Should E-commerce Brands Still Consider Traditional Marketing?
In today’s digital world, businesses no longer need to operate out of a physical location. In fact, E-commerce brands have seemingly taken over; you only need to look at the growth of Amazon, which is now one of the world’s biggest brands from simply selling products online. With so many budding entrepreneurs turning to E-commerce, many are left wondering if traditional marketing methods still work for online brands.
This article will compare both traditional and digital marketing channels from the perspective of an E-commerce brand to give you a detailed analysis. Make sure to continue reading for more information.
Traditional Marketing in 2025
Traditional marketing methods include offline channels like direct mail, TV and radio – channels that have stood the test of time and been used for decades. For businesses that operate solely online, many assume they should only market online too, and it’s a fair assumption.
Despite this, the answer to whether you should use traditional marketing depends on your brand, product and audience. For certain brands, there are still a variety of reasons to consider traditional marketing in 2025.
Helps Reach Certain Demographics
Digital channels are great for targeting younger audiences, but many older consumers aren’t as active online, which subsequently makes it harder to reach them through social media posts and online ads. As a result, you may need to turn to more traditional marketing channels if your E-commerce brand sells products specifically aimed at older demographics.
Build Brand Awareness
Most consumers need to interact with a brand a few times before making a purchase. This makes it important to stay fresh in the minds of potential customers. Traditional marketing channels can help if your goal is to build brand awareness by increasing the chances of consumers seeing your advertising in several locations.
Local Market Penetration
If your brand or product is specific to a location or you want to penetrate a local market, traditional marketing channels could be more effective than digital channels. While online ads can target specific locations, it doesn’t get more targeted than placing a physical billboard in the middle of a busy city centre. Local TV/radio channels can also be used to target consumers in a specific area.
Digital Marketing For E-Commerce Brands
So what’s the alternative? While there is still a place for traditional marketing, even for certain E-commerce brands, there is no getting away from the fact that we now live in a digital-first world. Some may even argue that social-first would be a more accurate term.
For E-commerce businesses, this is even more true, and most marketing efforts should probably focus on digital channels. Strategies such as influencer marketing, social media advertising and Email marketing are far more likely to be worth the investment compared to more traditional channels.
Influencer Marketing
You can view this as online word of mouth. Consumers who may not have even heard of your brand before could come into contact with your brand through someone they follow. This doesn’t have to be a famous celebrity, which is why more brands are now turning to micro-influencers. The key to successful influencer marketing campaigns often lies in working with influencers who mirror the brand’s identity and values. For example, a luxury jewellery brand should work with influencers who are perceived to be glamorous, sophisticated and affluent.
Social Media Marketing
Social media has become a goldmine for all businesses, but E-commerce brands especially should have a thorough strategy for their social media activity. There are two sides to social media marketing, the first being organic social. This refers to the content that you upload to your own accounts for users to see in their newsfeeds and timelines.
The second option is paid social media advertisements, which all of the top platforms offer. This allows brands to target users by specific factors in an attempt to capture users who are more likely to make a purchase. A common tactic is to target users who have already shown an interest in your brand, possibly by following you on social media, as this would signify that they are considering making a purchase.
Email Marketing
Email isn’t a new phenomenon, and neither is email marketing. In recent years however, more and more E-commerce brands have tried to harness the power of accessing potential customers directly through their inboxes.
You may notice that many E-commerce brands offer a discount code or something similar if they sign up to a newsletter or mailing list. This is because it is one of the few ways online-only brands can gather information about their audience.
Email lists may then be grouped into different categories, such as consumers who have subscribed but never made a purchase or consumers who have made more than one purchase. Armed with this information, brands can then send out personalised emails that are targeted based on the receiver’s relationship with the brand. If you are considering stepping up your digital marketing game for your E-commerce brand, it may be worth reaching out to an E-commerce digital marketing agency that would be able to offer specialised expertise in this area.