We are all aware of the benefits of digital marketing, especially when it comes to eCommerce businesses. These days, it’s possible to check out and order pretty much anything on different smart devices, as long as one has an Internet connection. Precisely because of this convenience, eCommerce businesses have to explore different marketing approaches that could help them adjust and react accordingly to customer demand. This is where real-time marketing and utilization of real-time data come into play.

What exactly is real-time marketing?

As the name suggests, real-time marketing focuses on utilizing data and analytics in real time. Of course, some kind of lag will always exist – we still don’t have a way to instantly use the knowledge from data analytics in order to apply it to the marketing campaigns. Still, it’s possible to do exactly that in a matter of minutes. If you think about it, using immediate data (real-time data) in order to adjust and improve the campaigns in real time would be considerably more beneficial for the success of the said marketing campaign compared to waiting for the campaign to end in order to check data then.

For instance, an eCommerce business might be having a seasonal sale, and a technical error on their landing page could be causing a poor conversion rate. It’s only logical to keep track of the data in order to fix that error as soon as possible so that the conversions go up again during that seasonal sale, instead of waiting for the sale to be done and over with, with poor conversion rates.

Make the most out of technology

We live in a digital age with plenty of digital tools and trackable metrics which can be utilized in order to help eCommerce business improve their marketing campaigns and boost their conversion rates. Ecommerce businesses that have a lot of items for sale can especially benefit from modern-day technology that involves tracking real-time data as they won’t have to go into the whole campaign and marketing process with a blindfold.

In this day and age, it’s possible to measure every single aspect of the selling funnel, including the most popular items, number of clicks, number of buyers, the devices used to access the page, and so on. What’s more, with a comprehensive conversion rate optimization tool, the whole process can become infinitely easier and more efficient when it comes to checking and boosting the performance of the campaign in real time. Not only will this real-time data help you make quick fixes in the wording and design, but it will also provide you with a complete insight into the best marketing channels and better ways to allocate your budget with minimal waste of time (and money).

Apply selectiveness in real-time marketing

As mentioned, eCommerce marketers can measure and track a bunch of different data. However, having one too many variables, in this case, might not be a good thing. After all, if you have 20+ different metrics at your disposal, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose your way to a better conversion rate. Therefore, it’s crucial that you have a clear marketing plan before you venture into real-time analytics.

In general, you should carefully select those metrics that will provide valuable data to your eCommerce business and the products/services you’re offering in particular. This might be just two or three metrics as long as the information you’re getting is helping you improve your sales in real time. If you try to focus on a bunch of different metrics and variables, the chances are you’ll lose sight of what’s important for your marketing campaign in the first place. In that respect, make it a point to select a few trackable metrics that will allow you to improve the conversion within the realistic scope of your campaign.

Keep things personal 

Personalization is a big part of real-time marketing. As you rely on collecting useful data from your sales, customer behavior, and marketing strategies, you’ll get a complete insight into what different customer groups want and how to approach them the best. This doesn’t mean that you’ll have to hire someone to check social media every second in order to react as soon as possible. The key is to make the whole process more efficient, faster, and automated. Not only will this help you meet the demands of your potential customers better, but it will also help you manage your business and budget better. 

Collecting data for real-time marketing means creating a customized and relevant message that will boost your customer service and overall customer experience. Therefore, don’t hesitate to analyze the data you collect and then put your findings into action in order to automate and personalize your marketing efforts.

It’s crucial to be patient

Patience might seem redundant to you at first as we speak about real-time marketing, but the fact of the matter is that one of the most important factors for having successful conversion results is not to rush things. It’s true that you need to keep an eye on the important metrics in real time, but your campaign also needs some time to generate accurate assessments. In that respect, quick initial data may not be the adequate pointer for your entire campaign. Therefore, if you’re doing a marketing campaign that lasts for a couple of days or longer, make it a point to trust your judgment and the judgment of your marketers when it comes to incorporating all the changes based on very first real-time data information.

You can’t go wrong with real-time marketing if you utilize it properly and make the most out of the tools that are at your disposal. In the end, there’s no better and more insightful way to analyze your marketing campaigns and boost your eCommerce conversions continuously.