Factors to consider

The final success of online sales is influenced by numerous factors. If we wanted to write a formula for the ultimate and overall success of an online store with physical products, it would have to be quite complex, as it would need to consider numerous factors, such as:

• - Product
• - Calculation (margin)
• - Sales text (online product presentation)
• - User experience on the website
• - Choosing the right target audience (relevant to the product)
• - Digital marketing
• - Order processing
• - Package delivery
• - Accounting
• - Decision-makers (constant analysis and optimization of the entire process)

Each of the listed factors is important, and each of them is a story in itself, as continuous process optimization is necessary. Only based on these can we achieve optimal results. The final success of online sales is thus the sum of the success of each of the listed factors individually.

If decision-makers do not regularly analyze the realized results and immediately optimize each individual segment, it can quickly happen that the result is not as desired. If a certain error occurs for a longer period, it can quickly lead to negative balances for the company, which can quickly threaten the stability of the entire project.

But is there just one factor that can significantly positively impact the overall success of online sales? A simple trick that can provide us with a shortcut to success is considering sales trends, of course, if we consider them and predict them correctly.

Example (Life.si)

The online store Life.si was established precisely for the sale of trend products. Products are searched and procured based on sales trends that can be predicted for the future and with which we can solve one of the specific problems of the consumer.

In addition to trends, the online store Life.si also considers the season and the problem that can be solved with a specific product.

The range of products in the online store Life.si could be divided into 4 main categories according to the seasons, and in all of them, the main factors for selection are precisely sales trends:

• - Autumn (seasonal cleaning, etc.)
• - Winter (cold illnesses, etc.)
• - Spring (weight loss, etc.)
• - Summer (dehydration, etc.)

The D-Studio team participates in the Life.si project as a contractual partner responsible for the entire digital marketing. The company DEGRIZ d.o.o. established the online store and continuously takes care of its maintenance and optimization.

Every new campaign starts with the selection of a product (trends, season, solution for a specific problem), then the supply of the product is arranged, and the sales text is prepared. In the next phase, sales channels are selected through which the product will be advertised, and the preparation of the digital marketing campaign begins.

Body shaping belt

During the summer months, the client and owner of the online store Life.si was preparing sales plans for the winter months. As part of the collaboration, the D-Studio team conducted an analysis of sales trends for the winter season. Based on the analysis of sales trends from the previous year, from more developed markets, we noticed a great potential for the sale of the Body shaping belt, which the Slovenian market was not yet familiar with. Considering the good sales of weight loss supplements from the previous year, we concluded that October would be the right time to start the campaign.

We chose Facebook as the main sales channel, as it allowed us to reach the largest audience and get the best budget utilization for digital marketing.

The campaign lasted from October (correctly predicted start of the weight loss season) until May of the following year (end of the weight loss season).

Monthly success of Facebook advertising before the campaign

• - Average purchase price: 11 euros
• - Average monthly number of purchases: 155

Monthly success of Facebook advertising during the campaign

• - Average purchase price: 6 euros
• - Average monthly number of purchases: 420

Overall sales success (entire weight loss season)

• - Difference in total number of new visitors: +101.92%
• - Difference in total number of purchases: +74.49%
• - Difference in total gross sales: +105.86%

Despite the good sales results of the product, we continued to analyze and predict additional sales trends for other new products.

Often, a product or service comes to market that is either too early or too late. By considering and correctly predicting sales trends, we can significantly accelerate sales growth, as was also shown in the case of the online store Life.si. In 8 months, we increased the total gross sales of the online store by as much as +105.86%.

Next step

After 1 year of systematic analysis of sales trends and adapting the entire online sales according to current trends, we decided together with the client to expand the business to foreign markets (Life.hr, Life-harmony.net), thereby further increasing the reach of the already proven strategy to new and larger markets.