Report: Top 10 strategies for driving online growth

New York City Tobe, a division of international retail and fashion consulting service The Doneger Group, has unveiled 10 key strategic initiatives that will immediately drive online sales for retailers.

Here are Tobe’s Top 10 tips for retailers:

1. Treat the home page like a storefront window. Recognize it is the face of the brand and use it as a selling point, showing all features and enticing consumers to explore deeper into the site.

2. Retailers must have a blogging strategy. Ignoring the blogging community gives anyone the opportunity to become the voice of the brand. Whether penning their own blog or sending product to influential bloggers, retailers need a blogging strategy to ensure their point of view is conveyed.

3. Invest in new technologies to drive sales and marketing initiatives. From streaming video to smart phone apps, a number of new technologies can directly translate to sales. Educate consumers through streaming fashion shows and expert commentary, while marketing new promotions through mobile coupons.

4. Test potential brand extension through Internet exclusive product launches. The Internet is a cost-efficient way to test new product lines and gain immediate customer feedback before making the investment in brick-and-mortar stores.

5. Utilize the Internet to take customer service to the next level. Leverage live-chat dialogues, online fit guides and personalized product recommendations to better serve customers and reduce cart abandonment.

6. Build customer loyalty with a unique online selling proposition. A unique offering such as donating a percentage of sales to charity, matching competitor coupons, or providing year-round free shipping drives traffic to your site and makes your brand memorable.

7. Stay connected to your consumer by offering online gift registries and wish lists. Use registries and wish lists to gain lifestyle information about your consumers and the people who care about them. Anniversary reminders sent each year make repeat gift purchases convenient and build loyalty.

8. Reach your customers where they live online. Different consumer groups use the Internet in different ways. Push beyond Facebook and Twitter to sites such as PopSugar, Tumblr and Delicious that are gaining traction with niche consumer audiences.

9. Don’t take your eye off the fundamentals of search engines. While social networking sites are important for maintaining a connection to the consumer, purchases are more likely to occur through a search engine. Retailers need to continue investing in SEO and keyword searches.

10. Don’t underestimate the power of customer reviews. Consumers are more likely to make a purchase from retail sites that include product reviews. In-fact, sites that include occasional negative reviews are seen as being more credible than those listing only positive feedback.