You recently launched the grand opening of your online store. You’ve been spreading the word on social media and invested a lot of time in engaging with your target audience and building your brand. You’ve gotten some inquiries about your products and a few sales (likely from people you know), but after several months of being open for business, you’re simply not getting the numbers you’d hoped for. 

There are a lot of reasons your online business isn’t generating sales the way you’d hoped. At the top of the list, however, is consumer trust. What makes your products the best to purchase? Are they high in quality? Do they serve their purpose? Is it a good investment? These are all things consumers are interested in learning before they make a purchase. While you can try and answer these questions through social media and blog posts or online videos and responding directly to consumer inquiries, the proof is in the pudding. 

Popular Customer Incentives

Essentially, you’ve got to give target customers an incentive to take a “leap of faith” and buy from your online store. An incentive is something that encourages a person to take action. Once they receive the item, they can experience the product first-hand and make the determination as to whether or not your brand is one to trust. There are plenty of incentives you can use to increase sales, but some of the most popular are listed below:

Coupon Codes

Coupons aren’t just for brick and mortar locations. You can easily create a coupon code like this Noon coupon code to entice customers to make a purchase at your store. Giving them several dollars or a percentage off of their purchase is like free money. You can promote these codes on your website, social media pages, email marketing campaign, and couponing sites to attract your target audience. 

Free Products

While this may seem like a quick way to go out of business, offering free products to your customers can get them interested in making a purchase online. It gives them the chance to try your products without any financial obligations first. If it’s as good as you say it is, they’ll be online to make a purchase in no time. (Not to mention, they’ll share their experience with others.)

Free Shipping

It’s one thing to have to pay for the product, but another to have to pay for shipping. Depending on the size of the item and the shipping company used, this could cause customers to spend more than they wanted to. You can ease this financial burden by offering free shipping for a limited time or on purchases over a certain dollar amount. 

Limited Time Offers

There’s something about knowing that you only have a short timeframe to get a great deal that entices customers to make a purchase. Choose a product and mark the price down considerably low (without dipping into your profits) and offer it at this rate for a limited time only. 

Donate to a Charity

Customers love supporting businesses that support those in need. If you want to encourage customers to make a purchase at your online store, select a charity and give a percentage of the proceeds to the charity you’ve chosen. Not only can this incentive increase sales but it can greatly improve your brand’s reputation. 

Gift Cards

Another incentive that’s just as good as cash is gift cards. You can offer a free gift card with every purchase over $25 to the first 100 customers. Knowing that there are a limited number of gift cards available will encourage customers to make a purchase right away. The gift cards can be for your online store or for a complementary product or service. 

Getting people to spend money requires a lot more than simply opening your online store for business. You have to utilize certain strategies to develop a sense of trust between you and your target audience. Offering incentives essentially allows potential customers to get more for their money which often is enough to convince them to give your brand a try. The rest, of course, is up to the quality of your products as they relate to the needs and interests of the customer.