Strategies to Overcome E-Commerce Challenges

Case Study: How I Helped a Client Double Their Leads in 90 Days 👉Client Overview A mid-sized e-commerce brand specializing in eco-friendly household products approached me with a pressing problem: their lead generation efforts had stalled, and their sales pipeline was drying up. Despite investing heavily in ads and email marketing, the ROI just wasn’t there. They needed fresh ideas—and fast. 👉The Challenge Lead Volume Stagnation: The brand had plateaued at 500 leads per month, far below their target. 👉Inefficient Campaigns: Their Google Ads were expensive and underperforming, with low click-through and conversion rates. 👉Unfocused Messaging: Their value proposition wasn’t resonating with potential customers. 👉Low Conversion Rates: Traffic was reaching their website, but the leads weren’t converting due to unclear landing page design. 👍My Strategy —>1. Audience Insights and Segmentation The first step was to dive into their data to identify who was clicking, what they were searching for, and why they weren’t converting. I broke down their audience into three distinct personas and tailored campaigns for each. —>2. Google Ads Overhaul Conducted a full keyword analysis, identifying long-tail keywords that were cheaper and had higher intent. Restructured their campaigns with precise targeting, segmenting by geography, behavior, and purchasing power. Introduced dynamic ad formats with compelling offers. 3. Landing Page Optimization I redesigned their landing pages with bold headlines, trust badges, and a simplified form that only required the essentials. Implemented A/B testing to identify the highest-converting design. Added a sense of urgency with time-limited offers, increasing conversions. —>4. Content Marketing Integration To supplement paid ads, I developed a content strategy focusing on value-driven resources, like downloadable eco-friendly tips and interactive product calculators. This gave the audience a reason to engage beyond the initial ad click. —>5. Automated Email Follow-Ups The Results Within just 90 days, the results exceeded expectations: Leads Doubled: Monthly leads surged from 500 to 1,000. Cost Per Lead Reduced by 40%: Smarter targeting and optimized ads saved the client thousands. Landing Page Conversions Improved by 120%: The revamped pages turned casual visitors into committed leads. Sales Increased by 30%: A steady pipeline of qualified leads translated into higher revenue. What the Client Said "We were on the verge of giving up when Irina stepped in. Her marketing strategies not only brought in more leads but also made our entire process more efficient. It was a complete game-changer for us." Conclusion This case study proves the power of a holistic approach to #marketing. By combining data-driven strategies, creative #messaging, and relentless #optimization, I helped this client double their leads and achieve sustainable growth. Could your business be next? Let’s talk!

Your competitors are slashing prices by 20%, so you should too, right? Wrong. Research shows discounting creates customers with: ↳ lower lifetime value ↳ higher churn ↳ lower NPS, and ↳ lower word-of-mouth promotion It's the French fries equivalent for your business: convenient but damaging to long-term health. When you compete on price, you enter a race to the bottom. Your margins shrink while training customers to expect discounts forever. Just ask those brands where customers refuse to pay full price. When was the last time you paid full price at Bed Bath & Beyond? (and I'm sure you don't want to file bankruptcy like them...) The discount mindset also shifts focus away from the real problems on your site. Poor conversion rates are rarely solved by slashing prices. They stem from poor traffic quality, confusing site structures, and lack of customer understanding. Data from ProfitWell by Paddle's study of 4,200 subscription businesses confirms this pattern. Higher discounts correlate with lower customer lifetime value. There are healthier alternatives that preserve margins while driving conversions: ↳ Free gifts with purchase ↳ Limited editions ↳ Loyalty perks ↳ Well-timed product launches ...all work better. Even Allbirds, known for avoiding discounts, *increased* prices on Black Friday for a climate initiative. The strategy generated buzz and aligned with their core customers' values. Your best move? Invest in understanding visitor behavior and optimizing the customer experience. Is your e-commerce strategy relying on temporary price cuts instead of sustainable experience improvements?

As a DTC brand, have you considered the risks of relying solely on Amazon as your growth engine, especially as its dominance in the e-commerce landscape continues to surge? Amazon’s share of US e-commerce sales is projected reach an impressive 40.9% by 2025, a clear signal of Amazon’s tightening grip on the retail market. I see this trend as a wake-up call. While Amazon offers unparalleled reach, its growing dominance amplifies the risks of over-dependence. Policy shifts, escalating fees, and fierce competition can destabilize your profitability and erode your control over your brand. The solution? Diversify your sales channels to build a more resilient business. Here are 2 actionable strategies for diversification every Amazon brand should pursue today: 1. Embrace Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Sales: Invest in your DTC infrastructure. This is the time to focus on building a real brand that stands independently to the vast search intent that Amazon offers. Use Shopify, Klaviyo, Meta, and Google as your "core four" to begin generating and converting demand to your DTC business. Selling directly to your customers lets you bypass Amazon’s fees and regain control over your brand's narrative. By forging stronger relationships with your audience, you not only mitigate the impact of Amazon’s rule changes but also unlock opportunities for higher margins and customer loyalty. 2. Tap into TikTok Shops: With now over a million creators thriving on TikTok Shops and search volumes surpassing Google in certain product categories, it’s a vibrant marketplace waiting to be explored. Partner with influencers and leverage TikTok’s powerful discovery tools to connect with new audiences and drive sustainable growth. You'll also find the discovery on TikTok drives new customers to both your Amazon and DTC business as a bonus. Why act now? Relying solely on Amazon leaves you vulnerable to unexpected disruptions, whether it’s a policy change or intensified competition. But by branching out to platforms like TikTok Shops, building a DTC presence, and exploring multiple revenue streams, you can safeguard your business and seize untapped opportunities. The data is undeniable: Amazon’s meteoric rise is both an opportunity and a risk. Don’t wait for the next policy shift to catch you off guard. Take action today—diversify your strategy, harness innovative platforms, and position your e-commerce brand for long-term success.

A client came to us frustrated. They had thousands of website visitors per day, yet their sales were flat. No matter how much they spent on ads or SEO, the revenue just wasn’t growing. The problem? Traffic isn’t the goal - conversions are. After diving into their analytics, we found several hidden conversion killers: A complicated checkout process – Too many steps and unnecessary fields were causing visitors to abandon their carts. Lack of trust signals – Customer reviews missing on cart page, unclear shipping and return policies, and missing security badges made potential buyers hesitate. Slow site speeds – A few-second delay was enough to make mobile users bounce before even seeing a product page. Weak calls to action – Generic "Buy Now" buttons weren’t compelling enough to drive action. Instead of just driving more traffic, we optimized their Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) strategy: ✔ Simplified the checkout process - fewer clicks, faster transactions. ✔ Improved customer testimonials and trust badges for credibility. ✔ Improved page load speeds, cutting bounce rates by 30%. ✔ Revamped CTAs with urgency and clear value propositions. The result? A 28% increase in sales - without spending a dollar more on traffic. More visitors don’t mean more revenue. Better user experience and conversion-focused strategies do. Does your ecommerce site have a traffic problem - or a conversion problem? #EcommerceGrowth #CRO #DigitalMarketing #ConversionOptimization #WebsiteOptimization #AbsoluteWeb

Over the years, Michael Epstein and I have turned around a fair number of ecommerce brands. These are the top 5 things we do in every turnaround. I'd say they are universally applicable too, just as relevant if you don't run a turnaround yourself. Just good operational and marketing lessons: 1️⃣ Move from a custom IT stack to off-the-shelf stack. AutoAnything and Karmaloop were running on a server rack in a physical location… no cloud. At both companies, one could literally trip on a cord and unplug the website, turning off $100M in revenue.   This legacy approach required developers and sysadmins and IT staff and consultants and . . . you get the idea. All in the maintenance costs was in the high seven-figures. Our first step was always moving off legacy infrastructure ASAP. Plug-and-play off-the-shelf ecom allowed us to focus on building a team around the things that moved the top line (revenue).  2️⃣ Implement lifecycle marketing Imagine a X-million people email list in which the X-million people receive an email with the same discount, EVERY day. This is probably the #1 symptom I've seen at busted brands: spray and pray discounting. Imagine the money they are leaving on the table by giving out a discount when the customer would have purchased anyway. It's called a subsidy cost, and you won't see it in the financials but it's there. Plus they are teaching all new customers to buy at discount. Move off spray and pray. Discounts are not the devil, but use them where they actually can influence customer behavior in a good way. Lifecycle marketing FTW.  3️⃣ Implement a culture of execution across the business Most busted businesses are: - Clueless about company or team goals.  - Overly bureaucratic. - Overstaffed. You need to build a culture of execution. Go read about Slootman's 3 B+ companies and how he does it, or about 3G capital and what they do when they take over a business. We heavily rely on the Traction method as our goal framework. 4️⃣ Maximize revenue Our approach is rooted in a framework by Jay Abraham which I call the “three multipliers”. 1) Increase the AOV (avg. order size) 2) Increase the frequency of purchase 3) Increase the total number of customers Most businesses blindly go after the third multiplier, which is the most expensive one. Instead, try focusing on the first two multipliers and turn to customer acquisition later. 👉 We review our framework for prioritizing marketing activities in our Nerd Marketing episode, link in the first comment. 5️⃣ Look for unexploited channels We’ve found that busted brands rarely use #directmail. Simply extending what’s working into new channels is often a low-hanging fruit that these turnaround brands aren’t doing. That's it. Multiple turnarounds but 5 core themes. Hope they help inspire you this weekend! Want to dive deeper into these turnaround secrets? Download all 30 tips from the series here → https://lnkd.in/erjwCtv6 #dtc #marketing

Last year I had a call with the VP of ecommerce of a $300M+ retail company who was convinced their 32% return rate was "just the cost of doing business" When I dug into their data I discovered that almost half of post-purchase revenue loss is preventable. This happens all the time, retailers are pouring their heart and budget into hitting sales targets, only to watch a third of that revenue disappear due to inefficiencies and refunds. It's demoralizing to be a retailer these days. It doesn't have to be this way! Here's the playbook we used to help that company recover over $6.8M in just 4 months: Most retailers focus on the wrong metrics, for example they celebrate $10M in sales while silently losing $3.2M to returns, and another $1M to operational inefficiency, plus $800K to return fraud and abuse. Quick observations: Your "best customers" are killing you! 37% of "VIP shoppers" are serial returners, they look great in your CRM but they're negative margin customers. We found one customer returning over $14K → this is totally preventable! This is our framework that we developed after working with hundreds of enterprise retailers in the past 5 years: Prevent returns Enable size/style swaps and allow for uneven exchanges (more expensive or cheaper options) Store credit options instead of refund Relevant product recommendations for exchange and upsell Analyze the return reasons by product - this can save you a lot of products from being returned! Results: Over 60% reduction in refunds b) Prevent fraud and abuse Fraud rules to prevent return abuse Automate policy enforcement and verification of product quality before the product is sent back Product inspection workflows at the warehouse level Results: the highest we seen last year for a customer was over 90% c) Streamline Operations Setup rules for returns routing to the closest warehouse or outlet stores Minimize clicks and enable a scan, scan, refund workflow Centralize all returns data and actions into one system, to prevent system switching Results: 42% faster processing Returns are not a cost of doing business. They're a goldmine of hidden opportunities. But here's the truth: Most retailers will read this and do nothing. They'll keep losing millions because "that's just ecommerce." The smart ones will see this as the competitive advantage it is. What side do you want to be on? P.S. If you're a retail executive seeing 20%+ return rates, DM me. I'll share our full framework as it’s way more detailed.

Most of the e-commerce businesses I see on LinkedIn are leaving at least $10,000/month on the table without even realizing it. Let's fix that. 1. Understand User Intent (Not Just Keywords) Google’s smarter than ever at understanding what people mean, not just what they type. For every target keyword, ask yourself: “What problem is the searcher trying to solve?” For example: Instead of just ranking for "running shoes," focus on “best running shoes for marathon beginners” to align with what your audience actually needs. 2. Optimize for Every Funnel Stage Successful SEO drives awareness, engagement, and conversions. Tailor your content to each stage: Top of Funnel (TOFU): Blog posts like “10 Best Skincare Routines for Winter” Middle of Funnel (MOFU): Comparison pages like “Vitamin C Serum vs. Retinol: Which One Is Right for You?” Bottom of Funnel (BOFU): Optimized product pages and reviews to drive final purchases. Map your keyword strategy to each stage of the buyer's journey. 3. Capture High-Intent Buyers with Long-Tail Keywords Long-tail keywords = lower competition + higher conversion rates. For example: Instead of targeting “gaming laptops,” focus on “best gaming laptops under $1,000 with RTX 4060.” Tools like Ahrefs can help you discover long-tail opportunities. Let me know if you don't know how to use Ahrefs in the comments so I can explain further. 4. Boost Internal Linking with Topic Clusters Internal linking is like setting up SEO highways across your site. Group content into topic clusters to dominate search rankings. For example: A pet store could have a “Dog Care” cluster Main Page: Dog Food Blog Posts: “Best Dog Food for Sensitive Stomachs” > Links to dog food product pages 5. Write Product Descriptions That Sell Every product description is a mini sales pitch. Use SEO-friendly language and focus on benefits, not just features. Template for Better Descriptions: Highlight pain points: "Tired of acne scars ruining your confidence?" Show benefits: "Our serum fades scars in 3 weeks while hydrating your skin." Add FAQs to product pages to rank for semantic searches. 6. Use Schema Markup for Better Clicks Schema markup makes your products stand out in search results with star ratings, pricing, and FAQs. Some Quick Wins: Add “Product” schema to show star ratings, availability, and sale prices. Add “FAQ” schema to capture extra visibility with Q&A snippets. 7. Tackle Mobile Optimization (After Nailing the Basics) Mobile-friendliness is critical, but don’t get overwhelmed early on. Start with basic SEO tactics and tackle Core Web Vitals later. 8. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC) UGC = reviews, photos, and testimonials from your customers. 9. Build Backlinks with Influencers High-quality backlinks are essential. Partner with influencers to create content that naturally links to your site. 10. Measure, Adjust, and Scale SEO isn’t a one-time task. Use tools like Google Search Console or Ahrefs to track progress.

After 10+ years of optimizing e-commerce websites, I can say this: your Product Detail Pages (PDPs) are most likely draining your marketing budget. Why? Because up to 75% of e-commerce traffic from ads lands directly on PDPs, which are often under-optimized for conversion. While every product and brand is unique, there are some strategies we've learned from extensive A/B testing: 1. First impressions matter - Invest in design and delight. Don't ignore these side-doors shoppers enter from. 2. Conversion levers - Small things matter. Sweat the details. Learn what makes customers bounce or stay, buy and come back for more. 3. Trust signals - You're not Amazon or Apple. New users landing on PDPs don't know and trust your brand yet. Every trust signal you can add helps. I'll be sharing examples of before / after PDPs we've designed to illustrate our learnings. YMMW. Test, test and test more. Here are 9 key PDP improvements that can help beauty brand- The Wellness Shop 1. Add breadcrumbs: They help navigation and encourage deeper catalog exploration/ product discovery. 2. Concise product name & benefit-driven description: A clear product name paired with a one-line benefit statement instantly communicates value. 3. Images or videos of the product being used: Lifestyle images with models using the product (and tagged benefits) build trust and desire. 4 & 9. Give them a path to find other products. Or they'll bounce. "You might also like" or "Similar products" will also increase average order value (AOV). 5. List top product benefits above the fold: Highlight key benefits in a short, skimmable list for quick understanding of "why is this awesome". 6. Highlight savings: Display discounts and offers prominently near the "Add to Cart" CTA to create urgency and to motivate customers to buy. 7. User-Generated Content (UGC) Videos: Authentic customer videos build trust and demonstrate real-world product use. 8. Add well designed enhanced product details: a. Before & After Visuals: Showcase tangible results. b. Usage Instructions: Simple steps demonstrate ease of use. c. Comparison Table: Position your product against competitors. Found this useful. Would love to hear in the comments! DM me to learn more about optimizing your PDPs or any ecommerce page! #conversionrateoptimization #PDP #ABtesting

Success in e-commerce boils down to one fundamental principle: Understanding and aligning with your customers' intent. The introduction of an Amazon Science Papers Engagement-based Query Ranking (EQR) model provides a transformative approach, particularly for high-consideration (HC) queries, which reflect a shopper’s deeper decision-making journey. Here’s how EQR is revolutionizing the way businesses approach search optimization and customer engagement: 1️⃣ High-Consideration Queries Are Goldmines: HC queries, like “best DSLR cameras,” indicate a customer’s readiness to make informed decisions. Unlike generic searches, these queries offer invaluable insights into customer intent, helping businesses deliver meaningful, context-rich content that fosters trust and drives conversions. 2️⃣ Traditional Keyword Strategies Fall Short: Most strategies focus on frequency or popularity, often prioritizing low-consideration terms (e.g., “rubber mats for gym”). This approach overlooks HC queries’ potential to engage intent-driven shoppers, leading to wasted resources and missed opportunities. 3️⃣ EQR’s Precision in Ranking Keywords: Amazon’s EQR model shifts the focus from volume to value by ranking keywords based on engagement potential. It considers behavioral metrics (e.g., click-through rates), financial signals (e.g., sales volume), and catalog insights (e.g., product availability), achieving 96% accuracy in identifying impactful queries. 4️⃣ Proven Results from EQR: In live deployments, EQR-selected queries increased engagement by 6% compared to human-selected keywords. This scalability and precision save time, reduce costs, and maximize the ROI of e-commerce strategies. 5️⃣ Actionable Steps for Businesses: Identify HC keywords using behavioral and financial metrics. Develop tailored content such as buying guides and FAQs for these queries. Continuously refine strategies based on customer interactions, ensuring relevance and scalability. ✅ From Sellers to Trusted Advisors: EQR-inspired strategies enable businesses to move beyond reactive keyword optimization, fostering deeper engagement with high-intent shoppers. By focusing on what truly matters to customers, brands can achieve sustainable growth, build trust, and establish themselves as indispensable resources in the customer journey. 🔍 How is your business addressing high-intent customer queries today? Let’s discuss innovative approaches to transform search optimization into meaningful customer connections. #amazonseo #amazonscience #amazonsearch #ecommerce #keywordoptimization #seostrategies #optimization #searchterms #amazon #sellerstrategies