Q4 is around the corner, and planning and digital marketing strategy outlining should be present in the marketer Q3 task. In an increasingly competitive market and an inflationary context that complicates matters, efficient and scalable customer acquisition is crucial for any e-commerce business, regardless of size, aiming to boost their sales.

While digital marketing experts are well aware of the essential traffic acquisition channels like search engine optimization (SEO), social media presence, and customer reviews, other levers deserve our attention. Customer behaviors continue to evolve, particularly in the e-commerce sector. The buying journey is more fragmented, requiring increased focus on the sales mid-funnel stage to reduce the buying cycle and maximize conversion rates.

What is the Marketing Funnel?

The digital marketing funnel, also known as the conversion funnel, is a key concept in digital marketing that models the different stages a prospect goes through before making a purchase. It typically consists of three phases:

1. Awareness: The prospect becomes aware of their need to make a purchase but is not yet decided on a specific brand or product.
2. Consideration: The prospect evaluates your value proposition at the beginning of their buying cycle.
3. Conversion: The final stage where the prospect becomes a customer by completing the purchase on your site.
4. Loyalty: The user is retained and come back to your store to complete another conversion after a good experience.
5. Advocacy: Long terms buyers who actively recommend your brand

Digital marketing efforts often focus heavily on the top and bottom of the funnel—building brand identity through advertising campaigns and enhancing brand awareness, and optimizing conversion and user retention at the lower funnel. However, this digital marketing strategy is no longer sufficient to ensure a balanced and optimized digital marketing mix.

It’s essential for merchants to reach consumers earlier in their decision-making process to shorten the sales cycle from the initial contact to conversion. During the sales mid-funnel phase, where your target audience is interested in your products and value proposition, being visible and well-referenced is crucial.

Mid-funnel: Digital Marketing Strategies

Price Comparison Sites: An Excellent Acquisition Channel

Today, while over half of consumers still use search engines as their primary information source before making a purchase, it’s often overlooked that 29% of future buyers use a price comparison site during this evaluation phase (source: PWC study, June 2023). These sites specialize in listing and displaying products from various e-merchants based on their offers. Usually well-positioned on search engines, price comparison sites can drive highly qualified traffic to online stores by targeting prospects actively searching for a product with a strong intent to buy.

For merchants, this traffic source allows them to diversify their channels and extend their reach while maintaining their acquisition cost and ROI objectives. The key challenge is to list their product catalogs on price comparison sites effectively. Amidst a plethora of options, standing out with comprehensive and relevant content is vital. This way, e-merchants can meet the expectations of future customers seeking information before confirming their purchase.

Boost Your Conversion Rate and Products Exposure in a Few Clicks

Established in 2006, Twenga quickly became a leading price comparison site, thanks to its powerful search engine with multiple features that provide the most relevant results to its users. But how can you get listed without specific technical skills or simply a lack of time? To meet this need, Twenga developed a new solution called Shopping Push. Easy to install and use, this turnkey solution allows merchants to appear on Twenga.fr effortlessly and for free.

Once installed, Shopping Push automatically connects to the store’s product catalog, extracting relevant product data to display on Twenga.fr, where thousands of buyers ready to purchase visit every month. Shopping Push is supported by advanced machine learning technology. This AI continuously enhances the merchant’s visibility by optimizing adjustments based on performance. A paid version called “Business Plan,” starting at €5 a day, offers additional services:

• Extra traffic from a network of premium partners to amplify your product’s visibility across various channels.
• A customizable merchant page showcasing your competitive advantage, logo, and direct links to your site to enhance your SEO.
• Access to traffic performance reports with valuable insights.
• A dedicated account manager who speaks your language.

In just a few clicks and without any technical expertise required, Shopping Push helps merchants achieve dual objectives of visibility and optimization. Price comparison site users will be presented with the most targeted content relevant to their search, facilitating their purchase decision and offering a better customer experience. For merchants, this is a significant advantage in obtaining quality traffic and leads by targeting prospects at the decision-making moment, leading to higher conversion rates, controlled ROI, and boosted sales.

Plan and Strategize for Q4

As Q4 approaches, it’s critical for small and medium businesses (SMBs) to outline their digital marketing strategies during Q3. With limited resources, digital marketing initiatives should focus on upper-funnel (consideration and brand awareness) and bottom-funnel (conversion and buyer engagement) activities. However, it’s common to overlook the sales mid-funnel approach—engaging pre-buyers who are ready to purchase but unsure where to do so. Including price comparison sites like Twenga, which integrates merchants’ products seamlessly and for free, is essential. These platforms can show your products exactly when and where potential customers are looking for them, bridging the gap between consideration and conversion.

Conclusion

Incorporating price comparison sites into your digital marketing strategy is a practical and efficient way to boost your online sales. With tools like Twenga’s Shopping Push, even businesses with limited technical skills can easily tap into this valuable traffic source, optimize visibility, and achieve a higher conversion rate. For SMBs aiming to increase their online sales, leveraging such platforms can be a game-changer, especially with the strategic planning for Q4 on the horizon.