The key to multichannel e-commerce isn’t to simply list your products on multiple marketplaces … but to go native. Experience design is just as important on marketplaces as on your own website. Shoppers need to get the experience of the platform they have chosen, but with your own unique branding.
Product pages should be engaging and offer the same robust experience on every marketplace that you offer on your own brand site.
Research from Shopify showed that brands on two or more additional channels increased revenue by 120% on average, compared to revenue the brands gathered from selling on their website alone.
Your store
Your brand is more than your logo. Your brand identity is just like a person’s identity; made up of visual appearance as well as values, beliefs and communication style.
Your website is your own property. You are the king of that castle. You set the rules, and so have more freedom to be creative and develop an immersive brand experience here than you do on marketplaces. Take full advantage and use exciting images, videos and testimonials at every stage of the customer journey to support their trust in your brand.
Copy is just as important as images. Product pages need to answer customer questions in your brand voice. Whether relaxed and friendly, or more formal and experienced, the same voice should speak across every platform.
eBay
eBay is the world’s broadest ranging marketplace. Its famous “fill your cart with color” campaign urges customers to “shop like no one else.” Similarly, it has always encouraged professional sellers to accentuate their own brands and individuality with custom-branded listings.
The scope of design on eBay has now expanded, increasing possibilities for professional sellers looking to create an enterprise-level brand presence on eBay. Customers can achieve the same immersive shopping experience on eBay as they experience on your website.
Multiple listing designs can now be hosted from a single eBay seller account, meaning that merchants can now sell with a unique custom design for each category, a unique custom design for offers and full custom design for seasonal selling.
In practice, this means that a customer could view a pair of Nike trainers you are selling in a custom Nike listing design, complete with shoe sizing guide, then be led by your cross-promotion to another pair in your Black Friday sale, displayed in a custom-branded Black Friday listing design, complete with your special delivery and returns policies.
Amazon
The only thing bigger than the potential revenue for sellers on Amazon is the competition between them. Sellers who want to get their share of the revenue on this site need to make each of their offerings stand out in every way possible.
Amazon is now helping brands build their identity within the Amazon marketplace with custom-designed stores. Stores can have multiple pages and can promote new lines and key features through videos and inspiring imagery.
Amazon store design helps brands communicate directly with the customer, establishing familiarity and encouraging loyalty. You as the merchant have the freedom to choose how the storefront is merchandised, giving you the power to increase visibility for your wider product range, including for items that rank lower on the search results page. This capability is especially helpful for new products.
For example, Pompeii3, a family business established in 1919, has deep gemology knowledge and skilled jewellers as its unique selling points. Sharing knowledge with customers is a focus for both its brand identity and sales.
Using ChannelAdvisor to coordinate selling from multiple channels online, Pompeii3 has been selling on Amazon for ten years and attributes 10% of its sales to Amazon. Amazon listings are well designed for sharing knowledge, but its product pages do not have much scope for projecting the strong brand identity that luxurious and emotional purchases such as jewelry need.
On the other hand, this Amazon store designed by Frooition for Pompeii3 gives a professional look to its brand on Amazon. This design presents a selection of best sellers from each of its three core ranges, alongside inspirational images and information about Pompeii3 as a company, strengthening its brand identity.
The key takeaways for creating a strong multichannel brand identity are to:
- Establish your brand’s tone of voice, and use it on every platform
- Custom brand everywhere you can
- Focus on your unique appeal to the customer
Blog post by Jessica McDonald, digital marketing executive, Frooition
