The Role of Branding In eCommerce

What is the Role of Branding in eCommerce?

The development of a strong brand is extremely important for eCommerce businesses. This is what enables a business to thrive and grow.

The development of the internet made it possible for stores to establish successful eCommerce sites without giving up their physical locations. This required building the same values online as in the offline locations. The more recent eCommerce stores exclusively operating through the internet do not have the same longtime trust.

They have to build their brand from the start. This is achieved through competitive pricing, marketing, unique selling points and excellent customer service.

Establishing Loyalty to the Brand

Familiarity is just as important as visibility. The eCommerce stores can make money from impulse purchases. Despite this, the true foundation comes from returning customers. When a consumer has a good experience, the chances of them returning are high. This includes ease of purchasing, low prices and good service. These consumers will tell their friends and family about their experience. Their interactions with the brand through social media combined with these referrals will usually increase business for the eCommerce store. Consumers identify strongly with this type of branding.

Multi-Platform Marketing is Important

Every eCommerce store should be working with their target audience using a wide variety of platforms. The website is only the point where the marketing and sales efforts begin. One of the most important aspects is being open to social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. The number of companies taking advantage of the potential of the online market is consistently growing. New eCommerce stores must be seen to succeed. More credence is being given by the search engines to personalized results and social factors. This increases the importance of having a strong brand.

It would be incredibly easy to share positive experiences online if search results were based on what the individuals in the social circles shared, discussed and viewed. This would have a tremendous impact on the smaller online stores focused on their customers. These stores must consider the constant changes in what consumers are searching for in their products and the way they interact with the brand. To become successful, it is necessary to adapt to the changes in the consumer’s behavior. Despite the changes in marketing innovations and Google’s algorithm, the strength of the name and the brand are critical for success.

Online Branding vs Offline Prestige

The most prestigious names have built reputations for quality. This attracts the consumers who believe in the brand and want to establish an association. These businesses have established enormous audiences on Google+ and Facebook organically. As the smaller eCommerce stores build their brands, it becomes possible to compete with the big brands despite the lack of physical locations. This comes from creating a brand with strength and clarity to specifically target the more youthful fashionistas conscious of the latest styles.

Some businesses need more than a decade to get to the point where their brand is strong enough to attract large audiences. This success can be tracked through the increasing figures on social media. In some cases, the smaller eCommerce businesses have much higher numbers than the top brands. This kind of success requires patience because it does not happen overnight.

The Importance of Establishing a Recognized Name

Success can be practically guaranteed when a business is the first one consumers think about in any niche. This can be achieved by building both the visibility and the consumer base. The basics of service and pricing must be mastered to succeed. This is not easy, but it is very rewarding. This status ensures the consumers will be able to locate the business when they search online. If the business does not offer unique selling assets and a strong presence, chances are good they will be unable to establish themselves successfully online. When this happens, the eCommerce store will fail.

An eCommerce business can only go so far with search traffic established by keywords. Searches are becoming more semantic. This makes the name the core of the brand. When this is combined with other attributes including good service, the consumer will remember the business because they will be able to relate. When a business is recommended to someone else or a person simply stumbles across it, what will help ensure they return are their experience and the strength of the brand. If the target audience does not resonate with the business, the eCommerce store is going to fail. The key is to be memorable and to be seen.

Author: Caryl Anne Crowne.
A contributing writer and media specialist for Allegra Network. She often produces content for a variety of marketing blogs.