by Sunny GandotraApproximate read time: 5 minutesWhile the global pandemic has pushed the U.S. economy into a recession with no foreseeable end in sight, e-commerce sales have been taking a different story with a natural shift into major online shopping. According to a
Forbes article back in June, COVID-19 has increased the growth of e-commerce, jumping from a 77% increase in May 2020 which without the pandemic would have been a predicted growth of 4-6 years. This contributed to an overall growth of $52 billion in e-commerce.
The bottom line is that now is the best time to add an e-commerce sales channel to boost your online presence and drive in new customers. Here are additional tips on how to boost your business’s outreach during these uncertain times.
1. Start working with Influencers

Influencer marketing is becoming a prevalent method for e-commerce merchants’ marketing strategies as Influencers already hold your target audiences' attention. This uniquely positions them to market your product, directly targeting the right crowd. An added bonus is the creative content they produce.
If you are an upcoming trendy clothing store, finding Influencers that are interested in your type of style are the best accounts to contact. Their followers already admire their sense of style. For example, e-commerce apparel site
SEVEN the label reaches out to college-aged accounts with high engagement to not only advertise their products, but also create content to be used on their own social media.
Searching keywords and hashtags on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter might be your best bet on finding influencers for your brand. Additionally, if you are using Instagram, a site like
https://webstagram.org can help collect data on a specific account’s engagement in case false likes and follows are a concern to a potential partnered account.
YouTube star and successful Spotify Merchant
J Rich also recommends users to take advantage of the influencer market on TikTok as these new rising stars are typically “young and haven’t monetized their accounts” meaning that they would be more eager to conduct deals with e-commerce merchants.
Once you find a suitable/reputable influencer, message them directly on their social platforms. Most also provide an email.
2. Create a blog
Believe it or not, people still appreciate a quick refreshing read. Creating content on topics related to your product is a great way to build credibility as a seller in your market and boost your SEO to bring new streams of traffic onto your site through organic searches! Content marketing can also start conversations amongst your customers, give you more content to share on your social media, and bring in new leads to your site.

Cold-pressed and cleansing juice distributor
Press provides an excellent example of content marketing with their online blog they call “Squeeze Magazine”. As the store promotes healthy eating given their product, the online publication incorporates how to follow a healthy lifestyle overall. Their topics range from tips on how to prepare different sweet potato meals to improving workout methods to maximize the benefits of your exercises.
There are many benefits to content marketing. Expanding on topics your targeted audience would naturally be interested in is the best form of curating a growing community centered around your store. To top it off, you may even find loopbacks to recommend your own products.
3. Start a referral program
Now more than ever with everyone having a lot of couch-and-phone time, friends are communicating with each other by sharing funny memes, new songs, and interesting podcasts. Why not sneak into these conversations?

According to a
recent study, 82% of the individuals surveyed admitted they consulted with a friend or family member before making some sort of purchase. To maximize on this statistic, it is wise to contemplate creating a referral system.
Great companies like Amazon, Airbnb, PayPal are living proof of referral success stories which has boosted their users exponentially throughout years after implementation. They key to their progression centered around incentives for the referred and those referred. Examples include the simple method of giving x to receive y, or you can take another step and offer rewards to both the referred and the referral.
4. Promote yourself
It might be obvious, but having a link to your store on a social media site is an easy way to increase traffic onto your store as it provides more platforms for potential customers to discover your product.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn are perfect platforms to create an account for your business and include a link onto your site’s bio or About Page. Additionally, sharing content on these platforms can also boost your visibility, and increase your chances of attracting new customers. (Check out BoffinAI’s social medias below for some great examples!)

But why stop here? Promote your business on your personal social media! Don’t forget that most family members and friends are rooting for your success (well the good ones at least) and are more likely to become customers themselves, or share your content for exposure to their connections, and so on.
If you're not maximizing your efforts to build your traffic, you are definitely missing out. BoffinAI wants you to reach your potential, and utilizing the functions listed above are a sure way to boost your presence online and increase sales.