In eCommerce, we have new tools, new buying habits, new customer expectations... and still the same question: “How can we sell more?”
It's no longer just a matter of having a good product or a nice website.
Today, you need to know how to activate the right levers at the right time and with the right strategy.
The obvious lever to pull in eCommerce is marketing, but what does that mean in practical terms?
The interesting thing is that you don't necessarily need an unlimited budget, just a little method and some smarts.
Come on, let's get started, with one goal in mind: boosting your sales.
In 2025, marketing will become the backbone of any online store that wants to grow sustainably.
Ecommerce is simply the sale of products or services via a digital platform.
This could be your own e-commerce site, a marketplace such as Amazon, or even social media.
But be careful, selling online is not just about putting a shopping cart on a website.
Ecommerce marketing encompasses all the actions taken to attract, convert, and retain customers.
From Google ads to targeted newsletters, well-written product pages, and a reassurance strategy (we will come back to the actions to be implemented in detail later).
In short, eCommerce is part of digital marketing, of which it is a sales channel.
Selling with eCommerce without marketing is like a fishmonger at the market who no longer shouts “my fish is good!” (not sure about this comparison 😁).
In other words, you need to showcase your products in the right way to sell them.
You can have the best product in the world, but if it's not visible, if it doesn't speak to anyone, or if your competitor is more visible (or shouts louder), you won't sell.
Marketing not only attracts customers, but also creates a lasting relationship with them.
And we're not just talking about “getting them to come,” but “getting them to come back.”
Retaining customers is cheaper than acquiring new ones. And yet, many e-commerce stores miss out on this opportunity.
This is where marketing makes all the difference, because it transforms one-time purchases into lasting relationships.
The consumers are there, and so are the opportunities. But you still need to know how to capture and retain them.
And the figures speak for themselves.
According to Fevad, the eCommerce sector grew by 9.6% in 2024 compared to 2023, exceeding €175 billion in turnover.
A strong signal!
In eCommerce, marketing is not just about “looking good” or “making noise”; it must meet these four objectives.
The first essential lever: attract people, yes... but not just anyone.
Thanks to SEO, you can position your pages in search results when an internet user expresses a specific need. SEA (paid advertising) allows you to go even faster by placing you right at the top of the list.
And social media? An excellent springboard for creating visibility, building a community, and driving traffic to your product pages.
The challenge here is to attract visitors who are really likely to buy. Otherwise, it's just traffic for traffic's sake.
And that doesn't fill a shopping cart.
Once visitors are on your site, the work is just beginning.
Marketing then enters its second phase: conversion.
You need to reassure, convince, and seduce.
With well-designed product pages, limited offers, clear guarantees, or social proof, you can remove the last barriers to purchase.
You can also influence the amount spent.
Complementary products, cross-selling, intelligent upselling... Anything goes to increase the average order value.
Acquisition is good.
But loyalty is often even more profitable.
That's where CRM tools, referral programs, and automated campaigns come in.
The idea is to stay in your customers' minds (and in their inboxes) without being intrusive.
A well-targeted promo code, a well-timed cart reminder, or a birthday email can work wonders.
A loyal customer is a customer who comes back... and recommends you to others.
The ultimate goal is to keep your customers active for as long as possible.
This is called the repeat rate.
The higher it is, the more profitable your customer base is.
This ties in with customer loyalty, and here too, marketing has a role to play.
Through useful content, a smooth customer relationship, regular but personalized communication, you create attachment.
The kind of bond that makes your customers think of you naturally when it's time for their next purchase.
We mentioned a few of them earlier, but here are 12 specific marketing levers to activate for your eCommerce.
SEO is the foundation. Without it, your store remains invisible as soon as you stop paying for advertising.
With it, you build regular, qualified, and above all free traffic in the long term.
It all starts with the right keywords.
The ones your customers actually type in.
They need to be found in your product pages, category pages, and even in your blog content.
The goal is to respond to their intentions before they even realize they want to buy.
A well-optimized store is also a well-indexed store.
And if you use Shopify or another platform, integrating your catalog with Google Merchant Center allows your products to appear directly in Google Shopping results.
This gives your visibility a significant boost.
In short, SEO doesn't pay off right away... but it pays off in the long run.
SEA remains a quick way to generate qualified traffic to your store.
With Google Ads (or other ad networks), you capture internet users right when they are searching for your products.
Combined with a retargeting strategy, you also reach visitors who are already engaged but haven't converted, reminding them of your offer at the right time.
By structuring your conversion funnel well, you can tailor your messages to the user's level of maturity: product ads at the top of the funnel, social proof in the middle, and limited offers at the bottom.
A well-managed campaign can boost sales without breaking the bank.
Also remember to regularly adjust your keywords, bids, and visuals to maximize performance.
A well-managed SEA ROI is a powerful lever that should not be overlooked.
Social media is no longer just there to “look pretty.”
In eCommerce, it can become a real sales driver. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest now offer formats to reach your customers where they spend most of their time.
Their strength lies in their excellent targeting.
Interests, purchasing behaviors, similar audiences... you can talk to the right person at the right time with the right product.
Your community is a commercial lever. And on social media, it's not size that counts, but engagement.
To sell, you need to build relationships, inspire trust... and above all, let your customers speak for you.
A video of a customer unboxing their package, a spontaneous post on Instagram, or a well-placed review.
These formats have much more impact than traditional advertising. In fact, 54% of Americans cite customer reviews as a determining factor when making a first purchase (Source: Loyoly Industry Report 2024).
Some brands are betting everything on these UGC formats.
They integrate them into their campaigns, product pages, and even their email follow-ups. And it works. You can find some concrete examples of UGC.
Another tip is to integrate your store directly into Instagram or TikTok.
Your products become clickable, purchasable, and shareable in one click. This will transform your social media into a sales channel.
We just mentioned customer reviews on social media, but reviews can take other forms: on product pages, Trustpilot, Google, etc.
We know that customer reviews matter in the purchasing decision, so no reviews?
No trust (just like a majority of bad reviews, for that matter).
That's why implementing review campaigns has become essential.
You can automate requests after each purchase, gently follow up with satisfied customers, and even reward feedback (without buying ratings, of course).
The little extra is to respond to both positive and negative reviews.
This shows that you are a brand that listens to its customers and, what's more, it encourages other customers to give their opinion.
Email remains one of the most profitable levers in eCommerce.
Engaging newsletters, abandoned cart reminders, and effective loyalty campaigns can have a real impact on your revenue.
And when all of this is automated, it's even better (if done right).
With automated workflows, you can talk to each customer at the right time without spending all day doing it.
The idea is to create intelligent scenarios: welcome, post-purchase, birthdays, reactivation... anything is possible.
And to take it a step further, tools such as Brevo, Hubspot, Klaviyo, and Insider integrate seamlessly with Loyoly solutions, allowing you to link your CRM to your loyalty, engagement, or referral program.
A real synergy to activate, convert, and retain customers without friction.
We were talking about social proof, and here you can get around that with influencers or your ambassadors.
They use their notoriety to give your products trust and visibility.
You can also rely on your customers, which is known as brand advocacy.
Satisfied customers naturally become your best advocates.
They share your products, post reviews, create content, and influence their community without you even having to push the message.
To activate this lever, you need to focus on relationships.
Identify the right profiles, create a genuine connection, and above all, offer them consistent rewards.
A voucher, early access, a commission on sales... the reward system must match their commitment.
This type of marketing is powerful because it is based on trust.
And in a world saturated with advertising, that's what makes the difference.
Referrals are simple and effective: your satisfied customers recommend your store to their friends and family... and everyone wins.
The referrer is rewarded, and so is the referee (this is the difference between referrals and brand advocacy).
From a business perspective, it's a win-win situation: acquisition costs are reduced, trust is immediate (since the recommendation comes from a friend or family member), and word of mouth can snowball if the program is well designed.
For this to work, you need to focus on simplicity and offer a motivating reward.
👉 Solutions such as Loyoly make it easy with seamless referral solutions.
A loyal customer is a returning customer. And for that, there's nothing like a good loyalty program.
But be careful, we're not talking about a simple supermarket-style points system.
In 2025, loyalty will be based on experience: personalized rewards, loyalty levels, exclusive content, and even a touch of gamification.
The more engaging the program, the more it boosts retention.
And it quickly becomes clear from the figures that a good program increases LTV, improves average order value, and creates an emotional connection with the brand.
Pssst... You might find this interesting!
Loyalty programs are strategic to develop your ecommerce, and we can probably help. Check out our platform!
Upselling is integrating a more expensive product into the customer's purchasing journey (offering a higher-end version), while cross-selling is suggesting a complementary product.
The secret to making this work is placing recommendations in the right place at the right time.
On the product page, at the checkout, or even in the payment tunnel.
And that's where checkout extensions work wonders. Several Loyoly customers are already using them with great results.
Our example with the brand Nébuleuse Bijoux, which offers a matching bracelet just before payment, has significantly boosted its average order value.
Simple, unobtrusive, effective.
Marketing without data is like sailing without a compass.
To know what works (and what doesn't), you need to track the right indicators: CAC, conversion rate, NPS, retention rate, LTV...
Each figure gives you valuable information about the health of your eCommerce business.
To manage effectively, tools such as Google Analytics, Looker Studio or choosing a good CRM are essential.
By analyzing these KPIs, you can refine your campaigns, adjust your offers or rethink your customer journeys (the next lever).
👉 To go further, take a look at the article on eCommerce indicators to follow.
Even with the best product and the best marketing campaign, friction in the purchasing journey can ruin everything.
A form that's too long, a lack of reassurance, a promo code that doesn't work... and the user abandons the site.
This is where data analysis comes into its own. It shows you exactly where your visitors are dropping out.
If many are leaving at the shopping cart stage, it may be because the delivery costs are unclear or because they don't trust you.
A security badge, a “free returns” notice or a delivery estimate can sometimes make all the difference.
To learn more about this topic, this video provides concrete and easy-to-apply tips.
Optimizing the customer journey isn't just about improving conversions.
It's mainly about providing a smooth, seamless experience... and making customers want to come back.
The real question is no longer “how to attract customers,” but “how to keep them.”
Because loyalty is the driver of sustainable growth that will optimize your customer acquisition costs and LTV.
An eCommerce marketing strategy can no longer rely solely on acquisition.
You have to think globally: attract, get people to buy... then get them to come back.
And that's where loyalty and customer experience become essential levers.
Brands that focus on retention see a better return on investment.
Why? Because their customers spend more often, stay longer, and cost less to convert.
It's a winning trio that should not be overlooked.
That's exactly what some brands are doing with Loyoly.
They integrate loyalty from the very beginning of their strategy for more engagement, more interactions, and skyrocketing LTV.
You can engage your customers in new ways and make loyalty a real driver of growth.
👉 Request your personalized demo of Loyoly
Loyoly is a loyalty and referral platform combined with UGCs, which helps to engage customers in 40+ ways to increase LTV and social proof, while reducing CAC.
