In 2024, the global online retail market is expected to hit $6.3 trillion in revenue. Heavyweights such as Amazon and Alibaba are set to grab the biggest pieces of the online retail pie. But while the whales fight for their share, will there be enough room in the eCommerce ocean for smaller fry and enterprising newcomers? Thankfully, the sheer size of the online retail market means that even the scraps can be worth millions. No matter how small your company is or how niche its target market is, the right customers are out there for your exclusive products.
Keeping your brand voice loud and clear is essential if you want customers to hear about your exclusive products and new arrivals. But how do you make that differentiation?
1. Add a New Arrivals and Exclusive Products Section
New arrivals and exclusive products can be a great revenue source for brands. That said, to secure a purchase, these products first need to catch the customer’s eye. It’s not good enough to simply insert such items into their designated categories and expect that customers will find them.
Instead, why not create a dedicated category for new arrivals and another for exclusive products? Then, give them an extra boost in your category index. For example, you could try attention-grabbing devices like blinking text, a drop shadow, or a color highlight. It doesn’t stop there. Consider adding a banner across the top of your home page to advertise new products. When clicked, it should take the user directly to the new arrivals or exclusive products section.
2. Boost With Hero Shots
Film companies often use posters spotlighting the main protagonist–or hero–to promote their movies. This makes sense; after all, audiences always root for the hero. Similarly, promoting your new arrivals and exclusive products requires the “hero” treatment. To illustrate, feature photos of these products on your home page, splash screen, and marketing campaign materials. Hero shots are also used as the main image for social posts and advertisements.
An added advantage is that this approach requires less effort and expenses production-wise. Hero shots don’t need props or even models. And although a professional photographer and a studio setup can help tremendously, even these aren’t necessary. All it takes to produce a hero shot is a clear image of the product itself.
3. Mark Items in Product Grid Pages
Even with all the promotional material, merchandisers still need to slot these exclusive products and new arrivals into their rightful categories. However, that doesn’t mean they have to look like any old entry in your product catalog. With a simple extension, you can place additional tags or labels on your featured items to show their status as a new arrival or exclusive product. It’s a subtle yet effective way to draw attention to those products you want consumers to focus on. This also works for items marked “most popular” or “on sale now.”
In online catalogs displaying multiple products across dozens of categories, putting the emphasis on featured items can help them stand out better. As such, they’re more likely to be noticed by busy customers who tend to ignore the usual promotional banners and popups.
4. Utilize Strategic Promotions
Chances are that prospects looking for bargains will home in on strategic promotions offered by a brand’s eCommerce site. These promos include lead capture popups promising exclusive deals for customers who sign up for subscriptions or accounts. Lead capture popups often appear as soon as the site’s home page finishes loading. In the case of new arrivals or exclusive products, the popup simply asks users whether they want to view these featured products immediately or continue to browse the regular catalog.
Flash sale announcements are also terrific for brands wishing to drum up sales when things get quiet. These flash promotions work well for introducing new arrivals and exclusive products too. However, be mindful when offering discounts on new and exclusive items–you don’t want buyers to think there’s something wrong with the products. As such, keep discounts on the low side for introductory offers. Another route is to include free shipping when customers add a new arrival or exclusive product to their order.
5. Push Exclusives and New Arrivals on Top
When showcasing products in a category, how do you arrange the items? Do you prefer an alphabetical listing, highest to lowest price, or newest to oldest? Alternatively, you could try listing items based on popularity–starting from the most popular to the least. Although these are all solid options, it might be better to let your customers choose for themselves. Today, many eCommerce sites have sorting options that allow customers to arrange products according to their preferred criteria.
Another idea is to set your catalog pages to keep items labeled “new arrivals” or “exclusive products” at the top of every list and on every page, no matter the category. It’s a tactic that guarantees maximum exposure.
Promoting Exclusive Products and New Arrivals is Easy With the Right Merchandising Software
Promoting your new arrivals and exclusive products is easier with the right merchandising software. Traditional methods using spreadsheets and inventory management are fine if your brand team handles a limited number of products with few variations. However, if you have a massive inventory featuring hundreds of products, things can blow up quickly. Updating the online catalog, adding new products, and showcasing featured items can become a painstaking task that’s also prone to errors.
Zobrist Smart Merchandiser allows you to perform merchandising tasks and manage complex inventory lists more easily and efficiently. Arrange and rearrange your online visual merchandising displays via drag and drop. Automatically sort products based on business rules and tags you assign. This can include custom attributes such as new arrivals and exclusive products.
Learn more about how using Smart Merchandiser can increase your team’s productivity by 70% and generate 20% more revenues. Sign up today for a free demonstration.