popular craft beers. To reach out to potential customers and encourage them to try their product, the brand decided to create an online marketing campaign that would allow them to connect with customers wherever they are in the world. They wanted to see if they could take the novelty of the internet and use virtual sales techniques to gain more traction with their customers. They launched a website in late 2018 named drinkbuy.com that allows users to browse and purchase their products online, with a heavy focus on marketing and sales within their niche.
The Science Of Virtual Shopping
While there are many online shops that specialize in selling luxury goods and exotic animals (not recommended), many marketers and businesses are finding success with online retail through virtual shopping. This technique allows marketers and businesses to set up stores that resemble real shops in terms of product range and assortment. This is a great tool for shoppers as it takes the stress out of visiting numerous retail stores, looking for what they want, and trying to find a way to pay for everything on one credit card. It also allows customers to discover new products and brands that they might not have heard of before.
Brewster took advantage of the fact that their target audience is already online by setting up an e-commerce store that looks and feels like a physical store. The brand started small, offering only their flagship beer, Ruby Red, along with a selection of craft ciders. Now, three years later, they have an entire web shop full of merchandise, including apparel, collectibles, and more. They even have a beer delivery service where customers can order a bottle of beer to arrive at their doorstep in a few days. This is a great example of an e-commerce store that relies heavily on SEO and paid marketing to gain high rankings on search engines like Google.
How To Set Up an E-commerce Store
If you’re interested in setting up an e-commerce store, no matter what your industry, here are some basic steps that you should consider:
Pick A Niche
As a business, you should consider your target audience when selecting a niche for your e-commerce store. Who are you selling your products to? What should your product range and assortment include? When picking a niche, you should also think about the language that the person using the website will be using. If you are aiming for US customers, consider creating a site in English. Many online shops have found great success with Spanish language sites or those aimed at Spanish speaking audiences. Another common language that businesses use to advertise and market their products is Chinese. If you’re looking to expand your audience beyond English speaking countries, consider creating a niche for yourself in a country like China or Japan where your product might be in high demand.
Decide On Your Currency
Regardless of where you are in the world, you will need to decide on the currency that you will use for the transaction. While many US based online stores allow customers to make purchases in either US dollars or Euros, if you are looking for worldwide growth, then consider setting up shop in either Chinese yuan or Japanese yen. If you are looking for a stable currency to base your business around, then the US dollar is a great choice as there are a lot of online shops that accept payment in US dollars.
Decide On The Delivery Method
Most people will want their products quickly. You can’t let your customers down so consider establishing quick delivery times to match the speed of modern life. Some businesses choose to offer next day delivery while others offer two or three day shipping. Experiment to find out what works best for you.
Curate A Compelling Product Range
Craft beer and wine have exploded in popularity over the past few decades. To put it simply, people enjoy drinking them more than they enjoy spending money on luxury goods. As a business, you should consider your target audience when curating your product range. What do they want? What are their interests? Your job as the business owner is to figurehead these products. If you want to sell high-end brands that your customers will be interested in, then include them in your product range. Do some research and find out what brands your prospective customers are interested in and work your way from there.
Why Are People Using Online Shopping For Luxury Goods
In most cases, luxury brands and products are more inclined to move online as there are multiple ways for customers to learn about, research, and purchase luxury goods. In theory, this makes finding a buyer easier and more convenient. When you’re browsing luxury brands online, you’ll notice something important: most of them have an entire section of their website dedicated to online shopping. Why? Because it’s the easiest and most convenient way to reach their target audience.
If you’re curious about why luxury brands are finding success with online marketing and commerce, then continue reading. We’ll discuss multiple examples of how to do it right so you can get started even if you’re in the process of developing your own e-commerce store.
The Increasing Popularity Of Online Shopping
In 2018, US retail sales took place online in some way, shape or form for the first time in history. In fact, e-commerce is now the largest sector of the overall retail market, surpassing both physical and online-only stores. The US Census Bureau projects that by next year, online shopping in the country will have increased by 60%.
According to HubSpot Blogs research, 81% of people in the United States currently shop online. Most of these shoppers are finding success by simply replicating what they experience in real life when shopping in-person. For instance, almost all (99%) of the respondents use comparison shopping to help them find what they want online. Additionally, 71% of the respondents say that they’ve purchased something online that they didn’t see in-person before the purchase. This is known as showrooming and it’s considered to be a major pain point for retail stores. They not only lose out on potential sales, but it also encourages people to seek out cheaper options online rather than in-person. This is why many luxury brands and businesses are moving towards online marketing and sales.
Why Is It Popular For Luxury Brands To Go Digital
Nowadays, people use multiple devices and platforms to access the internet everywhere they go. This makes it easier for companies to market and promote their products as they can target the right audience regardless of where they are in the world.
E-commerce and online marketing is a great way to reach customers regardless of their location. If you’re marketing to the United States, you’re able to do so from London without having to adjust your strategy. This level of reach is invaluable to any business, but especially for luxury brands and businesses. The more places that you can be found, the greater your potential to make a sale. There’s no reason to limit yourself to one country and one language when you can have a global audience. Take advantage of the fact that your customers are online and use the internet to your advantage.