A recent study has shown that Australian retailers need a strong online search strategy in order to maintain or boost in-store footfall. Outrider recently released a research report stating that up to 82% of online users are utilizing search as a medium to find products before they go into the store to complete the purchase. Australian retailers have been slow in adopting the online space as a viable medium to generate sales; however, reports such as this prove that the internet is now a much more integral part of the consumer journey and should therefore be an essential inclusion within the overall marketing strategy. The study also showed that 63% of people changed the store that they were originally going to purchase a product from after conducting their research online which further highlights the need for companies to be visible and highly competitive within the online marketing space. As the online channel becomes more and more influential as a viable marketing channel, it presents a great opportunity for companies to develop a strong online marketing strategy and leverage themselves in front of the competition.

Firstly, ensure your website has online shopping or at least product browsing capabilities. This will enable consumers to find exactly what they are looking for and if shopping facilities are available it presents another avenue for driving sales and increasing revenue. Secondly, it is essential to create a solid search marketing strategy to ensure consumers can find your online store and products quickly and easily. This involves implementing a long-term Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy to support high organic rankings and maximum visibility. In addition, Paid Search listings via Google AdWords complement your SEO strategy by providing a highly dynamic, flexible & immediate medium for driving traffic.

In order to keep up with the dynamic online market it is essential to consider the benefits of enabling ecommerce on your site. Consumers love convenience and as our lives become more fast-paced and time-stretched the ease of purchasing items online will entice more and more people to embrace this medium.