As fast as light moves or even faster the globe is going round and round with miraculous developments everyday. Yet from miles away to a touch away, the big world has come to our palms. The digital revolution!!!
With the COVID pandemic the world has transformed itself to a more digital space and it has triggered forever changes in online shopping behaviours. People value time and convenience more so online shopping becomes seamless. It has played an important role in creating a network of consumers and sellers where people across the world can purchase products. This has become an efficient way of rejuvenating the economy by creating an increase in demand, expansion in consumption, and promotion of employment.
What is an e-commerce brand?
Before getting deeper into the field what needs to be understood is that there’s a fundamental difference between a brand and branding.
Many of the aspiring entrepreneurs may not have an understanding of why a brand is important or even what the concept of a brand is. A brand isn’t just your branding. A brand transcends the concept of a mere name, logo or even just a product. A brand only exists in someone’s mind. It is a perception created by experience and association. This can be both factual (for example, the product comes in a red box), or emotional, (for example, it makes me happy).
Why is it important to have a brand?
The market of a brand goes beyond from just selling products. Even if there is no product, the brand sells itself. Think of an e-commerce store. You need products in that store for it to be worth anything.
Being original is the essence of being a brand. That doesn’t mean you can do otherwise. If you just want a short term benefit, then you could always settle for selling someone else’s products. But that puts you a lot away from being a brand.
But if you are someone who wants to pursue the exciting side of this field and wants to create the brand equity and goodwill that will skyrocket the valuation of your company, then you need to consider building a brand, something for a longer term and more sustainable purpose. It’s to be noted that branding not only generates new customers, but also brings back return customers because of that brand loyalty, customer support
How to create an e-commerce brand?
A business is not necessarily all about a sophisticated brand strategy. What all businesses do need, is a clear idea of what, why and how they’re doing. A successful business springs from the culmination of unique and creative ideas and strategies.
So, what the startups really need to have is a Brand 101 which is designed short enough to be understood easily, sharp enough to clearly differentiate your business from the market, and flexible enough to incorporate the necessities for your business.
What elements exactly should be considered in your Brand 101?
Your idea to create a brand should start with the four Vs. The brand Vision, Values, Voice and Visuals. The 4 Vs need to be inculcated into the brand strategy with the aim of bringing the brand closer to the customer’s heart and thought. The dream is to let the audience know that they are indeed the kings of the market.
How to go about determining needs for your brand?
Your brand vision is what your business aspires to achieve beyond your bottom line. One must be able to uphold these principles and aspirations everywhere and exhort it to the outside world. As your brand vision symbolises everything and everyone you stand for. This comes from the inside that you perceive through your product, which is nothing but a solution to a problem that you wish to address. Every product you bring into the market will surely not be the only solution to the problem as that is why the market is known to be competitive. But you lay a signature in the market by making your solution unique with a strong resolve to contemplate and address all the perspectives to tackle the given problem.
The corner stone of a brand values is simply what your brand stands for, the targeted audience and your own ideals as the founder. Your brand values lie at the core of your culture staying on theme with our reusable coffee cup example. These values could revolve around the environment, transparency and the customer. Do research around other brands you love and see what resonates with you most strongly when it comes to establishing your brand’s tone of voice. Every brand has a personality. The soul of a brand lies in how peculiar it’s traits are to the target audience. With the right amount of zest and a well oriented plan, a brand will always stand out in the market.
The right way to brand positioning
Making yourself unique is not as simple as we just stated it to be. You need to enforce a strong message into the minds of the audience in the most creative way possible. One of the very common ways to implement this is to have a unique value proposition or UVP. This can be seen as more of a cogent and vivid message from the brand proving their originality. In this context you aim to understand your problem in-depth and to solve in your own vibrant way. Some areas where you can highlight your point of difference are your products, design,function, price and time that it’s available.
One of the most pivotal elements to branding is the right theme and design with an enhanced user interface. The goal is to make it sleek, cozy and enrapturing for the customer. Various online platforms like canva, 99 designs etc give you a plethora of options to customise your brand in the most modern way possible. So do some research around these tools. Otherwise you can always work one on one with a graphic designer or a branding agency.
Upon changing the functionality of your product you jeed to look out to fund a more genuine and effective resolve to the issues and queries raised by the existing customers on the product. Once you move in to fixing a price range for your product you have two options.One to go foe a lower direct to customer price point which is more inclusive and accessible for the customers or to go for a higher price point ensuring a premium service.
So consider how your brand is different and how to communicate this with your target audience.
How to increase e-commerce brand value?
1)Marketing = Getting attention
Get people to look at your brand by having amazing creatives and going against the grain. Do something outside of the norm and set a trend. Be the trendsetter by being unique and elagant and don’t be a boring trend follower.
2)Get people to pay attention
You do this by being omnipresent- meaning marketing your brand or product on every social media platform and have incredibly engaging content.
3)Get people to pay
Have an offer so good that people can’t resist it. Branding is like fishing. Crafting the perfect offer hooks your audience. Always keep in mind that we live in an attention economy. The only way to scale your business online is to use advertising.
12 things e-commerce businesses can and should trademark.
1.Brand name
2. Logo
3. Product name
4. Tagline/slogan
5. Product line name
6. Subscription name
7. Membership name
8. Better customer experience
9. Fast shipping
10. Reward programs
11. Regular sales and discounts
12. New product drops
With these pro-tips and a lot more passion, an e-store becomes a part of the customers everyday life by evolving to a brand and concludes to the perfection of an elegant
